English (BAC) Electric Lightning 'Edge of Space Flight' over the 'Cape of good Hope'

Attention: The 'Electric Lightning" is at the moment not available. We hope, that the jet is coming up again in 2011.



The Cape of Good Hope, on the Atlantic coast of South Africa is known to be a mystical place of one point, with a million points of view… but very few people have ever seen it like this! This stratospheric jet flight will lift you an amazing 65,000 feet into the air, where the emerald-blue horizon meets black sky!

You’ll fly like royalty in one of the highest performance planes ever to grace the great blue yonder! The first choice in defense for the Royal Air Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force, the English Electric Lightning – also known as the BAC Lightning – is a supersonic fighter aircraft that has broken the world air-speed record!

We are proud to offer you this flight over one of the most interesting places in the world where you can achieve the highest flight altitudes in one of the most magnificent jets during this breathtaking adventure!

Your journey begins in one of the most exhilarating jets ever built! The “English Electric Lighting” is able to accelerate at an unbelievably steep incline and is capable of traveling up to 50,000 feet per minute! Pulling an incredible 7 G’s, you are rocketed towards the stratosphere, where daylight fades and the stars appear in a matter of minutes! This supersonic jet is also the only aircraft of it’s kind with side-by-side seating in the cockpit, so on this thrilling flight you are seated right next to your pilot, watching him skillfully maneuver the aircraft at a lightning-fast Mach 2.2.

Developed during the Cold War era, the Lightning was the first aircraft capable of supersonic flight; it broke the world air-speed record and was one of the highest performing planes ever used in formation aerobatics. The sweetheart of the Royal Air Force, this bullet of a jet was designed for speed and agility to defend mainland Britain against enemy bomber attacks. Quick and deadly, the Lightning was utilized from its conception in 1959 until the late 1980’s, when it was finally replaced by its younger sister, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the “Lightning II.”

There will never be another jet as charismatic and well loved as this aircraft was by the brave men who flew her into glory to defend Her Majesty’s country and countrymen. And now, you too can experience this heart pounding voyage out over the Cape of Good Hope, the South African landscape blending with sea and sky for the ultimate ride of a lifetime!

General characteristics: Crew: 2
Length: 55 ft 3 in (16.84 m)
Wingspan: 34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)
Height: 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m)
Wing area: 474.5 ft² (44.1 m²)
Empty weight: 28,040 lb (12,720 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 41,700 lb (18,900 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Avon 301R afterburning turbojets
Dry thrust: 13,220 lbf (58.86 kN) each
Thrust with afterburner: 16,360 lbf (72.77 kN) each
Performance:
Maximum speed: Mach 2.27 (1,500 mph, 2,415 km/h) at altitude
Range: 800 mi (1,300 km) combat
Ferry range: 1,560 mi (1,360 nm, 2,500 km)
Service ceiling: >60,000 ft (18,000 m) officially
Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (260 m/s)
Wing loading: 87.9 lb/ft² (429 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.63
Armament:
Guns: 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) ADEN cannon
Missiles: 2× Red Top missiles