BAC Lightning Model Airplane

Item#: MJBACL

MSRP Price: $299.95

Factory Direct Price: $199.95

Wing Span: 10.44"
Length: 16.56"

Manufacturer: English Electric/British Aircraft Corporation

Factory Direct Models brings to you this exact replica of the famous BAC Lightning, from paint scheme to markings this Model Airplane depicts the true original BAC Lightning. This BAC Lightning Model Airplane was hand crafted with absolute precision by our highly skilled master artisans using the finest Philippine Mahogany and was sealed to last for generations.  

This BAC Lightning Airplane Model comes with a detachable Drop Face Base Stand a Laminated Royal Air Force Logo and an Inscription Plaques making this BAC Lightning Airplane Model a perfect gift to Aviator Enthusiasts, Pilot and War Veterans.

Your model will be made exactly as shown in the photographs. If you would like to change this model in any other way, please visit Our Custom Model Gallery section of our website to commission a personalized model to be built.

BAC Lightning History:

The Lightning was the result of a supersonic research aircraft called the English Electric P.1A, which first flew in August 1954. The P.1A was the brainchild of W.E. "Teddy" Petter, who also was responsible for the EE Canberra bomber. The P.1A was extensively tested during the mid- to late fifties, and contributed significantly to the Royal Air Force's knowledge about supersonic flight.

In 1954, the design was modified so it could be a practical all-weather interceptor. Three prototypes, designated P.1B, were built, the first of which made its maiden flight on 4 April 1957. In November 1958, the aircraft was re-named "Lightning" and exceeded Mach 2 for the first time. Since the Lightning was such a radically different aircraft from anything that had come before, the RAF ordered 20 additional pre-production aircraft, and tested them thoroughly, before authorizing it to enter active service. Even so, the Lightning was to have enormous teething problems in its first few years and the RAF's "learning curve" was steep.

Throughout its life, the Lightning evolved beyond its initial interceptor role into a very capable strike fighter and reconnaissance platform. The first production Lightning, the F.1, flew in October 1959, and deliveries began in the summer of 1960. It had a powerful radar and heat-seeking Firestreak missiles. A follow-on variant, the F.1A, had air-refueling capability and a UHF radio. The F.2 variant appeared in 1961, and had better range, speed and ceiling, a liquid-oxygen breathing system for the pilot, a steerable nosewheel, fully-variable afterburners, and improved electronics. The F.3, featuring two 16,360-pound thrust Avon engines, a larger square-tip fin, Red-Top missiles, and the capability of carrying two large over-wing fuel pods, entered service in 1964. The F.3A, later re-designated the F.6, was the result of a BAC recommendation to nearly double the Lightning's fuel capacity and to fit it with a redesigned wing. This modification allowed the airplane to carry more, be more efficient, and go faster.

Major export customers of the Lightning were Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which purchased at least three of the variants, the most notable being the F.53 (F.6). Four two-seat trainer models, the T.4, T.5 and Saudi Arabia's T.54 and T.55, were also produced.

Although the aircraft was very maintenance-intensive in active duty, the first civilian-owned Lightning, ZU-BBD (XS452) took to the air in 1999 in Cape Town, South Africa, with a second, ZU-BEX (XS451) making its first post-restoration flight in the summer of 2000. Two more Lightnings were completed by 2006 in Cape Town, and several more Lightning projects are underway around the globe, so it appears that the warbird community will be able to see and appreciate this magnificent aircraft with increasing regularity as time goes on.