I would say it's worth reading Holden's account of it directly, which starts on page 3 of this PDF:

https://web.archive.org/web/20210319185656if_/http://www.nzr...

Love this story. There is something interesting that nags at me though.

- There's a test pilot on staff at the base, but they're not qualified for the Lightning.

- There's a test that needs doing, which doesn't require a test pilot (unless something goes wrong).

- There's no qualified test pilot available for the test, so Holden decides to run the test with someone who knows how to move the plane down the runway, but not necessarily fly it.

Of course you're deviating from the proper process at this point, but isn't the obvious choice for this still the test pilot who isn't qualified for the Lightning, but at least flies fighter jets?

It seems like Holden thought it through - it wasn't spur of the moment. Did he ask the test pilot? If so, did they say "no"?

> Holden ran down the runway, narrowly missing a crossing fuel bowser

TIL Bowser is an actual word, huh.

> According to Holden, in a review before Air Marshal Kenneth Porter, he was asked whether he agreed that "With the limited flying experience I had, the test would have been better left to an experienced and current Lightning test pilot", which he answered in the affirmative, following which Porter related some of his own unfortunate flying incidents.

I feel like there’s something between these lines that I don’t understand. Like is this some form of lawyer hacking without lawyers? Like a, “let’s have you admit to something that isn’t really wrongdoing just so we have a thing for the report.”

The de Havilland Comet (involved in this event) also has a famously dark history as the first passenger jet.

This status was short-lived when square windows popped out of their frames at high altitude when the cabin was pressurized.

The line had a much longer service life hauling freight.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Comet

See also

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Horizon_Air_Bombardier_Q4...