Super pose!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VrqsDdY4A6U&feature=relatedThe English Electric Lightning, which first flew in 1954, is quite possibly one of the best aircraft ever, most definitely the best aircraft of it's time, but a large margin.
The English Electric Lightning was the first plane to be able to super-cruise and was the first British Mach 2 plane.
There are 2 items in the plane's history that set it apart from any other plane.
1: In 1984, Flt Lt Mike Hale intercepted an American U-2 spy plane at a height which they had previously considered safe from interception. Records show that Hale climbed to 88,000 ft in his Lightning F.3 XR749. Hale also participated in time-to-height and acceleration trials against F-104 Starfighters from Aalborg. He reports that the Lightnings won all races easily with the exception of the low level supersonic acceleration, which was a "dead heat".
2: In British Airways trials in April 1985, Concorde was offered as a target to NATO fighters including F-15s, F-16s, F-14s, Mirages, F-104s - but only the English Electric Lightning managed to overtake Concorde on a stern conversion intercept. That is truly amazing, and also shows how amazing Concorde was!
For a plane designed in the late 1940 and built in the early 1950s, it is truly amazing. It also holds a number of time to altitude records.
The English Electric Lightning, a 60 year old aircraft that could outperform many of today's military planes!
