Well chaps, there's been a fair bit of nonsense written in this thread about what the jet can and cannot do. Probably best if people post about what they know rather than mindless hearsay and conjecture!
In response to the original request for tales here are a few of the things I was incredibly privileged to do:
Being selected for the Jag at Valley and seeing 2 course mates selected for the GR7 going green with envy (not uncommon amongst the Harrier boys)......
Briefing with a GR4 crew at Waddo, walking out to the jet with said Tonka crew already in with their motors running, pulling all the pins, packing my Jag bag and still taxying before them.......
Firing my 1st Aim 9L within a month of getting CR.......
Having American F16 guys jokingly shake our hands as a gesture of good luck before getting airborne in Turkey in the summer....
Leaving the tanker full of gas (5200kgs), thrashing it over Northern Iraq and 22 minutes later leaving the area down at 2300kgs...
The Down Day virtual Friday parties........
Having the entertainment of Norwich for the evenings and weekends and being allowed to fly the Jag in the daytime - name me a better RAF base.....
Carrying out a 6 ship live LGB drop in Oman with 5 bombs (1 self-des Paveway 2, 4 x Paveway 3s) - each bomb dropped on an FRA and DH'd, then flying home at 100' and staying at that height until the break.....
Being number 4 of a 4 ship bounce in Oman vs 16 odd jets - RAF and Omani Jags and Harriers......
Flying out of Lossie on a crisp winters morning en-route to moon country and OLF to bounce the boys after a night in Elgin......
Doing a fire power demo on Salisbury Plain over three days - 720 rounds of HE strafe and 6 CRV7 pods rippled off in FRAs......
Flying around at low level at night with only a trusty pair of goggles to keep me from stoofing in.....
We still have to force people to go to Valley - name me another FJ type which has no volunteers to leave their jet rather than do a 2nd tour......
No matter what anyone has said about the performance, which is stultifyingly bad, the jet is a great challenge to fly and immense FUN, which is all that matters in the flying game as far as I am concerned.
Don't give a damn about the dissenters and those who do the jet down - The Jag's a blast.