The trouble began with the reheat...

Or maybe the trouble had really begun with the test pilot suggesting that as nobody was going flying today, the test could easily be carried out by an engineer.

Regardless of the cause, Wing Commander Taffy Holden was now hurtling along the runway towards a fully loaded fuel tanker, and that's traditionally the moment when we hear the record scratch.

You're probably wondering how he got there.

In 1966 English Electric Lightning XM135 was delivering 100% of the English but significantly underperforming on the necessary electric.

Taffy Holden's crew were in charge of sorting it out.

Having replaced every electrical component they could think of, test pilots would be dragged over from Boscombe Down to attempt a ground run - at which point the instruments would go blank and the pilot brake.

This is not the high adrenaline lifestyle test pilots sign up for.

Thus it was that one of them suggested that as Taffy Holden had basic flying experience he could "probably" do the ground runs himself quite safely.

In retrospect this advice was... unwise.

Nonetheless, with the electrical guys having plugged in a load of wires and switches to try and isolate the fault, Taffy Holden strapped himself into the Lightning and set to work.

Notably, the only conversion training he'd had from prop-driven Chipmunks was a five minute chat about how to start the engines.

You'll note this is less training than Hitler gave new pilots before strapping them into the rocket-arsed hypergolic death trap that was the Komet.

Equipped with his new-found mastery of at least starting the two Avon engines, the first two runs went fine.

On the third, however, he gave the throttle levers just a little bit too much of a nudge...

The click of the reheat gates and the punch in the back from the added thrust immediately let him know he had a problem.

According to his own account, Taffy Holden reacted to this news by going so far as to let out an expletive.

To get out of reheat involved reaching for an extra pair of levers on the throttle to unlock it. Now accelerating quickly along the runway to a collision in a fighter capable of Mach 2, Holden did the natural thing and pulled back on the stick.

He was now airborne.

Having at least avoided the first opportunity to die in a fiery crater, Holden now had time to find the reheat keys and at least slow the thing down.

He could then devote his energy to intensive lessons in flying high performance jets.

Ejecting wasn't an option as the pins were still in, and I'm assuming he'd had quite enough excitement. Nor could he radio for help as all communications had been via a Land Rover alongside.

Short-sightedly lacking the ability to do 250 knots, the Land Rover was now useless.

A bit of trial and error revealed that flying the Lightning was pretty similar to a Chipmunk, except for being trouser-browningly terrifying.

You can sort of see the difference between the two, to be fair.

Having regained an element of control, Holden decided the sensible thing to do was attempt a landing back where he'd come from.

His first try wasn't great.

By his own account about the only thing he got right was that the sky was still vaguely overhead.

Traditionally during a go-around pilots shove the throttles back up hard.

I'm kind of guessing Taffy Holden resisted that particular urge...

Fortunately the second attempt went much better, and Holden plonked the Lightning on the runway in the perfect attitude.

For a taildragger.

The good news is that Holden was now on the ground.

The bad news is that the tailstrike had ripped the parachute off.

In just about the only thing to go right that day, the brakes fortunately did their job, stopping him just before the end of the runway.

Holden shut down the engines and resigned from test pilot duties.

Fortunately for Holden, nobody had thought to ban accidental joyrides in Lightnings, and the worst punishment was an ironic comment asking if - in retrospect - the test might have been better left to an experienced Lightning pilot.

XM135 was returned to service and can now be seen at Duxford.

Taffy Holden might be a hero for the flight.

He also wrote about the event, and the psychological toll, for the Royal British Legion, and for the latter I think he's an even bigger hero.

http://counties.britishlegion.org.uk/counties/beds-herts-counties/articles-of-interest/a-memorable-fright

And I note that when he was reunited with XM135 they took the precaution of hiding the access ladder so he couldn't jump in for another go.

Funny that...