Lightning F.6 light locations

[goon]

Hi All, A quick Lightning question if I may. I’m in the planning stages of a Lightning F.6 which I’d like to install lights in. I’ve been poring over pictures and I can see the obvious coloured wing tip lights. Is there a white strobe at the rear portion of the spine, or is it red? There must be a white rear facing light, but I can’t pin the location down, can anyone help me?

 

Many thanks,

Gareth

[71chally]

There are two rear facing nav white lights, one each side of the rear fuselage behind and in line of the tailplane.

There are also two taxi lights, one in each main undercarriage door, and as well as the wing tip nav lights there are two under wing tip lights in bulges which I think were for formation keeping.

I believe the spine anti collision light was red but went to white at some stage, but others would know better.

 

Edit

This might work for you, though I can't see the pictures

http://www.gatwick-aviation-museum.co.uk/lightning/lights.html

Edited April 24, 2018 by 71chally

[canberra kid]

Here are some photos I took at Bruntingthorpe.

John 

 

[canberra kid]

A page from one of the F.6 AP's 

John

[Flankerman]

That second photo is interesting John - because it explains a story I have just read in 'Out of the Blue' (a book of short stories about flying incidents)

 

Apparently a young Lighning pilot was on a night intercept excercise where he had to get into a firing solution behind another Lightning flown by an instructor.

 

The instructor deliberately flew slowly to give the student a chance of interception - but was puzzled when he saw the student's Lighning in full afterburner ahead of him going off into the distance!!

 

It was a clear night - and the student had mistaken two bright stars (Castor and Pollux IIRC) in the night sky for the tail lights on the Lightning.

 

I couldn't work out where these tail lights were - an nor could a colleague who worked on them !

 

But your photo clearly shows where they are located.

 

Ken

[canberra kid]

21 minutes ago, Flankerman said:

That second photo is interesting John - because it explains a story I have just read in 'Out of the Blue' (a book of short stories about flying incidents)

 

Apparently a young Lighning pilot was on a night intercept excercise where he had to get into a firing solution behind another Lightning flown by an instructor.

 

The instructor deliberately flew slowly to give the student a chance of interception - but was puzzled when he saw the student's Lighning in full afterburner ahead of him going off into the distance!!

 

It was a clear night - and the student had mistaken two bright stars (Castor and Pollux IIRC) in the night sky for the tail lights on the Lightning.

 

I couldn't work out where these tail lights were - an nor could a colleague who worked on them !

 

But your photo clearly shows where they are located.

 

Ken

Good story Ken, I can see why it could happen. 

John

Edited April 24, 2018 by canberra kid
added a photo

[goon]

Great stuff, thanks everyone. I take it the under wing lights were steady rather than flashing. (I have an off the peg lighting kit so won't be able to do all of it 100% correct but want to get as close as I can.)

 

Cheers,

Gareth

Edited April 24, 2018 by goon

[71chally]

Going from the AP insert that John has posted, the under wing lights are anti-cols and flash with the spine light.

[goon]

Nice one - thanks James.

[tweeky]

X 2 on the refuel probe too.

[canberra kid]

A bit more on the operation of the lights from the F.6 pilots notes.

John

[goon]

Thanks both.

[71chally]

If you click on this link and scroll down to 'wings', you can see an image of the probe lights,

https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/lightning/walkaround.php?comm_page=2

 

 

Not sure what's happened to the link here, but if you go to the Thunder & Lightnings Lightning page, go to walkaround and then 'wings'

 

Edited April 25, 2018 by 71chally

[goon]

Thanks again James.