You must have heard the rumors... a VSTOL Harrier "JumpJet" in
civilian hands!! Well, rumor no more, ANN and Aero-TV is proud to
introduce you to Art Nalls, former USMC Fighter jock and the
owner/operator of the only civilian Harrier in the world... much
less on the airshow circuit.
Art Nalls is an amazing guy -- one who has given the FAA some
interesting tasks... such as administering a checkride last October
-- to fly the Harrier! Art says that, "The examiner required me to
demonstrate the various takeoffs and landing for VSTOL aircraft, as
he was totally unfamiliar with the Harrier, so we discussed the
various takeoffs and landings and the appropriate use for each. The
examiner was pleased with my flying and granted me the
type-rating." This event made Art the first person to have (and
pass!) a checkride in the World’s only privately-owned,
airworthy Harrier -- also earning a Powered-Lift endorsement to
that type-rating.
That Art passed should be no surprise. His first operational
aircraft was the AV-8A “Harrier” and he was assigned to
VMA-231 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.
While stationed at Cherry Point, he carrier-qualified in the AV-8A
“Harrier” aboard the USS Iwo Jima, LPH-2, and made
several shipboard deployments, virtually over the world. He has
traveled above the Arctic Circle, below the equator, and made a
complete global circumnavigation, reaching Beirut, Lebanon twice
– once from the east and once from the west.
While on a training mission attached to VMA-231, Art’s
“Harrier” suffered a catastrophic engine failure near
Richmond, Virginia. With little time to react, he essentially
landed the Harrier engine-out at a civilian airfield. This was an
extremely precise and risky landing, not normally attempted. The
emergency procedures recommend an ejection. Art is the only person
to have made such a landing and he was consequently awarded an Air
Medal, with gold numeral one for the act. With over 900 hours in
the AV-8A and over 400 shipboard landings, Art was selected as the
single Marine Corps Pilot to attend the USAF Test Pilot School at
Edwards, AFB, CA for Test Pilot Course, 85A. One Marine, per year,
is sent to Edwards, and for 1985, it was Art.
As you can see... Art is a uniquely qualified aviator... one who
is also uniquely qualified to demonstrate the amazing Harrier at
civilian airshows in the coming year. If you want to see something
really different, make sure you check out Art's extraordinary
performances in the world's only civilian JumpJet!