English Electric Lightning - Survivor XR718
F.3 XR718 - Anthony Harker, Over Dinsdale, Darlington, Durham
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Lightning F.3 XR718 at Darlington, 22nd October 2021; David Thompson
This airframe first took to the skies in December 1964 and was delivered to the RAF four months later. XR718 retired in 1987 to Wattisham where she became a maintenance airframe - 8932M.
XR718 had a close miss with the scrapman and was thankfully saved by a private collector who road moved the airframe to the Blyth Valley Aviation Collection based in Walpole in 1992.
In 2005, the aircraft was sold on to another private collector who moved her to a farm near Over Dinsdale in Darlington where she was planned to be restored. However, this restoration still hasn't happened and XR718 can be seen today sitting in the same position she was dropped off in all those years ago.
Her tail, wings, and other items off her, including a scrap engine, are in a small fenced-off area still waiting to be reassembled.
Considering the unloved state she's currently in, her cockpit is surprisingly complete with just a few instruments missing here and there.
XR718 had a close miss with the scrapman and was thankfully saved by a private collector who road moved the airframe to the Blyth Valley Aviation Collection based in Walpole in 1992.
In 2005, the aircraft was sold on to another private collector who moved her to a farm near Over Dinsdale in Darlington where she was planned to be restored. However, this restoration still hasn't happened and XR718 can be seen today sitting in the same position she was dropped off in all those years ago.
Her tail, wings, and other items off her, including a scrap engine, are in a small fenced-off area still waiting to be reassembled.
Considering the unloved state she's currently in, her cockpit is surprisingly complete with just a few instruments missing here and there.
Information on this page current as of 24/10/2021, last updated by Jake |
Find other photos of XR718 on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net