The ‘Flying Nightmares’
of VMA-513 were based at
MCAS Yuma, Arizona, when this
AV-8C was photographed arriving at
McClellan AFB in September 1986 for an
open house, less than a year before it was
retired from service. Jim Dunn
T
HE FIRST USMC Harrier squadron
was VMA-513 ‘Flying Nightmares’.
Pictured is one of its AV-8C Harriers
(BuNo 158700), among the 47
examples upgraded from AV-8A
standard. The original Harrier had
a reputation for high attrition rates and the
need for a skilled pair of hands to tame it. Next
month, Joe Copalman tells the story of the
type in Marine Corps service.http://www.combataircraft.net // October 2018 97