Home of the Lightning Association

The Lightning Association was formed in the year following the aircraft’s retirement from RAF service in the spring of 1988, when a 'Lightning Rally' for all lightning enthusiasts as well as aircrew and ground crew was organised at the former RAF Binbrook on 2nd July 1989. The event turned out to be such a great success, that out of it the Lightning Association was born.


The aim of this website is to document not only the airframes under our care, but also the Lightning Association itself. With all the latest information of the work being carried out on our various aircraft, right through to the general information on both the Association itself and on any upcoming activities and events we will be holding in the future. While primarily XR724 is the main focus of the Lightning Association, we are also tasked with the upkeep of 3 static aircraft, XM192, XR725 and XS899. While these aircraft are also not owned by the Association, they are however owned by our chairman. More information on these individual aircraft can found within this website.


Over the past several years the pace and direction of not only the Association, but also the work on the airframes we maintain has slowly gathered pace. This in turn has slightly altered our approach to a balance of all the airframes we look after, plus the promotion of all things lightning related. But the final aim is to ultimately get XR724 fully live and making some noise once again across the Lincolnshire Wolds. The results of our ongoing efforts both on the aircraft and its surroundings will be posted on both this website and our various social media pages, plus our YouTube channel. The links for these various platforms can be found at the bottom of the page.


To complete this website, we have an extensive collection of information on the lightning in general. This ranges from stories written by pilots themselves, right through to information on each individual airframe ever built. Plus, to complete the circle we also have one of the largest collections of lightning images to be found anywhere on the internet, with over 500 images of the various Mk’s. All of this and more can be found in the 'Appendix' section.


Finally, we’d like to say, ‘thank you’ for taking the time to view our website and taking an interest in our work, should you wish to make a donation towards the upkeep of XR724, then please feel free to click on the link below.

Just Giving Donate Link
  • XR724 Lightning F.6

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    XR724

    Lightning F.6

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  • XR725 Lightning F.6

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    XR725

    Lightning F.6

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  • XS899 Lightning F.6

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    XS899

    Lightning F.6

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  • XM192 Lightning F.1a

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    XM192

    Lightning F.1a

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