Inside the Secret Barn: Restoring Britain’s First Mach 2 Jet

EE Lightning P1B | 10 Percent True | EP84 – Part 1 In a secret barn in East Anglia, former RAF Lightning pilot Ian “Blackie” Black reveals the extraordinary story of the very first English Electric Lightning P1B — the first British aircraft to reach Mach 2. Built by English Electric and flown by Battle of Britain ace Roland Beamont, this hand-built prototype marked Britain’s leap into the supersonic age. Decades later, after museum life, near-scrapping, and years hidden away, the aircraft is being painstakingly restored — with plans to unveil it publicly for the first time in 30 years. Blackie shares Lightning combat stories, Cold War memories, flying with his father, and what it really felt like to strap into Britain’s only true Mach 2 fighter. This is about preserving heritage and history — one step at a time.