RAF Harrier and Tornado jets auctioned

[Mr Trophy]

Excuse my ignorance here, but if you where able to fly one (ex pilot and won the euro millions and able to afford running costs ) would you be able just to take off and start flying around?

[IanMorewood]

You would have major trouble trying to get either registered to fly again in the EU.

[Mr Trophy]

IanMorewood said:

You would have major trouble trying to get either registered to fly again in the EU.

What if we went down the line that it was fine / safe?

[IanMorewood]

To get the CAA to give you a permit would be nigh on impossible even though the spares, experience and manufacturing support is still in place thanks to similar types still flying. Their thinking is anyone flying one of these on a limited budget is an accident waiting to happen, different if you have state support of course.

You could perhaps have more joy somewhere else in Europe (Italy perhaps as they operated both Harrier and Tornadoes) and may have slightly less stringent criteria for allowing personal jet aircraft.

[steve j]

trashbat said:

You ccould fly in a bit of it, once. And get a free tie pin.

I think that getting a set of seat carts would be very difficult.

[mebe]

IanMorewood said:

Also quite capable of engagement and evasion against most of its contemporaries.

BVR or close in? I worked on AI.24 for some years and ex aircrew have discussed capabilities but it was all EW based, I believe it wasn't very nimble but happy to be corrected.

[IanMorewood]

BVR was it's party piece, in close it was no knife fighter but had ample power and counter measures to run away and shoot again.

[Yertis]

How did it compare speed-wise? When I was 'interested' in that sort of information its outright 'throttle to the stops' speed was secret, and thus the subject of much rumour.

[frodo_monkey]

It's been a while since I last sat in an F3, but as far as I can remember the limit was 795kts at low level and Mach 2.2 at height. I've certainly seen M2.0 out of one

[Hilts]

Did any of these Tornado F3 planes shoot down anything for real?

[frodo_monkey]

Nope, with the exception of the Falklands there haven't been any Brit A-A engagements for a bloody long time! Apart from the odd inadvertent one...

[Hilts]

Were they a waste of money then?

[ecsrobin]

Hilts said:

Were they a waste of money then?

Not really as they were a deterrent.

[Hilts]

ecsrobin said:

Hilts said:

Were they a waste of money then?

Not really as they were a deterrent.

What did they deter exactly?

[Ayahuasca]

Hilts said:

ecsrobin said:

Hilts said:

Were they a waste of money then?

Not really as they were a deterrent.

What did they deter exactly?

Soviet Tu-95s, mostly.

[Hilts]

Ayahuasca said:

Soviet Tu-95s, mostly.

So, if we hadn't had the F3s the TU-95s would've done what?

[trashbat]

They deterred the Saudis from wasting money on other stuff.

[Hilts]

trashbat said:

They deterred the Saudis from wasting money on other stuff.

Are they short? (of money)

[Yertis]

Hilts said:

So, if we hadn't had the F3s the TU-95s would've done what?

Just kept on coming until we sent something up to turn them away. From what I recall and Frodo-Monkey will obviously be able to correct if wrong, the deterrent effect of the F3 was intended more against the Fencer, Blinder and Backfire type threats. Stuff coming down the Faroes Gap.

I don't know where I dig this stuff up from.

[Hilts]

Yertis said:

Just kept on coming until we sent something up to turn them away. From what I recall and Frodo-Monkey will obviously be able to correct if wrong, the deterrent effect of the F3 was intended more against the Fencer, Blinder and Backfire type threats. Stuff coming down the Faroes Gap.

What would they have done then if the UK hadn't hadn't sent up F3s?

What if they'd sent up Hawks with missiles?