Civvy Harrier update..

Absolutely fantastic. Very well done to all and very nice first display by Art, just can’t beat the sound and sight of the SHAR.

Good news, thanks for the update and welcome to the Forum. I am sure that Lee Howard, forum member will be interested in your ‘rumour’!:)

To all

thanks for your words of encouragement. The TEAM thanks all of you. The Hydraulic failure was due to a fatigue crack in a weld on the main pressure pipe from the #1 pump to the ships system. Hawker (BAE) had a tee welded into the line. I suspect to read system pressure during testing? Not sure but of the other examples from “operational” SHARs and GRs the tee is not found in the pipe and it is not shown in the IPB. We have since added a electric valve and tested and tested again the “blow down” system for the gear so a repeat of the gear incident should not happen. fingers crossed.
We are obtaining spares as best we can and making what we can not. We also have been contacted by folks that have obtained serviceable spares and are willing to part with them. If you know of someone with “good” SHAR parts, tools, support equip. etc. feel free to direct them to us, at nallsaviation.com

video of our hover flight after Arts FAA check ride. at our home base 2W6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY423vqG9uU

Video of Arts demo at Culpeper VA Airfest http://www.airshowbuzz.com/videos/view.php?v=a412fa65

We are waiting for Art to fly his ACE card check ride aerobatic competency so he can fly a better demo. We have always crawled before we walked and walked before we run. We are aware that we have the ONLY Civilian owned flying harrier in the world and do not want to screw it up. One because we have over three years work in her and two because, as Dave B. alluded to, many still don’t want to see us succeed. To them the best we can do is keep flying. (some say give them the middle finger salute, oh actually since she IS British that would be the two finger salute) but we are trying to take the high road and keep flying.

Thanks for cheering us on, somedays we need it more than others.

ps we are talking to some about trying to get over for the 100 yr of RN aviation celebration, no promises just talk right now.

It was a hydraulic failure probably relating to a Dowty seal.

How did the undercarriage blow down situation arise ?

James – I should think there are many in the Harrier community who don’t embrace the prospect of a Harrier in private hands with open arms. This is a very complex aircraft that needs utmost attention both in flight and in maintainance.

And since those operating, and maintaining, “the civvie SHAR” are long-time Harrier professionals, I see no problem with this group doing so.

Unlike some people’s apparent beliefs, they didn’t forget how to keep a Harrier in top shape just because they no longer wear a military uniform.

And it seems they have a good supply of spares, so they won’t be cutting any corners.

Those you mention probably think the SA blokes flying the Lightnings & Buccs shouldn’t be trying that either, right?

James – I should think there are many in the Harrier community who don’t embrace the prospect of a Harrier in private hands with open arms. This is a very complex aircraft that needs utmost attention both in flight and in maintainance.

I didn’t say ‘shouldn’t’ I said ‘couldn’t’ – very different.

James – I should think there are many in the Harrier community who don’t embrace the prospect of a Harrier in private hands with open arms. This is a very complex aircraft that needs utmost attention both in flight and in maintainance.

Yeah, i like his humour, too “I did 4 take-offs and landings-always nice to have those numbers match up”!!

Test flying and gaining a DA to fly it as a civil aircraft are 2 very different things though

I don’t think it’s a ‘DA’ in the US; certainly the system’s different.

It’s worth noting that Art clearly aimed at a handling demo with minimum excitement, rather than going for a full display – yet.

However he’s clearly a remarkably safe pair of hands, unlike some test and display pilots.

He’s also got a wicked sense of humour, as well.

A magnificent achievement any way you cut it. I recall various UK pundits saying it could never be done. All without HLF funding, too. 😉

Cheers,

Test flying and gaining a DA to fly it as a civil aircraft are 2 very different things though

Well, Art Nalls was a USMC Harrier pilot… so it’s not like he needs to fly a bunch of hours to learn it, now is it? And as a USMC test pilot he did a lot more.

http://www.nallsaviation.com/BIOGRAPHY.htm

His first operational aircraft was the AV-8A “Harrier” and he was assigned to VMA-231 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. While stationed at Cherry Point, he carrier-qualified in the AV-8A “Harrier” aboard the USS Iwo Jima, LPH-2, and made several shipboard deployments, virtually over the world.
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While on a training mission attached to VMA-231, Art’s “Harrier” suffered a catastrophic engine failure near Richmond, Virginia. With little time to react, he essentially landed the Harrier engine-out at a civilian airfield. This was an extremely precise and risky landing, not normally attempted. The emergency procedures recommend an ejection. Art is the only person to have made such a landing and he was consequently awarded an Air Medal, with gold numeral one for the act. With over 900 hours in the AV-8A and over 400 shipboard landings, Art was selected as the single Marine Corps Pilot to attend the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards, AFB, CA for Test Pilot Course, 85A. One Marine, per year, is sent to Edwards, and for 1985, it was Art.
After graduation and as a newly-designated Test Pilot, Art was assigned to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, to join three other Marine Corps test pilots flight testing the then-new AV-8B “Harrier II.” As part of a very small test team, he performed lots of test flying, in the “Harrier” and the A4-M “Skyhawk.” He was a project test pilot for several “Harrier” programs including the high angle-of-attack, departure resistance testing for the leading edge root extensions (LERX), asymmetric takeoff and landing tests, weapons carriage and delivery, and shipboard compatibility and launch bulletin testing. He performed the initial shipboard certification and flight test of Italian and Spanish “ski jump” ships, (ITS Garibaldi and Principe de Arsturias) performing the first ski-jump takeoffs in the AV-8B.
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Art also had the good fortune to do engine airstart testing, which is very dangerous flight testing, especially in a single-engine jet. The airplane’s only engine is deliberately shut down in flight, cooled for several minutes, and re-started at a specific altitude and airspeed.
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Art led the flight test efforts for several single-engine airstart projects and was an instructor to other pilots performing these same tests, in the A4-M and TA-4J “Skyhawk,” and the AV-8B and TAV-8B “Harrier II.”
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Art retired from the Marine Corps and started a real estate development company, Nalls Development and Investment, specializing in restoring and developing the neglected areas of historic Washington, D.C., such as Anacostia and South West Washington, D.C. He returned to flying by joining the Commemorative Air Force and become a flying sponsor of two of their aircraft. He now regularly flies his L-39 “Albatross” Czechoslovakian Advanced Jet Trainer and a 1939 Piper Cub L-4 “Grasshopper” aircraft powered by an original Continental 65 HP, 4-cylinder engine. He has flight time in approximately 65 different type, model, series of military and civilian aircraft in addition to the “Harrier.” These include the B-52, C-141, C-130, A-7, A-37, T-38, F-4, F-5, F-15, and F-16, and F-18. He was also NATOPS Qualified for a special flight test in the back seat of the F-14 “Tomcat.”

Here’s the rundown on the test flights:
http://www.nallsaviation.com/index.html

Wow!-didn’t take them long to get the display authorisation!

The SHAR made a successfull airshow appearance at the Culpeper regional airport last Saturday, (without incident!:D).

http://www.nallsaviation.com/schedule.html

Apparently did 4 take off & landings on Tuesday..:cool:

Excellent news! 😎 🙂

Great to see the progress Art and his team are making over there, here’s to an incident-free second (and the rest) flight.

Apparently did 4 take off & landings on Tuesday..:cool:

Indeed, it’s a shame the joint force concept wasn’t exercised to it’s full potential in 1982. The RAF carrier borne aircraft had a real tough time from Navy top brass, while the FAA ‘stole the show’ as it were.

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Didn’t know the RAF operated the SHAR. Learn something new every day.:diablo:

Well, technically they WERE RAF jets towards the end of thier career. The creation of Joint Force Harrier brought all the SeaHarrier squadrons under RAF command, even though they were still flown by the FAA. Confusing but true. The RNHF’s Seahawk has been the RN’s only fixed wing jet for some years, even before the SHAR was retired.

Que endless debate and eventually a locked thread on wether the last RAF fighter to fight and win a colonial war in defence of British citizens over 25years ago can be classed as ‘historic’…..:diablo:

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Didn’t know the RAF operated the SHAR. Learn something new every day.:diablo:

….not that the SHAR is historic, but its been retired

Que endless debate and eventually a locked thread on wether the last ‘British’ * fighter to fight and win a colonial war in defence of British citizens over 25years ago can be classed as ‘historic’…..:diablo:

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