I was one of Bob's course mates through training. We were on the Harrier No16 OCU Course together in 1975. I was one of the "rest' who went to Germany. He stayed mostly with the Harrier while I ended up on Tornado GR1, after an instructor tour on the Hawker Hunter at TWU RAF Brawdy. I then became an airline pilot in 1989 (boring). Re: the Falklands and "training everyone who'd ever flown the Harrier" during the Falklands War - I was on the list and had a date to report to RAF Wittering for a refresher course but the war ended so I went on a Tornado course as previously planned and joined the second Tornado squadron to form (No 617). My only contribution to the Falklands had been helping to provide No 1(F) Sqn with air combat training prior to its deployment to the South Atlantic - flying the Hunter as a rough A4 Skyhawk equivalent. I also did a stint in Belize - late '77 I think - when two of us from Gutersloh squadrons were sent to give some relief to the 'F Troop' mates.
I am from Belize. I was so amazed by the Harriers jump jets and the British for defending Belize in perilous times. Thanks for you service and for protecting us. The Harrier left a lasting and emotional impression - and a lifelong love for fast jets and the jump jet! When Belize was on the brink of invasion (a carbon copy of the Falkland situation) the Harrier showed up and did a show of force flight throughout Belize and the border region. The Harriers made a dramatic impact psychologically on the entire population. I was playing marbles in my front yard in the capital - the adults were worried stiff - the tensions were so high. People were leaving for the USA, Canada, and Great Britain - just getting out of dodge due to invasion rumours and military incursions. When I saw them streak in low over the triple canopy rain forest and roar over the Capital. We roared and jumped for joy! Thank you Sir!
Hi Ron, Great comment, I think the Harrier left a lasting impression on everyone, in my childhood the RAF were operating GR-7 and the Navy FA-2, I was fascinated by its ability to hover, bow and fly backwards, as I got older and learnt more about the Harrier but still fascinated by it, one of the best planes Britain had, not the fastest by any means but diverse and manoeuvrable.
Accord to the Book Phoenix Squadron , it was 2 RN Buccaneers that did the 1st flyby over Belize in 72, the Harriers were on their way , But HMS Ark Royal was charging over to bring her airwing to bear, 2 Bucc's were deployed WAY beyond their normal range, with extra fuel in their bombays, buddy refueled by 2 more Buccaneers ,then had to fly a very economic flight to Belize, and were nearly shot down by the US, just had enough spare fuel to fly over to signal that Britain was coming/inrange, then fly Back , meet up with their Buddy fuel coparts again and then Land on the Ark, Its a great read - I recommend it
@@farmerned6 Indeed, an excellent book. I did read somewhere of a later incident when there was more nonsense from Guatemala and an invading column stopped when it turned a corner to see a Harrier hovering over the road pointing at them. They stopped and turned around, nothing more was heard from them to the present day.
25:53 “I flew a sea harrier once. Chap flew down and left his on the ground for a few hours, so I borrowed it” 😂😂 Great interview, and What a deeply cool guy
I remember my dad mentioning Bob. My dad was ATC at Wittering for quite a few years with the Harriers, flitting between Wittering, Cranwell, Barkston Heath etc. The village I live in now has a great character...Sir Clive Loader, I bumped into him recently has had a nice chat, he remembered my dad when he was Duty Officer, which was really nice considering the career he took and all the folk he met! My dad took me to work with him a few times, airfield inspection at Wittering, stood in the tower drinking a mug of tea whilst a Harrier hovered just in front of me (unbelievable for a 14 year old) it then gave me the "salute" (even more awe inspiring and such an honour) dog leg over Stamford direction and extremely low hover/inching over the runway, vectored down blowing up all the standing water which enveloped the entire plane with just the tail fin visible!!! Another great memory was being sat in the Station Commanders JP at Cranwell and an erk saying "Don't touch anything yellow and black" I spent half an hour petrified as everything suddenly looked yellow and black!! Love this video, a great memory jolter too! When the interviewer said R.A.F and Bob replied with Royal Air Force that struck a chord here! My dad would always correct us if we said R.A.F. we never dared to say Raf!!!! Thanks for uploading this and many thanks and gratitude to Bob and all of those who were and are involved in flying the beautiful Harrier.
Impressive and fascinating are understatements! Great interview- many thanks. This pilot is IMO a class act. Only Britain and the RAF could produce a guy like this.
Well, watching this ended up costing me money. Just ordered both of Bob's books. Looking forward to some quality time reading about my favorite jet aircraft. Great interview, thanks for posting it.
A real ale drinking Harrier pilot..... what a guy! Great stories & interesting books too. Bob will have to visit the Norwich Beer festival next year! Thanks for the upload
Shows how many people get thrown away in the military due to standards, that if allowed could be some of the best. He was lucky they were willing to give him a chance at that time, if he had been in the class before he would have been made ground crew.
Once again a very understated, reserved and fascinating interview subject. Very enjoyable. Would love to see more US and maybe French, German, etc. ones. And yes, that cockpit IS snug. Imagine crossing the Atlantic in that!
Very impressive pilot story, inspirational for anyone with similar aims-hard work and dedication and be part of a system. Thank you for sharing this very insightful interview,
Belize in 1980 we had a false alarm of a invasion. A Voight Corsair over flew the Airport camp dropped what looked like Naplam pods. In fact was a drop tanks. The aircraft was an emergency, and did a wheels up landing. I think it was in Honduras air force colours. Being flown to the Confederate airforce museum in the US! Then we had massed invasion force night attack. Harriers took off. Royal Engineers placed HE on bridges on border. Turned out the invasion force was 100 pick up trucks with workers cutting down sugarcane plantation on Guatemala border.
Hi, these Aircrew interviews are absolutely fantastic, full of stories, facts and info, its awesome ! I would love to hear from perhaps Seaking pilots Lynx, Apache also, I really think them guys would add some spice and grit to this channel too, even a good old fashioned Lightning pilot ☺ Keep up the excellentwork guys ! Mike (this is my partners account )
There wouldn't be much difference from the AV-8. It's the same airframe -- it's the avionics fits that are the main differences between the US and British machines. The US Marine Corps, when they adopted the type, didn't make a lot of changes but they also didn't add much in the way of avionics which really limited the first-generation American machines (AV-8A). They were roughly equivalent to the British Harrier GR.1... The surviving AV-8A's -- those they DIDN'T manage to crash -- were upgraded into AV-8C which is out of sequence seeing as the Harrier II (in the US) was called the AV-8B and a true next-generation plane with much more advanced technology. (AV-8C was basically a service-life extension of the AV-8A; it had none of the advanced features of the AV-8B. They just tried maximize the lifespan of the airframe and tried to improve the plane's VTOL handling without spending a lot of money. The Harrier II had the first significant flight control improvements -- fly-by-wire for one -- as well as eventual implementation of decent avionics which made the Harrier II a MUCH better plane than the original Harrier. Only the Sea Harrier would be arguably better in air-to-air avionics, especially after the FSR.2 upgrade with AMRAAMs and true look-down, shoot-down radar which would make Exocet/cruise missile strikes a lot less likely to be successful against friendly surface ships. They eventually installed good, all-weather radar in upgraded Harrier II's that enabled those planes to fire AMRAAMs, too, but that was well after the Sea Harrier upgrades...) There were enough changes from the AV-8 that the next generation (Harrier II) really should have been advanced in designation to AV-11 or AV-12. Why not AV-11 or AV-12 in the end? Well, Harrier follows the unified US DoD aircraft designation put in place in 1962. It's an attack plane, the "V" designating that it has vertical take-off capability. It followed after the A-7 Corsair II but before the A-10 Thunderbolt... A-9 was already reserved for the Northrop CAS contender that lost to the A-10. (And no, skipping over A-11 or A-12 has NOTHING to do the predecessor to the SR-71... The A-12 Blackbird was still classified at the time development began on the Harrier II and the AV-8B designation had already been reserved for the Harrier. Harrier II still could have been called AV-11 or AV-12 if the manufacturer had been honest about the project's new-build, new-design status.) So, it was politics that determined Harrier II would be called AV-8B. You can hide some things by claiming it's a new model of an existing plane instead of admitting it was a NEW plane, PERIOD, which is the truth. Redesigned airframe, new flight controls, new wing, new yadda-yadda-yadda... Well, they lied when they said it was "just a new Harrier" -- like it was the same plane that flew in the 1960s!
Funny story about the Hunter... Apparently it shrunk when the Hawk was made. 🤔 Biggest lesson, never give up, even if you find yourself at the back of the curve.
If any of the viewers have Facebook you can join our group to interact with some of the pilots we interview, plus lots of avgeek chat! facebook.com/groups/1005290989528280/?ref=br_rs
Unfortunately not, it might be worth getting account as you here of everything thats up and coming. If not our web site www.aircrewinterview.tv updates of upcoming interview.
We should have a couple of hours more! :-) Snug cockpit he said... I wonder how could anyone work in such a claustrophobic place. (In the meantime I could try and find his books I suppose...)
I was an aircraft technician airframe on 233 ocu when Bob was there, worst aircraft I ever worked on, they designed the engine and the airframe was an afterthought , main undercarriage bay was always filthy due to vertical landings causing all sorts of debris being sucked up including wildlife !
thanks yet again another fascinating insight to flying this famous (or infamous if you are a US Marine!) aircraft! keep up the good work ...any valiant pilots?
Can anyone here answer a question for me about the nozzles and flaps more specifically on the GR7? Are the flaps and nozzles controlled together, or can they be controlled independently? They appear from videos I've seen that as the nozzles are moving up and down the flaps seem to be moving at exactly the same time and pace!
fantastic. Thanks for the video. great interview and well produced. Would love to share an evening with him over a pint or two. (I live down the road from Church Fen btw.
It only might be an optical illusion but that barrier he's stood next to looks like a small plane on other planes like the f16, f15 f18 and f35 if a person's stood under the cockpit you can always see the front landing gear near the top of their heads could someone tell me if I'm right or I need to go to the opticians lol
The more I hear about the problems they had with Harrier operations -- USMC and RAF/RN --, the more surprised I am they DIDN'T have more accidents than they did! The engine FOD ingestion issue was as bad or worse than other jet types and the fact is they caused damage to ships AND landing pads when they did vertical landings. They could superheat the ground and cause landing areas to explode! The other thing they can't dispute is that they left an IR signature, too, from the heat of the jet blast on the ground. Of course, the fact that these jets are relatively small makes them tons easier to hide than even an F-16. You are pretty much stuck to an airfield or ship with other jet types. The Harrier really was the only practical V/STOL jet that was fielded. The Russian equivalent, the Yak-38 Forger, was junk and at least 5 times more hazardous to the pilot. For all the mechanical issues the Harrier has, I can't help but think the F-35B is going to be horrible to maintain in the field between the stealth coating that has to be constantly repaired and that complicated fanblade system/power shaft it uses for vertical flight. They lost a lot of useful interior space for fuel and who knows what else to accommodate that lift fan! The whole thing looks terribly complicated. Even 90-degree pivoting nozzle exhaust at the rear looks less complicated than the lift fan system. Freaking doors have to open and close right and you have to hope the shaft connected to the turbofan never breaks! The V/STOL version of the F-35 (B model) can't have much better range than a Harrier if it even does match the range of the Harrier II.
Harrier pilots wore boots with reinforced tongues on them because of the risk of the instrument panel damaging their legs upon ejection, despite their legs being pulled back by tapes as the seat went up the rails upon ejection. A friend of mine is a Harrier ejection survivor and has the scars on his shins to prove it.
It failed to be supersonic and was replaced by a helicopter.. Project in reality was a failure. Waste of money and hardly ever used by anyone. That's my opinion. You decide if I am lying or not.
Whilst watching this I was thinking 'Hmmm, Bob Marston, why is that name so familiar?'. I looked over to the bedside table and I have his book, 'Harrier Boys', out. It's a fantastic read. If you don;t have it the Works were selling it for £6.
Fascinating documentary… I was a chef on 3sqn at Gutersloh in 1992… managed to bag a back seat jolly in a T4 👌👌👌💥💥💥
I was one of Bob's course mates through training. We were on the Harrier No16 OCU Course together in 1975. I was one of the "rest' who went to Germany. He stayed mostly with the Harrier while I ended up on Tornado GR1, after an instructor tour on the Hawker Hunter at TWU RAF Brawdy. I then became an airline pilot in 1989 (boring). Re: the Falklands and "training everyone who'd ever flown the Harrier" during the Falklands War - I was on the list and had a date to report to RAF Wittering for a refresher course but the war ended so I went on a Tornado course as previously planned and joined the second Tornado squadron to form (No 617). My only contribution to the Falklands had been helping to provide No 1(F) Sqn with air combat training prior to its deployment to the South Atlantic - flying the Hunter as a rough A4 Skyhawk equivalent. I also did a stint in Belize - late '77 I think - when two of us from Gutersloh squadrons were sent to give some relief to the 'F Troop' mates.
I am from Belize. I was so amazed by the Harriers jump jets and the British for defending Belize in perilous times. Thanks for you service and for protecting us. The Harrier left a lasting and emotional impression - and a lifelong love for fast jets and the jump jet! When Belize was on the brink of invasion (a carbon copy of the Falkland situation) the Harrier showed up and did a show of force flight throughout Belize and the border region. The Harriers made a dramatic impact psychologically on the entire population. I was playing marbles in my front yard in the capital - the adults were worried stiff - the tensions were so high. People were leaving for the USA, Canada, and Great Britain - just getting out of dodge due to invasion rumours and military incursions. When I saw them streak in low over the triple canopy rain forest and roar over the Capital. We roared and jumped for joy! Thank you Sir!
Thanks for sharing that story, Ron!
Hi Ron, Great comment, I think the Harrier left a lasting impression on everyone, in my childhood the RAF were operating GR-7 and the Navy FA-2, I was fascinated by its ability to hover, bow and fly backwards, as I got older and learnt more about the Harrier but still fascinated by it, one of the best planes Britain had, not the fastest by any means but diverse and manoeuvrable.
Accord to the Book Phoenix Squadron , it was 2 RN Buccaneers that did the 1st flyby over Belize in 72, the Harriers were on their way , But HMS Ark Royal was charging over to bring her airwing to bear, 2 Bucc's were deployed WAY beyond their normal range, with extra fuel in their bombays, buddy refueled by 2 more Buccaneers ,then had to fly a very economic flight to Belize, and were nearly shot down by the US, just had enough spare fuel to fly over to signal that Britain was coming/inrange, then fly Back , meet up with their Buddy fuel coparts again and then Land on the Ark,
Its a great read - I recommend it
they were Buccanears
@@farmerned6 Indeed, an excellent book. I did read somewhere of a later incident when there was more nonsense from Guatemala and an invading column stopped when it turned a corner to see a Harrier hovering over the road pointing at them. They stopped and turned around, nothing more was heard from them to the present day.
25:53 “I flew a sea harrier once. Chap flew down and left his on the ground for a few hours, so I borrowed it” 😂😂
Great interview, and What a deeply cool guy
He must have skills, it sounds like he was fast-tracked into flying fast jets. That doesn't happen to all potential fly boys......
I remember my dad mentioning Bob. My dad was ATC at Wittering for quite a few years with the Harriers, flitting between Wittering, Cranwell, Barkston Heath etc.
The village I live in now has a great character...Sir Clive Loader, I bumped into him recently has had a nice chat, he remembered my dad when he was Duty Officer, which was really nice considering the career he took and all the folk he met!
My dad took me to work with him a few times, airfield inspection at Wittering, stood in the tower drinking a mug of tea whilst a Harrier hovered just in front of me (unbelievable for a 14 year old) it then gave me the "salute" (even more awe inspiring and such an honour) dog leg over Stamford direction and extremely low hover/inching over the runway, vectored down blowing up all the standing water which enveloped the entire plane with just the tail fin visible!!!
Another great memory was being sat in the Station Commanders JP at Cranwell and an erk saying "Don't touch anything yellow and black" I spent half an hour petrified as everything suddenly looked yellow and black!!
Love this video, a great memory jolter too! When the interviewer said R.A.F and Bob replied with Royal Air Force that struck a chord here! My dad would always correct us if we said R.A.F. we never dared to say Raf!!!!
Thanks for uploading this and many thanks and gratitude to Bob and all of those who were and are involved in flying the beautiful Harrier.
Bob Marston's talking is a joy to listen to. Very focused, lean and precise. Thumbs up for the gentleman!
Impressive and fascinating are understatements! Great interview- many thanks. This pilot is IMO a class act. Only Britain and the RAF could produce a guy like this.
What a very modest man Bob is. That was very enjoyable listening to him. Thank you for that.👍
@@Steve-Cross glad you enjoyed it.
Mr Ramsey brought me here. Mr Marston, what a guy. Thanks for this.
Glad you enjoyed it.
I’m watching this for the second time and I think Bob is my favourite. What an interesting career. Thanks.
Awesome... I have an Airfix GR3 model and we have a GR3 Harrier in a museum here in NZ.. thanks👍🇳🇿
Well, watching this ended up costing me money. Just ordered both of Bob's books. Looking forward to some quality time reading about my favorite jet aircraft. Great interview, thanks for posting it.
They are a great read and you won’t be disappointed!
The dehavaland chipmunk. What a fantastic airplane. That was my first flying experience with a royal navy pilot back in 1975 at RAF Marham .
If you have not read Harrier boys by Bob, get both volumes , just awesome . Thank you Sir
A real ale drinking Harrier pilot..... what a guy! Great stories & interesting books too. Bob will have to visit the Norwich Beer festival next year! Thanks for the upload
Glad you enjoyed it. I shall tell him about it when i next speak to him, Matt.
Sea Harrier boys did a fine job back in 82, I was 17 not long been in the Navy, went South on a frigate.
Did anyone notice how his voice changed after he got into the cockpit?I believe his heart was bumping again......
Great interview and what a great guy. He was really taking up all that space in the cockpit. Brilliant and thank you.
Hovering one of these must still be a really neat trick, and to think they've been doing it for 50 years!
..coolest statement by any fighter pilot ever : 3I got into this because I was out of work..." Cheers Sir !
All the excitment was sucked out of him in his flying days. In all seriousness he looks like a no nonsense chap, I like him immensely.
My god this chap is a walking encyclopedia of his incredible career. I can't even remember what i had for dinner two nights ago! Great interview.
Nice man, I wish him well
Love these interviews, these RAF pilots are the epitome of cool 😎
Thank you Mr Marston! 👏
That bit about the people at the bottom of the class at the beginning being the only ones who went on to fast jets is incredibly interesting.
It surprised me too. Cheers for watching
Shows how many people get thrown away in the military due to standards, that if allowed could be some of the best. He was lucky they were willing to give him a chance at that time, if he had been in the class before he would have been made ground crew.
Great interview, would have loved a channel like this when I was joining. Keep up the great work
Tim Robinson thanks very much.
Great interview Bob, what an awsome career, a true gent English flyer, cool as a cucumber.
Great to hear you enjoyed.
Once again a very understated, reserved and fascinating interview subject. Very enjoyable. Would love to see more US and maybe French, German, etc. ones. And yes, that cockpit IS snug. Imagine crossing the Atlantic in that!
That's much appreciated and glad you enjoyed it. Well we have a couple in the works regarding the US forces :)
@@deeremeyer1749 You are nothing more than an attention seeking troll ! Jog on toss pot
Really well put together. Very enjoyable. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to more
Very impressive pilot story, inspirational for anyone with similar aims-hard work and dedication and be part of a system. Thank you for sharing this very insightful interview,
Outstanding Interview! Going to get books.
Cheers! They are a great read so you won’t be disappointed.
Your a fucking legend Bob - love genuine flying stories from guys of this caliber !!
Great interview. The guy was one of the best.
T523 Glad you enjoyed his tales.
Great job guys !!! Greetings from Serbia !! Keep on with great intrerviews !!
Thanks very much!
Belize in 1980 we had a false alarm of a invasion. A Voight Corsair over flew the Airport camp dropped what looked like Naplam pods. In fact was a drop tanks. The aircraft was an emergency, and did a wheels up landing. I think it was in Honduras air force colours. Being flown to the Confederate airforce museum in the US! Then we had massed invasion force night attack. Harriers took off. Royal Engineers placed HE on bridges on border. Turned out the invasion force was 100 pick up trucks with workers cutting down sugarcane plantation on Guatemala border.
lol thats funny...crazy times
Bob, great conversation.
VERY INTERESTING INTERVIEW
Superb interview with a truly incredible guy
I am amazed at how tight the Harrier cockpit is. It makes me wonder how you could eject without losing your legs.
What a great interview, thanks guys.
Cheers
Top notch! I'd love to hear more stories from Bob.
Glad you enjoyed it. I could of spent a whole day talking to him!
Hi, these Aircrew interviews are absolutely fantastic, full of stories, facts and info, its awesome ! I would love to hear from perhaps Seaking pilots Lynx, Apache also, I really think them guys would add some spice and grit to this channel too, even a good old fashioned Lightning pilot ☺ Keep up the excellentwork guys ! Mike (this is my partners account )
Thank you for the kind words its much appreciated! We will certainly be interviewing a Lightning pilot and Seaking aircrew this year.
I would loved to hear Bobs thoughts on the UsMc av8 harrier. Thanks for the upload!!
Your welcome, Michael. That would be interesting to hear.
There wouldn't be much difference from the AV-8. It's the same airframe -- it's the avionics fits that are the main differences between the US and British machines. The US Marine Corps, when they adopted the type, didn't make a lot of changes but they also didn't add much in the way of avionics which really limited the first-generation American machines (AV-8A). They were roughly equivalent to the British Harrier GR.1... The surviving AV-8A's -- those they DIDN'T manage to crash -- were upgraded into AV-8C which is out of sequence seeing as the Harrier II (in the US) was called the AV-8B and a true next-generation plane with much more advanced technology. (AV-8C was basically a service-life extension of the AV-8A; it had none of the advanced features of the AV-8B. They just tried maximize the lifespan of the airframe and tried to improve the plane's VTOL handling without spending a lot of money. The Harrier II had the first significant flight control improvements -- fly-by-wire for one -- as well as eventual implementation of decent avionics which made the Harrier II a MUCH better plane than the original Harrier. Only the Sea Harrier would be arguably better in air-to-air avionics, especially after the FSR.2 upgrade with AMRAAMs and true look-down, shoot-down radar which would make Exocet/cruise missile strikes a lot less likely to be successful against friendly surface ships. They eventually installed good, all-weather radar in upgraded Harrier II's that enabled those planes to fire AMRAAMs, too, but that was well after the Sea Harrier upgrades...) There were enough changes from the AV-8 that the next generation (Harrier II) really should have been advanced in designation to AV-11 or AV-12. Why not AV-11 or AV-12 in the end? Well, Harrier follows the unified US DoD aircraft designation put in place in 1962. It's an attack plane, the "V" designating that it has vertical take-off capability. It followed after the A-7 Corsair II but before the A-10 Thunderbolt... A-9 was already reserved for the Northrop CAS contender that lost to the A-10. (And no, skipping over A-11 or A-12 has NOTHING to do the predecessor to the SR-71... The A-12 Blackbird was still classified at the time development began on the Harrier II and the AV-8B designation had already been reserved for the Harrier. Harrier II still could have been called AV-11 or AV-12 if the manufacturer had been honest about the project's new-build, new-design status.) So, it was politics that determined Harrier II would be called AV-8B. You can hide some things by claiming it's a new model of an existing plane instead of admitting it was a NEW plane, PERIOD, which is the truth. Redesigned airframe, new flight controls, new wing, new yadda-yadda-yadda... Well, they lied when they said it was "just a new Harrier" -- like it was the same plane that flew in the 1960s!
another fantastic video mate
Cheers Kevin.
Funny story about the Hunter... Apparently it shrunk when the Hawk was made. 🤔 Biggest lesson, never give up, even if you find yourself at the back of the curve.
I was expecting Mr Marston to say, I play magical flutes as a hobby. It's easier than fiddling around with all the controls in the cockpit.
Another great interview.
Thanks Michael!
Great person. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent interview as always! Have you thought about trying to have a chat with former RAF/RN Harrier pilot David Morgan about his experiences?
Thanks, Justyn. I have thought of David and is always possible for the future :)
Sqn Ldr Jerry pook would be good too, his book is excellent!
Shirley Ward would be a good option
Justyn Keebl
Incredible interview! Love hearing these
Glad you you enjoyed it.
If any of the viewers have Facebook you can join our group to interact with some of the pilots we interview, plus lots of avgeek chat! facebook.com/groups/1005290989528280/?ref=br_rs
Unfortunately not, it might be worth getting account as you here of everything thats up and coming. If not our web site www.aircrewinterview.tv updates of upcoming interview.
We should have a couple of hours more! :-)
Snug cockpit he said... I wonder how could anyone work in such a claustrophobic place.
(In the meantime I could try and find his books I suppose...)
Awesome interview like all of your interviews.... who thumbs down these uploads lol
Thank you very much.
Excellent, again looking forward to it, again keep up the great work ☺
I was an aircraft technician airframe on 233 ocu when Bob was there, worst aircraft I ever worked on, they designed the engine and the airframe was an afterthought , main undercarriage bay was always filthy due to vertical landings causing all sorts of debris being sucked up including wildlife !
Great interview !
Cheers
thanks yet again another fascinating insight to flying this famous (or infamous if you are a US Marine!) aircraft! keep up the good work ...any valiant pilots?
Thank you Chris. Hopefully in the future.
Can anyone here answer a question for me about the nozzles and flaps more specifically on the GR7? Are the flaps and nozzles controlled together, or can they be controlled independently? They appear from videos I've seen that as the nozzles are moving up and down the flaps seem to be moving at exactly the same time and pace!
Yes, let's have another couple of hours, please.
Is the seat adjustable? Even without a helmet it looked like he'd have trouble closing the canopy!
I was an Ops guy on 4 Sqn with Mr Marston. Never understood what it took out of them to fly these aircraft.
"you shot down a Lightning with a Harrier, If we ever meet, drinks are on me...
what a great video.
Thanks, Gail!
Tomorrow i'm being crushed by a forklift truck. - Wye sense of humour, love it.
Hard to believe the knobs at the top could not see any reason to build the Harrier.
fantastic. Thanks for the video. great interview and well produced. Would love to share an evening with him over a pint or two. (I live down the road from Church Fen btw.
Duggie Bader thanks very much. He is a lovely chap with some great stories that's for sure!
Mike, this is my favorite interview with Bob
Pablo Mason would be an interesting interview to do!
He would indeed.
Would one of those OCU students perhaps be Peter Squire? He did well for himself!
How did this tall man fit into that cramped cockpit?
Excellent.
Thanks Peter.
So calm. Bet that makes him a great fighter pilot?
It could be!
The Harriers are all ground attack, not fighters (No radar), with the exception of the Sea Harrier, which had an Air-to-Air Radar and AMRAAM missiles.
How about Chris Heames on Tornado?
lordmick roach Always a possibility for the future.
Splendid!
Would be great to hear from Pilots who flew in the Falklands war...
Was the harrier ever exported?.
Yeah. USA, Spain, Indian and probably more.
Great!
Super!!
Respect!
Cracking Video
Cheers Tim
It only might be an optical illusion but that barrier he's stood next to looks like a small plane on other planes like the f16, f15 f18 and f35 if a person's stood under the cockpit you can always see the front landing gear near the top of their heads could someone tell me if I'm right or I need to go to the opticians lol
Does he talk about "Viffing"?
One thing you notice you notice about ex-aviators, none of them are raving ego maniacs.
/watch?v=joUzXB6t0Gw
Some years ago, Bob Marston, Flt Lt, walks out to his Harrier.... 45 seconds in.
ua-cam.com/video/joUzXB6t0Gw/v-deo.html
Horrible aircraft to work on as a technician. Worked on FR1, FRA2, GR7 and the upgrade to G7a, much preferred helicopters
The more I hear about the problems they had with Harrier operations -- USMC and RAF/RN --, the more surprised I am they DIDN'T have more accidents than they did! The engine FOD ingestion issue was as bad or worse than other jet types and the fact is they caused damage to ships AND landing pads when they did vertical landings. They could superheat the ground and cause landing areas to explode!
The other thing they can't dispute is that they left an IR signature, too, from the heat of the jet blast on the ground. Of course, the fact that these jets are relatively small makes them tons easier to hide than even an F-16. You are pretty much stuck to an airfield or ship with other jet types.
The Harrier really was the only practical V/STOL jet that was fielded. The Russian equivalent, the Yak-38 Forger, was junk and at least 5 times more hazardous to the pilot.
For all the mechanical issues the Harrier has, I can't help but think the F-35B is going to be horrible to maintain in the field between the stealth coating that has to be constantly repaired and that complicated fanblade system/power shaft it uses for vertical flight. They lost a lot of useful interior space for fuel and who knows what else to accommodate that lift fan! The whole thing looks terribly complicated. Even 90-degree pivoting nozzle exhaust at the rear looks less complicated than the lift fan system. Freaking doors have to open and close right and you have to hope the shaft connected to the turbofan never breaks!
The V/STOL version of the F-35 (B model) can't have much better range than a Harrier if it even does match the range of the Harrier II.
AvengerII Verbose and inaccurate. Your assessment is based on what exactly?
Ex 4 Sqn late 70's??
seems like one would lose his knees if he had to eject. ouch!
surely ejecting from a harrier would damage your legs in that cramped cockpit
Harrier pilots wore boots with reinforced tongues on them because of the risk of the instrument panel damaging their legs upon ejection, despite their legs being pulled back by tapes as the seat went up the rails upon ejection. A friend of mine is a Harrier ejection survivor and has the scars on his shins to prove it.
johan schmidt no. You leave at an angle. About. 6 cm clearance between your kneecaps & the windshield 😬
It's a very tight office 🙄
Bob appears in this old TV piece at 40 seconds:
ua-cam.com/video/joUzXB6t0Gw/v-deo.html
6600lbs of fuel with small drop tanks....😎🙏
It failed to be supersonic and was replaced by a helicopter.. Project in reality was a failure.
Waste of money and hardly ever used by anyone.
That's my opinion. You decide if I am lying or not.
I dont know, because I watched a video on UA-cam about this jet in the Falklands war. Try and find it, its interesting.
The Harrier was a Failure. The Falkland was not a War.. It was classed as a CONFLICT. Nobody declared War.
& I know why too.
No need. I've spent many hours of research looking into the Falklands Conflict Hoax already.
RR PLANB
The larger supersonic version was killed off by politicians.
Read up on 1154
Cost billions , sold for next to nothing. replaced by helicopters. Super sonic VTOL FAIL.
Tax payers ripped off.
Prove me wrong.
Whilst watching this I was thinking 'Hmmm, Bob Marston, why is that name so familiar?'. I looked over to the bedside table and I have his book, 'Harrier Boys', out.
It's a fantastic read. If you don;t have it the Works were selling it for £6.