John,
Nice post as ever.
If any visitors would like to find out more about the various V/STOL ideas tried, a good place to start can be found at
Vertical and/or Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL), where you can find the quite wonderful 'V/STOL Wheel'. It shows no less than 45 ways of trying to do what Hawkers achieved with the Harrier.
If nothing else, it should give anyone a better appreciation of just how good those designers, engineers and pilots at Kingston (and Bristol) were.
Best Regards as ever
Engines