tweeky

Looks like the early F1's used the 8 hole too.

I think I answered that in the question Why do people call Intake and Exhaust Blanks...... FOD covers. In my time on Lightning, Jaguars and Tornado's they were always know as blanks. The only covers were the Pitot, and covers that when over things like Canopy's Main wheels, theses were only used for storage or if a jet was left outside. Bungs went it little holes (static vents and the likes). Locks when in movable things like undercarriage, arrestor hook and canopy some times things like airbrakes when you was working on the system and didn't want them closing on you.

Why do people call Intake and exhaust blanks..... FOD covers ? after all FOD is actually Foreign Object Damage

Glad you mentioned this just checked mine bought direct from Airfix when it first released and its the same as yours. On to Airfix's website to order another.

RBF pennants you've use are the American style. The RAF style are different UK style.

in the walk round section Here

Is this the same Kev Gregory that was on 431MU 87-88ish?

36 Sqn err not an RAF Tornado Sqn. As for the engines they've included the wrong spec of oil tank on the engines the kit version is from the Mk 101 and early engines uk based Tornados had mk101s RAFG sqns had Mk103s. The big give away is the shape mk 103s (and the F3s Mk104's) had a round oil tank.

The reason the F2A's didn't use Redtops was down to the Early variant of the radar fitted to the F2A. Redtop's came in on the F3 onwards when the upgraded radar was availably.

Cracking Lightning build. has the seat moved?

What's happened to the ventral tank fin ?

there's an F86 navy version on USS intrepid.

ejection seat top handles was a double D on the F3

The F-4J (UK) only served with 74 squadron and they, eventually, had black tails. The move to coloured tails were, I think, a mixture of the desire to increase visibility following some air to air collisions in RAFG (hence Tornadoes with red and white tails) and the fighter squadrons pushing the boundaries of acceptability and getting away with it for a while. 74F sqn operated Lightnings before the F4, the Lightnings had black tails, This is why the F4J (UK) had black tails,

reheat cooling perhaps ?

I think you've just plucked various british 50's/60's jets out of the air. have a look at the Foland Gnat seat and see its nothing like the seat in question.

Bucc seat had canopy breakers on them as for the Jag that was a seat pan firing handle only also the jag had rocket assistance to.

face screen firing handle (top handel) is wrong for the Lightning. The Lightning seat was a double D type.

The UK is nuclear armed and Argentina Invaded the Falklands way back in 82......

Seats were the same locally marked ie TTTE were Cott XX

No stobe's on the UK Lightning's just white bulbs under clear lenses. Wish I'd a £1 for every screw I removed when doing night flying checks whilst on type. You had to do a full light check both internal lights and external every day inc refuel probe lights and the taxi lights.

In my 5 years on type we never sprayed anything in the u/c bays or the legs. the main u/c bays got dirty, A/C's were washed pre check servicing.

This was done post service Selwyn.

John these are the Bruntingthorpe F6's from talking to the guys that run them the U/c bays have a good coating of wax oil or the like so that's not representative of how the jets were in-service. I'm in work at the moment and will try to dig my photos out this afternoon.

The AD grey jets undercarriage bays were silver and got a tad dirty. The gear and the bays never got painted. Looks like the pilot's name is Tim Brunskill or ET as he was know on the Sqn.