About This Aircraft
XM135 was the very first full-production Lightning F.1, first flying on 14th November 1959. The aircraft served with the Central Flying School at Coltishall from May 1960, then moved on to No. 74 Squadron, No. 226 OCU, and the Leuchars Target Facilities Flight before being delivered to storage with No. 60 Maintenance Unit in June 1971, becoming the last F.1 to fly in the process.
The aircraft's fame stems from an extraordinary incident on 22nd July 1966 at RAF Lyneham. XM135 was undergoing maintenance to fix a persistent electrical fault that only manifested during acceleration. Wing Commander Walter "Taffy" Holden, an engineering officer with limited flying experience on light aircraft (Tiger Moths, Chipmunks, and Harvards), was conducting ground taxiing tests to diagnose the problem.
During the testing, Holden inadvertently engaged the afterburner and found himself unable to disengage it. The Lightning accelerated down the runway, narrowly missing a crossing fuel bowser and a de Havilland Comet that was taking off. With no other option and running out of runway, Holden was forced to take off in the supersonic fighter.
The situation was made even more perilous by the fact that Holden was flying without a helmet, canopy, radio, or usable ejection seat, and the landing gear was locked in the down position. His first two landing attempts were unsuccessful, but on his third approach, he managed to land the aircraft, though he scraped the tail when he adopted the landing attitude of a tailwheel aircraft, which also cut the brake parachute cable.
The electrical fault was later determined to be caused by wires left in place from a deleted ground test button for the standby inverter, which shorted into the UHF radio during the takeoff run. XM135 was repaired and returned to service after this dramatic incident.
The aircraft was disposed of to the Imperial War Museum in 1974 and transported to their Duxford site, where it has been on display ever since in No. 74 'Tiger' Squadron colours. Many years later, Taffy Holden visited Duxford where he was reunited with XM135 after his unforgettable experience with the aircraft.
XM135 stands as a testament not only to the Lightning's incredible performance capabilities but also to one man's quick thinking and basic flying skills that prevented what could have been a catastrophic accident.
