Harriers - now that's just showing off

[Simpo Two]

Didn't know the Spanish had them...

https://youtu.be/bODPRWIoAHo?t=224

[FourWheelDrift]

Italians still have them too.

[bluey1905]

The Spanish are bringing 2 to RIAT this year.

[IanH755]

The exhaust plumes on both of those were way dirtier than I remember any of our RAF Harriers having in my 5 years working on them around the world in similar climates, I wonder why?

[remedy]

Such fantastic planes. Did we keep any for heritage flights?

[Simpo Two]

IanH755 said:

The exhaust plumes on both of those were way dirtier than I remember any of our RAF Harriers having in my 5 years working on them around the world in similar climates, I wonder why?

Running on olive oil...

[normalbloke]

Simpo Two said:

IanH755 said:

The exhaust plumes on both of those were way dirtier than I remember any of our RAF Harriers having in my 5 years working on them around the world in similar climates, I wonder why?

Running on olive oil...

I used to have a hot nozzle on my workshop wall as a bit of wall art.

[LotusOmega375D]

Used to get displays like that several times right outside our seafront flat over the course of the bank holiday weekend airshow at Southend. Both RAF and Navy variants. The vibrations used to wreck the double glazing seals!

[Tom1312]

Miss the Southend air show

Jaguar was always my favourite as a kid, though the sight of a harrier taking a bow level with the Cliffs Pavilion balcony is something I'll never forget.

[Simpo Two]

Tom1312 said:

Miss the Southend air show

There was a Clacton airshow too. You could just park up and watch it for free.



'Them were t' days', he muttered in a Northern accent.

[Tom1312]

Yeah but I couldn't drive to Clacton when the Southend airshow was good and I was little

[Thundersports]

One did that at Brands during a Truck meeting at Brands in the late 80s on the grass between Surtees and Clearways. Then did a bow, blasted vertically and vanished!

Edited by Thundersports on Saturday 22 April 23:43

[LotusOmega375D]

Tom1312 said:

Miss the Southend air show

Jaguar was always my favourite as a kid, though the sight of a harrier taking a bow level with the Cliffs Pavilion balcony is something I'll never forget.

Here’s a few more scanned photos from about 20 - 25 years ago. The entertainment used to start a day or two before the Sunday and bank holiday Monday show days with RAF rehearsals. Actually a great time to watch, because everyone else was just going about their daily business, whilst all these noisy fast jets were zooming around or hovering offshore. All of these photos were taken from our balcony. As you can see from the Utterly Butterly Stearmans breaking, we were directly on the display centre line, where the Harriers would perform most of their hover routine.

To be honest it got a bit boring and repetitive after a few years, as fewer unusual planes took part.

Start with a Harrier again to keep on topic.

[aeropilot]

remedy said:

Such fantastic planes. Did we keep any for heritage flights?

No.

[Scabutz]

Back in the good old days at Airbourne they would do a display like that. Hover over the sea, then fly backwards and then launch off again.

[aeropilot]

LotusOmega375D said:

Here’s a few more scanned photos from about 20 - 25 years ago. The entertainment used to start a day or two before the Sunday and bank holiday Monday show days with RAF rehearsals. Actually a great time to watch, because everyone else was just going about their daily business, whilst all these noisy fast jets were zooming around or hovering offshore. All of these photos were taken from our balcony. As you can see from the Utterly Butterly Stearmans breaking, we were directly on the display centre line, where the Harriers would perform most of their hover routine.

To be honest it got a bit boring and repetitive after a few years, as fewer unusual planes took part.

Start with a Harrier again to keep on topic.

Almost all of those are now no longer flying.... the Cat and some of those Stearman's are likely the only things in those photo's still flying.

Tornado, Harrier & Nimrod no longer in UK service (and no Nimrods flying anywhere of course), hardly any, if any 757's left in commercial airline use, and the poor Sea Vixen damaged beyond repair after its wheels up landing, never to fly again.

[RobGT81]

bluey1905 said:

The Spanish are bringing 2 to RIAT this year.

Plus an Italian static.

[spitfire-ian]

Simpo Two said:

Tom1312 said:

Miss the Southend air show

There was a Clacton airshow too. You could just park up and watch it for free.



'Them were t' days', he muttered in a Northern accent.

The Clacton one still happens and it’s still free.

[Simpo Two]

spitfire-ian said:

The Clacton one still happens and it’s still free.

Didn't know that. Well done ECC!

So why was the Southend one scrapped, or could they only support one?

[LotusOmega375D]

Nothing to do with Essex County Council. It was Southend Council’s decision in 2013. They thought it would save them £130,000 per year, which could be better spent elsewhere.