Harriers are decommissioned....

[Devildoc]

....and of an era.

USMC oldest flying squadron completes final Harrier flight

 

[SpongeBob*24]

No noubt...one of the coolest planes ever.

Flying a VTOL is just like riding a bike.....RIGHT???.

 

[Kraut783]

When going VTOL....Freaking louder than anything I have ever had the displeasure of waking up to!!

 

[TLDR20]

....and of an era.

USMC oldest flying squadron completes final Harrier flight

I was just in Emerald Isle a few weeks ago and saw them flying a ton. Didn’t know that would be the last time.

 

[DA SWO]

Their last cruise saw them sitting alert with an air to air loadout in case the Houthi's got aggressive

 

[ArtaPlageSurfer]

I was on the USS Debuque the first time they put a Harrier down on a LPD. 1980 on a BLT.
Pretty sure I'm spot on, the noise was a bloody joy !!

 

[AWP]

Given the F-35's problems and how the VTOL requirement affected the other two models, I'll always wonder if an entirely different jet was the solution, in part because of the export market. Some B requirements hampered design and development of the A and C models and probably drove up the cost accordingly.

Oh well.

 

[Gunz]

The Brits dumped them years ago and sold them to the Marines. We used them for spare parts.

 

[Devildoc]

The Brits dumped them years ago and sold them to the Marines. We used them for spare parts.

The difference between ours and the Brits is pretty significant, not a whole lot of crossover.

 

[DA SWO]

The Brits dumped them years ago and sold them to the Marines. We used them for spare parts.

Italy and Spain still use them, getting replaced by F-35's.

 

[AWP]

Italy and Spain still use them, getting replaced by F-35's.

Pepsi stopped flying their jet years ago.

 

[Gunz]

The difference between ours and the Brits is pretty significant, not a whole lot of crossover.

...And that's why we pretty soon junked em.

 

[Devildoc]

...And that's why we pretty soon junked em.

I dunno....we built them for over 13 years, in service for over 40. You mean we junked the Brit version?

 

[AWP]

I dunno....we built them for over 13 years, in service for over 40. You mean we junked the Brit version?

We did. We had the A model which was underpowered with garbage avionics so we moved to the B. I think ours had a different fuselage and intakes to house the larger engine plus the electronics upgrades.

 

[Gunz]

I dunno....we built them for over 13 years, in service for over 40. You mean we junked the Brit version?

Yes

 

[Devildoc]

Yes

I'm tracking....

 

[DA SWO]

We did. We had the A model which was underpowered with garbage avionics so we moved to the B. I think ours had a different fuselage and intakes to house the larger engine plus the electronics upgrades.

Mac-Doug (with UK help) engineered the crap out of the A's and gave us the B and B+ versions.
We learned enough to make the F-35B a much better plane.

 

[Devildoc]

When going VTOL....Freaking louder than anything I have ever had the displeasure of waking up to!!

I would stay at the Cherry Point Inn when I would go on AT, which was about a quarter mile from the north end of the runway. Yes, they are loud at any time, but especially loud at 0500-0700.