On Thursday 21 September 2006, trade day at the South African Aerospace Defence week (Africa's Farnborough equivalent) the clear blue Cape sky was shattered by the roar of eight mighty Rolls Royce Avons in afterburner.

Entering the Ysterplaat airspace (a SAAF base near the Cape Town city centre where the show is staged) were the world's only flying English Electric Lightnings, all four of them, in perfect diamond formation, much to the delight of the 70 000 spectators and captains of the Aerospace industry. It is not often that a private concern steals the limelight when one considers the best of the industry offerings on show, yet steal it they did. Thunder City is renowned for professional and polished performances and this four ship display was the culmination of years of safe operations, rebuilding and effort well supported by its sponsor - Shell Aviation. The four ship display comprised a diamond formation entry, with Thunder City CEO, Mike Beachy Head in the lead aircraft (Lightning F6 XR773), Dave Stock, ex SAAF test pilot No2 (Lightning T5 XS 452), Keith Hartley ex BAE Eurofighter test pilot No3 (Lightning F6 XP693) and Ian Black, ex RAF Lightning pilot in the No4 position. (Lightning T5 XS 451) After a series of wingovers and a 360-degree turn the formation presented eight rear ends to the crowd and simultaneously lit the afterburners and separated in a bomb-burst. Mike pulled 773 straight up in classic Lightning pose while the remaining three cleared to the west while Mike returned to perform a spectacular solo display. On completion of the solo the remaining three Lightning's performed a high-speed pass in vic formation and departed back to the Shell Thunder City base at Cape Town International airport.