And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Lightnings F3s from four different RAF squadrons, far to near #11, 23, 74 and 56. The nearest one is from the Lightning Training Flight. The hotrod of the RAF and the only interceptor that ever chased down the Concorde from behind. Al_in_Ottawa
Pretty cool but a maintenance monster. Thunder City in Sth Africa had a couple but lost the two seater in a fatal crash. It appears they couldn't keep on top of the maintenance and when it inevitably turned to custard the pilot couldn't eject because the seat failed - the ejection seat cartridge wouldn't fire as I recall. The cartridges have to be replaced with a new one every 5 years. They had new ones on the shelf but they were already time expired so risky to fit.
Most of those 1960s planes were just maintenance hogs, especially by the 1980s. Loved the F-4 but when we moved to F-16s, everything was just so much easier. Instead of 14 day checks on the seat, they were 30 day. Chutes that were 180 day (if I remember right) repacks went to 1 year. Parts were actually available. etc, etc, etc.
Take the picture already, we're running on fumes!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great jet that was!
ReplyDeleteLightnings F3s from four different RAF squadrons, far to near #11, 23, 74 and 56. The nearest one is from the Lightning Training Flight. The hotrod of the RAF and the only interceptor that ever chased down the Concorde from behind.
ReplyDeleteAl_in_Ottawa
Pretty cool but a maintenance monster. Thunder City in Sth Africa had a couple but lost the two seater in a fatal crash. It appears they couldn't keep on top of the maintenance and when it inevitably turned to custard the pilot couldn't eject because the seat failed - the ejection seat cartridge wouldn't fire as I recall. The cartridges have to be replaced with a new one every 5 years. They had new ones on the shelf but they were already time expired so risky to fit.
ReplyDeletehttps://asn.flightsafety.org/reports/2009/20091114_LTNG_ZU-BEX.pdf
DeleteMost of those 1960s planes were just maintenance hogs, especially by the 1980s. Loved the F-4 but when we moved to F-16s, everything was just so much easier. Instead of 14 day checks on the seat, they were 30 day. Chutes that were 180 day (if I remember right) repacks went to 1 year. Parts were actually available. etc, etc, etc.
ReplyDelete