The Unofficial Airfix Modellers' Forum

Hey folks!
Hopefully one of you kind folk can shed some light on this for me.
I'm building the Heller Bobcat Harrier TM.4 and have been looking at it for a while thinking something looked odd and then it clicked.
It has a bigger tail than normal.
I've seen these vertical stabilisers on the T.2A and the demo jet G-VTOL but cant seem to find them on any T.4 with the GR.3 extended nose cone.
So what is it?
Have Heller just mashed loads of things into one?

Somebody will know quicker than me but the vertical tail was changed during development of the two-seater IIRC. The two-seaters had bigger tails than the single seaters due to the greater area up front. I know there were variations as to the height. I'll look and see what I have in my mass of Harrier books. I do know there was chopping and changing across the variants as they were made but will see what else I can find.
The tail did have 18 inches added to the standard tail, but might have had more to start with.
I'll let you know (unless someone else gets here first!!).

I have never found a pic of an in service machine with the REALLY high fin and the LRMTS nose. Doesn't mean it never existed but you're safe paring down the fin to the smaller (but still bigger than GR1/3) size.

David

I do know that when restored by Jet Art Aviation XW269 it looked like it had the taller tail with RWR fairing and definitely had the earlier GR1 type nose. I have seen online pictures of this aircraft with the GR3 nose though. Other than that I am not sure.
Hope this helps.

All the best.

Greg

Right. It seems that the initial enlargement of the tail vertically was eleven inches, but after entering service the aircraft was subject to 'weathercocking' which meant an increase in height to 18 inches (this is the really tall looking fin, with the narrow part at the top. It also seems to be a feature of American TAV-8A's. I've some pictures which I'll try and upload here later.
Books I got this information from: Squadron Signal 'Harrier in Action' (no.58)
and 'Harrier' by Tim McClelland.

EDIT: I can only find pictures of test and 'G-VTOL' with the tall tail, it seems the in service ones used the 18-inch fin. Also took some pics last night!!.
This is the initial production tail. No RWR.

This is the tall tail I think G-VTOl had.

This is the one shown on the line drawing of the TAV-8A


Although text I have mentions the middle and lower pics tall tail shapes all of the photos I can find have the top picture's tail shape. It's possible the 18in height extension was only used on the T.Mk.2.

Line Drawings from Tim McClelland's book.
T.Mk.2 early

T.Mk.2 later

T.Mk.4


Sorry if this is waffling on but I'm trying to find all the info that I have. Although there doesn't seem to be pics of service machines with the taller tail the text says they had them!.

The Harrier SIG might be a good place to ask http://www.harriersig.org.uk

Regards Splash

Thanks for your help guys.

Ok folks so I've renamed the thread to Harrier questions.
Any questions querying the jump jet, info on her and basically any conversation relating to the VTOL Queen should be posted here.

Could any mark of Harrier ever carry JDAM's?

Maverick231 wrote:Could any mark of Harrier ever carry JDAM's?

Looks like USMC AV-8Bs can.

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.ph ... ssion.html

David

Thanks mate, managed to find a pic with a JDAM Mk.83, I believe they were testing it but I don't know I cant find much info on it.

Does anyone have or know were to get close up pics of the spin recovery chute system that the USMC Flight Test AV-8B Harrier II used at Edwards Air Force Base back in 1984/85?

Did you see the pics on britmodeller?

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/inde ... ety-chase/;

David

Yeah did you see my replies :D

LOL. Sorry. I didn't scroll down that far !

David