GVTOL was in the Brooklands Museum last time I saw it.
Last time I saw it fly was when John (Farley) took it out of Farnborough to Dunsfold just before he retired; it was on a 'flyaway' day after the Airshow.
As he taxiied out, he asked for a 'bit of concrete' to depart from (as opposed to tarmac)
I guessed what he was planning so I told him to line up on the concrete undershoot to the runway, where he turned onto the riunway and lined up right on the edge rather than in the middle.
Radar gave him a clearance of 'left turn direct Dunsfold climbing to 2,000ft' so I cleared him for takeoff and he did just that; lifted direct into a vertical pointing climb and headed towards the sky. Imagine the co-ordination of nozzle position and power setting along with getting the pitch angle correct and retracting the gear all at the same time.; it was the best Harrier takeoff I had witnessed.
(Is this possible in an F35b?)
Last edited by chevvron; 25th Aug 2022 at 15:35.