Daily fail story here

Art Nalls has bought the ultimate boys’ toy: he’s the only private owner of a Royal Navy Sea Harrier, which he rebuilt with a little help from a 400,000-page manual

The paint may be peeling in places and it has clearly seen better days, but to its proud owner, the gunmetal-grey Sea Harrier remains a thing of beauty.

The British-built jet, once a potent symbol of this country’s technological prowess, now startles the neighbours and the local Cessna pilots whenever it emerges from its hangar at the tiny St Mary’s County Regional Airport in Maryland, some 50 miles south-east of Washington, DC.

‘When people see it in flight it inspires awe,’ booms Art Nalls, the only person in the world to privately own a working Harrier jump jet.

‘People can’t believe ten tons of aluminium can float motionless on a sea of noise. I get a kick out of watching the crowds at air shows.

'As soon as I gun the engine, people put down their hot dogs and look upwards with their mouths wide open, like a bunch of baby birds waiting to be fed.

'You don’t get the same kick looking at a jet sitting on the ground in a museum. She’s like having a mistress – only more fun and way more expensive.’

I will keep my Harrier airworthy for as long as I’m physically capable of flying her.’

Nalls, who lives in Virginia, won’t divulge exactly what he paid for his ‘bird’, but says reports of £2.5 million ‘are not wide of the mark’.

Staggeringly, it costs £150 a minute to fly.

Nalls’s love affair with the plane began during his days as a Marine pilot.

‘I flew 65 different types of aircraft. I was less than enthused when I was chosen to fly the AV-8A Harrier. It had a horrible reputation as a difficult and busy aircraft.

'I was apprehensive, but that all changed when I took one up for the first time. I strapped in and everything after that was a blur. The Harrier accelerated forward like a rifle shot, and by the time I’d reached the end of the runway I was going 450 knots. I was amazed at what this plane could do. I was hooked!’

He went on to work as a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base, where one of his jobs was to take Harriers to 45,000ft and shut down the engine.

‘I have more than six hours of flight time in single-engine jets without the engine running,’ he grins.

‘At 45,000ft I’d shut everything down, glide down to 25,000ft and then restart. Thankfully for me the Harriers always restarted.’

After retiring in 1989 due to an injury sustained when he broke up a bar-room brawl, Nalls began investing in property and built a multimillion-pound empire.

He started buying planes – a Russian Yak-3 fighter and a Czech L-39 Albatros. Then in 2006 he learned that the RAF was selling an FA2 Sea Harrier (or SHAR) via an aviation broker near Ipswich, Everett Aero.

The plane was due to be retired. She never flew in combat; she was used to train pilots. I think the broker expected her to end up in a museum. Owning a Sea Harrier was one of my life’s dreams.

'When I heard about her being for sale through a trade publication, I immediately flew to England and went to RAF Bentwaters airbase in Suffolk. When I saw her sitting there in the hangar, it was love at first sight. I got straight on the phone to my bank and arranged payment the next day.’

Once he’d obtained clearance from the authorities, the Harrier was transported to Maryland by sea.

‘I had to go through a mountain of red tape to get her over to the U.S, and she arrived in pieces.

'When I asked the RAF for manuals to help me rebuild her, they ran security checks. I guess they didn’t want a Harrier falling into the hands of some tinpot dictator. Then they finally sent me the manuals; they ran to 400,000 pages – no kidding.’

Then began the arduous process of making the plane airworthy again.

‘The weapons systems had been removed and we replaced some of the heavy radio equipment and wiring. It was a labour of love. I had a team of volunteers and we worked around the clock for two years before I took her up in the air for the first time.

'Every time I needed a part I either had to find someone to make it for me or I had to scour the internet. There were many times I’d lie awake in bed at night wondering if I’d bought myself an expensive toy that would never leave the hangar.’
The lowest point came after the plane had been reassembled, at the end of its second flight.

‘The nose landing gear dropped but unknown to me it failed to lock. The nose was crushed on landing. That set us back months.’

But Nalls says the effort was worth it.

‘The first time I took her up was magical. There is something poetic about the quality of the engineering. This plane can roll, climb, dive and turn, but what’s staggering is how you can go from travelling through the air at 600mph to hovering at a standstill in a matter of seconds.

'Once you’ve flown one it’s like a drug. You’re hooked.’

It’s an expensive habit, though. Nalls has spent more than £1 million getting the plane back in the air – and its Rolls-Royce engine guzzles one gallon of fuel every six seconds.

‘I use up 50 gallons of fuel just getting from the hangar to the runway. At the beginning I was fuelling up so often the local aviation authorities got on to me wanting to know why I required so much jet fuel. When I told them it was for my Harrier, there was silence at the end of the phone.

I’ve had her long enough now that word has got around. The world of air shows and those of us who own private jets is pretty small, and once I got the SHAR the news spread like wildfire.

'It’s the ultimate in bragging rights. Other pilots come up to me constantly wanting to know about her.’

The jet’s controls include a conventional centre stick and left-hand throttle, but with the addition of a lever for controlling the four vectoring nozzles – pointed backwards for horizontal flight and downwards for vertical take-offs and landings. Otherwise, the cockpit is unremarkable.

‘There are no mod cons in the aircraft – no cup-holders in the SHAR! This is a performance plane,’ says Nalls proudly.

‘I’m the only guy in the world with my own Harrier, and I intend to enjoy it just as long as I can. I would love to bring her back to the UK in 2012 to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War.

'The Smithsonian has expressed interest in buying it, but I believe this is a plane which deserves to keep flying – even if the British Government doesn’t.

Obviously a man with very deep pockets.

Not uncommon in The States for civies to have heavy metal.
Phantom flying and a EE Lightening being made airworthy with a little help from some Brits.

We have Hunters, Vampires. Venoms
And of course Foxy Lady (Sea Vixen)

RAF Harriers are all parked up

I thought the avionics suite in a Lightning was preventing it from gaining a cert. of airworthyness?

God bless eccentric nutters

Since Thunder City at Cape Town lost their F6 in a fatal crash they have grounded their 2 airworthy T5
Lightenings.  Insurance, fuel costs ??

This is the only likely one to fly in The States where money and their CAA are more receptive.

We have several that do fast taxi runs but don't fly.

Anglo American Lightning Organisation
Returning to Flight English Electric Lightning XS422


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Thank you for your virtual visit to the restoration of English Electric Lightning, XS422 ...

The British contingent of the XS422 restoration team are currently at Stennis in varying numbers with different trades coming and going over the coming month. We are being joined from time to time by members of our newly reformed US volunteer team. To join the US volunteers or get in touch email [email protected] . You can follow the team's progress on Twitter EELIGHTNING, or Facebook LightningXS422restoration.

Following a restructuring and as a reflection of our current position we now have two vacancies for volunteer positions which you may be able to fill if you have the skills and perhaps some time to give. Applicants could potentially be UK or US based. More information is available to interested parties. We are seeking a Deputy Chief Engineer and a Fund Raising Co-ordinator. If you are interested then please respond to [email protected]

Now in our 10th year of restoration and after a huge amount of dedicated work by an international restoration team led by retired Royal Air Force Engineer, Phil Wallis, we have reached a pivitol point in the return to flight of XS422.

Formally with the Empire Test Pilots' School at Boscombe Down at Wiltshire in the UK, XS422 is a 1960's British Cold War Intercepter, an English Electric Lightning.

While the project has the skills and resources to complete the restoration we are now approaching a stall due to lack of funding.


The next stage in our plan to return XS422 to the air is to get it in ground running condition.

The engineering team currently estimate that funding of £40,000 sterling is needed for this and we seek this urgently. Can you help?

At the same time we also seek the further £180,000 sterling that would see this wonderful aircraft brought to flight status, and you can help us there as well.

We are open to all approaches from parties interested in significantly financially assisting the restoration and would be happy to discuss part ownership in the restoration or other options to reflect a significant financial input.

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Alternatively if you live in the UK, you can send a cheque payable to "AALO Supporters Group" to 32a, Glenwood Road, Catford, London, SE6 4NF

An appeal for your help We are currently seeking to contact the following US former pilots of XS422 so if you are one of the named individuals or know them then please get in touch;

R.H. Rutherford USN
J.J. Tartaglione USN
A.D. Mechling USN
C.R. Glaeser USAF
L.B. Hammond jr USAF

well done Art

The Phantom at Duxford is not allowed to fly, I've been told, as it's listed in a treaty with the Soviets/Russians and is a combat capable aircraft, the lightning is also on the list.
American F4s in civilian hands are also very restricted in their flying (I think there's very few of them) and watched by the authorities for similar reasons but the treaty was the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) so didn't apply to flying in the States.

Only reporting what I was told so correct it if it's wrong.

I would think that's correct. Here the CAA didn't like the EE Lightening.
Rated as a complicated aircraft and doesn't glide well

I once 'shot down' a Sea Harrier with a Hawker Hunter T7

Hawker Hunter a bit like a Spit if it looks right it is right.

Hunter my favourite 50's jet. We've got several at Exeter and they often
Come up to North Devon (Chivenor) to practice approaches.

Lovely blue note sound

When I was little they had dozens at Chivenor as OCU/weapons training.

I saw a 4 ship display at Yeovilton this year - brilliant.

When I was working in civil aviation the CAA were known as the Campaign Against Aviation: it seemed that they did not like anything that flew. Their legislative demands and personnel examination procedures were notorious. I spent a week at a school in Oklahoma and came back with an A & P, my CAA A & C LAE tickets took years and weeks of additional courses for each type. Very expensive, hence the crap pay for engineers and one of the reasons why I am now in the oil & gas industry.

Just think about this: the pilot walks away at the end of the flight. The engineer's work is there until it is revisited, years or even decades later in the case of structural stuff. Enjoy your flight.  

This was dissimilar air combat stuff, I was just along for the ride but the instructor let me have a play and talked me through it. Shot down by a chopped helicopter pilot, the disgrace..but he had his revenge..........several times as I recall.

 

We had lots of Hunters just a few miles across the water at RAF Brawdy.  No1 Tactical Weapons Unit, my last RAF station before my demob. I will have to dig out some photos.

Well guns and rocket pods against sidewinders
Getting him once was a result.

However mere mortals (rich ones) can own and fly a Hunter - cool ride.

ETA - forgot I've got 2 !!! Small but perfect.

These are based near me......
http://www.deltajets.com/ ......perhaps I should offer them my services.................sweeping the hangar

 

Kemble ? I went to the 50th anniversary of the Hunter there

I'd make the tea ans sweep the hanger for a spin

If you'd said that before I would of taken you to work with me

Always need someone to get the brews in

How cute..