10/11/2026
On July 22, 1966, an engineer sat in the open cockpit of an English Electric Lightning for a routine ground test. Twelve minutes later, he landed it.
Imagine sitting behind the controls of a Mach 2 interceptor with no helmet, no radio, an disarmed ejection seat, and zero jet flying experience.
That was Walter "Taffy" Holden’s reality on July 22, 1966.
Holden, a 39-year-old RAF engineering officer, was just trying to solve a stubborn electrical fault on an English Electric Lightning F.1 at RAF Lyneham. The glitch only appeared under full takeoff power. With no test pilot on hand, Holden decided to run the ground engine test himself.
The plan was simple: throttle up on the tarmac, cut power, brake, and repeat. No actual flying required.
Except on one run, Holden pushed the throttles past the detent and engaged full afterburner.
Before he could disengage the massive thrust, the jet was screaming down the runway past the point of no return. Straight ahead sat a fuel tanker crossing the tarmac, a civilian aircraft taking off to his left, and a village just beyond the airfield boundary.
Stopping was impossible. Holden made the only choice left: he pulled back on the stick.
With the wind roaring past an open canopy, a non-pilot was suddenly flying one of the most powerful aircraft on earth.
For 12 terrifying minutes, Holden figured out the controls on the fly:
Attempt 1: Came in too fast to land. Aborted.
Attempt 2: Wrong angle on the glide slope. Aborted.
Attempt 3: He touched down, slammed on the brakes, and brought the jet to a stop just short of disaster.
Once the dust settled, Holden climbed out of the cockpit and went right back to his engineering duties.
The jet - XM135 - was repaired, returned to active service, and now rests at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford. Inside its cockpit, a small plaque marks the day a non-pilot accidentally took flight and lived to tell the tale.
