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AV-8B
The AV-8B Harrier II V/STOL strike aircraft was designed to replace the AV-8A and the A-4M light attack aircraft. The Marine Corps requirement for a V/STOL light attack force has been well documented since the late 1950s. Combining tactical mobility, responsiveness, reduced operating cost and basing flexibility, both afloat and ashore, V/STOL aircraft are particularly well suited to the special combat and expeditionary requirements of the Marine Corps.
Harrier pilots practicing conventional landings
Powered by the Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine, the Harrier’s innovative design allows it to hover, take off, and land vertically.
Pete Bowen, former USMC AV-8B Harrier II pilot, recalls on Quora;
‘The AV-8B Harrier uses enormous flaps when it does Short Take Offs or Landings (STOVL). These provide an enormous amount of lift to get the aircraft off the ground on takeoffs and allows the aircraft to get very slow on landings. A Harrier wing gets about 1000lbs of lift at about 40 knots.
‘There are three flap settings: STO, auto, and cruise. The STO setting is used in the takeoff/landing phase. The auto flaps are used during almost all regular flying, and the cruise setting is almost never used.
‘In the auto setting (regular flying), the flaps are automatically moved by the mission computer during maneuvering to get the best wing aerodynamics for the situation. The flaps can go up to 25d deployed.
‘The STO setting enables flaps to deploy to 62d (picture above). They are moved by mission computer depending on the nozzle/nozzle lever position in the cockpit.
‘For Harriers, we almost always make slow, vertical, or rolling vertical landings. We only practice conventional landings (CL) (nozzles aft) for emergencies. One reason is that Harrier main landing gear is under the fuselage—not down the wings—so the aircraft is really squirrely on a high-speed rollout.
‘A second reason is that if you follow your landing checklist habit pattern and put the flap setting to STOL on a conventional landing, you could be in for a big scare and a world of hurt.
Aircraft instantly jumping off the deck
‘When you touch down on a CL, you go to idle, pull the nozzles into braking stop so they point 20d ahead of the airplane, and then add power to slow the aircraft down. Under 100 knots, you go to idle and point the nozzles back aft.
‘In this scary version, you’re coming in for a CL and you accidentally do the regular landing checklist and put the flaps to STOL. As you touchdown, you go to idle and then pull the nozzles lever in to braking stop. Uh oh. As you pull the nozzles in, the flaps go down to 62d, you get an enormous amount of lift (with flaps at 62d, the plane will fly at 55knots—you’re doing 125kts) and the aircraft instantly jumps off the deck.
‘Now you’re instantly at 100ft altitude, nozzles pointed ahead of the aircraft, decelerating like a MoFo, and at idle. With your left hand, you simultaneously try to push the nozzle lever and throttle forward, trying to stop the deceleration and get power on the aircraft. Gets better. As you push the nozzles aft, your flaps go from 62d to 25d, dumping lift and spiking AOA, while you hope that turbofan engine spools up in time for you to not hit the ground like a paper bag full of dog crap.’
Bowen concludes;
‘The two times I know about, it was a training flight in a two-seat Harrier. The instructor barely managed to do all those things above without causing a crash.’
Photo credit: Sgt. Anthony Ortiz and Sgt. Jamean Berry / U.S. Marine Corps
