Hey, everybody, thanks for watching “Badass Pilot: The Series.”
[Lt. Col. Art Nalls (Ret.) HARRIER PILOT] As promised, I'm going to answer some of your questions,
so let's get right to them.
[BADASS PILOT THE SERIES Q&A]
[LUCAS RASNESVSKI Hey Art, loved the video! I have a question:] OK, so Lucas Rasnesvski asked:
[Why didn't you make a career as a commercial pilot after you left the military?] Hey, Art, loved the video.
I have a question: Why didn't you make a career as a commercial pilot after you left the military?
That kind of flying never really appealed to me.
I wanted to do aerobatics and fly high speed and stuff like that.
I don't particularly enjoy flying the type of flying that airline pilots do.
[BRYON H First and most important, Semper Fi!!] Bryon H.
[Was wondering if your harrier has all the original electronics. I was in the Marines and worked on IFF units.] First and most important, semper fi.
[Look forward to your answer and fly safe.] Was wondering if your Harrier has all the original electronics.
Well the answer, Bryon, is no, it doesn't.
We've taken all the weapon systems out of it.
We saved about three or four hundred pounds with wiring and some boxes and stuff like that.
We use civilian navigation and civilian instruments for much of it,
and civilian radios too, of course.
So the answer is no, it's not a stock airplane on the inside.
[PAUL WANDERS WOW! Good for you Art. Live for your dream became a reality!] Next is from Paul Wanders.
[Your so right when you say not too many people who are regular civilians can say they own their own Harrier. Have you ever flown it like to a vacation spot?] Have you every flown it, like, to a vacation spot?
Air shows are a lot of fun for us,
so you can say that the air show is kind of a vacation spot.
It's a lot of work, but the team generally enjoys doing it.
The air show you saw was Lakeland, Fla.
Nice, bright and sunny.
So yes, we do fly it to vacation spots, but only for work.
[CHRIS CAIN Any chance of bringing one over for a season of air shows in the future?] Chris Cain asked: Any chance of bringing one over for a season of air shows in the future?
[Be great to see one fly in the U.K. again. Keep up the great work chap.] Be great to see one fly in the U.K. again.
We tried that several years ago, and the administrative process,
it just became absolutely monumental and insurmountable.
We've tried. We probably will not be successful.
[U WOT M8 Hey Art, have you ever done any flights over ships? Amphibious assault ships, LHA, LHD, LHP, helicopter carriers, etc. Love your work and dedication.] Hey, Art, have you ever done any flights over ships?
Well, yes, I have.
I think I've got over 400 carrier landings off of those various ships, and they're all vertical landings.
So yes, the answer to that is yes, I have.
[CHILIADCHIEF "You name it I flew it" F35 lightning?] Chiliadchief, "You name it I flew it.” F-35 Lightning?
I have not flown the F-35 Lightning except in a simulator.
That aircraft was not in service when I was at test pilot school.
I meant just about everything that was in service at that time, in 1985.
The F-35 came along much later, but I have flown it in a simulator, yes.
[KYLE JACKSON The FAA guy said he would shut him down if he broke the rules. Does anyone know what rules he could possibly break?] The FAA guy said he would shut him down if he broke the rules.
Does anyone know what rules he could possibly break?
And the answer to that is all of them.
Every time we take off, there's somebody watching us like a hawk.
They know our altitude. They know our air speed.
There are rules in the sky about doing aerobatics,
how fast you can go, how low you can go,
and every one of them is a FAA flight violation,
which could mean you could lose your license.
They're serious about it.
[TY CAVINDER What is the primary role of a harrier since it doesn't use afterburner engines?] What is the primary role of a Harrier, since it doesn't use afterburner engines?
Well, it's used by different services in different countries in slightly different ways.
The Marine Corps uses it as close air support,
and it does have a secondary air-to-air role.
It has air-to-ground radar and air-to-air radar, so it can actually do both.
But the primary mission the way the Marine Corps used it
was as air-to-ground support,
close air support for the Marines on the ground.
Most of the airplanes that have afterburners also have another mission as an interceptor
where you have to go from point A to point B very quickly.
That's where an afterburner comes into value.
But one of the key features of the Harrier, it was so versatile,
you didn't have to put it on an aircraft carrier 200 miles across the ocean.
It was close to where you needed it and close to where the action is.
[TY CAVINDER What's the top speed of a harrier?] Ty Cavinder also asked: What's the top speed of the Harrier?
They vary slightly.
This one, the published statistics of a Sea Harrier are 650 knots.
That's about 720, 730 miles an hour, somewhere around there.
And this airplane is very capable of doing that straight and level.
[NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV Why are they getting rid of the Harrier?] Why are they getting rid of the Harrier?
Well, the fundamental thing you need to understand, Nikita,
is that the airplanes are weapon systems and they are designed to counter a specific threat.
You buy new airplanes like the F-35, designed to counter a threat
that may exist years from now, years into the future.
It includes all kinds of improvements, so that is one of the reasons
that we get rid of an obsolete weapon system,
to make room for a much advanced weapon system.
And I'll tell you, I've talked to some Harrier pilots who've flown the F-35,
and the F-35, you hear in the news, it's got problems with this and that,
and the question I asked of him: “If you had to go to war today, which one would you rather be in?"
Hands down, the answer was the F-35.
That's a very strong statement coming from somebody who's in the business,
who's going to have to put his life in the hands of the weapon system.
They'd rather take the F-35 than the Harrier.
[JOSEPH COLEMAN How much do you spend on fuel?] Joseph Coleman asked: How much do you spend on fuel?
And I think the answer is everything.
It's always fuel.
The Harrier, it consumes it faster than you can pour it out of a five-gallon bucket.
It uses a gallon every two seconds in the hover.
It averages 1.3 gallons per mile.
I didn't stutter there.
That's the average over start, taxi, takeoff, climb to altitude and descent.
[THE GRAY GHOST Why not buy a cheaper old MiG that could take cheaper-quality fuel, too?] The Gray Ghost asked: Why not buy a cheaper old MiG
that could take cheaper-quality fuel, too?
The Harrier draws people to air shows.
We did this as a financial venture.
I love the Harrier, but I looked at the statistics of what were the favorite acts at air shows.
Hands down, it's the Harrier, way over top of a MiG.
I mean, there's some MiGs out there flying. They're cheaper, yep.
They don't draw the crowds.
We've had people come all the way from the U.K. and from Germany
just to watch us perform at a little teeny place called Culpeper, Va.
That says something.
[SSJWES The question though, does he have AARP insurance on this?] SSJWES asks: The question, though, does he have AARP insurance on this?
No, we don't have AARP insurance on the airplane,
and AARP doesn't sell insurance.
[NOUS RESTERONS LA How much does a Harrier Jet cost to buy as a civilian?] How much does a Harrier jet cost to buy as a civilian?
Well, that is probably the most asked question I get,
and I generally just refuse to answer it.
That was a private deal between the seller and the buyer that we agreed to,
but I think you can probably get one for 7 million Pepsi points.
Now, the more Pepsi you drink, the more great stuff you're going to get.
Sure beats the bus.
[HARRIER FIGHTER 7,000,000 PEPSI POINTS]
Hey, thanks a lot for watching and for submitting all your questions.
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[@ArtNalls1] I'm @ArtNalls1, the numeral 1, and I'll do my best to answer all your questions.
Thanks a lot.