In the late 1950s my friend and Guernsey neighbour John Hall, who has died aged 98, was part of an intrepid team of British test pilots. During the cold war they helped with the birth of the English Electric Lightning, the first – and last – entirely British-built supersonic jet fighter.
For years the Lightning was the RAF’s main interceptor, with a phenomenal rate of climb. American fighter pilots envied its performance; they called it “the pocket rocket”. To achieve such power, the prototypes required rigorous testing from John and his pals, who pushed them to their limits.
