(c) Copyright 2008 Nalls Aviation Inc.
‘Jump jet’ gets drafted for civilian flying duty
Former Marine flies his own ‘hot rod’ Harrier
By Matt Thurber
AINonline
Saturday, March 1, 2008
AINonline
Saturday, March 1, 2008
The Rolls-Royce Pegasus-powered roar that rent the air at St. Mary’s County Regional Airport in Leonardtown, Md., last November heralded a most unusual first flight, that of the only civilian British Aerospace (Hawker Siddeley) Harrier in the world. At the controls was Art Nalls, a former Marine and Harrier test pilot who fell in love with the Harrier the first time he flew one.
For Nalls, who has more than 1,400 hours in Harriers, flying his Harrier for the first time was like coming home. “It was like putting on an old pair of shoes,” he said. “Much easier than I thought.”
The good feelings lasted through that nearly flawless first flight and during most of the following day’s carefully planned flight. “I can’t tell you how much I was grinning from ear to ear,” he said, “and how pleased I was, up to the point I had the emergency [a hydraulic system failure], and how great it was flying. I was ecstatic.”
For Nalls, who has more than 1,400 hours in Harriers, flying his Harrier for the first time was like coming home. “It was like putting on an old pair of shoes,” he said. “Much easier than I thought.”
The good feelings lasted through that nearly flawless first flight and during most of the following day’s carefully planned flight. “I can’t tell you how much I was grinning from ear to ear,” he said, “and how pleased I was, up to the point I had the emergency [a hydraulic system failure], and how great it was flying. I was ecstatic.”
The many obstacles that Nalls and his team of volunteer Harrier wizards had to overcome to get to the first-flight stage began a few years ago with a casual discussion about whether or not it might be possible to buy and operate a Harrier.
After he retired from the Marine Corps, Nalls started a successful real estate development company in Washington, D.C., but couldn’t shake the flying bug and joined the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). He eventually started an airshow business, flying aerobatic routines in his L-39 jet.
But as much fun as he had flying the L-39, Nalls never forgot the passion he had for the Harrier. When noodling around the idea of buying a Harrier with his retired Harrier pilot friends, Nalls said he “realized that one of the number-one draws at airshows is the Harrier.” The jump jet can take off and land vertically, fly fast and do aerobatics. It also announces its presence with a gut-churning blast of pure jet fuel-driven power.
The idea of flying a Harrier outside the constraints and deep pockets of the military might seem crazy at first. But the more Nalls thought about it, the more the idea made sense. “If someone had approached me years ago and said you could operate
a B-17 or a MiG-15 or MiG-17, I would have said they’re nuts,” he recalled.
After he retired from the Marine Corps, Nalls started a successful real estate development company in Washington, D.C., but couldn’t shake the flying bug and joined the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). He eventually started an airshow business, flying aerobatic routines in his L-39 jet.
But as much fun as he had flying the L-39, Nalls never forgot the passion he had for the Harrier. When noodling around the idea of buying a Harrier with his retired Harrier pilot friends, Nalls said he “realized that one of the number-one draws at airshows is the Harrier.” The jump jet can take off and land vertically, fly fast and do aerobatics. It also announces its presence with a gut-churning blast of pure jet fuel-driven power.
The idea of flying a Harrier outside the constraints and deep pockets of the military might seem crazy at first. But the more Nalls thought about it, the more the idea made sense. “If someone had approached me years ago and said you could operate
a B-17 or a MiG-15 or MiG-17, I would have said they’re nuts,” he recalled.
Article 3a
© Copyright 2008, 2009 Nalls Aviation Inc.
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