Harrier jump jets.

I didn't really know where else to put this because I'm not claiming anything so I think this is as close as I can get. If its wrong sorry and just let me know I will fix it.

Anyways I go to college in the evenings and tonight was my class that got out at 10:30 pm. As I was sitting outside waiting for my ride I noticed a flying searchlight in the distance so thinking it was a police heli I watched it. When it came right above the school super low even I noticed it was a jet, and seeing how I saw it hovering I'm assuming a Harrier, it was really cool. After I saw that one another flew by maybe 2-3 minutes later, taking the same path, and inbetween those two there was a big dark helicopter who took the same path fairly interesting and I wish I had somthing more then my cell on my to take a picture.

I'm not claiming anything because we're like 30 minute drive from Tinker I just thought it was cool and desided to share it. Never seen a real Harrier before let alone two of them that both had search lights.

In the UK, Sea Harriers were decommissioned in 2004, with the last one in use in 2006 and are no longer used by our armed forces.

Are they still in official use in USA? And if so, by whom? I know they can be bought privately!

Harriers are very cool

there are a lot of aircraft that hover

VTOL




list of VTO aircraft

[edit on 29-7-2010 by Zeta Reticulan]

I worked on harriers (AV8B) in China Lake nearly ten years ago. Used to love watching them hover, but OMG they are so loud! First time I ever saw one was in Mayport many years ago. It was hovering and I actually thought it was a UFO.

Originally posted by Zeta Reticulan
Harriers are very cool

there are a lot of aircraft that hover

Wow I had no idea there were so many non helicopter aircraft that can hover!

Of course I was familiar with the Harrier from the movie "True Lies", the best movie of all time! But I'm not sure if a harrier can really do everything it's shown doing in that movie. Some of the scenes look real but some of them don't, like when it rotates while hovering to strafe fire, can a harrier really do that?

Originally posted by teapot
In the UK, Sea Harriers were decommissioned in 2004, with the last one in use in 2006 and are no longer used by our armed forces.

Are they still in official use in USA? And if so, by whom? I know they can be bought privately!

Harriers are still being used today by the UK.

the first is the Yak-141 by Yakovlev
and the 2nd is Boeing's entry to the JSF competition, the X-32

Kool didn't know there were others, hmm so maybe it was a differnt type of jet then. I just know the first on I saw hovering with a search light thats why I thought it was a police heli. But this one wasn't loud I didnt even hear it till it was right above my head. The second jet I heard that went through was loud and it had a search light also they were both. The dark colored helicopter I saw was quiet too hardly made sound for being abit bigger them a police helicopter. They all took the same flight path pretty much, the second jet, and the helicopter came from tinker and went above me at the corner of Northewest expressway and Penn. The first one was hovering really low at first over residential area with a spot light on then took off over me and rounded out and they all headed toward Will Rogers Airport. I wonder if some pilot took the first jet out for a joy ride and the other two were chasing it be funny. Nothing in the news today about it so probably just some night exersise.

In the UK the Sea Harrier was decommissioned. The RAF variants are still in service as ground attack aircraft and will remain until the F-35 appears.

Was the aircraft you so saw so loud it frightened small children, hurt your ears and set off car alarms? A harrier hovering anywhere near would.

Impressive they are, subtle they are not :-)

[edit on 29-7-2010 by justwokeup]

Actually no, all but the second jet was quiet, I didnt hear the first jet till it was right up on me. The helicopter didnt make much noise eather, but the second jet was loud as it went streaming past.

I also don't really know what kind of jets they were other then the fact the two looked the same, and the first one when I spotted it was hovering with a search light, so I assumed that the Harrier was the only one that can hover. But from what others are saying there are other craft. So I am looking to see if one of them fit the plane profile I saw.

You've got me beat there then.

Of the hovering jets I know of, 3 are old discontinued Russian types (Yak-141, Yak 36, Yak 38). In the west we have harriers and the F-35. The x-32 prototype as well but its now rotting in a museum.

None of these aircraft are quiet.

re adding link hope it works

media.abovetopsecret.com...&action=view&id=110488

this is the closest picture I found of the underside that matched second jet. The first one I dunno I'm still looking. I found a picture that kind of matched the helicopter I said but its listed as experimental and only one being made so I couldnt of seen that.

[edit on 7/29/2010 by Jedite removed link]

[edit on 7/29/2010 by Jedite]

The AV-8B is still used by the USMC.

Originally posted by justwokeup
In the UK the Sea Harrier was decommissioned. The RAF variants are still in service as ground attack aircraft and will remain until the F-35 appears.

Was the aircraft you so saw so loud it frightened small children, hurt your ears and set off car alarms? A harrier hovering anywhere near would.

Impressive they are, subtle they are not :-)

[edit on 29-7-2010 by justwokeup]

As someone has already stated the Sea Harriers are decommissioned, are you sure? If so whats sittin on our air craft carriers at the minute? im a bit miffed, are they a different type of harrier as i dont see the RN operating without any air craft off its carriers

I hear that they are real gas guzzlers when they are in hovering mode

Originally posted by Mythic Chris
I hear that they are real gas guzzlers when they are in hovering mode

Any jet engine at full power at low elevation will use lots of gas. i guess you could equate its MPG at 0 at that point, since it is not going anywhere

Originally posted by ThePeaceMaker

Originally posted by justwokeup
In the UK the Sea Harrier was decommissioned. The RAF variants are still in service as ground attack aircraft and will remain until the F-35 appears.

Was the aircraft you so saw so loud it frightened small children, hurt your ears and set off car alarms? A harrier hovering anywhere near would.

Impressive they are, subtle they are not :-)

[edit on 29-7-2010 by justwokeup]

As someone has already stated the Sea Harriers are decommissioned, are you sure? If so whats sittin on our air craft carriers at the minute? im a bit miffed, are they a different type of harrier as i dont see the RN operating without any air craft off its carriers

The current deployment of Harrier on Royal Navy carriers are indeed from the RAF, and consist of the Harrier 2 variant which is larger than the Sea Harriers they replace.

reply to post by RichardPrice


ok thanks richard for clearing that up. So the pilots flyin off the decks of the RN carriers are actually RAF pilotsnand not Navy? Or do Navy pilots just use the RAF Harriers

Originally posted by firepilot

Originally posted by Mythic Chris
I hear that they are real gas guzzlers when they are in hovering mode

Any jet engine at full power at low elevation will use lots of gas. i guess you could equate its MPG at 0 at that point, since it is not going anywhere

Yep, but something a lot of people overlook is that Harriers cannot hover for long periods, the engine gets very hot (a jet engine with no airflow? it's gonna blow up!) So the Harrier carries water in a tank and injects it into the engine, of course the flow rate can be adjusted but at full flow the Harrier can only hover for 90 seconds!

They can hover longer than that though, I suppose it depends on the conditions and such, maybe it can only hover for 90 seconds in dry dessert heat but cooler damper air maybe 5 or more minutes.

reply to post by ThePeaceMaker


Joint Force Harrier

Should explain it all