Harrier XV804

Sitting on the ground at the former RAF base at North Luffenham there is a lone Harrier VX804 slowly decaying away and much unloved. The Harrier in question is XV804 a former a GR.1 that was converted to GR.3.

VX804 is currently listed as an Instructional airframe but I wouldn't have thought she had been used in that role for years with the RAF leaving the base many years ago. As far as I can find out she has been standing in the same place on her own wheels for the last eleven years at least if not longer, so it is amazing that she is still standing at all. Although now showing her after being left outside for so long it would make a wonderful project for a museum to restore to her former glory as a static display.

It is incredible what was left at the former RAF base at North Luffenham when the RAF moved out. There seems to be loads of stuff there some of which would make excellent museum pieces, including a Phantom F4 and enough bits to probably make a complete Bloodhound exhibit. Sadly the Hawker Hunter there looks like it is beyond saving now, as can been seen in the photographs on the Aviation Forum.

Given the history of the RAF in Rutand it would be lovely to have even a static museum to those that have served in the county and the important role it played in the cold war.

Makes You Think

Last night I while hoping through the channels I caught a glimpse of one of some of the Harries of former RAF Cottesmore. Intrigued today I watched the programme on BBC iPlayer. I guess it just conformed what I already thought about the Governments stupid move to scrap this most capable of aircraft as well as the carriers that carried her.

The programme told the story of the Hawker (later BEA systems) Harrier and it]s use in the Falklands War which was 30 years ago. It told of how 20 Sea Harriers faced a Argentinean  Air Force comprising over 200 aircraft some of which could fly twice as fast as the Harrier. In rolling seas the Harriers flew over 600 combat missions with hardly a single mission being lost due to aircraft failures. More than that they shot down 23 aircraft without a single Harrier being lost in combat.

With the world the way it is today what is need is aircraft that can operate from almost anywhere that a conflict that we are involved is taking place. Versatile aircraft that can be based on ships or on make shift landing area's that are easy to defend on the ground. The one aircraft we had that can do that was the Harrier and it was the one aircraft that we decided to get rid of in the strategic defence review which has done so much to leave us defenceless. 

What I still find unbelievable is that one of the finest aircraft that Britain has ever produced was scrapped when it was in service with so many other nations in front line service including the USA. In fact it is to the USA that the British Harriers were sold for next to nothing. These aircraft weren't out of date and a lot of money was spent upgrading them and the systems on them making them effectively new aircraft. Even their base had lots of money spent on it and the facilities there over recent years.

My personal thought why they were scraped is for the same reason that the people in power were reluctant to buy them when they were first built, there simply didn't understand what they could do and what a fine aircraft they actually were. It took the Falklands war to prove that and some 30 years later that lesson has been forgotten and so they were scraped. The thing now they have gone the chances of another Falklands war is back but this time there will be no Harriers to win the island back. If the RAF really think that a couple of Typhoon Fighters can defend the islands then they are as crazy as the politicians who threw away one of the best aircraft in service.

The Last Harrier

The last BAE Systems Harrier GR9 to leave RAF Cottesmore finds an new home at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford. It didn't arrive by air but on the back of a low loader, and it landed vertically by virtue of a crane after having it wings refitted to the airframe.

The aircraft, ZD461, was grounded after suffering damage from brake fire during an exercise in the United States. It was returned to RAF Cottesmore for repairs which were never carried out after the announcement of the grounding and eventual sale of the Harrier flee in service with the RAF. Hopefully it will soon be on display and be a tribute to all those who flew this type of aircraft over it's long years of service in both the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm.

What a Waste

The Harriers that have been stored in hangers for the last eleven months have finally been sold to the United States of American. One of the many counties that still see this aircraft as a capable warbird ready to defend it lands and interests. While we are left without a carrier force for the nearly twenty years if the rumours are right about the construction of the new carriers to replace those sold by the Government.

Of course the Harriers have been sold at a fraction of there real value. The Americans have brought seventy two aircraft complete with spare parts and support equipment for one hundred and ten million pounds. According to reports the spare parts alone are worth an estimated thirty million pound meaning that if take account of the support equipment that each aircraft was sold for under a million pounds each. Rear Admiral Mark Heinrich, chief of the US Navy's supply corps, said "We're taking advantage of all the money the Brits have spent on them. It's like we're buying a car with maybe 15,000 miles on it. These are very good platforms.". It certainly makes you think about the wisdom scrapping a Harrier fleet which the Americans intend to use until 2025, especially when you think that the Harriers were all recently upgraded and have  excellent serviceability.

Of course none of it makes sense when you look at the figures and the facts. For starters, the Harrier has performed better in Afghanistan than the Tornado and it is a newer airframe and has far fewer serviceability problems. They are cheaper to run and maintain than the Tornado fleet and they are more versatile and being carrier capable and they can be deployed rapidly to maintain our overseas interests. They would have been better aircraft to use in the recent Libyan crisis as they would have been able to fly more sorties than the Tornado aircraft that were deployed. The Harrier when combined with a carrier is better placed than the Tornado to maintain British political and military power and influence on the global stage.

Of course the British Governments of recent years haven't been known for there wisdom. When it costs three hundred and forty million pounds to buy just one Typhoon, just reducing the number of these aircraft ordered by four would have saved over two hundred million pounds more than the one billion pounds saved by scraping the Harriers and the Aircraft Carriers, but that didn't occur to them, nor did the fact that a lot of support jobs and trained flight crew are now unemployed. It is just such a waste.

Almost Official

It can't be long now until we here of the final fate of the harrier's that have been mothballed at RAF Cottesmore. Peter Luff who is in charge of defence equipment, responded to criticism of last year’s Strategic Defence and Security Review was defending the cuts to the Royal Navy and the loss of the aircraft carrier Ark Royal and the loss of 5,000 jobs. 

He is reported as saying that "No-one wanted to get rid of the Harriers and Ark Royal. It was not the decision we wanted to take. But the UK faces a huge financial crisis and cuts had to be made." and that "We will shortly be announcing disposal of the Harriers. That decision has been taken and there will be no backing away from it."

As you can imagine this has disappointed Naval Chiefs who have been expressing concerns about the state of the forces following the cuts and their ability to continue the current operations in Libya. As usual the Government have refused to listen, Peter Luff commenting that conflict in Libya has completely vindicated the decisions taken in the cuts. He believes that the UK has flexible force which has still been able to launch aircraft and play a part in the international effort. It is shame that the people that know about these things are in complete disagreement with the government view of the state of our military forces and what they will be able to do in the future.

Harrier Fleet for Sale

Harrier GR9 fleet for sale for scrap. Just one careful owner, one billion pounds worth of recent improvements, seven years before next service, any offers accepted. 

An article in The Daily Telegraph claims the whole fleet of aircraft have been so Americas for scrap thirty four million pounds after having one billion pounds spent on them in the last ten years. As you can imagine the Naval chiefs who want the aircraft back in service aren't very happy about this leak and have publicly said it is all "complete madness". A statement I agree with completely but what do you expect for a Government that has little regard for the defense of this country and the effectiveness of our armed forces to deal with conflicts around the world.

Harrier Argument continues

Although it is not looking good for the return of the Harrier back into service, however it seems the argument continues about bring the aircraft back. The armed forces and the powers that be have been accused of being "confused" over the defense spending review and how money should be spent in future. It is clear the government don't have a clear direction as to were they are going, looking at the press in the last few weeks.

It would seem that First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope and Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton and General Sir Peter Wall appear to be incomplete disagreement in major area's of defense spending. Giving the Government in no direction into how money should be spent in future.

On the return of the mothballed Harrier aircraft, Sir Mark, representing the navy, seems keen to bring back the aircraft into service while Sir Stephen, representing the RAF, said that the "point of no return has been reached". However, Sir Mark said: "It's just a question of money.". It is clear that the RAF want to keep the land based Tornadoes in service while the navy wants it's Harriers back that can operate almost any where in the world a carrier can get to. 

It is my personal view in this world of uncertain times we still need the Harrier and carriers it flies from. It's ability to be deployed almost any where without the need for land bases makes keeping the aircraft along side the technically crippled, but capable, Tornado force a must. I just hope common sense is something this Government has at the end of the day. 

Finally if aircraft that is good enough still be in the service of the US navy and other counties, it should be good enough for us to use to and have available to our navy. After all it is a British Aircraft. We are in danger of giving up our naval heritage and all that goes with it.

Iconic or Ironic?

Is it Iconic or Ironic that a shinny Harrier GR9 has become the new gate guard at RAF Wittering, when these magnificent could be serving their country in Libya and protecting civilians from a corrupt government. What a waste of an aircraft other counties still have in service because it can do what other aircraft can't. It is even rumored the Chinese are developing such an aircraft while we prepare to cut them up for scrap. 

It has been reported in Peterborough Evening Telegraph that an RAF spokesman said: “The placement of a Harrier GR9 at the RAF Wittering gate is a fitting tribute to the sterling service given by the Harrier force over the years." It's just a shame the RAF don't actually speak their mind and like the Navy and say they still need this aircraft to carry out the work they do instead of relying totally on the Tornadoes and Typhoons which aren't even a ground attack aircraft as such.

I just hope there is some truth in the story that Liam Fox is in talks to save the Harrier that I published yesterday in the blog. Even if we lose RAF Cottesmore, knowing that at least the naval versions of the aircraft are still in service would make me feel that at least we can defend our country.

Harriers Return?

Now there is talk of saving at least some of the Harrier fleet at least in the short term. Maybe the time has come again for these magnificent aircraft which still have so much work they can do until they are replaced with a more modern equivalent in 2020.

Within the last twenty four hour there have been reports coming from the The Portsmouth News that Liam Fox is holding talks to put jets on HMS Illustrious. It claims that aircraft carrier will retain it ramps making it possible for the Harriers to fly from her decks once again. As anyone interested in the fate of these aircraft will know they are still in tip top condition and could be made to fly again within months if not sooner if there is green light to go ahead with Liam Fox's plan. 

It will be interesting to see what happens. In my view it would make sense to bring them back. Being able to have aircraft within 15 minutes of Libya would be a big bonus for NATO. It would mean that they would have a very reactive air strike capability ready to react to any situation. Lets hope that people that run this country see sense and bring back the Harrier.

Just when we needed them.

I guess it had to happen, in fact I knew it would, we get rid of the Harriers and now we need them and the aircraft carriers more than ever. The country has been put at a strategic disadvantage because the Government decided to bin one of the most versatile aircraft that was in service and the platforms it flew from.

The situation in Libya and the proposed no fly zone combined with the UN directive means that we really need a carrier based off the coast of the country with aircraft fly combat missions of all kinds. Be it in the air combat role or the ground attack role. We also need rescue helicopters for search and rescue should one of the aircraft get shot down. The ideal aircraft to have in this theater would be the Harrier combined with the now retired aircraft carriers. Yes we can use land based aircraft, but the problem will still be that the rescue helicopters will be having to fly long distances, making response times poor, and their will be a greater risk that the helicopters will be intercepted. Really the aircraft we need today is the harrier.

This situation proves how short sighted the move by the Government was to get rid of the harrier fleet in this uncertain world that we live in at the moment.

Harriers last flight

Today was a sad day for the people of RAF Cottesmore and the people of Rutland it saw the last flight of the Harriers that are based at the RAF base that is due to be closed in 2013. The base itself was closed by the previous Labour Government but the Collation Government have decided to sell off the aircraft that are based there with 14 aircraft rumoured to be going to India. The Government have said it was the hardest defence decision they have taken but it in reality it might just turn out to be the most stupid. The country is building new carriers with no planes to put on them and it will make us look like fools, and for what a small saving when bigger savings could be achieved by retiring other aircraft with poorer serviceability. 

It even came as a surprise to me that the over ninety five percent of the Harrier force is serviceable at one time compared to the ageing Tornados with only seventy five percent of the fleet able to fly and then with on going problems of engine oil leaks that limits there range. It is reported that the last batch of Tornados that went to the Falkland Islands had to go by sea because their engines wouldn't make the flight without running out of oil. But that is not the whole story, the Harriers are one of the top ten combat aircraft in service and in the Falklands war were nicknamed the black death. They shot down over twenty aircraft in air to air combat without losing a single aircraft. Since then they have gone on to fight in the Gulf ways and more recently in Afghanistan. The Harrier is unique it can fly from anywhere and doesn't need a base as such. It is ideal for the current actions be fought by the United kingdom even if it lacks the weapon load of more conventional aircraft. You don't need concert runways, just a clearing and firm ground for them to fly from and trees to hide them in. There can be deployed anywhere.

I have said this before and I will say it again, the reason why we can't afford these aircraft is that we had to bail out the banks and the mess they have caused. They are the biggest threat to this country and without regulation they will continue to be so. They have done more to damage the UK than any terrorist group could hope for. What we are seeing in terms of cuts and the affect it will have on the nation is monumental. They have done to the UK what the terrorists we are fighting could only dream of doing know that it was nothing but a dream.  

I will miss the Harriers over the skies of Rutland and I feel sorry all the jobs that will be lost. These are people families with children. I know what it is like to live on thin air. They have that to come and it is not a nice place to be. What is worse it make the plans Hawksmeed and the planed developments in the North West of Oakham look like a fool hardy at best, but more of that in a later post. For now it is a sad day to see such a wonderful aircraft leave our skies forever.

Defence Review

Having looked at the news reports about the defense review all I can say is the fat cat bankers have done more to destroy the British forces than the Afghans and Iraqi insurgents could ever do.

Soon the skies around Rutland will soon fall silent and the sound of a Harrier squadron coming into land will just be a distant memory. Over thirty million pounds will be lost to the local economy and hundreds of jobs will be gone when RAF Cottesmore closes and why because of the people who messed up the national economy. If the terrorist could do what was done to British Forces in this review it would be their greatest victory, as it is that victory has been achieved to bailout the greedy and the risk takers. 

Trains and Planes

When I had planned to day over the weekend the weather forecast was a lot different than it turned out to be in reality, for the promised sun was gone and the day started dull and wet, however that wasn't going to stop me and I was all prepared as long as it didn't rain. Lucy was off to see the trains and I had already asked her mummy for her wellington boots.

One nice thing about this Tuesday was I managed to have a little bit of a lay in. Without Emily being here there was no need to drive into Oakham to take her to school, she was having a sleep over at her friends house. Catherine is very easy to get ready for school compared to Emily, she just does it and never needs reminding of the time, Emily on the other hand needs hurrying along if she is tired and doesn't want to get up. I'm sure she is a practicing to be a teenager in years and bits time. 

With Catherine gone to school there was time for a wash and brush up and a nice quiet cup of coffee before it was out to get Lucy from her mummies. Today when I picked her up she was extra colourful in a new striped cardigan and Peppa Pig trousers. She looked lovely and she was so proud of herself. It is just a shame I forgot to take picture to share on the blog, maybe next time she  is wearing them and I pick her up. As we walked to the car chatted about the things she had been doing and soon we were headed for the shops.

The goal at the shops was to get Lucy a toilet training seat as the night before I got a email saying she was using one at her mummies now. We had been working on using he potty for a while but we couldn't interest her in using it for more than a morning or a afternoon before she slipped back to using her pull-up. Hopefully this will work and we can get her out of pull-up's for good. When we were at the shop I let Lucy decide on the seat she wanted and what colour it was hoping that it would make her feel it was hers and she had ownership of it. We also got some sweets for everyone, which looking back on should have used Lucy's as an incentive for using her seat. It is something I going to use in future, just a bag of lollipops will do.

Once we got home she wanted to try out the seat, and when I asked if she need to use the toilet she was soon on it and then straight off it. She thought she was going to fall down the toilet. I remember that Catherine thought the same when she was first toilet training and I had a devil of job getting her to use the toilet rather than the potty. I tried to reassure her that she was going to fall, but although I got her back on the seat she was too unsure to stay there for long enough to use it. All day I kept asking her if she need the toilet and the only time she said yes was when we were in the car and miles from home. I'm sure if we all keep at this weekend we will make some ground, it is just going to take time to make her confident. I know she so wants to be like her sisters and wear pants.

Most of Lucy's morning to lunch time was spent around the house playing games and watching a bit of Peppa Pig on the computer for a few minutes at a time. All the time she just chatted and chatted. Her use of language is really coming on and she is starting construct more complex sentences now. I'm so proud of all she achieves and she is coming on leaps and bounds in every area.

For lunch we had a bacon, eggs, beens and potato wedges for a change, from the usual food we have for lunch. I must say that everyone seemed to enjoy it and Lucy loved her eggs as always. When we finished that, we did some bread making so we had fresh bread for dinner. Lucy helped again with putting in the ingredients, other than the flour and then took delight in watching the machine do it's magic before we went out for the afternoon.

Todays outing was to the Rutland Railway Museum which is on the road from Ashwell to Cottesmore. It is an open air museum and given the weather we have been having the reason why I ask Lucy's mummy for the wellington boots, I knew there would be plenty of mud about and I didn't want to ruin Lucy's Peppa Pig shoes. The museum is dedicated the now extinct iron ore industry of the the East Midlands and is themed accordingly with most of the exhibits being old engines used in the quarry's around the region. It is set out to recreate the essential elements of a quarry during hay day's of the industry back in the 1950's and as a living museum allows people to experience working practices at the time. It has wonderful plans for the future and it is entirely funded by donations for visitors and various grants. Of course all of this was lost on Lucy all she was interested in was the trains. 

We started out at the engine shed and had a look at the trains that are currently being restored. These included a break van, a diesel engine and a steam train. Of course Lucy was more interested in the steam train and was soon pointing at bits and asking what they were called and I was so explaining what they did as well. All that playing with trains and reading about trains as kid was paying off and I was able to answer her questions. From the engine shop we moved out into the main museum and had a look at the army engine they have there. Lucy noticed the engine pit under the train and I explained what it was for and that she had to be careful where she went and to stick with me. 

Next we head off to look at the rolling stock. They have a large collection of iorn ore trucks from various periods but what Lucy wanted to see more than anything was the large crane she had spotted. What I love about the place was the decay of some of the rolling stock awaiting restoration and how it blended into the nature that surrounded them. It was like nature was eating them and returning them to the earth as the weather and natural forces wore them away. When you look at the state that some of the rolling stock is in and you compare it to the renovated rolling stock you can see what a great job they are doing there. Lucy was keen to see all she could and was happy to match down the line side walk until we ran out of things to see.

Returning to the main museum we head off to look at all the engines they have there. Like the rolling stock they are in various states of repair. Some are in working order and look like they did when they were working in the quarries, while others are not more than rusting hunks of metal and are far from there former glory. All the staff there seems so dedicated that although there are years if not decades of work to be done, it will get done. Lucy loved the engines and was soon asking questions again about what bits are called and I was explaining again complete with the noises the trains make. 

The last area of the museum we went to was the platform which Lucy wanted to go and stand on. It was while we were standing on the platform that we got a free air display from the Harriers at RAF Cottesmore. I'm not sure what was going on at the base but while we were there we had seen a couple of Harriers coming into land very low. Now that isn't that unusual but what followed was. It wasn't just two coming back to the base but what appeared to be a whole squadron of twelve or more aircraft all with long range tanks. The most impressive sight of all was four coming into land in formation. It is a sight I had never seen before, two yes but never four. Lucy seemed impressed too, but I did have to cover her ears as much as possible as she found it far too noisy with her young sensitive ears. As we left one of the people at the museum told me where to watch them coming in, but later I couldn't find place. I will have to look on google maps and work it out.

Before heading home we set off for the supermarket. The idea for dinner was a simple pasta and tomato based sauce combined with warm homemade bread to clean the bowls. All we had to get was what we need to make dinner, the sauce and the pasta. It didn't take long, in fact Lucy probably spent more time on the rides outside the shop.

We got back home about five minutes after Langham School had finished for the day although it didn't matter as Catherine had already said she wanted to go out on her new bike after school for half an hour so we weren't expecting her home straight away. When Catherine did get home she got a royal Lucy welcome, a massive hug and a kiss and then Lucy started following Catherine everywhere as they played around the house. 

Soon the beep beep of the bread maker told us the bread was ready and off we went to see the results. It looked lovely and the bread turned out to be the best we have made yet and here is the recipe I used to make a 1kg loaf:

• 600g Strong white flour (Hovis)
• 28-30g Butter
• 7g Fast acting dried yeast (Tesco's)
• 330ml Semi skimmed milk
• 1 Tablespoon of salt
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar

On our bread maker we just used program 2 which makes standard white or brown loaf. As a guide it takes about 3 hours 20 minutes to make with a light crust. 

At about five Emily came home from her sleep over full of stories of what she had been doing. Lucy was so pleased to see her and went through same procedure of hugs and kisses before following up to her room while she got change back into her home clothes. 

Soon it was time for dinner and I cooked the pasta in a tomato sauce and served it with fresh bread. It something the girls haven't had in ages. For some reason I just hadn't thought of doing it as a meal. Lucy of course loved it and probably has it at her mummies, she use to cook it for lunch sometimes. With dinner out of the way there was just over an hour for the girls to play all together before Lucy went home. Of corse they made the most of it but it was soon time to take Lucy back to her mummies after a kiss and a cuddle from Emily and Catherine.

With Lucy back in Oakham the house fell quite as Emily got on with her homework in the bedroom and Catherine went into the family room to watch some television and the played on the computer. She really wanted to go out on her bike but it was just too dark. The nights are really drawing in now and at the end of next month there will be hardly any time to play out after the clocks change. All too soon it was bedtime for Emily and Catherine off they went to the land of nod as I settled down to relax.

It has been a lovely day and I was glad that little Lucy said she wanted to go to the museum again. It just gives something else we can do and given it is free other than what you can afford it is ideal. Personally I wonder how you get involved. If I had the time then doing something for them would be a worth while thing to do. It is like someone needs to take care of the museum and add extra enthusiasm and energy to the place and I could do that!

Save RAF Cottesmore

If you haven't seen the news in ages or just forgotten all that has been going on then you might not know that RAF Cottesmore is closing in a few years time. If you are on Facebook you a can help by joining this group.

Link - Save RAF Cottesmore Campaign

I know I will miss the sound of the aircraft if they close the base. It will be a sad loss for Rutland and the end to many years of the RAF being based in Rutland.