Posted on 05/23/2015 5:35:07 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Instead of retiring, former test pilot and real estate mogul Art Nalls imported, restored, certified and flew the world’s only private Harrier jump jet. Now he’s a man with a mission, adding to his fleet, he wants to preserve the Harrier’s legacy for decades to come.
His amazing story is told in this awesome mini documentary from AARP studios:
Art’s Harrier is an ex-Royal Navy Sea Harrier FA2. The Sea Harrier gained fame during the Falklands War, and continued to serve throughout the 1980s and 1990s, when it received the Blue Vixen radar and the ability to fire the AIM-120 AMRAAM. This made the jet a relatively poor fighter but an outstanding interceptor and fleet defense fighter. It was retired (many say prematurely) from the Royal Navy back 2006, and with its retirement gave Nulls an opportunity to own the previously impossible, his own Harrier.
The idea came from attending an air show long after being retired from the Marine Corps and finding wealth in the Washington DC real estate marketplace. He fell back in love with the idea of zooming through the air in a high-performance aircraft. His first stop along the way was buying a Yak-3, a high-performance WWII fighter, but this was not enough to satisfy Art’s thirst for thrust.
He decided to see if he could obtain a surplus Sea Harrier from the UK, and there was one available, although it would have to be demilitarized and refurbished for flight. Seeing that he was a highly accomplished Harrier and test pilot, the FAA gave him the ok to operate the Harrier and Art has been flying at air shows in his beloved Sea Harrier ever since.
Although the costs of operating the jet are crushing, as the Harrier can drink a gallon of gas every six seconds, he relies of sponsors for air shows to help pick up the tab. Now, his fleet is growing as he recently got his hands on another Harrier from the UK, but this one was an ultra-rare two-seat TAV-8, which will allow him to teach other pilots how to fly the Harrier and even possibly take people for rides.
He does not want to stop there, with the idea of procuring more Harriers and spare parts in the future, which will allow his vision to preserve the Harrier and its crews legacy for future generations. A relevant idea as the Harrier could very well disappear from the skies in the coming decades, with the USMC betting huge on its F-35B replacement for the legendary jump jet.
good on him... hope he can get an AV-8B someday
Forgot to say I thought the Marines were going to buy the retired British Harriers and upgrade them. Guess that didn’t work out.
No kiddin. Would not have been my first choice if I had the dough for a jet. Cool plane though. My sister use to fly them for the USMC.
Better yet, just pay the right taxes and have the gun legal. If you wanted to load or fire it I think you would have to register each shell individually as a destructive device. You have to do that for grenades.
If I needed a combat jet, I would look for an A-4 or F-5. Much simpler aircraft.
The USMC did buy the RAF’s GR9 Harrier variants, but these were meant to be used as spare hulks, not as front-line combat aircraft.
Art Nalls bought a Royal Navy Sea Harrier.
Thanks for that.
And thanks for that.
I’ll have an TA-4J when I win the lottery.....MrsSgtBob needs a seat!
A bit ticklish on wet runways, but fast and skull rattlingly maneuverable. Really small cockpit.
My first tour I was a bulk fuelman. I got to hang around, and sit in all types. A memorable one was an A-4M from VMF 214. Damned sexy craft.
After I finished my second tour as a scout observer, I got my bride a college degree, working, and my pilot certificate. I’ve got time in a bunch of flying machines from an Eagle 150B to a Beech King Air 90C, and it’s all good.
I’d love to yank and bank one of them rascals. While the roll rate can’t compare to an Extra, it can roll at thrice the speed;-)
All I have to do is win the lottery....
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