Military Model Scene

Title: Lightning Boys
Author: Richard Pike
Publisher: Tempest Books
ISBN: 978-1-911703-26-6

This is a new bookazine format edition from Tempest Books, of true-life stories originally published in hardback form back in 2011. A 104-page soft-cover bookazine.
As you might guess, this is a collection of personal accounts from a number of ex-Lightning pilots, an aircraft that remains something of an icon of the RAF during the Cold War. Very fast, always impressive to see in flight, the variety of experiences in here make for some fascinating reading. The experiences give us an insight into what it was like to fly the Lightning in service, from flying it to a record height of just short of 88,000 feet, though never officially recognised to having to eject from one over the North Sea after double engine failures. Others include problems while carrying out air-to-air refuelling from a Victor tanker. Amongst other things, that includes the sudden change from the noise of the cockpit, the engines, radio etc to the sudden silence of drifting gently under a parachute before hitting the water and deploying the survival dinghy. Afterwards, he went on to have the opportunity to fly the historic aircraft of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. A collision with a French Mirage, combat training against an American F5 Aggressor and plenty of other scenarios. Three Appendices at the back provide a list of the Lightning Prototypes and Variants, the Practicalities of Operating the Lightning and select biographies of the pilots whose stories are featured.
Put together by an ex-Lightning pilot, Richard Pike, this will be enjoyed by anyone interested in the history of this famous Cold War interceptor, and the many archive photos show a great variety of the colours and markings worn by these aircraft in their RAF career.
Thanks to Tempest Books for the review copy.

Robin