We all get old, it’s an unfortunate by-product of living.
Stuff also gets old.
Beautiful things that were once much loved are forgotten with time. Extraordinary feats of engineering gather dust and rust as the years go by.
But time doesn’t erode the memories of greatness which is why when we saw the old F6 Lightning Jet cockpit around 15 years ago we had to buy it.
It was our way of saving a piece of history. The F6 Lightning XR747 was first and last British-built, supersonic fighter and interceptor. there were only ever a handful of this specific jet ever built and in the skies of the cold war, it was potent symbol of power. The F6 was ready for action with just a few minutes notice and could reach exceptional heights at record speed.
It’s airborne agility was something we were always in awe of and it’s preservation was something we were extremely passionate about.
That’s why it took us so long to decide what to do with our cockpit! Other opportunities arose over the years but nothing that was quite right. However, that all changed when we heard from the 20 Sqn which is part of the Devon and Somerset Wing Air Training Corps.
Having recently moved to their new Headquarters in Victoria Park, Bideford, with 24 keen young cadets and a team of dedicated staff we had
finally found people who shared our passion.
It seemed like the perfect time to embark on an exciting project so 20 Sqn have moved the cockpit to their premises and have already began a substantial restoration project. They are meticulously polishing, cleaning and fixing, and they may even succeed in powering up the cockpit!
You can follow their progress here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Lightning/322842821231430 and as you can see from their pictures, just a couple of weeks into the project and it’s looking better already.
We cannot wait to see how this project unfolds and we will keep you up-dated with any news and developments.
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