"I was with it all the way, until I let the handbrake off"... The English Electric Lightning was a favourite amongst pilots for its incredible speed and rate of climb. In this episode of Duxford in Depth we explore the development and history of this remarkable aircraft and take a look Duxford's own example, XM135. Watch in full on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3yiViaC | Imperial War Museum Duxford

English Electric Lightning F.6 at RAFM Hendon. I still see the myth circulate that a Lightning would go vertical off the end of a runway, then accelerate through the sound barrier in said attitude. The vertical climb out was an airshow trick, and the jet would very soon pitch down when out of sight long before getting anywhere near the transonic region. The actual operational climb for an interception called for a profile that achieved 30,000 ft in around three minutes, with no vertical componen

English Electric Lightning | Keith Jones Airshow Videos