XS903 Lightning at YAM

29/03/2026

A small team today on 903 saw us welcome an old friend, almost finish a very long task, and prep for the next trawl for spare parts!

Firstly, we welcomed Dick Heath and his wife to the museum. Dick is an ex XI sqn Lightning Pilot who flew 903 on many occasions. Dick has donated his own Lightning stick top to the project. "Punch" as he was known, stayed for an hour and will return hopefully for the grand unveiling! We intend to fit his stick top to 903 to replace the original seized and corroded original.

James and Jon cracked on with the cable strake replacement, completing all the main section manufacture and installation, with a dollop of PRC to seal the deal! Only the end caps to finesse now and thankfully that will be complete!

Dean compiled a list of black boxes needed to fill a few bays. Any mancaves featuring Lightning Avionics boxes, drop us a line on your forthcoming donations 😉..

Illy was dispatched to the naughty step (aka the cockpit) to look into the stick top change and also freeing up the parking brake lever and cable.

Of course we were all being supervised by Claire as ever attentive to detail and tidyness!

Next time: finish the cable strakes & re-start the final 2 spine panels , more stick top/brake faff (skinny person Ryan has been recruited to go down the intake to assist with this).

08/03/2026

Another successful day on 903 today!

Pete, Claire and Jess fitted the third of our new tyres, meaning she is sat on fresh rubber for the first time since 1988. Those aware of how thin Lightning mainwheels are will hopefully realise how quickly they degrade and leak too!

Jon swapped the nosewheel axle for one that had threads and buttoned that job away quickly.

Claire cracked on with more paint prep on the weapons pack pylons, with filler going into the corroded magnesium strips on the leading edges.

Jess and Dean started the panelling up process, now we are finishing the internal work and we know she is dry inside. When we start sanding it keeps the dust out too.

We all got on the winches to refit the Ventral tank/gun pod after recently fitting the No1 engine. Pete added a nice flourish around the starter dome, a ring of LED's to illuminated the front of the engine. We think it looks great!

James completed the stbd cable strakes and applied some PRC to the top edge, lovely stuff.. urrgh!

After that, a good tidy up, prep the ventral trolley for return to Binbrook and a wash up in the pub!

Cheers all!

11/02/2026

Pete reinstalling the starter cover

11/02/2026

wheeling a 2 ton engine around ..

11/02/2026

Lightnings in preservation without engines are very tail heavy! The CofG is just forward of the mainwheels

We have had a Avon 210 (F2 era) engine as the museum in a transport cradle that's sat for some time in a corner.

In the interests of moving the CofG forwards, adding a ton and a half of ballast and making her look more like a complete aircraft, we decided to fit the engine.

Last weekend, we did just that! With the combined help of LPG at Bruntingthorpe, XR724's team at Binbrook and elements of the XS422 engineering team, we did what has never been done before, anywhere: Fit a 210 series to an F6.

It fought us, we learned lots, but its in!

To give perspective, the nose dropped around 3.5 inches once the engine load was off the ground on the winches!

Once in, we did a few other jobs too, like fitting a new nose wheel and tyre, and a new stbd mainwheel too, both with brand new tyres courtesy of the god of Lightnings, Mr Wallis! Thank you Phil!

While we were faffing about fitting the engine, James continued his magic on the large spine panel and did a little filling on the new panel replacement on the stbd side.

The engine fitting kit is now ready to return to LPG, Thanks again for the loan of your equipment!

With only a few cable strakes to fit, and the final touches to 2 more spine panels, we are more than pleased to say the metal work is almost complete!

After this, we need to refit the Ventral tank and return the loaned kit to Binbrook, then tidy the cockpit a little more before refitting the ejection seat after extensive renovation by Bob Bayliss over the winter. We are missing a head box for the mk4 seat, if anyone happens to have a spare lying about?

27/01/2026

On the sunday we will be fitting a No1 engine to 903, feel free to say hello while we work.

YORK RESIDENTS FESTIVAL
Next weekend (31st/1st) is the annual York Residents Festival. There is free entry to residents of the City Of York, providing they show a York Card or City of York Council Tax bill, student card or identity card that proves York residency. We are also open to paying customers!

11/01/2026

An early and extremely nippy start today!

We can't rivet while visitors are in the hangar, so 8am start to complete the rivetting on the starboard skin repairs. James and Pete cracked on with this straight away to great success.

Josh and Jon retracted the reheat pipe and interpipe to enable the No1 engine fit in a few weeks time.

Pete disappeared into the intake, through the engine side entrance thankfully to thoroughly clean the area, and for good measure slipped into the interpipe and wiped it down with ACF50 too! Must be all that training from Claire..

Claire and Dean cracked on with cleaning the engine and adding preservative to the inside and out. Josh, Dean and Jon changed the engine to No1 config, with an oil top up just to ensure some corrosion prevention internally. She will never be run, but we want to preserve this rare engine in as best condition as possible.

After rivetting, James carried on with the cable strakes while the Ventral tank is off as its much much easier to access. Finally, Jon started on the sole remaining spine panel to be replaced through magnesium corrosion. It could be the easiest was left till last!

With the skin repairs drawing to a close we will be moving to surface prep and electrical repairs again.

Onwards and upwards!

21/12/2025

SANTA'S HERE AGAIN!
Santa Airlines is running again today, tomorrow (Sunday) and on Monday too. There are still places available. To book: www.yorkshireairmuseum.org/xmas

21/12/2025

.More progress on 903!

This was actually 2 weeks ago but yours truely totally forgot about compiling an update!

James and Pete continued to work magic on the stbd side skin repair, sadly the rivetting was held back by visitors in the hangar. ear defs on entry?? Nevertheless, the repair has progressed well and its around 50% rivetted up.

Lead by Josh, we all assisted in changing the port mainwheel, as our wheel is going to have a new tyre fitted after a repaint in the next month. The brakes are seized in the off position (for now), so much fun was had holding the brake pads in place while the wheel was refitted..

Claire continued her cleaning mission by cleaning the bulkheads around the weapons pack and behind the ventral tank. Its probably never been this clean since it rolled out off the production line!

Jon rolled the metal for the final 2 spine panels and started drilling off the smallest of the two. This is the beginning of the final bits of skin replacement on 903, a big step in her rejuvination, meaning paint prep is imminent.

02/12/2025

Christmas 2025 at the Yorkshire Air Museum​ Get in the Christmas spirit here at Elvington. Learn about wartime Christmases, enjoy seasonal food and drink in Café 77 and climb aboard Santa’s Airlines 2025! SANTA AIRLINES Welcome aboard Santa Airlines 2025 – our grotto in the Dakota aircraft .....

20/11/2025

Well now.. what should we do with this?