Harrier GR3 weathering, some observations

By Ken Switzer
Sapmail, March 2001

I used to work a little on Harriers, and made a few mental notes regarding weathering on these marvellous aircraft.

1/ The rear, or "hot" nozzles, had a very sooty efflux. I remember standing right in front of the rear fuselage, and I couldn't read the airframe code (usually XV***), there was so much soot buildup. The front nozzles were "cold" from the fan, and so no soot.

2/ The grey & especially green tended to darken with age. Original paint demarcation was generally hard-edged, with in-service touch-up paint being lighter in shade with feathered edges. The rear side fuselage avionics access panels were sometimes seen with slightly mismatched camouflage demarcation lines across them, probably they were robbed from another aircraft. I wouldn't be surprised if that panel had de-lamination or similar problems.

3/ The airbrake always drooped on the ground. There was often a trail of leaked engine oil emanating from the panel behind,(& partly beneath) the airbrake. This panel was access to the rear electrical bay where the pilots kept their kit bags on land-away trips. The experienced pilots wrapped the kit bag in a big plastic bag to avoid smelly oil stained clothes!

4/ If the canopy is open the small step on the right side was always down. If the canopy was slightly open, the step was down only a little, being mechanically linked. I never saw a pilot use it. We always had step ladders on hand, and if the "jockey" was keen to vacate, he sometimes just walked down the wing and jumped off the tip.

5/ The tailplane always rested in the "nose down" position.

6/ The nose gear doors were opened by the ground crews after shutdown. They closed hydraulically as the engine started.

7/ The intake suck-in doors were not spring loaded, but just floated. Check your references for proper positioning on the ground.

8/ The laser ranger eyelids in the nose were always heavily eroded by dust etc, also the drop tank noses (tanks were invariably carried)& leading edges.

9/ Maps were invariably tucked at the side of the instrument glareshield, between it and the inside of the windscreen.

10/ On windy days the nozzles were manually rotated to the 90 degree (vertical takeoff) position, to prevent the engine from windmilling.

Again, a long post (sorry guys) but I hope some of you can use this info to help show some of the character of this terrific aircraft.

The one thing I can't remember to save my life was where the MAS(Master Armament Safety) pin was installed.  This was a red (I believe) plug about the size of a motorcycle twist grip that was inserted into a receptacle.  This tripped a switch killing all the armaments release circuits in the aircraft, so you could safely let the pilot get out of the aircraft.

Usually the "jet jockey" passed the MAS pin down to the ground crew for insertion.  I seem to remember it being on the forward fuselage, roughly in line with the lower lip of the engine intake, though from a FOD prevention point of view that doesn't make much sense and it may have been in line with the wing leading edge.

Oh, the notes we wish we had made in our youths, though we take so much for granted when they are around every day.  Also, taking photos of in-service aircraft while in that same service can be a touchy subject, especially when you are a keener like I was!

Sapmail Editor's Note: This information is reproduced with the kind permission of Ken. Part of this article came from the Hyperscale Discussion Board and part from an email he sent to me.

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