Pinky coffeeboat Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Just a pity they didn't manage to replicate previous 'last launches' (Phantom, Sea Vixen) with a little 'Fly Navy' grafitti. That would have been great, but it was only on the carrier for a couple of hours, and during its brief stay it was used by Brian Hanrahan for his news report. Thanks for these PCB, looking forward to seeing a GR9 in RN squadron markings soon. You're very welcome. 3F squadron were RAF in name only, as the vast majority (over 95%) of the "lads" (maintainers in FAA speak) were RN, and only couple of RAF pilots, most being navy. FLY NAVY!!! Really good pics Pinky! Any chance I can get some large resolution pics thru the email? Send me an email of which pictures you would like and by the magic of the world wide web you shall receive :D Always tot the SHARs were the best looking lot in the family! I agree, the first generation Harriers (GR1 and SHar) are the nicest, but the GR7/9 isn't bad looking, and the Harrier is still a favourite of mine - but if only the RN would agree to buying the RAFALE - then there would be no contest at all!!!! Link to post Share on other sites
kstater94 Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Absolutely stunning photos Pinky! Thanks so much for sharing those! It is truly a sad day to see the Sea Harrier fly off for the last time... Cheers! John Link to post Share on other sites
Pinky coffeeboat Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Thanks John ! It is sad to see such a unique and charismatic jet fly off into retirement and I am very privileged to have been there to see it. Link to post Share on other sites
Pinky coffeeboat Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Send me an email of which pictures you would like and by the magic of the world wide web you shall receive I forgot to add, if you would like any full size pictures, email me asap because from next week I wont have access to the internet and a couple of weeks after that, I will be away for several months, off to India (wouldn't it be wonderful if Indian Navy Sea Harriers show up and land on the deck!!!) Link to post Share on other sites
Pinky coffeeboat Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 A few more pictures as I sort through the load that I took. (some are heavily compressed and don't look as good.....well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!) Link to post Share on other sites
Pinky coffeeboat Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Another Harrier, this time waiting patiently in the snow for permission to launch... Link to post Share on other sites
Pinky coffeeboat Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Would you like another? Well here you go - how about a £50 million taxi? (Any sloping horizons are due to the ship :lol: ) Link to post Share on other sites
Pinky coffeeboat Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 One more.... Link to post Share on other sites
merlin101 Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 great pics as always Jeff. E-mail inbound! Link to post Share on other sites
Plastic Bonsai Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 The airbrake is opened for STOL take offs as it improves lateral/directional handling. It is sad to see the SHARs go and I doubt the RN will get their ship of dreams with F-35s. The F-35 VSTOL capability has never seemed to have much point when you can ski-jump Fulcrums, Flankers etc that do not carry the penalty of a unusable-in-flight lift jet both in-terms of weight and lost internal fuel capacity. The only advantage would appear that VSTOL's are possibly less stressful to land on carriers, or passing small coasters if you are pushed. I know a team that studied possible configurations to replace the Harrier and they had to conclude the Harrier configuration of a single engine four jet vectored thrust was the most efficient. The sleeker Harrier design was only considred as the benchmark against which much sexier looking designs were evaluated. I was worried the the Boeing competitor was going to win as it had the right engine solution but unfortunately they were let down by their structural design. Ironically the original Harrier was hoped to have a lighter wing than was achieved as they tried to copy the A-4. The Harrier II itself has a simple deficiency that if remedied in a Harrier III may prove a more useful viable alternative. The wing section was designed in the early 70s when the fluid dynamacists had taken a wrong turn in their methods and resulted in a draggy wing that knocked 100 knots off the top speed the VSTOL equivalent of A-7 replaced by the A-10. A few years later the HSA Kingston team designed at a "tin wing" variant (the original GR5) that had a better performance. It is unfortunate that the aerodynamics (not considered a "core skill" within BAESYSTEMS these days) of an airframe appears to take a far back place compared to the onboard systems, stealth etc though it has shown to been fundemental to the success of many outstanding airframes. Link to post Share on other sites
Col. Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Cheers again Pinky. I'm researching another painting, this time featuring both the SHAR and GR-7, and these photos are both useful and inspiring. Thanks for sharing. Link to post Share on other sites
Pinky coffeeboat Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Thanks Col. :D I do enjoy posting and seeing other peoples pictures - it's nice to see things that some people take for granted but for others this could be their only chance to see such things. (Hopefully that doesn't sound too patronising, but sometimes seeing these sights all day can make one a little indifferent about such things!) A couple more pictures to follow. <_< Link to post Share on other sites
Pinky coffeeboat Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 (edited) Another view of the departure of the GR7s and a Merlin main rotorhead! Edited March 6, 2006 by Pinky coffeeboat Link to post Share on other sites
Pinky coffeeboat Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 One final post as this topic seems to have more or less run its course (unless you want more?) Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Fleming Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 3F squadron were RAF in name only, as the vast majority (over 95%) of the "lads" (maintainers in FAA speak) were RN, and only couple of RAF pilots, most being navy. FLY NAVY!!! And the 3 Squadron Typhoons are starting to arrive at Conningsby Link to post Share on other sites
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