Art Nalls' Update 23
Art Nalls is back with an update on his Sea Harrier as they head off for their first show this season.
We haven’t posted an update in quite a while. To the untrained eye, it may appear that we’ve just been sitting on our duffs, fighting anorexia. Some of us have been VERY successful fighting anorexia…
Actually, we’ve been quite busy. Each year we are required to perform a conditional inspection. One may ask, “How do you operate an airplane that takes 11 months to do a annual inspection?” I guess that’s why they call it an “annual,” because it takes the better part of a year. But we’ve done more than just complete inspections.
We’ve removed the ejection seat for some cockpit modifications in concert with our inspections. The GPS is now located upfront, in a prime location in the instrument panel, just under our primary flight instrument. It’s nearly a glass panel. Here’s a photo of the new and improved cockpit. While we were at it, the team removed about 30 pounds of useless wire bundles. I hope they were useless. They certainly are useless now, on the hangar floor. Remember this airplane was a BAe test bed and a weapons system, so there is lots of wiring that is no longer needed. We also installed an electronic G-meter and stopwatch. Hopefully, with the weather improving, we can complete some touch up painting to make it look as pretty as it flies.
In December, I attended the annual International Council for Airshows convention, known as ICAS. This is where the entire airshow community gathers to end one season, and start planning for next. We had a lot of interest in the Sea Harrier, as you might imagine, despite having only one airshow under our belt. Our goal is for 6-8 airshows this coming year and possibly more, if the airplane is holding up.
In December, I also traveled to Richmond, Virginia to pick up some borescopes that I purchased government surplus. A borescope is an optical device that allows us to look through essentially a soda straw into very tight areas for visual inspection. We use this specifically for examining the internal parts of the main engine and the GTS. We can look right inside them and actually measure the size of nicks or other abnormalities, if there are any.
But while refueling my pickup truck, I began a conversation with another person who just happened to see my military sticker. He was former military, too. It didn’t take long before the conversation turned to airplanes, and of course, the Sea Harrier. He had been in the USAF, and when I mentioned Harriers, he commented that he had the opportunity to work on one, 20 some years ago.
How did a USAF engine mech get the chance to work on a Harrier? Well, he was stationed at Richmond’s Byrd Airfield, just outside of Richmond. It seems a Harrier had a catastrophic engine failure and had to do a dead-stick landing there. They changed the engine over the next week or so, and he worked right along side the Marines. He was one of the dedicated crew.
As many of you know, there’s a story about this in my biography page. I was the pilot of that ill-fated airplane, forced to land engine-out at Richmond. As we exchanged more details, it was clear that he worked on my airplane! What do you think the odds are that two people’s path would cross again after such unusual circumstances? I can’t do the math, but I’m sure it looks like the national debt, to one. I still can’t believe it.
In January, we pulled the girl out of the hangar and started the GTS and main engine, to keep all the systems exercised. Since the seat was absent, I sat on a wooden box. This keeps the hydraulic and electrical systems moving and lubricated. We had one very small gripe with the Hyd 2 system, but that was quickly rectified and no additional problems. We cycled the flaps, flight controls and nozzles and every thing was ready to fly, but since the seat was out, there would be no flying until we put her back together again. Normally, if a Harrier doesn’t leak fluid, it’s out of fluid. In this case though, it’s a relatively clean, tight airplane. There are no puddles under the aircraft, although it has developed a nice, brown patina on the belly - a combination of oil and dirt. We’ll do a wash before we take her out in public.
We had the first flight of the year last weekend. The airplane had been ready to fly for several weeks, with all the inspections complete and all the paperwork signed. All we needed was good weather, which eluded us for several weekends in a row. Finally, last weekend it was a beautiful spring day, so we pulled the SHAR from the hangar and fired her up. The flight was short and sweet, but we had the highway patrol and the local fire department on hand, just in case. All the systems performed perfectly, no discrepancies, and landings equaled takeoffs. We’re ready for the show season.
On another issue, we’re starting the refresher training for Joe Anderson to climb in the cockpit as the second, civilian Harrier pilot rated by the FAA. Joe has been with the team from the very beginning as LSO, and it’s now time for him to start flying as well. His bio is not posted, yet, but he is a retired USMC Major General, test pilot, LSO, with over 2,400 hours of Harrier time. He even flew the AV-8B, before it was the AV-8B. At that time, it was the prototype YAV-8B, with a double row of intake doors (since deleted) and huge flaps, which were retained. He’s even a movie star in one of the most cherished Harrier films of all time, “The Quest for Performance.” I highly recommend it, if you can locate a copy. All the critics have horded them up for their own collections because it’s been known to bring the audience to tears.
Joe has already completed a simulator refresher and did very well. Believe me, we threw everything at him, but he handled everything in stride, just like the professional aviator, he is. He taxied the actual airplane last weekend and you can see by this photo, he’s very happy about this. If all goes well, he’ll have his first refresher flight after the Cherry Point Airshow in May, at Cherry Point. His first flight in Harriers was in 1973. That will be a span of 36 years of flying in the Harrier.
We’re also working to activate the water injection system. We’ve got a small issue with the bottom seal on the jettison switch not quite sealing, but this is minor and should be fixed soon. The system requires distilled or demineralized water, to prevent the crusty buildup in the engine, similar to what you might have in a coffee pot. So we had to clean out the store shelves of their distilled water. Here you can see we have quite a bit, but this is only enough for about half of the tank, which will last 90 seconds in flight. We need to find a wholesale source for this, or we’ll be cleaning all the local stores dry. We don’t actually need water injection for any of the near term shows, but I would like to have that extra cushion of thrust in the summer. It adds about 1000 lbs of thrust.
Our first airshow is already upon us for 2009. This coming weekend, (April 24-26th) we’ll take the Harrier, L-39, and Cub to Langley AFB, VA for their airshow. We’re looking forward to it. Cherry Point’s airshow follows shortly after in May and we’ve got 3 more shows hopefully in June and July. As soon as we firm up those commitments, we’ll post them on the website. We’re already booked at Winston-Salem’s show the 12th and 13th of September.
In the meantime, stay tuned. We’re looking forward to a great year!
Art Nalls
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