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Sea Harrier F/A2 (SHAR) – Nalls Aviation

SHAR

Dimensions
Wing Span: 25.26 ft. / 7.70 M

Length: 47.57 ft. / 14.50 M

Height: 12.17 ft. / 3.71 M

Weight Empty: 13,885 lb. / 6,298 Kg

Max. Takeoff Weight: 26,202 lb. / 11,885 Kg

Power & Performance
Powerplant(s): 1x Rolls-Royce Pegasus Mk.106 vectored thrust turbofan
Max Thrust: 21,500 lb.
Max Speed: 635 knots, 730.25 mph, 1176.02 km/h
Operational Ceiling: 45,000 ft. / 13,716 M

Armament
2 x 30mm cannon, 2268 kg (5000 lbs.) external ordinance

Art Nalls

Art is a native of Northern Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C. After graduating from Hayfield High School, he was nominated to attend the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, where he majored in aerospace engineering. In 1976, he graduated with Merit, received a highly-coveted Burke (equivalent) Scholarship, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. 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 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.

Art retired from the Marine Corps and started a real estate development company, Nalls Development and Investment. He returned to flying by joining the Commemorative Air Force and become a flying sponsor of two of their aircraft. He now regularly flies his L-39 “Albatross” Czechoslovakian Advanced Jet Trainer and a 1939 Piper Cub L-4 “Grasshopper” aircraft powered by an original Continental 65 HP, 4-cylinder engine. He has flight time in approximately 65 different type, model, series of military and civilian aircraft in addition to the “Harrier.” These include the B-52, C-141, C-130, A-7, A-37, T-38, F-4, F-5, F-15, and F-16, and F-18. He was also NATOPS Qualified for a special flight test in the back seat of the F-14 “Tomcat.”

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