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![NEXTAIRSHOWFLYER[1]](images/NEXTAIRSHOWFLYER[1].png "NEXTAIRSHOWFLYER[1]")
(c) Copyright 2008 Nalls Aviation Inc.
We also managed to destroy a set of brakes and tires on taxi. This was unfortunate and in hindsight, we (read me, myself and I) should have known better, but it surely could have been worse. Now, it’s just an inside joke for the team. In the end, the total cost since the original hydraulic failure equals a new car, but we have a nearly new, flyable airplane again. And it’s in better shape than it was previously. We are also better prepared with spares. The destroyed brake parts may also make jewelry, since they contain “stupidium,” the second most expensive metal on Earth.
We have removed the Head Up Display (HUD) and replaced it with a civilian Electronic Flight Indication System (EFIS). The EFIS is much simpler and more capable than the HUD ever was, plus it saved about 30 pounds. In VSTOL airplanes, weight is always important. The HUD was just a crutch for a weak pilot, anyway. Some of the Old Timers turned it off for demonstrations and I’ve made several shipboard landings with nothing but a grease pencil mark. It’s nice to have, but certainly not necessary and the EFIS is much better.
We have an emergency landing gear extension system. This was not activated for the first two flights because we were unable to obtain the explosives to actuate the operating valve. So, we redesigned the system with a different valve (twice) and it’s been thoroughly tested on the ground. Let’s hope we don’t test it in the air, but if we do, I’m confident it will work.
We have removed the Head Up Display (HUD) and replaced it with a civilian Electronic Flight Indication System (EFIS). The EFIS is much simpler and more capable than the HUD ever was, plus it saved about 30 pounds. In VSTOL airplanes, weight is always important. The HUD was just a crutch for a weak pilot, anyway. Some of the Old Timers turned it off for demonstrations and I’ve made several shipboard landings with nothing but a grease pencil mark. It’s nice to have, but certainly not necessary and the EFIS is much better.
We have an emergency landing gear extension system. This was not activated for the first two flights because we were unable to obtain the explosives to actuate the operating valve. So, we redesigned the system with a different valve (twice) and it’s been thoroughly tested on the ground. Let’s hope we don’t test it in the air, but if we do, I’m confident it will work.
After nearly 10 months of sweating, cussing, and prodding, XZ 439 made four successful takeoffs and more important - - four successful landings. Equal numbers of each, which is a good thing.
The weekends of checking the systems, repairs, sheet metal work, and the endless gear retractions and extensions, plus the emergency gear extensions, all paid benefits. We had another Gas Turbine Starter (GTS) decide it was time to go on one of our taxi checks, but this time, we were better prepared. No chicken dances. We calmly and coolly extinguished the fire.
No big deal, and not nearly as catastrophic as the first GTS fire and explosion. Plus, we have several spare GTS’s ready to install.
The weekends of checking the systems, repairs, sheet metal work, and the endless gear retractions and extensions, plus the emergency gear extensions, all paid benefits. We had another Gas Turbine Starter (GTS) decide it was time to go on one of our taxi checks, but this time, we were better prepared. No chicken dances. We calmly and coolly extinguished the fire.
No big deal, and not nearly as catastrophic as the first GTS fire and explosion. Plus, we have several spare GTS’s ready to install.
9-30-2008
Our SECOND first flight.
Rich Gill, Ace Mechanic, installs the EFIS
On the ramp, ready to rock and roll, for one of the taxi checks.
One of the many taxi checks to ensure all the systems are operating correctly.
We simply towed the airplane back into the hangar and got to work. We also collected all the little “bits” of destroyed turbine wheel, which we call “turbinium explodium.” We may make jewelry from the pieces, since it’s now one of the most expensive metals on Earth, at approximately $125,000.00 per pound. We’re taking orders.
We have removed additional weight - approximately 120 lbs of completely useless weight. (I had a very funny joke to insert here, but was nixed by my wife. No sense of humor at all. Please just think of someone who’s a pain in the ass and insert that name for the 120 lbs.)
The useless wiring was previously used for weapons systems, military navigation and flight-testing that we don’t need. Lighter gross weight ultimately means better flight performance, and there is more superfluous wiring that we can remove over the course of time. Lighter weight also means less wear and tear on the engine. One less pound of weight means one less pound of thrust required to hover.
We have improved our emergency procedures. Our checklists and manuals were written in “Brit.” No offense to our British supporters, especially since you invented the language, but we were confused by instructions such as “carefully inspect the fuel cell with a torch.”
Our checklists and some of the manuals are now written in “Yank-talk” and include photos. We’re going to put a centerfold in there, so the mechanics will actually read them……for the articles.
Seriously, our chase airplane on the second flight did not know what NORMAL landing gear extension looked like. So, I’ve included a photo in our emergency procedures identifying the key features. This will be extremely useful at an airshow for the uninitiated, in case we need a visual check.
We have also enhanced our tutorials for the ejection seat. This is beneficial to the local crash and recovery crews at airshows.
The useless wiring was previously used for weapons systems, military navigation and flight-testing that we don’t need. Lighter gross weight ultimately means better flight performance, and there is more superfluous wiring that we can remove over the course of time. Lighter weight also means less wear and tear on the engine. One less pound of weight means one less pound of thrust required to hover.
We have improved our emergency procedures. Our checklists and manuals were written in “Brit.” No offense to our British supporters, especially since you invented the language, but we were confused by instructions such as “carefully inspect the fuel cell with a torch.”
Our checklists and some of the manuals are now written in “Yank-talk” and include photos. We’re going to put a centerfold in there, so the mechanics will actually read them……for the articles.
Seriously, our chase airplane on the second flight did not know what NORMAL landing gear extension looked like. So, I’ve included a photo in our emergency procedures identifying the key features. This will be extremely useful at an airshow for the uninitiated, in case we need a visual check.
We have also enhanced our tutorials for the ejection seat. This is beneficial to the local crash and recovery crews at airshows.
Finally, we have taken all the publications and performance data and incorporated them into a laptop computer. Our V/STOL calculator instantly computes vertical landing weights and takeoff performance. This is much easier than the old wiz wheels I used as a Lieutenant. Click, click, and click equals landing weight.
With all that said and done, and the ground checks complete and satisfactory, we were ready for OUR SECOND, First flight. We approached this with appropriate caution, checking and re-checking our work. The local volunteer fire department was again on hand to assist - - just in case. I saw them exchanging money furiously, just prior to the flight. They were probably taking up a collection to chip in for fuel….
The first 4 takeoffs and landings were without incident and there are no serious discrepancies with the airplane. Nothing that we can’t fix. That flight was made with the landing gear remaining in the extended position. We didn’t want the added
With all that said and done, and the ground checks complete and satisfactory, we were ready for OUR SECOND, First flight. We approached this with appropriate caution, checking and re-checking our work. The local volunteer fire department was again on hand to assist - - just in case. I saw them exchanging money furiously, just prior to the flight. They were probably taking up a collection to chip in for fuel….
The first 4 takeoffs and landings were without incident and there are no serious discrepancies with the airplane. Nothing that we can’t fix. That flight was made with the landing gear remaining in the extended position. We didn’t want the added
drama of another incident and we needed a few successes. No leaks, no drips, all systems normal. We declared victory and put the bird back in the barn for another week.
The next flight the following weekend was also without incident, but expanded the envelope to include actual landing gear cycling while airborne, plus basic aerobatics. The landing gear cycles produced much more anxiety than the aerobatics. You wouldn’t think that just simply raising the landing gear on a retractable gear aircraft could cause such anxiety, but this was a MAJOR milestone for us. You could have heard a pin drop, even over the mighty Pegasus engine. Come to think of it, that’s the first time we’ve retracted the gear airborne and everything worked.
All four gear retracted and extended several times just as advertised. All hydraulic pressures were normal, all engine temperatures and warning / caution lights were normal. The air conditioning was even performing in spectacular fashion - - I was cool, calm, and collected while zooming around the skies at 230 knots - the legal speed limit for this airspace - at just above idle RPM. This airplane really wants to go much faster and doesn’t become “comfortable” until around 300 to 350 knots and above.
The next flight the following weekend was also without incident, but expanded the envelope to include actual landing gear cycling while airborne, plus basic aerobatics. The landing gear cycles produced much more anxiety than the aerobatics. You wouldn’t think that just simply raising the landing gear on a retractable gear aircraft could cause such anxiety, but this was a MAJOR milestone for us. You could have heard a pin drop, even over the mighty Pegasus engine. Come to think of it, that’s the first time we’ve retracted the gear airborne and everything worked.
All four gear retracted and extended several times just as advertised. All hydraulic pressures were normal, all engine temperatures and warning / caution lights were normal. The air conditioning was even performing in spectacular fashion - - I was cool, calm, and collected while zooming around the skies at 230 knots - the legal speed limit for this airspace - at just above idle RPM. This airplane really wants to go much faster and doesn’t become “comfortable” until around 300 to 350 knots and above.
I expect the first demonstration to be plain, unflavored, and bland - keep it simple. Nothing showy, nothing even approaching the limits of this fantastic airplane, but the Harrier doing what it does best. Just a few simple takeoffs and landings, using nearly no runway at all, and accelerating to 650 knots, coming to a stop, then landing. In that order. That’s all. Harrier pilots have been saying it’s much easier to stop then land, rather than the other way around.
The ground crew, all volunteers, is smiling now. We can all see the result of weekends, holidays, and evenings, fueled by hotdogs and chips. We’ve all gone on the hope that the Sea Harrier would fly again, and we would be the ones to make it happen. No big corporations, just the cowboys from St. Mary’s County.
For our last flight, one of the crew brought his mother-in-law. For the last year, she has chided him for devoting every weekend to this “project.” Once she saw what we have done, she had a different opinion. She wept as I landed, and now she understands why we all donated our time and efforts to do this. She is sewing us new flags for our downlocks and we appreciate them.
We have already come farther than most people can dream.
Art Nalls
The ground crew, all volunteers, is smiling now. We can all see the result of weekends, holidays, and evenings, fueled by hotdogs and chips. We’ve all gone on the hope that the Sea Harrier would fly again, and we would be the ones to make it happen. No big corporations, just the cowboys from St. Mary’s County.
For our last flight, one of the crew brought his mother-in-law. For the last year, she has chided him for devoting every weekend to this “project.” Once she saw what we have done, she had a different opinion. She wept as I landed, and now she understands why we all donated our time and efforts to do this. She is sewing us new flags for our downlocks and we appreciate them.
We have already come farther than most people can dream.
Art Nalls
With each flight, I have become more relaxed in the airplane and more comfortable with the ejection seat and cockpit. It’s feeling like home, again. Almost routine, but VSTOL airplanes are rarely routine.
We’ve still got a few more local flights, plus two checkrides to complete our test program. Completing those, we have our first airshow scheduled in October.
The first airshow will also be a HUGE deal. We won’t be before a huge crowd. It’s a small town show, within easy driving distance. We’ll keep doing what has worked for us so far - that is to walk before we can run. Baby steps. Eat the elephant one bite at a time….
We’ve still got a few more local flights, plus two checkrides to complete our test program. Completing those, we have our first airshow scheduled in October.
The first airshow will also be a HUGE deal. We won’t be before a huge crowd. It’s a small town show, within easy driving distance. We’ll keep doing what has worked for us so far - that is to walk before we can run. Baby steps. Eat the elephant one bite at a time….
We’ve done it - again.
UPDATE21