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View Full Version : Harrier 40th Anniversary 23-24 July 09


Harrier40
3rd Mar 2009, 09:27
2009 is the Harrier’s 40th Operational year. Flown by numerous Air Forces and Naval Services around the world, this unique Aircraft has flown in many operational theatres and its continued success has secured its place in Aviation History.


The 40th Anniversary celebrations will take place over two days and anyone who has served on a Harrier Sqn or helped in the Aircraft's continued development is invited:


Thursday 23 July 2009
A Gala Dinner, without families, at the ‘Home of the Harrier’ - RAF Wittering.


Friday 24 July 2009
A Families day and Hangar Party at the current home of the Operational Squadrons of Joint Force Harrier – RAF Cottesmore.
This event will be an excellent opportunity to catch up with long lost colleagues and meet current squadron members.

Harrier40
10th Mar 2009, 16:41
The website for registering your interest in attending the Harrier 40th celebrations is now operational: www.homeoftheharrier.com (http://www.homeoftheharrier.com) These events are open to everyone who served on a Harrier Squadron, in any service and in any capacity, along with all those who helped in the aircraft's development and continued success today.

Double Zero
11th Mar 2009, 04:51
You are making me feel old !

Seems yesterday ( ok I'll try to avoid cliches from now on ) that I photographed the 25th Anniversary of the Harrier, or to be more exact, the first tethered lift off by Bill Bedford in XP831.

25 years later to the day, I was on a worryling wobbly alloy staging, taking shots while Heinz Frick hovered G-VTOL in front of me low over the same spot.

V-TOL had 2,500 'First Day Covers' in the port aft equipment bay, which were printed with the first hover shot on one side, the other side blank.

When I'd got my ( also black & white ) shot, I hot-footed it to Dunsfold photographic & printed the results.

They were then taken laboriously by some rustic means, to the printing house which placed my 'modern day' shot on the blank half of the covers.

This being BAe, I never even saw one of these, let alone get one !

So, I took a 10 x 8" print to Heinz who signed it for me - in my view a lot better than a first day cover anyway...

I was one of 2 photographers at Dunsfold, mainly covering trials & development work, only occasionally the 'pretty PR shots' which the Kingston mafia loved.

Although PR shots can be fun, they are often just a pain, especially if dealing with PR people !

I was much happier dealing with designers, pilots & engineers, which was a positively alien concept to the PR bunch.

If you should care to privately give me an e-mail address, I'll happily send copies of that pic' and others from Harrier trials etc, some of which you may not have seen before.

DZ

BrakingStop
20th Mar 2009, 07:31
MODS,

Any chance this could be placed as sticky for the publicity that it deserves?

BS

ATFQ
21st Mar 2009, 09:48
And more good news: the Harrier's back on the Display Circuit this year! Chance for some great artwork on a fin or two. Any ideas?

sisemen
22nd Mar 2009, 01:09
The form comes up with a lot of blank spaces most of which don't have an explanation as to what to put in them. But perhaps it's my computer. Have filled it in so hope that the team can make sense of it.

Al R
22nd Mar 2009, 07:13
The spaces on mine all seemed ok - it was the gibberish that ended up in them that looked a bit dodgy.

Time Flies
26th Mar 2009, 21:11
Back to the top!!!

http://avanimation.avsupport.com/gif/Harrier.gif

SSSETOWTF
8th May 2009, 20:27
Has anyone got more gouge on this? It's all gone very quiet... or am I just being black-balled?

Regards,
Single Seat, Single Engine, The Only Way To Fly!

Lima Juliet
8th May 2009, 20:34
Time to dig out the boots with flaps for Happy Hour?

http://assets1.snsassets.com/images/books/9780689847752.jpg

RETDPI
21st May 2009, 18:48
May I suggest assembling a 'best wIshes" list of written contributions from those who perforce cannot attend?

noprobs
26th May 2009, 17:56
SSETOWTF,

No, it's not just you. It seems that the project officer has a bit of an inquiry to sort out somewhere hot and sandy, so there has to be a re-allocation of duties! But it's not yet the last minute, so let's wait until we can all rush, as usual. It saves having to re-plan in view of inevitable changes. We have confidence that it will all work in the end, don't we?

At one such reunion long ago, the Boss told the holding officer that it was his job to watch out during the full weekend event in case any of the guests looked unhappy, and to do what he could to rectify the situation. He dutifully kept them happy. The Boss regretted this at the end of the month, when the squadron fund got the bill for the numerous barrels of beer which were HO's solution to any unhappiness he saw!

I remember seeing your name/signature paraphrased in a (pre-Tailhook) USAF briefing slide in a Flag briefing as "You ain't single-engine, single-seat, you ain't s..." Were you there too? :D

norfolkandchance
27th May 2009, 07:35
Being on the fringes and playing a small part in organising this event, it promises to be a very good occasion and well worth the ticket price.

A chance to meet up with old friends Pilots and Engineers, and with guest speakers and various other nuances to keep people occupied it is shaping up to be a very good event.

check out the link and please attend

www.homeoftheharrier.com (http://www.homeoftheharrier.com)

norfolkandchance
28th May 2009, 08:12
Guys,

Can this be made a sticky at the top, this is promising to be a great event, Ronald Wong has/or is painting a "Harriers thru the ages" painting from this prints will be made, and will be exclusive!

A glossy programme, featuring various stories, dits etc and a DVD will also be made using various pics thru the ages and will be on sale on the night.

There is a possibility that some 40th Anniversary mugs will also be available, each mug will have a side number of every Harrier made - therefore this will be very exclusive and well worth getting hold of.

For £40 or thereabouts (price to be decided nearer the time) the only prerequisite is that you either flew the noisy bugger or worked as an engineer on it.

www.homeoftheharrier.com (http://www.homeoftheharrier.com)

Also forgot to mention that this may be the last opportunity to celebrate this great aircraft as it may get phased out in the next couple of years.

andyy
28th May 2009, 08:52
Is this open to people who served in the SHAR community, too?

norfolkandchance
28th May 2009, 09:05
Yes open to all those who have served on Harriers, Navy, RAF etc

I personally would like to see more Navy guys at the do rather than listen to the Tally-Ho brigade talking handle bar moustaches and talking about their medals etc

LateArmLive
28th May 2009, 22:02
And I personally can't wait to hear your chat! :ok:

norfolkandchance
15th Jun 2009, 09:15
There is now an update on the Home of the harrier website (www.homeoftheharrier.com (http://www.homeoftheharrier.com)) this is the direct link to it

Update (http://www.homeoftheharrier.com/index_files/Page338.htm)

Also can this be made a sticky again please? it was at the top but has since been removed, is there any reason for this?

samos
20th Jul 2009, 11:54
I am hoping to attend this coming Friday but have heard nothing, have the passes been sent out yet?.

dctyke
20th Jul 2009, 13:59
I've had mine 2 weeks now..................

samos
20th Jul 2009, 15:51
Thanks dctyke
Is that just for the Friday event or for the dinner on Thursday?
samos

dctyke
20th Jul 2009, 21:24
Just the friday!

samos
20th Jul 2009, 22:20
Thanks dctyke
looks like I will have to make some enquiries.
Regards
Samos

dctyke
21st Jul 2009, 08:37
Samos:

Check your pm's

dctyke

Yeomen dai
24th Jul 2009, 22:05
Looking forward to the evening do.:uhoh: Whoops, it says it's tonight on the ticket.

Al R
25th Jul 2009, 12:03
Well done, and thanks to everyone involved with organising yesterday's event.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm226/popprune/harrier4023-24july09/4a3e7331.jpg

Al R
26th Jul 2009, 10:07
The Vulcan not turning up was more than compensated for by seeing this.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm226/popprune/harrier4023-24july09/a2ebc465.jpg

KarlADrage
26th Jul 2009, 18:37
A few of mine from outside the wire on the northside:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/KarlADrage/karladrage/090725%20COT/IMG_5449.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/KarlADrage/karladrage/090725%20COT/IMG_5479.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/KarlADrage/karladrage/090725%20COT/IMG_5512.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/KarlADrage/karladrage/090725%20COT/IMG_5559.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/KarlADrage/karladrage/090725%20COT/IMG_5589.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/KarlADrage/karladrage/090725%20COT/IMG_5616.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/KarlADrage/karladrage/090725%20COT/IMG_5654.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/KarlADrage/karladrage/090725%20COT/IMG_5713.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/KarlADrage/karladrage/090725%20COT/IMG_5743.jpg

Sadly the Harrier was too far away to feature in any worthwhile snaps... :sad:

Wander00
26th Jul 2009, 18:52
Love the two Gnats, but then I am not a "Harrier" person!

Double Zero
28th Jul 2009, 21:41
So, more to the point, how did the Harrier events work out, for the sake of hangers ( for once correctly spelled ) on like me ?

Pretty damn well I trust...

BrakingStop
29th Jul 2009, 18:51
The dinner on Thursday night was truly awesome. Centrals was even good. I was too broken from the night before to really enjoy the hangar party on Friday night!

Thanks to all those that organised the events over the 2 days.

BS