Aviation Republic on MSN

60,000 Feet in 3 Minutes: Britain’s Lightning That Outran the Cold War

The English Electric Lightning was a vertical rocket disguised as a fighter. Reaching 60,000 feet in under three minutes and ...
Aviation Republic on MSN

60,000 Feet in 3 Minutes: The Lightning That Terrified the Soviets

Britain’s English Electric Lightning could climb faster than any Western jet, hitting 60,000 feet in under three minutes and exceeding Mach 2. This chapter explores the aircraft’s astonishing ...