Cold War iconic aeroplane joins the Classic Air Force visitor centre at Newquay (Cornwall) Airport

2013-06-26 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Classic Air Force visitor centre – which is gearing up for its first summer season at Newquay (Cornwall) Airport – has taken delivery of one of the most instantly recognisable aeroplanes in the world.

The Harrier ‘Jump Jet’ is an icon of the Cold War, the Falklands War and one of the most famous aeroplanes of all time.  Now, thanks to a loan agreement with the Royal Navy, Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 XV753 has joined the collection, which is based as the former RAF St Mawgan.

“If asked to name a famous aeroplane, it’s fair to assume most people say, Spitfire, Concorde and Harrier” said Classic Air Force CEO Trevor Bailey.  “Today Spitfires cost many millions of pounds so are beyond the reach of charitable trusts such as ourselves.  The few Concordes built are already in museums but, excitingly, we have been able to obtain a Harrier.”

The Harrier was developed in the 1960s as a Vertical Take Off & Landing (VTOL) jet fighter.  During the Cold War the RAF positioned the bulk of their Harriers in West Germany to defend against a potential invasion of Western Europe by the Soviet Union; the unique abilities of the Harrier allowing them to disperse away from vulnerable airbases and operate from within forests.

But, perhaps, the defining moment in the Harrier’s career was the 1982 Falklands War when RAF Harriers flew ground attack missions and Royal Navy Sea Harriers provided air defence for the British fleet. while the RAF Harriers focused on ground-attack missions in support of the advancing British land force.

The Harrier was retired from RAF service in late 2010 and the capability gap is not expected to be filled until the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter arrives in or around 2018.

“A Harrier has been on our ‘wish-list’ for some time, “ explained Tim Skeet, Chairman on the Classic Aircraft Trust charity, which supports the aircraft on show at Newquay.  “We are very grateful to our friends at the Royal Navy for making this dream a ‘vertical reality’!”

Harrier XV753 was built in 1969 as a GR.1 and later modified to GR.3 standard for the RAF.  It was most recently used by the Royal Navy as a deck handling trainer at Predannack and wears faded IV Sqn markings.

It is currently being reassembled in a storage facility at Newquay (Cornwall) Airport after which time it will moved into the main Classic Air Force hangar so visitors can see its volunteer-led restoration progressing.

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