Well,it seemed like a good idea......

[gravity victim]

The PlaneMadness Podcast Harrier Emergency Landing

[Lurking123]

F'wits. I saw a couple of Harrier (albeit GR3s) happily VL on their gun strakes with minimal damage.

[RETDPI]

Then there was that classic Harrier GR 1 landing on just the nosewheel and outriggers with the main locked up.
It looked like you could just about have got a fag paper between the ventral fin and the ground.

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Those mattresses might have worked fine on the Flying Bedstead!

[The Helpful Stacker]

Out of interest how would the experts on here have dealt with that incident?

Pull the yellow and black? Same idea but with sandbags or something else?

[Lurking123]

See post no 2.

[Gainesy]

ISTR there used to be a thing called the Harrier Grid at Bedford, similar to a large cattle grid, which was used on occasion.

[BOAC]

At least they got the airframe back, even if 'mattresses' are not such a good idea. As L123 says, it will land on its belly with little damage, but it would be wise to assume significant compressor damage in any event.

I recall a hover grid at Dunsfold too - JF? North end of western threshold I think.

[earswentpop]

Fidae 92??

ISTR the Display Pilot of that time performed a short roller landing on the fuselage strakes (gear selected up) in front of 100k+ people. It was a bit sparky, but the bona mate horsed it round the circuit, popped the gear down and landed without further incident to rapturous applause.


Until, that is, he met his sqn cdr who was also at the Airshow, one Clive (passed-over) Loader. Clive, reportedly, had a face like a haddock. A recollection of the events is clearly stated here [url]http://foro.chileaviacion.dm.cl/showthread.php?p=3468[url/], copied to here for convenience:

"Fidae 92

Uno de los Harrier Gr-5 provoc? un vistoso incidente la rutina de vuelo de este aparato inclu?a una serie de demostraciones de su capacidad de despegue vertical, despegue corto, y otras. Una de estas maniobras consist?a en una aproximaci?n a baja velocidad con trenes afuera y un toque de las ruedas en tierra para volver inmediatamente al aire.

En esa ocasi?n el piloto Ingl?s se distrajo y olvid? bajar los trenes con lo que el avi?n toc? con la parte inferior del fuselaje (Los ca?ones) antes de volver a elevarse.

Despu?s de esto el avi?n aterriz? y fue dirigido por su piloto r?pidamente a las dependencias del Grupo de Aviaci?n N? 9 donde fu? revisado por el personal de mantenimiento Ingl?s verific?ndose que los da?os eran insignificantes.

El avi?n continu? haciendo demostraciones de vuelo los d?as siguientes y el piloto no prest? declaraciones a la prensa sobre el incidente".

[green granite]

ISTR there used to be a thing called the Harrier Grid at Bedford, similar to a large cattle grid, which was used on occasion.

It was called "the Pit" and was originally installed for hovering trials using the Short SC1, later the harrier used it for hovering and landing trials as well, right up to the closure date of Bedford.

[Black 'n Yellar]

I was serving at MCAS Cherry Point when this incident happened. A T-Bird off the OCU was unable to lower its nose wheel, but had plenty of fuel remaining so was orbiting in the overhead. The Group Commander (a Colonel) heard about it and went running over the the OCU and 'took control' of the situation. He told the crew that they were not to operate the emergency blow down, his thinking being that if it did not work they could not then retract the other 3 wheels and they may break the aircraft's back when it landed. They are very short of T-Birds and cannot afford to loose any.
Therefore the plan was formulated to strap down a load of mattresses for them to vertically land on, and all would be well. As can be seen from the pictures, all was well until they got into a low hover, when the mattresses came loose and got sucked into the intakes.
There was however very little damage and the jet was craned up and the gear lowered and it was towed to the hangar to assess the damage. By now there were a load of senior officers gathered around it scratching their heads, when there could be heard several loud banging noises against the closed hangar doors. Then there appears through the open part of the hangar door a flightline tractor that is out of control as the Marine driving it has passed out after sniffing some substance or other. The tractor had been banging off the hangar doors, and had now found an open one and came in and smacked straight into the aforementioned jet, doing a huge amount of damage to it!!
Hooraah Semper Fi!

[WhiteOvies]

As B & Y points out, with a nose gear only failure the blow down system normally does the trick, interesting to hear about the Colonel 'taking charge'.

I have seen a GR7 land on with just nose and outriggers. Very gently VL was the answer, not wanting to squash the baggage pod was the priority!
Trouble was the pad was on a slight slope and with no brakes the jet rolled backwards for a brown trouser moment before coming to a stop. Main gear had become mechanically locked up behind main doors so even using the blowdown hadn't accomplished anything.

I believe the matress idea was tried on board for a Sea Harrier lacking an outrigger, with the result that the matress' all went over the side and the pusser then 126'd the lads for them.

There is also a hover grid at Pax River that Art Nalls took advantage of with his FA2 (see NallsAviation.com). With a nose gear amber and no blowdown system he took a risk, landed on, and had the nose gear collapse on him. Luckily little damage done and the jet is now back in the air.

[BossEyed]

Picky, I know, but the grid that Art Nalls used is at Pax River, not Cherry Point.

[LowObservable]

Seeing the SC.1 reminded me:



Separated at birth?

[John Farley]

green granite is right in that it was called the pit at Bedford. It was used to enable VTOs and VLs to be investigated without any reflection of the jets off the ground plane such as you get when operating over the solid. The pit had no connection with hovering trials just VTOs and VLs

BOAC is also right in the position of the grid (as the device was known at Dunsfold)

What they called the same device at Palmdale as used by the X-35 and the same thing at Pax (for the other bunch) I don't know. But Art Nalls was glad of the pax one when when he had gear probs with his SHAR moons ago.

Its pretty obvious that when landing vertically with a gear problem of whatever sort then the quality of the touchdown is likely to determine the extent of any damage. It is not easy to get a very high quality touchdown when descending into your own self induced turbulence over the solid. Hence a grid/pit becomes the site of choice.

As Lurking123 said it is not sensible to use matresses.

[green granite]

The pit had no connection with hovering trials just VTOs and VLs

Sorry Mr Farley I was lumping any thing done in the vertical plain
as hovering, I will be more careful with the terminology in future.

[CirrusF]

As Lurking123 said it is not sensible to use matresses.

That would seem fairly proven if the objective is to prevent airframe damage. But what about vertical deceleration to the pilot? If no undercarriage to absorb the kinetic energy of the descending aircraft/pilot, then is the vertical deceleration of the pilot acceptable?

[taxydual]

Piles of acceptability springs to mind, just piles.

[John Farley]

CirrusF

In a word yes.

There are many reasons why this is so. The vertical rate of descent which is what has the potential to give your spine a jolt (sorry vertical deceleration - must stick to technical terms) is under the control of your left hand. Even if you goof (sorry - make an error of judgement) and leave a highish rate of descent then everything under your bum (sorry under the base of you spinal column) which includes various amounts of crushable structural material and finishes up with a cushion (sorry - jolt alleviator) designed to help out with leaving you undamaged when you eject, then the likelihood is that you will feel no pain.

[Wader2]

Originally Posted by John Farley

then the likelihood is that you will feel no pain.

1 Corinthians 15:55