On the 19th of September in 1962, George Aird was captured while he was in the lightning performing a display flight off the South coast.
The photograph was then published in newspapers all around the world at the time leaving many people with uncertainty till the Ministry of Defence attempted to put a “D Notice” on the photograph, this was to prohibit any further publication of the photograph. This act assured them and brought awe after it was confirmed to be real and not a public stunt display.
The aircraft captured in the photograph was a rare fighter plane with a number plate XG332. It was named Lightning due to its speed. It was among the first 20 pre-constructed aircraft in 1959. Being the only British-designed and built aircraft capable of sufficient speed, it was to serve alongside the Royal Air Force. It was outstanding for its vertical stun layout on its two Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engines enclosed in the propeller.
Originally built to defend the V bomber airfields from attacks by awaiting future nuclear-armed supersonic soviet bomber jets.
As it would be, Jim Meads, a professional photographer lived close to the Hatfield airfield, next door to De Havilland test pilot Bob Sowray. On this eventful day, both of their wives had gone shopping in London and Bob had mentioned to Jim that he was expected to fly a Lightning that day.
As the flight time approached, Meads took his kids to watch the flight, alongside his camera, expecting to get a shot of the plane. Although his initial plan was to take a photograph of the children with the airfield in the background as the Lightning came into land and they had gotten a good spot where they waited for the Lightning to return back to land.
As it would be, the pilot flying wasn’t Bob Sowray, The lightning was taken for the test by another pilot working under De Havilland. The pilot was George Aird. He was part of the Red Top Air-to-Air Missile programme and was a well-respected test pilot.
As George was approaching Hatfield from the northeast, it was then he sensed the impending trouble. realised there was trouble. While he was performing a display on air, he then realized there was a fire in the aircraft reheat zone. A little leakage in the jet pipe had caught fire and this caused the tailplane actuator anchorage to be weak. As XG332 Lightning F1 began to approach, at about 200ft high (61 meters), with its nose faced up, the pilot ejected. The Lightning had become uncontrollable after an engine fire had weakened a tailplane actuator.
Jim Mead, who was waiting perfectly for the moment, captured George as he ejected from The Lightning F1. The ejected pilot George Aird due to improper landing broke both legs as he landed on a greenhouse as he crashed through the roof before landing unconsciously.
George Aird was woken up by the sprinkler system for the tomatoes. He mentioned that at first, he believed himself to be in heaven. The photographs captured during the event of the ejection were then taken first to the Ministry of Aviation and upon release, Mead had them sold to the Daily Mirror. The photograph was displayed as a centre page spread in the newspaper on the 9th of October 1962.
The Daily Mirror paid Mead £1,000 for the rights to the photograph i.e. £18,000 by today’s exchange.
