22 AH march 2016
PREVIOUS PAGES: CROWN COPYRIGHT; LEFT: ©TRINITY MIRROR/ALAMY; RIGHT: IAN TYAS/KEYSTONE/GETTY IMAGESwork in the early 1920s devel-
oping an all-metal monoplane
ÅOP\MZ\PM?QJI]T\ 1V\PM
! [?QJI]T\KIUM\W\PM
=;\W_WZSNWZ)TM`IVLMZ
3IZ\^MTQI\:MX]JTQK)QZKZIN\
?WZSQVO QVLMXMVLMV\Ta
?QJI]T\QV\PMUQL! [XZW-
posed a Harrier-like VTOL
¹/aZWX\uZMºOZW]VLI\\IKS
IQZXTIVM J]QT\ IZW]VL \PM
_WZTL¼[NQZ[\\Z]M^MK\WZML
\PZ][\IQZKZIN\MVOQVM"I*ZQ[
\WT7ZQWV\]ZJW[PIN\KWZM\PI\
XZWL]KML\PZ][\NZWUIKWV-
^MV\QWVIT\IQTXQXMJ]\NZWU
\PMNZWV\WN\PMMVOQVMLZW^M
NW]ZTIZOMZW\IZaKWUXZM[-
[WZ[<PM[M_MZMIZZIVOML
I\\PMKWZVMZ[WNIZMK\IVOTM
KMV\MZMLWV\PMIQZXTIVM¼[
KMV\MZWNOZI^Q\a\_WKWU-
XZM[[WZ[WVMIKP[QLMWN\PM
N][MTIOMTQSM_PMMT[WVIKIZ\
-IKPKWUXZM[[WZKW]TLJM
[_Q^MTML ̧^MK\WZML ̧[WQ\[
M`PI][\XWQV\ML[\ZIQOP\LW_V
NWZ^MZ\QKITTQN\WZJaLMOZMM[
\WN]TTIN\NWZPWZQbWV\IT\PZ][\
*ZQ[\WTTQSML\PMKWVKMX\J]\
KWV[QLMZML?QJI]T\¼[OMIZ[
[PIN\[IVLKWUXZM[[WZ[\WJMI
ST]LOM<PMKWUXIVaQV[\MIL
LM[QOVMLI^MK\WZML\PZ][\
\]ZJWNIV\PI\[QUXTQNQML\PM
XZWKM[[\PW]OPQ\_I[[\QTT
I KWUXTM` UIKPQVM ?Q\P
ITQOP\IVLKWUXIK\*ZQ[\WT
7ZXPM][\]ZJWRM\I\Q\[PMIZ\
\PMMVOQVMJTM_KWTLJaXI[[
IQZNZWUI\PZMM[\IOMNIV\PI\
\ZI^MTMLLQZMK\Ta\WIXIQZWN
NWZ_IZL^MK\WZIJTMVWbbTM[
<PMMVOQVM¼[PW\[MK\QWVM`
PI][\XZWL]KML\PZ][\VW\
\PZW]OPIKWV^MV\QWVIT\IQT-
XQXMJ]\\PZW]OPIVQLMV\QKIT
XIQZWNJQN]ZKI\MLVWbbTM[NIZ-
\PMZIN\
<PM P]UXJIKSML TQ\\TM
Harrier looks the way it does
ITUW[\MV\QZMTaJMKI][MWN
\PI\UQOP\a8MOI[][+WV^MV
\QWVITIQZXTIVM[KIVJMKWVÅO-
]ZMLXZM\\aU]KPPW_M^MZ\PM
LM[QOVMZ_Q[PM[_Q\PMVOQVM[
KWKSXQ\TIVLQVOOMIZN]MT
\IVS[WZLVIVKMIVLITT\PM
ZM[\LQ[\ZQJ]\ML_PMZM^MZQ\
Å\[I[TWVOI[\PM\W\ITI[[MU-0IL\PM0IZZQMZ¼[IJQTQ\a\W\ISMWٺIVLTIVL^MZ\QKITTaJMMV\Z]Ta
UMIVQVON]TQUXWZ\IV\IVL]VKWUXZWUQ[QVOM^MZaUQTQ\IZa
IQZKZIN\UIV]NIK\]ZMZQV\PM_WZTL_W]TLJMJ]QTLQVO0IZZQMZ
[\aTMR]UXRM\[
7VTaWVMKWUXIVaQ["4WKSPMML5IZ\QVI[XIZ\WN\PMPIXTM[[
. *XZWOZIUNWZ\PM=;5IZQVM+WZX[1V\MZU[WNQVKZMI[ML
_MQOP\LZIO[XIKMIVLKWUXTM`Q\aUISQVO\PM. *I[PWZ\
\ISMWٺIVL^MZ\QKITTIVLQVOIQZXTIVMQ[\PMIMZWVI]\QKITMY]Q^I-
TMV\WNX]\\QVOIXQKS]XJMLIVLL]ITQM[WVI.MZZIZQ*]\
;<7>4Q[VW_XIZ\WN5IZQVMK]T\]ZM#\PMaIZM\PMWVTa=;
][MZWN\PM0IZZQMZ_PQKP\PM+WZX[KITT[\PM)> *
5IVaI\\MUX\[\WXW_MZ><74IQZXTIVM[PILJMMV]V[]K-
KM[[N]T]V\QTIVWJ[K]ZM.ZMVKPUIVKIUM]X_Q\P\PMKWVKMX\
\PI\_W]TLJMKWUM\PMPMIZ\WN\PM0IZZQMZ\PM*ZQ[\WT8MOI[][
MVOQVM<IQT[Q\\MZ[_Q\PUWV[\MZ\]ZJWXZWX[_MZMXZM\\aU]KP
]VÆaIJTM\QT\ZW\WZ[LQLV¼\_WZS]V\QT*MTT*WMQVOLM[QOVML\PM
7[XZMaQV\PMTI\M! [¹ÆaQVOJML[\MIL[º_MZMR][\\PI\IVL
\PMUIVaI\\MUX\[\W][M[MXIZI\MTQN\MVOQVM[NWZ^MZ\QKITÆQOP\
_MZMNI\ITTaÆI_MLJa\PMNIK\\PI\\PW[MMVOQVM[JMKIUMLMIL
_MQOP\WVKM\PMIQZXTIVM\ZIV[Q\QWVML\WKWV^MV\QWVITÆQOP\
.ZMVKPIMZWVI]\QKITMVOQVMMZ5QKPMT?QJI]T\LQLXQWVMMZQVOThe Harrier is a
remarkable airplane.
Which, unfortunately,
is not the same thing
as a great airplane.
TEST SQUADRON Hawker
Siddeley Kestrels, the
Harrier’s forerunners,
line up for takeoff and
landing evaluations.