Surely one of the most famous examples of being in the right place at the right time, this photo of test pilot George Aird ejecting from Lightning XG332 has become the stuff of aviation legend. It's so perfectly composed that certain corners of the internet continue to debate its authenticity. However, those who know, say this is a genuine photo that first appeared on page 16 of the Daily Mirror on October 9,1962 under the headline 'George Aird drops in on the tomatoes'. The astonishing picture was taken by photographer and Hatfield resident Jim Meads. The incident took place on September 13,1962 when Jim was out for a walk with his children. Jim lived next door to Hatfield test pilot Bob Sowbray, so had taken his children to watch the flight. Fortunately, he decided to take his camera with him. According to his grandson Oliver Meads who posted this on the key.aero forum: "Before the flight, the pilots swapped and George Aird took over. Whilst on its final approach, the Lightning suffered a control failure and pitched up. It did a full backward rotation and is falling left to right."
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