Aeroplane Icons - Lightning

Spoken of in hushed tones by those who remember the type in service and longed for by those too young to remember it in flight, the English Electric Lightning is one of the most iconic British jets ever built. The highly swept wings, the bulletlike nose cone and the ear-splitting crackle from its reheated Avon engines combined to make the aircraft unmistakable. It was the first operational British aircraft capable of achieving twice the speed of sound and although designed primarily as an interceptor to meet incoming Soviet bombers at heights up to 60,000ft, it was later developed for ground attack. The Lightning was clearly an aeroplane with much promise and export potential, yet despite a decade of development by the boffins at English Electric, it was struck down by a very British problem... indecision and ineptitude by policy makers and government bodies. Speaking frankly in his 'Silver Flash' article on page 22, the late Roland 'Bee' Beamont (the legendary test pilot) bemoans the Lightning project as, "bedeviled by prevarication and repeated Whitehall U-turns."

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Aeroplane Icons - Halifax

ONE OF THE three British four-engine heavy bombers which took the night war to Hitler's heartland, the Handley Page Halifax contributed in no small way to the destruction and ultimate surrender of the Third Reich. Unlike its Short Stirling and Avro Lancaster companions, the Halifax proved a more versatile design, taking on roles additional to its principle mission with RAF Bomber Command. Yet its comparatively short period in service and a production run of 6,176 machines was not without problems. In its early years from service entry in March 1941, little good could be said about the Halifax. Its in-built faults found it underpowered, its performance was lamentable, it suffered from a vicious swing on take-off causing inherent undercarriage collapses, and rudder stall problems often gave fatal results. All round it was a poor design from Britain's most famous builder of big bombers! In fact, so bad was the aircraft that'Bomber'Harris wanted it withdrawn from service and production switched in favour of the Lancaster. Indeed, his opinion of owner Frederick Handley Page bordered on the murderous!

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Airfix Model World 08/2012

THE FIRST airshow of the season at the Imperial War Museum Duxford was held in unseasonal weather for we Brits -there was glorious sunshine and record temperatures. With the Queen's Jubilee firmly in everyone's mind, the Duxford staff made the link to pull together aircraft for the flying display that have a royal connection, and it led to a good variety of types on display. One was a Royal Navy Lynx HMA8; Prince Andrew had flown an earlier variant of the helicopter following his return from the Falklands War, where he flew sorties in Sea Kings. One of the highlights of the display was the recently restored Gloster Meteor T. 7 owned by the Air Atlantique Classic Aircraft Trust. Prince Phillip had flown the Meteor when he learnt to fly with the RAF in the 1950s. Hard to miss with its agility, noise and the welcome use of flares during its stunning routine, the Belgian Air Force F-16AM from 360 Squadron at Florennes was resplendent in a new 2012 display scheme, against the clear blue sky.

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Airfix Model World 07/2012

A question often discussed by modellers at club meetings, on-line forums, at shows and in letters pages, is who makes the best kit in a particular scale of their own favourite modelling subject. The personal favourite of this author (when taking a break from the usual diet of motorsport kits) is World War Two Luftwaffe, particularly 1/72 fighters. The Messerschmitt Bf 109E is always popular, but which kit should one choose? In a bid to clear these murky waters, two kits were purchased to decide which should take the 'Best 1/72 Emil' crown. The two kits purchased (E-3s) were those from Tamiya and ICM. Judgements for the purposes of this article were based not just upon accuracy and quality, but also ease of construction and general enjoyment for the builder. Tamiya's kit has 44 parts moulded in dark Grey styrene on a single sprue and three in clear. Quality of moulding is simply exquisite and the clear parts are excellent.

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