June 2018 FLYPAST 95St Pancras Express
Chris Wilson of Jet Art Aviation describes the restoration of a very special Harrier
the Atlantic thrashing the Bristol
Siddeley Pegasus vectored-
thrust turbofan all the way with
monumentally expensive air-to-air
refuelling provided by Handley Page
Victors. The flight would require 11
top-ups over six hours. What could
possibly go wrong? As it happened:
nothing. The Harrier performed
beautifully, a testament to the
design, the Pegasus, the pilot and its
support crews.
The fastest overall time between
London and New York – 6 hours 11
minutes – was achieved by Sqn Ldr
Tom Lecky-Thompson flying XV741
with the RAF taking the top prize of
£6,000 (around £120,000 today).
The Royal Navy Phantom achieved
the fastest time on the return leg
flown on May 11, followed 38 minutes
later by the back-up Harrier,“In the event, XV741’s landing and subsequent take-off
ended up covering most of the capital in a large cloud of
coal dust and created enough noise to wake the dead!”Harrier GR.1 XV741 landing at St Pancras
prior to the race.