Flying the English Electric Lightning | Air Marshal (Retd) Cliff Spink

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  • Опубліковано 4 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 65

  • @bill8784
    @bill8784 2 роки тому +21

    I was brought up on a Lightning base in Germany. It was amazing as a little boy to have these beautiful aircraft screaming over our house. Just over a decade later I was fortunate enough to go up in one, something which remains a treasured memory.

    • @Aircrewinterview
      @Aircrewinterview  2 роки тому +3

      So jealous!

    • @bill8784
      @bill8784 2 роки тому +2

      I was also a childhood guest of the Station Commander at RAF Coltishall perhaps a few years before the Air Marshal was there when it was the Lightning OCU and was fortunate enough to be shown over various Lightnings and some of the other aircraft that were there then. Tempus fugit.

    • @guaporeturns9472
      @guaporeturns9472 2 роки тому +1

      @@bill8784 so jealous

    • @bvrcavalera2786
      @bvrcavalera2786 Рік тому +1

      You are doing such good work documenting the lives of these airman. Hats off to you 👏

  • @mortified776
    @mortified776 2 роки тому +12

    I've always loved how the Lightning was this superlative aircraft that consistently pushed the limits and proved worthy of its name throughout its career, all the while looking like a child's drawing of a fighter jet!

  • @SimonParkes-ud4jn
    @SimonParkes-ud4jn 2 місяці тому +1

    Cliff Spink is one of the few people my father considered to be a naturally gifted pilot - operating at a different level to the extremely capable pilots that made up the best of the RAF.

  • @user-tn1vc1xz5d
    @user-tn1vc1xz5d Рік тому +3

    It certainly was worthy of its name.

  • @esvarwyn
    @esvarwyn Рік тому +4

    Cliff authorised my work experience at Coningsby in 199(2?). Great time on the line and in the hush house, thanks Cliff!

  • @davidgrainger3431
    @davidgrainger3431 2 роки тому +20

    I remember doing starter crews for Mr Spink on 111 squadron and two detachments to RAF Akrotiri the last just prior to the invasion. It was good to hear about his experiences on the lightnings they were definitely mean machines but they could be pigs to work on.

    • @bill8784
      @bill8784 2 роки тому +4

      A colleague of my father was at Nicosia and gave my father a cassette tape recording, presumably from the tower, taken when the airport was shot up. Only problem was we didn't then have a cassette recorder.

    • @zenzen9131
      @zenzen9131 2 роки тому

      Hello David, are you ex 217 Entry Cosford by any chance ?

    • @davidgrainger3431
      @davidgrainger3431 2 роки тому +1

      @@zenzen9131 yes i was but failed the exams and passed out as a mechanic in 71

    • @zenzen9131
      @zenzen9131 2 роки тому +1

      @@davidgrainger3431 This is Taff Horsell and it's good to see you agaain :)

  • @DavidPoole-w6u
    @DavidPoole-w6u 2 місяці тому +1

    Great interview with Cliff Spink and good to hear his memories of the tense times at the time of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 .
    I was there as an technician on his 56 Sqdn 1973 to 1975.

  • @bertiewooster3326
    @bertiewooster3326 2 роки тому +6

    One of the better Air Marshals .

  • @uha6477
    @uha6477 2 роки тому +11

    Fascinating to listen to his experiences. It will always be an awesome plane just to look at.

  • @whathasxgottodowithit3919.
    @whathasxgottodowithit3919. 2 роки тому +5

    That is so very true, many of the front line aircraft are not difficult to fly, the hard part is operating the aircraft, particularly like EE Lightning with a single crew, factor in a pitch black night over the North Sea, it would certainly focus ones mind to the job in hand.

  • @matthayward7889
    @matthayward7889 2 роки тому +10

    Another fantastic interview, especially the high altitude stuff. Pleased to hear how well the Lightning did in DACT too!

  • @Chilly_Billy
    @Chilly_Billy 2 роки тому +10

    An aircraft that lived up to its name.

    • @MostlyPennyCat
      @MostlyPennyCat 2 роки тому +1

      If one hits you, you die?

    • @Chilly_Billy
      @Chilly_Billy 2 роки тому

      @@MostlyPennyCat, well, yes.

    • @feliscorax
      @feliscorax 2 роки тому

      We do have a tradition of it… Spitfire, Meteor, Lightning, Tornado. Now, the Typhoon.

  • @fabiandannunzio1206
    @fabiandannunzio1206 4 місяці тому

    El piloto es el limite del avion, increible maquina, todo poder , gracias por compartie la entrevista

  • @julianneale6128
    @julianneale6128 2 роки тому +4

    Such a fantastic chap!

  • @philadams92
    @philadams92 2 роки тому +2

    My favourite aircraft helped by growing up near RAF Binbrook, running there to watch from either crash gate take offs and landings. Saw Italian Starfighters and Lightnings chasing across the airfield in 1979, fantastic noise, probably an exercise. Later when the Lightnings were being retired while myself in the army I liberated ha hum a few parts from Lightnings laid up for the scrap man, RAF security was never much good lol did a few RAF base security checks... used to drink at the Blacksmiths Arms where many aircrew had many a lock in! Miss thoughs Great cold War aircraft in general and a good time in retrospect.

  • @alantoon5708
    @alantoon5708 2 роки тому +2

    Great interview..

  • @vulturesuc4
    @vulturesuc4 2 роки тому +1

    Great interview !

  • @michaeltaylor8835
    @michaeltaylor8835 2 роки тому +1

    Man knows his stuff

    • @johngathard4717
      @johngathard4717 2 роки тому

      Indeed, having watched it I was driven to check my Kindle to see if he had written any books.

  • @ericmiddleton8367
    @ericmiddleton8367 2 роки тому +1

    Great interview Mike!

  • @timberwolf27
    @timberwolf27 2 роки тому

    I missed the last couple Q&As, gutted, hope there's another soon!

  • @jonofalltradesmasterofnone832
    @jonofalltradesmasterofnone832 2 роки тому +2

    My father was at wattisham on 111 as a radar technician leaving in 1972 to work for ferranti on aircraft going to Saudi Arabia.

  • @fredMplanenut
    @fredMplanenut 8 місяців тому

    Very interesting interview.

  • @victornalin
    @victornalin 2 роки тому

    And that icing on the cake: the SPITFIRE!!!

  • @brianbridle951
    @brianbridle951 2 роки тому +2

    The Lightning Interceptor. With Russia able to cross Europe quickly 2 TAF was scrambled first followed by UK Very very capable of intercepting EXTREMLY quickly.

  • @JamesWilliamson-w8y
    @JamesWilliamson-w8y 2 місяці тому +1

    I served at RAF Wattisham 1971 to 1976 and discovered how much rubbish was told, and believed, about the Lightning. In squadron service they were red lined at Mach 1.8 Not a Mach 2 aircraft. Maybe a development aircraft with a company pilot could do better. RAF Wattisham had a huge stack of worn out lightning tyres. At my suggestion there was a way of getting rid of them for free. We gifted them to BP and they used them as buffers on the legs of North Sea oil rigs. One of my better ideas.

  • @SeanFication
    @SeanFication Рік тому

    Basically a point-defense interceptor, the spiritual descendant of the Me-163. Exceptional performance, at the expense of very short range. Combat range was just150 miles. That's about ten minutes. The Starfigher, a plane from the same era with the same original role, had a combat range of over 400 miles.

  • @Medge2sc
    @Medge2sc 2 роки тому +5

    Great interview, I’d love to hear the story about the Turkish pilot

    • @davidsmith8997
      @davidsmith8997 2 роки тому +1

      Definitely! I didn't know the Lightning could hit 70K+. That's crazy!

    • @Medge2sc
      @Medge2sc 2 роки тому

      @@davidsmith8997 it is, I was shocked

    • @danieljohnson4994
      @danieljohnson4994 2 роки тому

      @@davidsmith8997 one of them claimed all the way to 88,000+ a good video was done on it by Mark Felton ua-cam.com/video/8DdUwIhI-ZA/v-deo.html it's really interesting

  • @SpawnofChaos2010
    @SpawnofChaos2010 2 роки тому +2

    When's Cliff returning for a Q & A Mike? Also Jeff Guinn!

    • @Aircrewinterview
      @Aircrewinterview  2 роки тому

      We have never had Cliff on for a live Q&A, but I would love to. We will probably have Jeff on at the end of the year.

  • @michaeltaylor8835
    @michaeltaylor8835 2 роки тому

    Ir was a beast

  • @bugler75
    @bugler75 2 роки тому +2

    Great insight into the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. When I joined up we had a Corporal who had been shot in the neck when the Turkish Army arrived. He was in a sentry tower outside Nicosia at the time.

    • @johngathard4717
      @johngathard4717 2 роки тому +1

      I was at the OCTU at RAF Henlow in 73, there many rumours flying around when the invasion took place, all sorts of ideas of how we would be used.

    • @bugler75
      @bugler75 2 роки тому +2

      @@johngathard4717 Im sure that was an interesting time!
      You never know with the Forces where you could end up.
      My friends son was in the TA and won the chance to go on a RN ship (affiliated to his Regiment) in the Mediterranean.
      This was when something bad broke out in the Lebanon and next thing his mother sees him on the BBC standing on the Dock with Helmet, Body Armour and rifle whilst there are bullets and shells and thousands of people trying to board the vessel!
      She thought he was only going to the Med for a fortnight to drink Keo beer in Akrotiri!
      I’d do it all again but probably in the RAF!!! All the best, Ian

  • @sahhull
    @sahhull 2 роки тому +2

    My uncle was a QRA Lightning pilot, then converted to the Jaguar before retiring.
    I grew up with the stories...
    Now he can bearly speak... Altzheimers is cruel.

    • @Aircrewinterview
      @Aircrewinterview  2 роки тому

      Sorry to hear that but what a great career he has had.

  • @scopex2749
    @scopex2749 2 роки тому

    I joined up at 16 at RAF HALTON but I never made it to Air Marshal☹

  • @sergarlantyrell7847
    @sergarlantyrell7847 2 роки тому +2

    Interesting that he says the Lightning outperformed the F-104, because the 104's time to climb record seems faster than the Lightning's.

    • @realMaverickBuckley
      @realMaverickBuckley 2 роки тому +1

      Yeah ove noticed that alot of pilots that have flown both aircraft in a debate seem to have contrary opinions to Google search results. Like Okie saying the Typhoon wasn't a particularly great aircraft compared to the f14 ... but then those who have flown both say the Typhoon is the best 4th gen they've ever flown. Or that the tornado wasn't that fast but test pilots say the F3 Tornado was the fastest 4th gen. Well never know.

    • @kpsig
      @kpsig 2 роки тому +1

      Performance is not climb rate, only.

    • @kpsig
      @kpsig 2 роки тому

      So what did RAF do during the Turkish invasion? And what kind of life is now enjoyed by the people in the Turkish occupied territory? No matter how great of an aviation your guest is, it would be good to read all sides story. Peace :-)

  • @johngray8606
    @johngray8606 14 днів тому

    Left this site, all yapping, I wanted to see the lightning in action, I'll try another channel

  • @MostlyPennyCat
    @MostlyPennyCat 2 роки тому +4

    It looked mean, it looked fast and it looked.... Pregnant?

  • @wilsontodd-s4p
    @wilsontodd-s4p Рік тому

    what if it had only one engine

  • @manuwilson4695
    @manuwilson4695 Місяць тому +1

    With the technology of the time it was FAR too much workload for the pilot. A second crew member (as in the Phantom) was needed. 🤷‍♂