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

[@bill8784]

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]

So jealous!

[@bill8784]

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]

@@bill8784 so jealous

[@bvrcavalera2786]

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

[@mortified776]

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]

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]

It certainly was worthy of its name.

[@davidgrainger3431]

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]

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]

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

[@davidgrainger3431]

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

[@zenzen9131]

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

[@DavidPoole-w6u]

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.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers

[@esvarwyn]

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

[@bertiewooster3326]

One of the better Air Marshals .

[@markelliott6485]

Agreed Very pleasant Cliff

[@uha6477]

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

[@Chilly_Billy]

An aircraft that lived up to its name.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

If one hits you, you die?

[@Chilly_Billy]

@@MostlyPennyCat, well, yes.

[@feliscorax]

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

[@samrodian919]

I could listen to Air Marshal Sir Cliff Spink all day long with his reminiscences. I'd dearly love to have the money to have him pilot that two seater Sptfire that was in the background in the first part of the interview. If that happened I could die happy😂

[@whathasxgottodowithit3919.]

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]

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

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thanks Matt.

[@julianneale6128]

Such a fantastic chap!

[@philadams92]

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.

[@JamesWilliamson-w8y]

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.

[@fabiandannunzio1206]

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

[@alantoon5708]

Great interview..

[@vulturesuc4]

Great interview !

[@brianbridle951]

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.

[@jonofalltradesmasterofnone832]

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

[@SeanFication]

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.

[@victornalin]

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

[@ericmiddleton8367]

Great interview Mike!

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thanks Eric.

[@michaeltaylor8835]

Man knows his stuff

[@johngathard4717]

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

[@timberwolf27]

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

[@fredMplanenut]

Very interesting interview.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@SpawnofChaos2010]

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

[@Aircrewinterview]

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.

[@Medge2sc]

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

[@davidsmith8997]

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

[@Medge2sc]

@@davidsmith8997 it is, I was shocked

[@danieljohnson4994]

@@davidsmith8997 one of them claimed all the way to 88,000+ a good video was done on it by Mark Felton kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnXHhqp_na5gkKM it's really interesting

[@bugler75]

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]

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]

@@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

[@michaeltaylor8835]

Ir was a beast

[@sahhull]

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]

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

[@sergarlantyrell7847]

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]

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]

Performance is not climb rate, only.

[@kpsig]

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 :-)

[@scopex2749]

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

[@samrodian919]

Yes Cliff I believe did start as an engineering apprentice! That's some climb up the slippery pole!

[@johngray8606]

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

[@MostlyPennyCat]

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

[@wilsontodd-s4p]

what if it had only one engine

[@manuwilson4695]

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. 🤷‍♂