Second Harrier Jet added to Nalls Aviation Fleet
California, MD: Nalledge, LLC, in close association with Nalls Aviation, Inc., is proud to announce the acquisition of the World’s only flyable civilian Harrier TRAINER aircraft! This two-seat trainer Harrier jet will allow Nalls Aviation to offer flight training in this very unique aircraft, as well as perform at air shows.
“We’ve been working on this acquisition for nearly three years.” said Nalls Aviation president, Art Nalls. “The two-seat Harrier front cockpit is nearly identical to the Sea Harrier we already have flying and have flown successfully for seven air show seasons.” he added. This not only represents a doubling of flyable aircraft in the civilian world, but paves the way for transitioning pilots to a civilian Harrier. The two current civilian Harrier pilots are both Certified Flight Instructors in Powered Lift and have thousands of hours of flight time and test pilot experience between them. There are also several dozen pilots who can get a Harrier type rating by virtue of their military training and flying experience. That means we could see more Harriers flying in the future.
“Our next civilian pilot will be awarded her type rating very soon.” added Nalls. “She has nearly 1,000 hours of Harrier flight time, combat experience and was a Weapons and Tactics Instructor while serving in the United States Marine Corps. She is currently a LtCol in the Marine Corps reserves.” said Nalls. Nalls expects the import process to take several months to complete, and an additional several months before the airplane is inspected, modified, and approved for flying in the US. But, he also added that the airplane is in such good condition that ferrying the airplane across the Atlantic Ocean was seriously considered. It was determined that the risk to do so was not necessary so the airplane will be dismantled and shipped to the USA.
“We’ve had a waiting list for several years from people wanting flight instruction in the Harrier, now we have an opportunity to provide it to them in a safe manner.” said Nalls.
Nalls Aviation is currently based at St. Mary’s County Airport in California, MD. They own and operate several aircraft including the air show crowd favorite British Sea Harrier. During the airshow season, they perform in front of crowds of up to several hundred thousand for a weekend.