Take a look inside an English Electric Lightning Fighter Jet

I took this video inside the air intake of XS458 T5 Lightning at Cranfield. It's an amazing place to be....

(download)

Images from Cranfield, XS458 T5 Lightning

I've kindly been sent a couple of images of myself, from a high speed run day at Cranfield a couple of weeks ago.

The author conencting the Houchin ground generator, Closing / Opening the cockpit canopy, and standing with John in fornt of the aircraft for the photo!

It was a glorious day, we were very lucky with the weather - 2x high speed runs, faultless aircraft, and some static re-heat performances too!


Thanks to Henry. P for the images.

(download)

YouTube Fame, or Small World?

To set the scene.... I'm on a North Sea Oil / Gas platform, so very far from home...

Had an interesting chat earlier with a Scottish engineer, about my video's on YouTube. As soon as I brought up on the computer my video of the Jet Lawnmower, he got all excited, as he'd been watching the very video last week in Aberdeen!!

Does this mean I can qualify as an internet celebrity! Or is it really just a very small world...?

Engine run:

Fire disaster:

JET Powered Lawnmower - Accidental Fire!

During this engine test of Steve's Jet Lawnmower, we had a bit of a catastrophe....

This sit-on Lawnmower has a home-made gas turbine, or jet engine under the seat. made form a lorry turbocharger, and home built combustion chamber. We don't claim to have built it, as Steve bought it off eBay. (This is in the UK)

I'd invited my old man over to see the engine run, as he's also an Engineer by trade and would find it interesting, he'd never been to see it before, so perhaps that may have been a bad omen to begin with! He was videographer for the engine run.

Disaster.....

During the engine run, one of the afterburner fuel hoses had melted due to the heat produced at the back end. This, we didn't know at the time.. so when we came to switch on the Afterburner, or Reheat fuel, the petrol / diesel mix squirted over the outside of the jet pipe with disastrous consequences. Good job it didn't explode!

So once the Lawnmower had turned it'self into a bonfire, we had the challenge of putting it out! As the fuel pumps were still running and pumping fuel into the fire, there was no way of putting it out with water / extinguisher!! It was rescued by pulling the battery lead off, and the fire brigade wasn't called! Never the less, it's made an interesting video:

Cheers, Scott.