PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Can it really be 45 years ago this weekend ?
Old 3rd May 2014, 07:20
  #16 (permalink)  
Lancman
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Cyprus
Age: 91
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The Harriers were also supported by the Belfast XR363 of 53 Suadron that accompanied them on a sales tour of the Floyd Bennett NAS, Andrews AFB and Norfolk NAS. I believe that the display that sold the Harrier to the Americans was the one at Andrews AFB, Washington. The Belfast was parked at the back of a pan behind a large group of distinguished guests that included Senator Barry Goldwater, who became a powerful supporter of the Harrier purchase, and a single Harrier which took-off vertically to gasps of amazement and then came back over the crowd at high speed. But what really caught the crowd's attention was the second Harrier that had been hidden from view behind a nearby clump of bushes and which popped up as the first one passed. The implications were immediately obvious to the military men.


The Harriers post-display curtsey to the crowd brought roars of applause.


The crowd was also impressed by the size of the freight hold and the minstrels' gallery of the Belfast which returned to Wittering via Gander; but nobody bought it.
Lancman is offline