Harrier OCU film
 

I recall once being shown a 'home movie' (8mm?) of early VSTOL attempts by pilots on the embryo Harrier Conversion course. Great entertainment! Does anyone know if this film has been put on Vimeo/YouTube or whatever?

This is the one I remember being shown in the phase brief but since it includes a fatality I'll suggest it was more sobering than entertaining.


There's another that was shown during the Air Combat phase brief which consisted of hud footage from a jet that departed shortly after a 1v1v1 Mercedes split in the ACMI range. I seem to recall being told the pilot blacked out and came to with both legs on the same side of the cockpit such was the violence of the departure. That one was truly eye watering to watch.

That's the one, thanks. The last bit was never shown - I saw it with a bunch of truckie studes on a black flag day and presumably they didn't want to upset the little flowers :-) I think the last one was the USMC guy?

Major C.R. Rosburg USAF RIP
 

Was this before erstwhile Harrier candidates were given some initial hovering experience in helicopters? During my time instructing on the Gazelle, Harrier Pilots got a few sorties hovering at 50 feet, using purpose laid ground markers. Not a favourite pastime of us QHIs because it meant protracted operation in the avoid curve.

Watching that film (which I was first shown around 1977, during BFTS training on the Jet Provost) reminds me of a later open day at RAF Odiham when a cocky young Harrier pilot, who had flown from the OCU for a static display, was talking to a young lad, aged about five, and his mother. The young lad, in his innocence, pointed to the “outrigger” undercarriage legs and asked the Harrier pilot when they would allow him to take off his stabilisers. The lad obviously had them on his bicycle.....so it was obvious to him that a trainee Harrier pilot must have them, too! :)

ST

Give the viff’ing Gods a break; the same could be said of B52 and U2 Gods, as well as young kids learning to balance.

Don't shoot the messenger!

Fair shout ST👍🏾

Remarkable there weren't more deaths - real seat of the pants stuff when it was all analogue.
Was thrust split between the main nozzles fore and aft to control pitch in hover and low speed flight, as well as the puffers in the nose and tail?
How was that done, given front nozzles were cold and back nozzles were hot?

That all looks terrifying!

Hats off to the early Harrier guys...

What's "PNB"?

Well in railway terminology its Personal Needs Break - looking at some of those incidents there might have been a few involuntary ones.

Seriously though, that was truly horrifying and hats off to the early Harrier guys. Makes you realise how ground breaking the early Harrier was.

PNB

Power Nozzle Braking.

As I recall the ‘horror movie’ as it was known was only shown to the Harrier OCU studes after the completion of the VSTOL stage of the course. And yes, it was a sobering experience!

For the early Harrier conversions, not only was there no T2, but there was also no simulator. No wonder there was too much excitement. I think Hawker sold the view that there was only one more lever than on the Hunter, for nozzle angle, and the conversion would be a doddle. That may, in part, account for the late arrival of the sim and the two-seater.

But they showed it to students at BFTS....

We had a first generation Harrier pilot on our squadron.
Superb bloke, great pilot, still with us.
Though exceedingly modest, he was happy to answer any direct questions.
His description (IIRC) was that he, effectively, did two courses:
One was with the nozzles left aft and was flown conventionally, like the Hunter he had come from, with due regard given to the differing undercarriage configuration.
The "other" course was hovering.
The fast jet course subsequently involved reducing speed to land, the hovering course later involved increasing speed to take-off.
Mould the two together and it's all sorted!

I hope my recall is about right and pays suitable respect to these exceptional people - it was a privilege to be in their orbit.

lsh

Name and laud, Si. I recall another on 230 who is sadly not with us any longer.

CG

"NW".

lsh

I thought he had departed the fix? He certainly is/was everything you say about him. Never mentioned Harriers. Unless you nagged him! When you did, you got the clearest explanation you could want.

CG