Flying the First U.S. Harrier Combat Mission - Episode 64

Retired AV-8B Pilots Capt. Frank “Pugs” Smith and Lt. Col. Luke “Warren” Jacobs take us behind the iconic Jump Jet and its 40-year legacy.

We are back with our regularly scheduled podcast! In this episode, they discuss carrier operations, vertical takeoff and landing, the challenges of maintaining the aircraft, and how the fighter performed its missions. The Harrier remains one of aviation’s boldest experiments, paving the way for newer V/STOL platforms like the F-35B. This one is going to be cool!

Resources:

• The Harrier Jump Jet (Key Aero)
• Operation Desert Storm (Air Force Historical Support Division)
• The AV-8B Harrier II (Wikipedia)
• Retiring Wings Over the Rockies' Harrier (YouTube)

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:36) - Harrier Overview
• (02:35) - Aviation Beginnings
• (04:27) - The Jump Jet's 40-Year Journey
• (05:28) - Like Flying a Dragon
• (06:25) - The TAV-8 Trainer
• (07:01) - Flying the Harrier
• (08:18) - The A-4 Vs. The AV-8B
• (09:19) - Carrier Operations
• (10:36) - The V/STOL
• (14:47) - Vertical Take Off Challenges
• (17:10) - Dogfight Maneuvers
• (18:15) - How Loud Was the Jump Jet?
• (20:04) - Life Below Deck
• (21:05) - Operation Desert Storm
• (23:25) - Afghanistan Combat Missions
• (25:53) - How Harrier Capabilities Evolved
• (26:54) - Flying in Mixed Packages
• (28:09) - The AV-8B's Legacy
• (30:00) - Frank and Luke's Advice
• (32:35) - Outro