History
The English Electric Lightning was the first (and subsequently only)
all-British supersonic fighter aircraft. It was very much the
Spitfire of the Cold War, the only aircraft every would-be pilot
wanted to fly. The same role applied to both aircraft – they
were designed to be home defence aircraft.
The Lightning
was designed to a demanding specification -
specification F23/49, which called for a supersonic fighter/interceptor
aircraft . The team at English Electric (who started making
aircraft in World War 2, producing Halifax’s) set to work,
and made sketches of a heavily swept wing aircraft.
Initially, the the Royal Aircraft Establishment took
exception to some parts of the design disputing that the wing angle
was incorrect. They even went as far as to commision an
aircraft from Shorts, the SB.5 to prove the fact.
However, The research confirmed that the English Electric
configuration was right all along.
| The first Lightning’s were P.1’s. They were purely experimental
aircraft not intended for RAF use. They made sure the basic concept was correct and influenced the F.1 model, the first RAF aircraft mark. The very first P1 was powered by Sapphire engines and first flew on 4th August 1954, piloted by Roland Beamont. On its third flight (11/08/54), it went supersonic. This was without the added power of reheat, (also known as ‘afterburners’, which involves adding fuel into the jet engine exhaust, igniting it and kicking it out the back), long before the term ‘Super cruise’ was invented! Interestingly, Roland said the Lightning was far better at Mach 2 than the American F-104, being less noisy and less vibrations, with better control. |
 WG760, a P.1A at RAF Cosford> |
 XG337, aF.1 at RAF Cosford |
The first RAF aircraft was the F.1. It was introduced in 1959
and immediately exposed the limited range of the Lightning. The F.1A had
hard points for an in-flight refueling probe, to extend the
range of the Lightning to a more useful endurance. The F.2
differed little in terms of equipment, apart from the variable
re-heat on the engines and slightly more powerful Avon engines. The F.3 was the next major advance. It had better radar set (the AI-23B), more powerful engines, but the removal of the 30mm cannons in the nose. It now relied completely on the Firestreak or Red Top missiles, which the pilots didn’t like. It also had the characteristic over-wing hard points for the extra fuel tanks. It was at this time, that a brace of trainers appeared. The T.4 was basically a twin seat F.1A, while the T.5 was a twin seat F.3. Both of these aircraft retained full combat capabilities. Interestingly, both prototypes of the T.4 and T.5 were lost due to fin failures – luckily both pilots survived after ejecting. Export versions of both of these aircraft were built – the T.54 and T.55. |
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| The definitive Lightning was the F.6. This had a large ventral
fuel tank (which increased the range to about 900 miles if you
were lucky), the re-instatement of cannons (a pair of 30mm Aden
cannons in the ventral fuel tank) and a larger, more efficient
wing. They also replaced the de Havilland Firestreak missiles with the Hawker Siddeley Red Top as the primary armament. The export version was the F.53, with extra hard-points for 2 inch rockets for air-to-ground firing. |
 XS417, a T.5 at Newark |
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For a more detailed history of the Lightning, I can’t hesitate in recommending the following sites:
http://www.lightning422supporters.co.uk/
http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/lightning/index.php
http://www.lightning.org.uk/index.html
http://www.lightningpilots.com/
The Product
I received the review copy by download. As a 301mb file, I downloaded it in a few minutes, and installation was quick and easy, after authenticating the product via the installer. The manual is well worth a detailled read as it contains various little bits of interesting information, like a Lightning ‘bouncing’ a U-2 at 85,000ft!
The Lightning is also available on a DVD for those who prefer it.
What you get
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English Electric Lightning F.6: 6 Sqn Green/Grey Camouflage,
metallic underside ● 74 Sqn Bare Metal with Black Tail ● 111 Sqn All-over Grey/Bare Metal with Black Tail ● Lightning Preservation Group XR726 ● 5 Sqn Grey with Red tail/spine/wing leading edge ● 111 Sqn Bare Metal ● English Electric Lightning F.53: Royal Saudi Air Force ● You also get a 48 page manual |
I’ve seen 4 Lightning’s (ZF588, a F.53, XS417, a T.5, XG337, an F.1and XM135, an F.1A) and taken a few photos of them. From the looks of it, comparing it to photos, Just Flight and Aeroplane Heaven have done an excellent job with the external texturess. The nose cone houses the simplified radar (more on that later) and the tail has the correct fairing offered.
The animations of the various covers, ground cart etc. are very good. There are two options – a complete cover up (canopy cover, engine intake covers, exhaust covers, pilot covers and crew ladder) and a ‘prepare for flight’ set up (ground power unit (GPU) and crew ladder).
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The main external difference between the F.53 and the F.6 is that the F.53 didn’t carry the Red Top missiles, but carried SNEB rockets under the wings. A neat animation (Shift+E+4) enables the internal unguided rockets to be shown. There is a part in the manual that states, “Additional information for F.53 RSAF version…… To deploy the rocket packs, use Shift+4.” I tried doing this, but it seems it would be Shift+E+4.
The gun flashes from the twin 30mm Aden cannon are quite nice. It’s a simple effect that was introduced with the Spitfire (I think) way back in 2005 that has been updated through FSX. A nice rumble sound of the recoil/reloading is included.
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The Red Top missiles are well rendered, complete with the infra-red tracker in the nose. The covers seem accurate when on ‘ground service’. It is a real shame that you can’t at least fire the missiles, even with no effect on the virtual world.
The long refuelling probe seems like an afterthought. And it was, having been added to increase the aircraft’s range without too much aerodynamic impact. It looks right as it just seems to ‘float’ there.
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The lights are well done, except that the cockpit lighting seems to be a bit too bright with too much light coming out of the canopy. A reasonable area is lit below the canopy frame onto the fuselage.
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The additional fuel tanks are nicely modelled. But the manual states that they are toggled on/off on the annunciator panel, instead of the switch just to the left of them. This has no effect on aircraft performance and fuel capacity.
Interior
As is common nowadays, only a Virtual Cockpit is provided. The only instruments I used were the altitude indicator, the V/S, the speed tape and the two main displays. There are two 2D pop-up panels – one is a default radio stack and the other is the controller for the radar.
First impressions are good. Everything is where it should be. The colours are nicely done, with some fading and chipping around instruments. The tinted glass of the canopy and windscreens is good. Interestingly, some things don’t work in the aircraft (like arming the missiles and firing). I know FSX isn’t that kind of simulator, but if some other companies (Flying Stations and MilViz to name two) can do it, why can’t Aeroplane Heaven?
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There is an interception radar included. This shows you the height of an aircraft, the speed, flight number, destination (ICAO) and type. North is always at the top. Airfields are also indicated. It is useful for simple navigation (there’s an airfield – my fuel is low – let’s land). I couldn’t find a way of displaying an active flight plan in the radar, which would have been handy.
The speed tape is really, really useful. It gives you Indicated Mach readout and an IAS in knots. One trouble I had with this was at low IAS/high Mach at really high altitudes, the tape stuck out from behind the instrument panel. (Now fixed in SP)
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The gauges are fluent and easy to read. The navigation display is useful, displaying the ILS/VOR as a blue/orange line that you follow. The altimeter is to the left of the attitude indicator, with the speed gauge to the left of that.
Night lighting is a subtle, green hue that barely illuminates the panel, but illuminates the gauges. The barest minimum is lit, as it’s a fighter and you don’t want people seeing you before you can shoot!
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Sounds
Before I tell you about the sounds, let me say that Turbine Sound Studios have done them. This means that they are simply excellent. The sound of the AVPIN being injected into the engine is an exact copy of what I’ve heard on YouTube. The roar of the Avon’s on full throttle will blow your worries away – they are superb!
The cockpit sounds are good. You can’t really hear the AVPIN inside, but you hear the winding up of the Avon’s more clearly, albeit muffled. Switches make a nice click when operated, and the autopilot makes a rather annoying sound (default by the sounds of it) but works well.
Flight Dynamics
Sadly, the Lightning’s were all withdrawn in the UK before I was born. I haven’t seen a Lightning in flight, but from what I can gather, she was quite spritely. Certainly, from the modelling, she will roll no problem and will fly far faster than you should. I did a quick test from 0/0 (0.0IM, 0feet) to 1.4/50,000ft in 2:03:4 seconds – and that included a nice slow-up in ascent!
At anywhere between 0 feet and about 55,000 feet, she is very agile. Once above that, power seems to drop off a bit. At 60,000+ feet, she starts to get a bit ‘mushy’. It becomes easy to do a high speed stall. The maximum height I attained was just over 80,000ft and at Mach 2.2 indicated.
I did experience a couple of unintentional, very high speed, stalls at high altitude. The nose dipped down quite a bit and she fell a fair way from about 75,000ft down before she recovered. Flying at that height and speed is a new experience for me but it wasn't intentional.
Flight
I suppose an average flight for a Lightning was a quick start, followed by a rapid climb, interception, followed by landing. Of course, the Saudi Lightning’s did things differently – keeping low for most of their days.
| Start up is reasonably easy. Either use the big red ‘gang bar’
or flip up the switches manually. You toggle the engine selector switch to either engine, and then click the starter switch on. It becomes easier after time. A sudden surge in engine RPM is normal as the AVPIN helps spin the engine faster for start. Taxiing is simple. The rudder pedals steer the nose gear easily. She is quite responsive on the ground and taxiing with the canopy open is allowed (and is classic!), but only at a maximum speed of 65 knots. |
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Take-off with full reheat is a sensation. The manual recommends full flaps for take-off. The first time I didn’t read the manual and couldn’t get off the ground! You really get a feeling of power. The airspeed rises very quickly and I rotated at around 150kts. Brakes on and gear up, flaps have to be up after 200kts. I always kept the power on and didn’t climb until I reached 450kts. Then I pulled back the stick to about 60 degrees and zoomed up. (The recommended climb attitude is 14 degrees)
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The aircraft’s rate of climb is phenomenal, with full afterburner on you can accelerate whilst at a 60 degree angle!
Even at 60,000ft, the aircraft is responsive and agile. You can ‘super cruise’ if you really want, or just keep the afterburner on (with the fuel rate!) to go as fast as possible!
The autopilot is simple to use, being just an altitude hold, heading hold and speed hold. The heading can be changed via the heading knob. It takes a bit of time for everything to settle down, but after that everything is fine and it’ll stay there until you flick them off behind the yoke (which can be hidden).
I did a mock interception with a KLM 747-400. As I was at about 45,000ft and the 744 was at 30,000ft, some turning and diving was required and it also tested my formation skills. Interception was quite easy really – just remember that the radar top is north always.
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Descending can be tricky as the airframe is very clean. You can only use the speed brakes at speeds below 1.2Mach, so decelerating is quite hard. A shallow dive does the trick.
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Flap and gear down causes a little change in trim, easily corrected with the trim tabs. Arguably the hardest part is landing, due to the high speed. This in itself in no problem, but the rate of descent needs to be kept in check.
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Touchdown is easy, with F2 activating the visual braking ‘chute. After roll out, the canopy pops open and fresh air circulates. Shutdown is simple as well – just pull the fuel from the engine and then toggling the service mode. Shift+E+2 removes the pilot, shut the canopy, do the full ground service and walk away pleased, having gone supersonic.
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Overall Experience
Flight sims have come a long way since Alphasim released their Lightning for FS9. This FSX model is great. It captures the look and feel of a Lightning, even without the missiles firing. The overall impression of this package is very good, very believable.
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System Specs Required
● Internet connection (for download only)
● Microsoft Flight Simulator X (SP2 or Acceleration)
● 2.0 GHz or any Dual Core processor
● 2.0 GB of RAM
● 150 MB hard drive space
● 512 MB video card
Frames rates
On the ground (ORBX freeware Cunderdin) – VC 20fps
Outside 17fps
In Flight at 10000ft - VC 15-25fps
Outside 15-20 fps
In Flight at 60,000ft - VC – 20-30fps
Outside – 15-25fps
Note on Frame rates – Whilst 15-30fps may sound slow, on my system, as the specs aren't great for FSX, the default Cessna 172 barely tops 20fps outside, and about 20-30fps in the VC so this confirms the sim model is well designed.
Total flight time – 5.4 hours over 20+ flights
Post-script
Since this review was finalised Just Flight have announce that there will be a service pack released which will address a couple of items here and a lot more. For an update look here
Verdict
Pros
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Good looks
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Excellent performance
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Superb sounds
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Great fun!
Cons
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Missiles inactive
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Radar doesn’t show flight plan
Overall, I’d give Just Flight’s Lightning F.6 package a
Mutley's Hangar Score of 9/10
Kieran Marshall
Review machine Spec:
Intel Core2 6400 @2.13GHz | 2GB RAM |ATI Radeon X1300 |Windows
XP