Flying the Lightning! | Derek "Grinner" Smith (In-Person Part 1)
Grinner shares what it was like to fly the mighty English Electric Lightning which includes the background of the jet, his training, first flight, insights to the weapons and the systems, DACT and much more.
Strap in and enjoy!
Watch part 2 • Lightning to Tornado F...
Thumbnail photo by Ian Black. Check out Ian's books www.firestreakbooks.com
Filmed at www.nelsam.org.uk/
Help keep the channel going:
Pick up some AI merch - www.teepublic.com/user/aircre...
PATREON - / aircrewinterview
DONATE - www.aircrewinterview.tv/donate/
Purchase our Aviation Art Book, Volume One - amzn.to/3sehpaP
Use our Amazon affiliate link when you purchase from Amazon as it costs you nothing extra and gives us a little kickback to help the channel to keep going:
.co.uk - amzn.to/46BCbFi
.com - amzn.to/44vNf4X
The sheer mirth coming from Derek as he recounts his flying career is just brilliant and very contagious.
Indeed. Makes me wonder what his girth is
77>
@@bigglock5478that's a bit weird 🤦♂️🤣
'Grinner' is so well named and a delight to listen to. I did my last tour at Binbrook, leaving in late '82. I was an ATC Supervisor. 'My' Lightings and 'my' pilots were beloved. Most of the pilots were as 'personality+' as Grinner.
I gave it an enthusiastic like! And then I watched it, and agreed with myself.
Just watching it now and as usual with Aircrew Interview it’s thoroughly entertaining 👍
I could listen to this aviator all day. Brilliant.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Listening to how he was treated throughout his course ..Funny how Kindness sticks…… whilst sat in the crew room on an air cadet visit to Binbrook , I remember him video taping the weather off TV-AM ( I think it was !) and he was very enthusiastic whilst stopping to talk to me and my friend for a few minutes . Funny what and who you remember . A few years later I joined ,briefly ,myself . I’m Still a stones throw from Binbrook . Happy days . Thanks for the booms over Grimsby. It’s made double maths a bit more interesting
Heh, RAF Leconfield.. Never heard it called that before. I cycled through there in the mid 90's, when it was No. 1 Defence School of Motor Transport Leconfield, never crossed my mind that it'd ever been anything else.
Really enjoyed this interview. Great career, Derek's enthusiasm is contagious and a joy to listen to. Must be great to have had such an enjoyable and interesting working life. Thanks.
Great video. I was 'enamoured' the Lightning when our family were living at RAF Coltishall in the mid to late sixties. 226 OCU were there along with Royal Saudi Air Force aircraft and personnel. I too, had ambitions to become a Lightning pilot as I stood for hours at the 'crash gates' and felt the warmth of the engines as they taxied quite close by. Unfortunately, the requirement to study and do well at school or make any appreciable effort toward that goal escaped me. As it was, my application for pilot training in the Royal Australian Air Force some years later was accepted but fairly quickly rejected owing to short sightedness. Probably saved them a lot of trouble later. Ironically my own daughter managed to get a seat in one of the last F-111 flights out of RAAF Amberley in Queensland. Got a ride in a Super Hornet too!
Cheers
What a great guy and story. He has the best attitude.
I would have strapped him into a JP. I was at Fenton for 4 years. 14 & 15 course were already in training. 16 course were the first new course. I worked on the flight line, Handling Flight as it was officially called. I'm glad it had such a good name with the Aircrew. I got to fly the Mk5 a few times. Never flown in a Mk3a.
Excellent interview, so articuate and such infectious enthusiasm.
Agreed on the Hunter a beautiful aircraft a case of it it looks right it is right
Chris Gold is an absolute legend utter gentleman
flew the lightning, callsign is grinner. makes sense to me
Just listening to "grinner" seems like too much information let alone actually flying a lightning, or indeed any fast jet , max respect. Thank goodness we have these amazing people.
Brilliant. Such a lovely interview 😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
Another fantastic interview. Derek is a fantastic story teller. Another top bloke. Thank you.
As a Grimsby resident in the 70s / 80s I remember those booms. Awesome aeroplane to see on a daily basis back then.
I visited the Coltishall lighting simulator around 1973. At that stage it had a rolling belt for the approach visuals. Also a large room full of valve electronics to run the whole thing.
Fascinating. What an interesting and well explained insight. Thankyou.
Cheers
That was absolutely amazing. What a fantastic interview. Probably one of the best I've ever seen. So precise and well presented, think this is a benchmark for future interviews. Very very well done.
Wow, thank you!
🇬🇧I thoroughly enjoyed that interview. Goodness me, flying a Lightning at 21 and having to land it….must have really, seriously, focused your attention. I had a tankslapper on a Yamaha FZR1000 Exup doing a large 3 figure speed at the same age which focused my attention to a similar degree….😉
Glad you enjoyed it
I remember reading about this plane in books when I was a kid and marveled at how this seemingly antique design could fly so fast.
Most excellent! High-speed from take-off to recovery (always in a Lightning)! Grinner is a superb storyteller! Sierra Hotel!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Watched Lightnings at Coltishall,Wattisham and Binbrook. Àt Coltishall the F3' s used reheat at night I recollect. Saw an F16 takeoff from Binbrook and do a turn just above the runway which made me think technology had moved on. I believe the F2A's were reckoned to have the best range of nearly 2 hours.They had the bigger ( conical camber) wing and big ventral tank but the lesser powerful engine than the F6 which was more thirsty. Coltishall was always busy when it had the OCU there.
Now I understand why I slept soundly during the 70/80s 🤗
DACT at 48:20, feel sorry for them taking the Lightning against an F-16 but fighting the F-4s sounds fun!
Yeah, if the F-5 or F-3 seem like a good match, then the Viper's a bit out of your league! Great interview.
Best aircraft we ever produced. How ever did they get that thing to breathe at 87,000 feet. Astounding.
Oh boy! You had me at "Lightning"...
What a fascinating interview.
Cheers
You are welcome. In one of those quirks of fate, I may actually have controlled Derek after he arrived at Binbrook. Until late 1986 I was a Fighter Control Officer at RAF Staxton Wold near Scarborough and controlling the Lightnings from Binbrook was very much our bread and butter, especially on low level intercept practices. That was one of the most informative interviews that I have watched. Thanks again.@@Aircrewinterview
Great interview for any Lightning enthusiast, I was also at the Leconfield 1973 Airshow but alas I didn’t go on to fly this mighty aircraft 😂
I agree with all of the praise above! “Grinner” was highly articulate in explaining what the Lighting was like to fly and his stories brought to it all to life. I also liked your use of photos to illustrate some of the concepts he was explaining. I was at Leeming on 100 Sqn at the time he was on XI(F) and believe a girlfriend of the time worked with Grinner & I recall he was highly thought of, as well as being approachable - as his callsign would suggest. I wish him well!
A really great watch👏👏👏
Thanks, interesting telling. Didn't know all your telling about the lightning.
Thanks Mike - Another great interview with yet another first rate bloke (What is it about mil pilots they seem an exceptionally amiable crowd in the most part?) For those interested in the development of the Lighting itself, I watched a great historical piece togather (yesterday oddly enough) imaginatively entitled 'English Electric Lightnig etc' by Drone Scapes (No - I'm not on commission, just doing my good deed for the month for you lot)
Cheers
A fascinating interview!
Cheers
N2 is used because it has much less water content than air - important consideration when using corrosion sensitive magnesium alloy wheel hubs.
Thank you for an excellent and informative interview. Very interesting to learn more about the Lightning.
Cheers
Absolutely fascinating. Thanks to Grinner and yourself.
Cheers
Awesome interview. Well done guys.
Thank you
Wow' Hell of an interview..
Loved it to the max! Hung on every word. Who doesn't love LSOs!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I am pretty sure I did my RAF flying scholarship at Leicester Aero Club the same summer that Grinner did. Small world.
Lucky chap ! I was in the air cadets for 2 1/2 years in the seventies and allways managed not to be picked to fly and only had a few goes on .22 at the range .did lots of drill and had the itchy old uniforme .glad to hear someone had a positive time but my experience put me right off.i think the sq no was 4177 (if memory serves)
Sounds like you were unlucky. In the RAF section of the CCF we did spend a lot of time in the classroom learning about theory of flight and engines when the others were sailing or getting wet in the woods. Still managed to go up in a Chipmunk and spend an afternoon experiencing circuits and bumps in VC10.
Great interview
Cheers
I bet every Lightning pilot could qualify for the nick name.
I really enjoyed that one, Mike. Great job as always. And to think, Grinner only joined the mob less than 9 months before I did!
Cheers, Chris!
They were flying around in this antique when the US had decommissioned all their phantoms in favour of F14, 15, 16 that are still competitive today...
Pretty sure the last Lightnings left in 1988, whilst the last USAF Phantoms went in 1996. There are of course still Phantoms flying in active service with other air forces today.
Thanks!
Thank you
21 and flying this frame. That's like passing your test and being given a seat in a F1 car.
I live next door to Cranwell, I remember as a kid in the 80s the skies were alive with JP's, barely see any activity in the skies these days.
32:00 not having flown a Lightning, I'm happy to take your word for it. 300 knots in the buffet........
The BAC Lightning. The worlds first modern combat jet.
Newark Air Museum well worth a days visit.
I want to fly that!
Very interesting Interview. I am often wondering how the accident rate of the Lightning and the F-104 compare.
Doubt there ever will be another aircraft that could touch the English Electric Lightning for speed and manoeuvrability. She was awesome.
No mention of its potency ! Would be interesting to know what pilots thought about it coming against MIGS !
Is this the same "Grinner" from the "Cleveland Gliding Club" based at RAF Dishforth?
It is.
😊 good to see him again! I knew him a little at the gliding club, a charming guy. And a great interview. Would have loved to hear a few words in his sorties in the Gulf!
Find the biggest hill in Lincolnshire. Plonk an airfield on the top of it. Binbrook. The coldest air base I ever served at……including US Naval Base Keflavik Iceland and Bodø Norway! Bloody perishing!
🌩⚡⚡
Interesting to ponder how much easier things would have been with GCI control to put the Lightning on the right intercept profile and control them to a 2-mile stern roll-out. 'Tango 3 Alpha' off a 15 mile split, low level at night - ring any bells, Grinner? "Judy, Judy". Just sayin' ...
Sorry to put another tuppence in. I know it wasn’t designed for it but did anyone ever try to take off or land on an Aircraft Carrier ?
I don't think even Winkle Brown would attempt that.
Nope
It would need to be a very large Carrier
This should have been called “Ride the Lightning”. Opportunity missed.
There is no magic reason why air can't be used to inflate tyres to 350 psi. Air is 78% N2 anyway, so how can one work and the other not work? The fact is that N2 inflated tyres simply lose pressure a little more slowly.