A 'Flying visit' from Santa!!

Lightning ZF 584

This was one of the aircraft returned from Saudi to BAE Warton, Lancashire on 22nd January 1986 to be resold or scrapped.  Fortunately they were disposed of to museums etc and this aircraft found its way to GEC Marconi at South Gyle Edinburgh where for a number of years it was displayed on a plinth , at which is still known as Lightning Roundabout, before being acquired by Dumfries & Galloway Aviation Museum.

Our museum curator David Reid has been researching the history and trying to find service personnel who flew or worked on the aircraft.  On Sunday the 13th June 2010 he received a phone call and takes up the story, “ I was asked by a lady if we had a Lightning in our collection as her husband had been in the R.A.F. and did our plane have a name on it which unfortunately didn’t.  When I asked her name she replied Mrs Chatterton which rang a bell as I had been looking for Fl. Lt. Mike Chatterton for four years, and as you will have guessed it was the same Mike Chatterton who flew our aircraft from Saudi to Warton and indeed was the last pilot to fly it.  Mrs Chatterton was overwhelmed to learn this and quickly arranged a surprise visit to see his old plane, however he must have suspected something when asked to bring his log book and photo collection.  On 19th June he and his wife visited the museum and to say he was emotional would be an understatement as he stayed from 11.30am till closing time.”


Mike alongside his old aircraft at the Museum

Mike also informed us that the flight from Saudi took 6 hours 40 minutes and involved 7 air to air refuels.
Mike has agreed to return to the museum to unveil the Lightning when it is replaced on its plinth.