Harrier Heritage. British Harrier Training In The 1970's.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

Holy crap that miniature simulator has to be one of the coolest 1970's tech I've seen.

[@militaryaviationtv]

And very expensive for that time...

[@bobdinwiddy]

“32kilobyte” we were told :) huge amounts for the mid-seventies

[@militaryaviationtv]

@@bobdinwiddy @Titanium Rain Have you both seen the Concord simulator at Brooklands Museum? It's massive! 😁

[@kevin-parratt-artist]

I followed the development of the Harrier from the first "Flying Bedstead" trials. Joined the R.A.A.F. A.T.C. (Melbourne Australia) .. was recommended for officer training, but with my brother in Vietnam already, my mother begged me not to enlist. So my life took another course. All be it worthy, in my heart of hearts has been the R.A.A.F. but also the R.A.F. because with dual citizenship British/Australian, transferring for special circumstances, training etc, I was told at the time, was not impossible. I look at this with envy, and see a bunch of guys of my generation. Even if I didn't make it to their standard, it would have been an honour to work in a support capacity. 72 now, all I can do is quietly salute them. ☆☆☆☆☆

[@Aeronaut1975]

2:50 The guy on the right, in the green flying suit, unless I'm very much mistaken is Sharkey Ward, commander of 801 NAS on HMS Invincible during the Falklands war and credited with 3 air-to-air kills. EVERY Harrier fan should read his book "Sea Harrier Over the Falklands: A Maverick at War".

[@militaryaviationtv]

Yes, you are correct @Aeronaut, it is the legendary Nigel 'Sharkey' Ward.

[@angusmcangus7914]

Thank you very much for the stroll down memory lane. I was a Harrier pilot in the 1970s and knew a lot of these fellows: Clive Loader, David Horton, Paddy Roberts, Roy Finlayson, Dave Fisher, Bill Whyte and last but by no means least, the instructor who featured at the beginning, Bruce Cogram who tragically lost his life in a mid-air collision which must have happened not long after this was filmed. RIP Bruce. Never forgotten.

[@militaryaviationtv]

Great to hear from you Angus. Yes, we bet this brought back some great memories for you. If you check across our channel, you'll find quite a lot of Harrier content. We have a talk given by Ian 'Morts' Mortimer on our channel, which you will enjoy...

[@angusmcangus7914]

@@militaryaviationtv yes, I found that. I’m saving it for later. Morts is an old mate but I haven’t seen him since 2006. We were on 3 sqn together and later I used to see him frequently when we both flew for BA.

[@militaryaviationtv]

If you want to drop us a line at [e-mail] we can put you in touch with Morts if you like?

[@chrisjohnson41]

I was the unfortunate groundcrew that saw off Bruce and student in the T-bird from Gutersloh that didn't return. Of course the aircraft F700 was impounded pending investigation. Obviously nothing I could do to prevent what happened.

[@tonyhaynes9080]

You must know, Pete Cockman, Adam Stoaling, Pete Lees, Mike Young, John Clarke, Sid Morris, to name a few.

[@botulf4908]

Flt Lt Loader who is now Sir Clive lives in the same village as me and is a really nice chap, I spoke with him last year and he remembered my dad (who was ATC at Wittering late 70s early 80s) What a great upload! Thanks for sharing.

[@militaryaviationtv]

You are very welcome. Don't forget to ask Clive to tell you some stories...Harrier pilots love telling tales of heroics! 😁

[@DorsetAviator]

Did I see Sharkey Ward at the beginning of the film having a pint in the mess?

[@CliveHandy]

Certainly did.

[@ScrotusXL]

The man himself. Legend of the Falklands 👍

[@edwardwatt7986]

Yes you did….Mr harrier himself…clearly made before the Falklands conflict!

[@BennettsShed]

That sound of the engines is just awesome.

[@militaryaviationtv]

The sound is iconic...

[@ainsleystones4600]

Highly enjoyable. Many thanks!

[@militaryaviationtv]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Peter-55]

What a great upload! It takes me back to when I started the Harrier OCU course in 1977, going on serve 20 years on the aircraft, becoming a top flying instructor on the jet, and achieve over 3500 hours on various models from the GR3 & T4 to the GR7 & T10.

[@militaryaviationtv]

So...you're a bumper fun jet stick waggler....😁😁

[@iKaBanana]

13:52 “second only to an orgasm...” lmao that’s gold

[@edwardwatt7986]

This must have been a boyhood dream job! I used to watch the Harrier whilst my step father was posted from Lossiemouth to 3 Squadron at RAF Gutersloh in Germany!

[@militaryaviationtv]

We bet you have some great memories Edward?

[@bobdinwiddy]

Fascinating to see the Whittering simulator ! We were shown round it as cadets. Upon questioning “how much K” it had, they pointed to the battery of metal cabinets about the size/area of the map/model shown... 32Kb of memory, which in 70's computing terms was huge (not in 1985 though...)! As I recall, they had two models at different scales. I remember seeing a tiny aircraftcarrier they practiced landings on... Smashing docu! What an atmosphere... would still give my left nut to have flown with them!

[@militaryaviationtv]

Sounds a lot like the Concorde Simulator room at Brooklands Museum! :]

[@bobdinwiddy]

the firm that made them were "happy to sell just ONE every five years to keep going..."

[@militaryaviationtv]

We're sure they were@@bobdinwiddy ... :]

[@UncleBoratagain]

Indeed, my cadet squadron had a Summer camp there in 1980, one slot in the sim was offered on the basis of a ‘competition’. It was not a competition.

[@notmenotme614]

I remember seeing the Jaguar simulator at RAF Lossiemouth, when the Jag OCU was up there before it moved to Coltishall. It was the same… a tv camera flying over miniature models but I think the model landscape was stood vertical like a wall rather than laid flat like a table top. At the moment RAF are looking into getting several new Eurofighter Typhoon simulators that can be linked together so they can practice flying together or fighting against each other, for example 2 vs 2 combat. It sounds like they’re going to reduce real flying with more use of simulators.

[@TheBioniXman]

I was a JT airframes at Gutersloh from '81 to '84. I used to do these field deployments and was also part of the BDR distaff team for exercise Lionheart. For a 22 year old it was a great life on the Harrier as part of 2 ATAF. We worked very hard but also had a great leisure time with the lovely German people.

[@militaryaviationtv]

That's brilliant! We'll have to interview you some time... Have you seen this video, filmed in 78 during a dispersed training deployment from Gutersloh? kzbin.info/www/bejne/rl66iIWXrLyNhLs

[@bugler75]

15:43 That was a prank call to wind the fella up! It had to be! 👍😂

[@bugler75]

And the young pilot with the Northern Ireland accent has won or lost a bet to be filmed without a t shirt under his flight suit👍 What do you all think?

[@clewis5220]

Wish there was similar footage of the Buccaneer flight sims I was a techie on at Honington in late 70s with vertical 3D maps and even a rolling model of the Ark Royal A/c!

[@militaryaviationtv]

C Lewis, we'll see what we can find. We've heard some good stories about the Honington Sims...

[@yan24to]

Brilliant men.

[@allgood6760]

What an awesome plane.. we have a GR3 down under in a museum.. thanks🇳🇿

[@stealthych]

Great film, very interesting. Sadly the T4 XZ445 in the early part of the film crashed with loss of both crew in Feb 1996 near Churchstanton

[@militaryaviationtv]

Yes, very sad loss...

[@daviddelaney6757]

Surely the coolest plane ever!

[@cornellkirk8946]

What an aircraft! They still amaze me and when you see how small the Pegasus engine is it doesn’t even seem possible

[@militaryaviationtv]

Brilliant aircraft...the most impressive aspect was how they improved the thrust from the Pegasus engine, without it increasing in size!

[@B-A-L]

Does anyone remember a short film about the Harrier that I think was made in the late 1970s and was sometimes used as an advert filler on ITV? It showed a Harrier doing a vertical takeoff and hovering manoeuvres from a forest location in Germany and was set to some really beautiful music. I'd love to see it again.

[@militaryaviationtv]

Yes, remember that. It was a classic...

[@myiphone5monument370]

What a beast of a machine for every down side theses a triple up side 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧👌

[@tonyhaynes9080]

I love watching these films on the leaping heap, just in case I see anyone off 4 Squadron that I worked with '78-80. The only one I've seen is Bob Marston. The best quote to describe the mental pressure a trainee fast jet pilot is under, was, 'If you ask him what two and two is, whilst he is flying, he probably wouldn't be able to answer as the brain is already working at maximum capacity'. I never appreciated what flying a Harrier took out of the pilot when I was on 4 Squadron, but I was young, dumb and very stupid. As a matter of interest, if anyone can help, was that a young Sid Morris in blues stood by the Harrier, please?

[@johnreynolds1698]

I was 4 sqn 77 - 80.

[@flybobbie1449]

I waggled tailplane, student asked why do that, i replied "well if it comes off in my hand, we're not going flying".

[@militaryaviationtv]

Like the time when a Sea Harrier had tailplane problems while in Scotland. They got permission to make one direct flight back to Yeovilton. The chief engineer told the pilot to be gentle on the controls due to the tailplane problem. Just as the Sea Harrier lifted off the runway, the pilot pulled hard back on the stick to pull up! When they all got back to Yeovilton, the engineer asked the pilot why he did that? ''Well, if it was going to fail, I rather it did near the airfield''...😁😁

[@tonyhaynes9080]

John Clarke a leaping heap jockey on 4 Squadron, had the connecting rod in the tail disconnect whilst dive bombing in Belize. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to get out.

[@vicsaul5459]

Unique machine, ❤ the vid

[@militaryaviationtv]

Thanks @Vic Saul. Yes, the Harrier is an icon.

[@forsdykemontague1017]

Clive Loader (wrong number) went on to be an Air Chief Marshal.

[@hethel8]

At 10.00 minutes I think this gentleman is Dicky Duckett who was a leader of the Red Arrows in the early 70s

[@militaryaviationtv]

Yes, it looks like him...

[@angusmcangus7914]

@@militaryaviationtv It is indeed, his name's on his badge!

[@KIA-MIA-POW]

Living within a few kms of Wittering one was forever in amazement at these aircraft and their displays. We could still be flying a much updated varient but for stupid political decisions.

[@paulward4268]

What year was this film produced - are we looking at 1977 - 78?

[@militaryaviationtv]

1979 ish...

[@paulward4268]

@@militaryaviationtv Thank you sir -- that's the year I left school!!! I had become aware of fast jets in 1978, and I Really caught on to the subject with the BBC's "Fighter Pilot" series in 1980/81. So its fantastic to see this film from the intervening period. I wish I knew where the years have gone.

[@militaryaviationtv]

Don't we all Paul...

[@johnfisher7143]

“we’re a low level ground attack force” Little did he know that they would actually be used in a CAP fleet defence interceptor dog fighter role come the Falklands war 😂

[@militaryaviationtv]

Incorrect. The RAF Harrier GR.3s were only ever used in the ground attack role, during the Falklands War. The GR.3s were wired to carry Sidewinder Air-to-Air missiles prior to going down South, as the MOD anticipated that the Sea Harrier force would suffer significant loses, but this never happened.

[@GeorgeShook-su8fs]

I would like to say thank you not only to the Tuskegee airmen but also the American Japanese at also faced discrimination they fought for us and world war II in Germany and also Tuskegee airmen you flew for us and did the best you could and the best job above and beyond the call of duty it is sad when you look at history, if a man does not learn from his ways he's bound to repeat it again. I as an American human being want to thank all of our military men fought and died and those who live to come home. Thank you for serving our country. May God bless you all.

[@UncleBoratagain]

How on earth did the Brits achieve such excellence? all by ourselves?

[@bartacomuskidd775]

YOu guys need to start a Harrier 3

[@guillermoalvaradoflores8698]

@@bartacomuskidd775 a supersonic Harrier All British build.

[@davedixon2068]

NO CGI IN THOSE DAYS

[@ZacYates]

Who was the narrator?

[@militaryaviationtv]

Kenneth Patton as far as we know Zac.

[@ZacYates]

@@militaryaviationtv Thank you.

[@yan24to]

#15:55 wrong number 😂

[@timmurphy5541]

Seems a terrible shame that the VAAC harrier fly-by-wire worked but that it never got to help any pilots.

[@militaryaviationtv]

Well, as you probably know, the flight control system tested in the VAAC Harrier, went into the F-35B Lightning. So, the crucial work carried out with the VAAC is helping pilots, but not in any Harrier.

[@timmurphy5541]

@@militaryaviationtv yup, I just wish the Harrier had got it since it seems to me that this would have solved the worst problem - by giving pilots back a large portion of their "bandwidth." The difference would be astonishing, I think, even without any extra weapons or other systems.

[@มดแดง-ฃ3ข]

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[@RuytonXI]

Some familiar faces there :)

[@belladexon8089]

In Russia today is Pianist's Day🥳 Does this holiday exist in your country? --------------------------------- С Днём Пианиста :)

[@johnsanders2266]

Fancy that, super gob, Yuk!

[@chazgisby8876]

It's funny how the UK government decide to get rid of the Harrier and buy the American supersonic version whilst the American Marines buy the ones we're scraping, very cheap, because of what they can do.

[@militaryaviationtv]

Apparently that's called progress. Having said that, the Harrier/Sea harrier were great in their day, but that day is quickly moving on.

[@COIcultist]

13 minute ish 450 knots nearly 500 mph. Did someone fail the maths section of their qualification?

[@angusmcangus7914]

450 kts = 517.5 mph.

[@COIcultist]

@@angusmcangus7914 I looked at your reply and thought I must have been asleep or drunk when I wrote that. I see I was quoting the pilot at 13.20. Is that Sharkey Ward in the mess at the start of the film?

[@angusmcangus7914]

@@COIcultist I didn’t meet him but I think it is.

[@magna4100]

Did ya spot Sharkey Ward?

[@militaryaviationtv]

Certainly did Magna...