Lightning from the Cockpit: Flying the Supersonic Legend

by Peter Caygill

The English Electric Lightning was the only single-seat supersonic interceptor fighter designed and manufactured in the UK. It saw service with the RAF in the sixties and seventies and gained a worthy reputation for its speed ( in excess of Mach 2 ) and phenomenal rate of climb. It was, however, a not entirely reliable airplane and over fifty were lost during its operational career. In this book, the author has gathered together 16 personal accounts of what it was like to fly the Lightning, thrilling stories that convey the immense brute power of the machine and also it’s many pitfalls. It will enthrall the enormous following the aircraft still enjoys. Two are now flying in South Africa and four are being restored to flight-worthy condition in the UK. To see a Lightning take off and climb vertically until it vanishes into the sky is one of the most spectacular sights in aviation.

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Des Pemberton · Rating 3 out of 5]

My two surviving brain cells had a few problems understanding what Peter Caygill was copying into the first half of his book; but managed to understand most of the second half. Having the glossary of abbreviations at the back of the book may have been okay with a hardcopy, but not very useful with an ebook. Although having said that, some abbreviations were detailed, but only after being previously used a few times; hence my accusation of 'copying' above.
Not recommending this book? No, I strongly do recommend it, however, if you're not an aviator then there may be chunks of the book that will leave you wondering what is being described. This book illustrated very well the complexity of flying very fast single-seater aircraft and the skills required by the pilots.

[Danny Cochrane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written

Well written and easy to read with just enough technical content for the more knowledgeable to get their teeth into. Showed the faults of the aircraft as well as its many great assets

[JJ Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly functional

I have read several of Mr. Caygil's books and like most of them I found this one to provide enough interesting tidbits and informative nuggets to make up for the sometimes scattered organization.