JF,
The RN have had to live with Lusty's ramp anomalies ever since she came in to service. You are no doubt familiar with the Endspeed graphs for ramp launches. Well, there are two sets, one for the Invincible class and one for Lusty herself!
Navaleye,
The last time I saw Bertie Penfold he was flying Hunters at Yeovs in the '90s. I can't remember if he switched to the Hawk when it replaced the Hunter, and/or whether he moved to Culdrose/Bournmouth with the company. Last time I flew with him he was still an outstanding fighter pilot and true gentleman.
Mobius,
If I may answer your question to Navaleye: The FA2's turn rate cannot compete with the latest generation of fighters. It's radius, relatively speaking, is able to compete a bit better. One of its BFM strengths is the ability to fly very slowly in a scissors or tree (well below 100kt). It can't really exchange speed for outrageous amounts of alpha in the same way a Hornet can-so an opponent won't get any 'pointing surprises' from it. Unfortunately, VIFF has been blown up by the media as some kind of super-weapon. The reality is that VIFF can, in the right circumstances, for a limited amount of time, allow you to make a very costly speed to turn-rate conversion. When defensive it can also create an awesome deceleration. That catches most people out first time; not so many after that. You sound like a fighter pilot so I guess you understand the consequences of blowing your speed away. If I had to choose between the two jets for a WVR fight I'd choose the Eagle. Then again, if I had to choose for a BVR fight I'd choose...the Eagle! Sometimes the truth isn't as pretty as we want it to be. Although....at least in a Harrier you can land in a pub car park after your runway's been blown up
