Harriers I have known! (images)

just a few more

Finally got round to scanning a few zoomi shots

It’s actually XP831, now in the Science Museum, ‘Elephants Ear Intakes and proper P1127 wing – XP980 has a Harrier wing from her time on Barrier trials.

Ah OK, must admit I assumed it was the one that was at the RAFM

The question that raises is which wing is now on XP984 and which the RAFM have , as I have heard that the wings were swapped around and the RAFM have a ‘Kestrel’ wing?? XP984 had a Kestrel wing with vortex generators.

Does this help? taken a couple of years ago…

Hi Mudmover
Never changed one (engine fitted) on a metal harrier so cannot compare LOL !
The worst things about that particular FFP was that I had been let down (as usual) by the sparkys/greenies/fogduckers – we had a prop caption in the cockpit,they of course said ‘its the ffp’…I say are you 100% sure,its a tw@* of a job ?they say ‘absolutely no doubt’.
rgds baz

Good old ‘fairies’! Same thing happened to me twice!! Both occasions was the fuel press tx sw,after that with the same cockpit indications would ask the ‘chocks’ to remove the port gun and you could access the switch through a small circular access panel-bingo it was usually the problem on the GR3s.

OK, my brain was engaged on this, so I did a little webbing, if only to prove I ain’t going mad !!

XS695 at Culdrose, note P1127 style wing & outrigger – the later P1127 style carried by XP980

http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1028863/

XP984 at Manadon in 1978, with Kestrel style wing, perhaps from XS695

http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1135053/

A Wingless XS695 on the same day:

http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1135053/

The question that raises is which wing is now on XP984 and which the RAFM have , as I have heard that the wings were swapped around and the RAFM have a ‘Kestrel’ wing?? XP984 had a Kestrel wing with vortex generators.

That picture is of P1127 XP984 taken when stored at Lee on Solent. I saw it there just like that when it was briefly included in a Disposals auction, before withrdawal and being sent to BAe for repair. You can clearly see the repair strap that was fixed to the front fuselage after its heavy landing, which rendered it grounded. The wing was actually off the Kestrel IIRC as there had been some sort of swap, presumably whilst at Manadon.

From memory, the wing that XP984 had was that of XS695 (now with the RAF Museum) but the wing on XS695 was more likely to be that from XP980 as it was a P1127 style (As XP984 should have had a Kestrel style wing) but I’d need to go back and dig out the photos taken at Manadon and when they were being used for deck handling to double check.

Just noted the ‘Kestrel’ at the RAFM is actually another P1127 XP980, now as Yeovilton.

It’s actually XP831, now in the Science Museum, ‘Elephants Ear Intakes and proper P1127 wing – XP980 has a Harrier wing from her time on Barrier trials.

Night Shift Dunsfold…back to the 80’s

Furthest first…

Hunter T8
GR5
HS125 ZF130 (Shar radar nose +Controls at RHS)
GR5 (painted partially white for cannon firing trials/shell case strikes)
GR5
FRS2 XZ439
Piper PA44 G-BGCO

GR5 GR5

Visiting Tucano
J31 G-BWWW
(still had ‘Distillers PLC plate inside !)

Quite busy at that time 🙂

I have this tagged as ‘Last T8 out of Dunsfold’ – Low fly by of the production Hangars (taken from the flight line)…so circa 1999 !!

sorry about the quality as usual :rolleyes:

Lee on Solent

That picture is of P1127 XP984 taken when stored at Lee on Solent. I saw it there just like that when it was briefly included in a Disposals auction, before withrdawal and being sent to BAe for repair. You can clearly see the repair strap that was fixed to the front fuselage after its heavy landing, which rendered it grounded. The wing was actually off the Kestrel IIRC as there had been some sort of swap, presumably whilst at Manadon.

Just noted the ‘Kestrel’ at the RAFM is actually another P1127 XP980, now as Yeovilton.

What where when?

Any chance that you took this at Manadon James? If so it could be Kestrel XS695 or XP984.

13:50 today at North Weald. A four-ship formation from IV(R) Squadron at RAF Wittering performed a flypast at 360 knots and 1000 feet, callsign “Poison Formation”. It was one of a series today over airfields where the Squadron had been based – 1943 for North Weald. A sad occasion and a little bit of history…

James

Excellent memories. The SHAR you have at Duxford (3rd from bottom) isnt. Its a GR7 in ARTF for ops over Bosnia (or some such bad lands).

Got any more?

I only noticed the difference between the intakes on the P.1127s when I was editing the shots.

With an earlier Hawker (Camm’s first and last).

RAF Museum, Milestones of Flight.

[Corrected] GR7 in ARTF for ops over Bosnia, Duxford. – thanks to MOTF.

Duxford.

Going…

What where when?

RAF Museum Kestrel

Duxford

Duxford with an earlier fighter.

Shuttleworth

I’ve known two Harriers more closely than the rest of the fleet during my time in the RAF – although ground handled many more…

They both involved incidents (not me Guv..lol) and one resulted in more stress to me than the other…. 😉

The odd-angled T-bird is the end result of some missing outrigger ground locks during a tow to the hangars for a night stop. I was in the cockpit as ‘brakeman’ and made a rather hasty exit in the rain….. oops!

The old GR3 shot is the only one I can find of XW765 which took a buzzard at 200ft above the Welsh hills around Lampeter on March 12th 1980 – pilot Flight Lieutenant Paul Barton ejected and the wreckage was guarded by a volunteer team includng myself until they could retrieve as much as possible from the farmer’s new crater landscape. I still have a little momento piece of that stored safely, thanks to the old “Crash & Smash” team from Abingdon not needing it for any subsequent investigation 🙂

Belongs to the Rolls Royce Heritage Trust, and was photographed at the Bristol Aero Collection, Kemble.

Whereabouts is the Plenum Chumber Burning Harrier located?

Kestrel at the Science Museum.

Farnborough Airshow.

A very experimental beastie. Plenum Chumber Burning.

USMC Harrier at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton.

RAF Museum.

If Nick doesn’t mind, here’s a few I’ve dug out from my archives. Not as good photographs as Nick’s, but some interesting machines and times. Some of them Harriers iz Kestrels, of course. Comments, correction and more details welcome.

Middle Wallop, Army Air Corps Display – 1980s?

Biggin Hill Air Fair, mid 80s.

This one shot by my father, a USMC Harrier at the early 1970s Farnborough show.

They get hungry you know – Shuttleworth.

Kestrel at Yeovilton.

A very heartfelt homage to the Mighty Harrier: thanks for sharing