Lightning volume 4 (Expected November 2025)

Lightning Volume 4 is a tribute to the P1B – XA847 and the men who flew it especially Chief Test Pilot Wg Cdr Roland Beamont. The book is not intended as a comprehensive history of the early Lightnings more a pot pour of images and memorabilia to delight the Lightning aficionados. The P1B first flew some years before the author was born in an era where Black and White was king – A book on the Lightning in 2025 purely in Black And white would be a non starter so a decision was made to split the book with approx 25% of the work on the early Lightnings followed by a large full colour section. Most of the images are the authors but I have been aided by some capable photographers to fill the missing gaps – when Ian was at school !

Having purchased his own Lightning in 2021 now held at the RAF Binbrook Lightning Collection his focus turned to locating and preserving the holy grail of all Lightnings the P1B- The original prototype. Languishing in a Suffolk Barn for over thirty years a long process was begun with the current owner to restore and display the aircraft for the public to enjoy.

The process is not simple – The aircraft had been carefully taken apart and dry stored but over the years suffered from the dirt and dust of a farm and needs cleaning and polishing. Crucially some of the parts had gone missing in the many moves and Ian is indebted to Bill Leahy and Jay Smith in donating the missing parts.

100% of the profits of Volume 4 will go into restoring the P1B XA847 which will include sourcing missing parts , cleaning and polishing and then the transport and re assembly at a prestigious event in Sept 2026. To those of you who purchase Volume 4 a heartfelt thank you – your contribution to saving this Iconic Jet fighter of significant historical interest is gratefully received.