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RAF Binbrook:

RAF Binbrook situated just north of Binbrook village on a hill had it's own climate differences to downtown Louth where I stayed for most of my 6 year tour of the station. In winter it could be ice free travelling to work, until arriving at the bottom of the hill climb, where ice, snow, rain and hail welcomed you.

In the summer time, it was a joy to travel to work, especially the  picturesque scenery along the way. All in all a lovely unit to have served at and great memories of all the diverse activity encountered daily.

This Unit was the dream of most aircraft technicians, having 3 dedicated Lightning squadrons and all the backup facilities. Squadron life was what it was all about, a feeling of being in a great big family, sharing all the good times and bad. Rivalry between squadrons kept it interesting too. In later years after leaving Binbrook, the sense of belonging was not the same at all.

Would I do it all again, most certainly I would, the best years of my entire 22 RAF Career were spent at RAF Binbrook.


Introduction

So what have I been doing since 1985? the last time in my service career where I got my hands dirty with Avpin, Fuel, Oils and greases. I could have forgotten or chosen to forget all about the English Electric Lightning, after all it is just another cold war fast jet. Not so, along with many other enthusiasts there is it seems something  special about this iconic aircraft that gets under your skin, whether you like it or not. This page highlights where my ongoing involvement with the Lightning has taken me, to date.

Links:

XMilitrymates
RAF Forum
UKAR
LPG
Penguin Internet Ltd
The Lightning Association

Lightnings and my involvement since 1985

Gate Gaurdian

Lightnings after Binbrook

Firstly may I say, that I had six glorious years stationed at Binbrook, a place that will always be listed as my best posting, first on 5 Squadron then on LTF. I dare say that I could have stayed on the unit till it was closed, but in 1985, I chose to apply for a posting on the then AEW Nimrod which was in production and fitting out at BAE Woodbridge. My thoughts were to advance my career on a more modern aircraft. Had all the courses under my belt and still at Binbrook awaiting posting dates to RAF Waddington, then of course came the news that the AEW Nimrod was being scrapped and along with it my posting. Big mistake and a posting to 30MU RAF Sealand.

The Lightning Association

F6 Lightning XR724

1993 and demob arrived, so what brought all this Lightning enthusiasm back? the truth be known, it had never truly left me, it seems to be an inbuilt interest which many folks like myself still get excited about. First step for me was, living just down the road from Binbrook, made it an easy choice to join the Lightning Association at Binbrook, which has a LightningMk6 jet XR724 in ground running condition. The Association used to host Rallies, which I attended, and found that the excitement was still there, although, never actually got involved to any extent. Sadly because of many unfortunate circumstances, regarding Binbrook after it was sold off,  XR724 found herself relegated to the outdoors and not much in the way of concrete to stretch her legs. Needless to say that the Rallies were no more and engineering staff dwindled over the years. At the tail end of 2010 while perusing the web, I ventured on to the Association website and found that just like the aircrafts activities, the site had been more or less static for a good few years.

Here was my chance to try and revive interest in the Association and XR724, so volunteered to re-write the website. Am glad to report that the site is now doing well.  Lightning stories are always welcome and will be published with full credit to the writer, so if anyone has a good yarn to tell, let us have them, details on the website. If your interest is in engineering, the Association is looking for volunteers to get XR724 back in running condition, there are lots to get involved with, so please get in touch with the chief engineer, details on the website.

Lightning Preservation Group

Bruntingthorpe F Lightning in double reheat

Back in 2009 an ex-Binbrook and 5 Squadron buddy of mine, also an LPG Team member, who lives not far from me, contacted me by email and asked if I would be interested in a trip to Bruntingthorpe Airfield, they were having an open day then. I had knowledge of the LPG, having visited their website and also had met a few of the team while attending the Binbrook rallies, so, jumped at the chance and you can guess what happened next, here were a great bunch of guys, quite a few I already knew from Binbrook. I was in my element, two real ground running Lightnings XR 728 and XS904 to play with if I wanted to. At that time the LPG were in the throws of rebuilding a Q Shed, parts gifted from RAF Wattisham some time before, and the build was nearing completion. The LPG story is remarkable and documented on their site.

At last here was a group that I was very interested in getting involved with, in a small way, at least I could offer help if nothing else. Even at age 64 surely I could manage to do something useful. The LPG has a dedicated team of engineers who spend a lot of their weekends at Bruntingthorpe, working away at keeping the aircraft and equipment serviceable, spares being at a premium these days, but a lot of equipment is actually manufactured in house, where spares are no existent. I don't get up there as often as I would like, due to distance and other circumstances, but have managed to be there to help out on several engine changes and of course open days, to see the results of the guy's commitments. May I add that Bruntingthorpe Open days are always well attended, with a variety of aircraft doing fast taxi runs, to excited crowds.

You could say that Lightnings may grow old, but they are still in the blood after all these years, and kept alive by similar addicts as myself.