TechnologyAdapted from Wikipedia
In 1966 an RAF engineer testing a Lightning fighter jet on the ground accidentally took off in it.
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On 22 July 1966 at RAF Lyneham, engineering officer Walter "Taffy" Holden, whose flying experience was limited to small trainer aircraft, engaged the jet's afterburner by mistake during a ground test and found himself airborne. He flew without a helmet or canopy and landed on his third attempt. Holden later wrote his own account of the flight in Lightning XM135.
Sources
- Holden's Lightning flight Wikipedia
- A Memorable Fright (Wg Cdr Taffy Holden), Halton Wheel issue 21, September 2013 Halton Wheel newsletter, nzrafaaa.dx.am (PDF archived by the Wayback Machine)
Adapted from Wikipedia's article Holden's Lightning flight, first featured in its "Did you know" section, text available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Browse reworded it after checking the sources above; this fact's text is offered under the same licence.
What the wording keeps
- ground test, not a planned flight
- landed on the third approach
Checked against its sources by an AI research agent on 4 November 2026; not yet reviewed by a person.
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