Aviation Articles

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The inside story of RAF Germany Lightning operations

Hugh Trevor examines the aircraft and operations of RAF Germany’s Lightning-equipped interceptor wing

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Eject! Eject! - Lightning pilot describes punching out

Air Commodore Terry Carlton told Hugh Trevor about his quick exit from Lightning T.4 XM971 in the August 2012 issue of FlyPast

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Kuwait Air Force Lightnings: A secret history

Hugh Trevor describes the career of the Lightning with the Kuwait Air Force and speaks to the British pilots who delivered the jets and assisted the Kuwaitis in operating them

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Royal Saudi Air Force Lightnings at War: an armourer’s story

Phil Isaac talked to Hugh Trevor for the March 2015 issue of FlyPast about his time arming English Electric Lightnings in Saudi Arabia

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74 Sqn Lightning pilot recalls Singapore adventures

Trevor MacDonald Bennett talked to Hugh Trevor for the February 2015 issue of FlyPast about his time with 74 Squadron

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RAF Germany Lightning pilot – Confronting the Warsaw Pact

Flt Lt Ross Payne recalls the early years of supersonic flying over NATO’s frontline to Hugh Trevor

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Building the Lightning - tales from the factory floor

While fearless pilots such as Roland ‘Bee’ Beamont are quite rightly part of Lightning folklore, the role played by men such as Mike Hardman – building and testing the mighty Cold War machines – should not be forgotten

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The story behind 56 Squadron's ‘Firebirds’

Equipped with nine ground-shaking English Electric Lightnings, ‘The Firebirds’ of 56 Squadron were one of the RAF’s most revered aerobatic teams of all time. Hugh Trevor recalls their halcyon days

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Reviving a trials workhorse

Boscombe Down Aviation Collection’s restoration of Meteor NF.11 WD686 is detailed by Hugh Trevor

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Why flight testing the English Electric Lightning was such a challenge

Getting Britain’s first afterburning Mach 2 interceptor from the drawing board and into RAF service was no mean feat. Hugh Trevor describes the challenges faced by those tasked with flight testing the English Electric Lightning.