i last went to newcastle about five years ago.its along drive from where i live and towards the end of the drive i could have sworn i shot past a jet aircraft very close to the A1 but it was all covered in graffitti and looked smashed up.
a) was i tripping?
b) is it still there?
c) was it ever there?
d) why was it there?

Do you mean the big rusty looking plane, stuck tail first down into the ground?

Wor flasher?

The one near Newark?

I think the guy put it there to attract attention to adds that were placed on the side of artic wagons back in the 80's.

Thats not there any more is it?

Its an English Electric Lightning if you mean the one somewhere around Newark?

foggy memories coming back of my mate trying to ride off the wing onto the ground by the wing tip.

I remember going past it for the first time in 1985. It was complete and undecorated back then, but well past its best.

Even in that state it still manages to look good

Thats the one! that must have cost loads to put that there?
is it still there or has it gone?certainly caught my eye mind!

There's a finer example just up the road here >

Newark Air Museum

Not sure if the one by the A1's still there, moved from Newark years ago.

not very expensive, didnt Clarkson buy one as a lawn ornament saying it was cheeper than parking a fancy car there, or even a mondeo and looked a lot nicer?

Last time I went to Newark, that lightnig was still there. It's a big shame it's getting tatty, it 's a super plane

The one on sundays program about the universe was beautiful. Would love to have gone in that to 60,000ft.

On streetview

A chap on a scale model forum I frequent built this Lightning.
It was a prize winner at a few competitions last year.
(Looks like Hora's dog has tagged it.)

I think I recollect you can see it from the train as well. Unless I was dreaming that (!), I think it was still there a few weeks ago.

I think I might be getting confused with the rocket thing that was closer to Newcastle on the southbound side of the carriageway. Red and white with some type of advertising hoarding next to it i think……
Sure thats gone now though?

The one on Sundays program (XS 451) has unfortunately since crashed killing the pilot.

I do remember seeing what looked like a SAM missile on a launcher truck near Sunderland quite recently

last time I went down the A1, the Lightning near Newark was still there – maybe a year ago. You should be able to see it from the East Coast Mainline too, as it's very close to the A1 at that point

I do remember seeing what looked like a SAM missile on a launcher truck near Sunderland quite recently

Yeah that was the mad chinese woman who was on Dragon's Den.

http://www.lingscars.com/feature/truck.php

Yeah that was the mad chinese woman who was on Dragon's Den.
http://www.lingscars.com/feature/truck.php

Jesus f'ing Christ! That website was like going back in time to 1998!

That's what you get when you pay graphics designer £50.

the newark one is still there.

still there, went past it this afternoon

I saw one many years ago lift off the runway, under carriage retracted and then disappeared out of sight – straight up

A real rocket ship awesome

Had the privilege to work on them in the 80's during my RAF training. Mach2 straight up. Not many modern jets can do that, never mind ones from the 1960's

I used to ride past one of those every day on the way to work… ZF584. Poor thing got pretty trashed when they relocated it though, it's in a flight museum now but they chopped its wings off 🙁

Sacrilege.

It's good to know they're still flying though, fantastic aircraft. I mentioned in another thread that my Dad designed bits of them and has a fair few Lightning stories to tell.