RAF Harrier GR7 HUD vid: Low level and practice bombing runs

[VoLCoMzYaDiGG]

Jesus 8 miles a minute, its amazing how the human body is not made to withstand such high speeds, it sounds like he's pushing himself while making turns because of the G's, thats so awesome. They actually need to train how to breathe and keep from passing out, it's an actual skill. Being a pilot requires a lot of dedication and patience thats for sure...

[tigertony20]

Where do i buy this game from? awesome graphics!

[trechan]

@tigertony20 I think you can tell it's real life so I'm not going to get on you about that, but I would recommend if do like to to try either F4 BMS or DCS A-10

[vendetta9876]

I find it funny that I keep tilting my head when the plane turns.

[MustNotRead]

it's interesting that he vocalizes all his observations. is this for the benefit of the bombing run assessors? (if there are any on such a practice run, i have no idea). is this kind of commentary by pilots a necessary part of the practice? does anyone know?

just interested...

[bryUK]

@MustNotRead It was planned from the beginning that parts of the flight would be used in this documentary. The pilot's commentary is for the benefit of the viewers, ie, us.

[monitor301]

Is that an example of toss bombing at 7:15 ?

[monitor301]

Excellent aircraft, first class pilots.

It's a shame that the F35 project (which will be replacing the harrier fleet) is already encountering foundational design and systemic problems.

[ZemplinTemplar]

@monitor301 I'm surprised BAe just doesn't update the existing design and make it into a brand new VTOL fighter. A successor to the Harrier, but building up on the existing know-how instead of trying to buy troubled and badly tested foreign equipment that was in development from scratch. It would generally be more economical and less of a logistical nightmare than the whole recent silliness connected to the F-35.

[bryUK]

@ZemplinTemplar Actually, loath as we Brits may be to admit it, the Harrier II (GR5, GR7, GR9, T10, T12) was a chiefly American project that we (eventually) bought into.

Believe it or not, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and the British MoD have played a much bigger part in developing and financing the F-35 than they did with the Harrier II.

[bryUK]

@ZemplinTemplar That the original Harrier could be adapted into the Harrier II is a testament to the brilliance and flexibility of that original design, but it really has very limited room for growth into a Harrier III which is why the US is developing the F-35B to replace it in the first place. The USMC is the largest Harrier operator, and its AV-8B+ is the definitive variant of the Harrier II.

[Boggoranthius]

(00.15, more or less) What with the heavy breathing and all that, I almost expected a voice saying something like "The Force is strong in this one..." :)

[AGgirldoll]

Very expensive weather report.

Whenever I do my bombing runs in google Earth, I always miss the last target too.

[hunkymonkey2]

Turn up the volume, He craps himself at 4:55

[Scythehalotrial]

3:24-3:50...well that's the local weatherreport for today :D

[maydayfire]

what are those inverted ^ signs appearing randomly on the HUD?

[bryUK]

@maydayfire Lots of questions about that. They indicate 'hotspots' picked up by the forward looking infra red.

Buildings, vehicles, etc.

[LOUISVART]

@maydayfire

that is the GMR picking up targets

[smokingvern]

dick head bit funny...lol.... But BIG BIG BIG ups to the pilot..u doing a grand old job (RAF) i love these cockpit/commentary and always want to see more!

[trechan]

HAHAHAAHA YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER DICKHEAD. halarious

[JustAnOrdinarySimmer]

Hey very lucky guy to be in the RAF but LOL! who and why did somone say "DICKHEAD!.....you complete PLONKER!.......you complete and utter DICKHEAD!"

[bryUK]

@JustAnOrdinarySimmer That was the pilot talking to himself. He messed up the final bombing run and was pretty pissed off with himself.

[leonelp51]

@bryUK hahahaha good to see a pilot saying that hahah thanks for the footage was very nice !

[JustAnOrdinarySimmer]

@bryUK Oh ok, are you the pilot? or are you his friend/instructor or something?

[trechan]

@bryUK not going to lie, I thought it was pretty funny.

[moricchio]

4 g e compensa? non sei mica su un f16

[jetslut340]

Just another day in Bonajet land

[grindkerensky]

i wonder what these V's are dacing all over the hud

[bryUK]

@grindkerensky They are little markers from the Forward Looking InfraRed sensor, indicating 'hot spots', like structures or vehicles.

[grindkerensky]

@bryUK i kinda figured that would be something like this, but they seemed so random, well thx ^^

[kynek2171]

3,7G ostro

[Cman95]

viper 2 it would appear that your bomb has hid the target, good sir. -and it would seem your bombs have done the sam viper 2. jolly good show!

[MrBenShuttle]

His 4G's reactions were because of the G-suit, it creates a hard press on the stomach and legs (know it from my bro).

It's not because of the effect of the 4G..

[marineaddict]

i could never be in air force of any country. i fucking hate heights and G's.

[gavin53uc]

too high? I saw him at 100ft there, exactly how low does he have to go?!?

[bryUK]

@gavin53uc lol, welcome to low-level flying in the RAF.

[MovieMad007]

he missed his target!! right at the end of all that !! he missed the bloody target! telling himself off!!! dearie me......oh well try again tomorrow!!!

[Cengiz78x]

Harrier's VTOL technology is French

[bryUK]

@Cengiz78x Correction, based on a French idea. The French concept had more than just swivelling nozzles, it also swivelled a number of more complicated parts.

It was certainly the breakthrough though, with Bristol Siddeley simplifying the concept and eventually leading to the Pegasus.

[QUEENAHIDEKINGFISHER]

This guy sounds like one of the BAY CITY ROLLERS,i can't understand the Scottish accent!

[bryUK]

@QUEENAHIDEKINGFISHER That is most definitely not a Scottish accent, lol

[ecouriercouk]

@QUEENAHIDEKINGFISHER ... and his buddy sounds like Darth Vader.

[Red9964]

3+ G is painfull stuff if you do it over and over and flying at this altitude for an hour to target, with plenty of small turns takes its toll. I expect even after a few 4+ turns on top of the cumulative total its pretty tiring. I flew Hawks low level in Wales and getting out you are physically worn. Head to toe pins and needles!!!. Air combat manoeuvers can put you through more intense G over short periods. A super vid AAA superb pilotting and good to have the commentary by the pilot in flight

[jc1701]

Nice jet, great pilot. You try giving a tour of the country side in a attack jet at 500 agl at 460 Kts.  Nicely done. PS. Yea an F16 flight might would eat him for lunch. LOL.

[AzurXuS]

I saw a video 2 days ago, but i cant find it again, Could someone help me out? Its about a harrier or some plane trying to take down another one, but it uses flares... Id apreciate the help, thanks

[Afrocanuk]

Is that degree of verbal abuse really necessary?

[wolf1010]

Well at least it's faster than our A-10s.

[TheFighterpilot93]

Dickhead lol!

[skyFx100]

check this one out:

"HUD view destroyed by software failure."

[sk8rguy4life1123]

WHY DOESNT HE JUST LET HIS HEAD TURN WITH THE AIRCRAFT

[JayNorris666]

Is the jets speed is on the top left of the hud? If so, then why is his speed not dropping when he was pulling round the bends?

[bryUK]

@JayNorris666 Basically, he just wasn't turning hard enough to really bleed off a lot of airspeed. It does drop a little with the 4g turns, but those are also brief.

[JayNorris666]

@bryUK Thanks

[DreamAboutSpace]

@JayNorris666 autothorttle?

[BruteCommando]

I'm sure the Harrier and the pilot can pull more than 3-4 G, this is a training mission and we don't know what the rules were, just like 'hard deck' at 10.000 feet for safety.

RAF trains in mountainous terrains all the time and going fast through them is not easy and keeping the G's low is safer, shit i mean in Bosnia bombing missions between the mountains were carried out by the Brits and Germans with their Tornados the US couldn't do it.

[iirobbieiiv2]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH STUPID BRIT PULLS 3G'S AND ITS TO MUCH HA AMERICANS PULL 6-12 EVERYDAY U GUYS ARE WEAK

[bryUK]

@iirobbieiiv2

You do realise this is a bomber, not a fighter right? It doesn't even have an air-to-air radar.

Its like comparing what a F/A18 pilot is doing to an A-6 pilot. Different requirements, different tolerences. The Harrier II is only designed to pull 7g operationally.

Just as F-16 pilots will often pull 9g (certainly not every day though), so are RAF Typhoon pilots.

You might also want to check your facts about 12g's being performed in-service, let alone routinely.

[Mazza4Azza]

@iirobbieiiv2

Shut the fuck up and read what that guy said. hmmm 12g's? you sure? You'd be so close to death.

[bryUK]

@Mazza4Azza 12g is certainly possible with the most advanced G-Suits and oxygen masks that almost literally ram air down your throat.

I've seen it demonstrated in centrifuges, although it took the pilot a few tries before he could cope. He passed out a lot in the process.

Operationally is another matter altogether though when you consider that the FBW flight computers in aircraft like the F-16, F-22 and Typhoon simply do not let the aircraft pull more than 9g.

[Mazza4Azza]

@bryUK

Yeah I understand it is possible with the most hi-tech gear but not all fighters and bombers have those. This idiot (iirobieiiv2) is just making a fool out of himself... Just trying to teach him a lesson, that's all.

[distantkilljoy]

@iirobbieiiv2 You do know american pilots take pills in afghanistan before and after flying.

Now that is weak.

[ratodoesgato]

@iirobbieiiv2 lmao ur brains week.

[EdGeyy]

@iirobbieiiv2 Oh dear. 

[pMcARDENboyz]

if seen theese planes flying we camp just at lock ness

[xytronite]

Could someone explain what the relevance of the symbols are for the second half of this is (diamond and dashed line etc), i find alot of this fascinating but there seems to be very little info out there about HUDs (that i can find atleast)

[wildone106]

@xytronite The dashed line with the cross at the end of it, is his bombing piper. Basically shows where the bombs would hit if you released them at that particular moment..the cross being where they would fall. The Diamond shape seems to be the selected target (You saw him line up the diamond with the end of the cross target..thus hopefully ensuring a good hit!) I play a lot of flight sims so thats my best guess..

[milano61]

Don't count on the F-35 to replace many of anything. It will go way over budget, it will under perform, and nobody will be really happy to have it. Remember the last attempt at a "satisfy everybody airframe", the F-111. The Navy's already backed out and will develop their own a/c, and once again the USAF and everyone else will buy it (remember the F-4).

[bryUK]

@milano61

An interesting way of looking at it, but there are holes.

Sure we remember the F-4, but other cases where the USN went alone were not universally successful with everyone else buying it, like the F-14.

There are also far more recent examples of successful 'please everyone' airframes. The Rafale and the YF-17 which became the F/A-18.

[boldertits]

No harrier or F-22 no F-35.

The f-35 will replace these i hope.

[Muphlon]

that doesn't look like dropped the first bomb on target.

also, what are all those V signs on his hud?

[bryUK]

@Muphlon The V cues are thermal hot-spots picked up by the Forward Looking Infra-Red sensor on the nose.

[Muphlon]

that doesn't look like dropped the first bomb on target.

also, what are all those V signs on his hud?

[BMKingston]

ive been to 6 G's flying the eurofighter and i was grunting like a pig

[Hairysteed]

Pilot grunts at 3 g:s? What a wuss!

What are those "v" -cues on the hud? Heat signatures picked up by the FLIR?

[bryUK]

Suppose it depends on what official guidelines say in regards to when you should start countering the effects of G, especially when you're being recorded for public distribution.

Correct, the V cues are hot spots from the FLIR.

[ratodoesgato]

what is the FLIR?

[bryUK]

Forward Looking Infra-Red.

Moat aircraft of the Harrier II's generation carry it as an extra pod, like the F-15E, but on the Harrier GR7/9, AV-8B Night Attack and AV-8B+ its built into the aircraft itself, inside a small fairing on top of the nose.

[ratodoesgato]

ahh right thanks

[THFCfan1]

if you where contanct lenses can you still join to be an RAF pilot or do you need 2020 vision ?

[Oneandoneself]

if you can pass their medical tests without contacts then you can join and then wear them whilst flying but if you fail the medicals without the, then you cant join

[BMKingston]

20/20 vision because my friend got rejected for that very reason

[monitor301]

@THFCfan1

Current requirements are for perfect eyesight without corrective aids or refractive surgery of any kind (laser eye surgery).

[ChemicalBioxifti]

good work :)

[75touch]

man jet pilots are amazing the mental and physical endurance they have is just so badass

[dpwtaylor]

For any trying to get into the RAF I would reccomend learning as much about the planes as you can, as in exact specifics (history of the plabes and technical specs) as well as the history of the RAF in general. I know thats what my brother did to help wow them at his interview, and he is now an officer in the RAF currently at RAF Valley in Wales. Hope that helps.

[Freddo111L]

brilliant thanks, i'm aspiring to be a fighter pilot also.

[vivalaskateboarding]

wow thankyou for the information, your brother has my dream job, he must be very proud

[nonostormo]

Thanks!!!Nice video!

[Louisthefish23]

thats so cool!!!!

[slipersox]

why was he saying dick head at the last approach?

[bryUK]

Basically, he screwed up the last approach and is pretty angry with himself.

[slipersox]

ahhh thanks :)

still an awesome vid XD

[blinkvirus]

Of course I've bin on the website and it doesn't make it clear what they absolutely want. Just Maths and English GCSE and 2 A Levels... But obviously you would need something related and since I didn't do too good in GCSE physics I thought I'd make up for it by doing it in AS (mistake) and when I say RAF I mean Airman/Pilot. I just wanted someone's opinion on what would give someone a good chance of becoming a pilot...

[gellstarr]

you dont need to study any particular subjects at A-level, you just need to have 2 A-levels, as long as you have that with maths and english grade C at GCSE you will have the minimum qualifications. But thats what they are, just the minimum, around 70% of those who are selected have a degree (again it can be in anything). Whilst its important to have the qualifications the RAF look a lot more at what you do in your spare time, i.e. ccf or air cadets, volunteer work, leadership roles etc.

[treloar123]

i'm just at the beginning at the application for pilot and am just finishing my last year at A level now. you also need to have GCSE science as wellat C or above. as long as you have the minimum requirement grades they will let you apply, but it isn't always the grades you get, sa 'gellstarr' rightly pointed out they're looking for what kind of person you are, what you do in your spare time, how have you put yourself into an aviation environment etc.

[xMATTSTERx]

I'm applying for pilot as well but i have chosen to go to university and take "Aviation Studies" to help me. best of luck to you, remember to research.

[treloar123]

i had a look a going to uni to do pilot studies and all that lark but decided uni wasn't for me.

ta, and good luck to you

[TheHusky9]

apply before and after uni. Because if you are medically unfit there would have been no point in aviation studies

[treloar123]

i was also told that if they dont think you have the capacity to learn the information in ground training, which some of it is degree level aeronautics, they may not consider you to be a good enough candidate. if you have well accepted A levels like maths englidh etc that will go down well, things like media will not. i would also recommend looking inot the RAF as a whole because if you say you want to be a pilot and nothing else and don't know a lot about the RAf they may see that as immaturity

[treloar123]

sorry to write so much, i'm just sharing what i understand with you. dont give up on your dream and give yourself the best opportuinity of getting in possible. good luck

[blinkvirus]

For ages i wanted to be in the RAF i took physics in AS but it was waay too hard. What qualifications would you need to get into the RAF?

[gellstarr]

depends what you want to join as - have you tried looking on the RAF website!? you need to show a bit more initiative if you want to have a chance of getting in!

[StuntmanKnut]

Excellent video bryUK - love the commentaries and the sightseeing tour the pilot gave us, thank you for posting this!

[bartlebybartleby]

the v's seem to indicate terrain features. can someone explain that symbology a bit more?

[bryUK]

They are cues from the FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red) on the top of the aircrafts nose.

Basically, the little V's, or butterflies as they are sometimes known, are markers to highlight hot spots.

Sources of heat.

Things that could be buildings or vehicles.

[bartlebybartleby]

ah! that makes sense.  thanks for the info.

[bunnyfoofoo83]

i understand you...however, twice a month i pull over 4G in my grub T1 trainer with the RAF's universitiy air squadron. the only differentce here is that the aircraf in question has the power, and energy to sustain these manuevers for greater periods.

another note is that this pilot is pretty old. he's most probably of aquite a high rank. this would explain the video...and the fact he is still flying front line aircraft in the RAF.

[jwalsh8]

GROB not grub lol ive seen u do that twice lol :-). also some pilot's may CHOOSE to strain under G for the crack, not because they have to but out of GOOD PRACTICE. It just gets you into the habbit of not forgetting. Some of my instructors have been RAF, FRA and display pilots and ive found that they strain under small amounts of G.

[bunnyfoofoo83]

i replied to both of you 2 the same as you guy's just dont seem to get it.

[bryUK]

I get it just fine, but I just don't completely agree with you. I've seen enough vids of people in centrifuges passing out at the 4-5g mark to know its not odd.

Its difficult to take anyone seriously on youtube.

All kinds of claims get made, don't they?

.

The only ones you can take your concern up with would be the RAF themselves.

Though since they were the ones that allowed the video to be released, if they had a concern you would imagine they would have done something about it at the time.

[brokenpipe]

bryUK this is a fantastic vid - thank you.

[bunnyfoofoo83]

i'm sorry buddy, thats just wrong. i dont fly fighter aircraft. i hope to as im inthe university air squadron. depending on the persons shape and physiological state humans can go far past this.

in the USAF you have to be able to withstand 9g fr at least a couple seconds if you want to qualify to fly the f-15 or 16

this guy however is having a pretty hard time at it doing some very mundane manuevers

[bryUK]

Its not wrong at all.

Like I said, the average -unassisted- person (that means no g-suit and no training) will pass out at about the 4g mark.

There is no test or examination that requires any pilot to withstand 9g -unassisted-.

They are trained and they are equipped with their g-suit, as they would in the real aircraft.

Now that said, most pilots aren't providing a commentary and guided tour for a video as this pilot is. And as soon as the turn has ended, he is perfectly fine.

[bunnyfoofoo83]

you guys are all missing the point here. i actually do fly with the RAFs university squadron. even though we don't have the liberty of flying something with the power of jets our grub t1 airframes can still reach well oer 4G. a perfectly fit man that isnt that tall wont have anything near this problem at 4G. i dont...and nor do hardly any of my fellow classmates.

this guy is probabyl tall or unfit...or both

[brokenpipe]

I think your missing the point a little, 3 or 4 times the force of gravity is not mundane.

When pulling anything over 2g the doctrine is to tense all your muscles which forces blood up to your head, the G-suit assists you with this. The pilot could probably have flown this without tensing and the suit would have dealt with it but that would be bad flying practice, the pilot is spot on.

[Imsetiptah]

He's not having a "hard time". He's straining at each G to raise his blood pressure to keep blood supply to his brain.

[sekiryu]

@Imsetiptah ...at only 3-4Gs? You usually don't hear straining until they get up to 6 or 7.

[bryUK]

@sekiryu

It depends entirely on the type of aircraft you are observing.

This isn't a fighter aircraft, its a bomber.

F-16 pilots might not be straining until 6 or 7g, but they they are required to reach at least 9g or they flunk the -fighter- pilots courses.

You might find an F-111 pilot would have trouble coping at lower G's as well, simply because they are not required to withstand higher loads.

[sekiryu]

@bryUK I wasn't trained or required to withstand sustained 3g in a centrifuge, but I did......and I was 13 at the time.....

[bryUK]

@sekiryu Your point being?

[zaphr89]

@sekiryu Wow man, i mean 3g is almost as hard as riding a roller coaster! Im impressed!! :P

[sekiryu]

@zaphr89 that's exactly my point...this guy is grunting about roller coaster-strength g-forces....

[zaphr89]

@sekiryu Then i missunderstood you, i thought you meant 3g was much lol :P I seriously don't know why he is grunting that much, maybe because he is speaking at the same time i dunno. I can believe he thinks it is hard though, i mean they go through 9g in the tests.

[bryUK]

@zaphr89 Not all of them by any means. Only pilots that fly aircraft capable of pulling sustained 9g train for it.

A-10 pilots for example are only required to withstand 7g and not tested for 9g at all.

Same for a Harrier pilot. The Harrier II is only stressed for 8g, and it will only ever pull that at airshows. You'll rarely see a Harrier II without external fuel tanks which limits the G to about 6-7.

[bunnyfoofoo83]

why is he straining so much. he shouldn't be finding 3.9g this difficult. he might not even be safe!

[bryUK]

Speaking from experience, or just assuming?

I assume you realise the average unassisted person will pass out at around 4g, right?

[zaphr89]

@bryUK Bull... some roller coasters are up to 6g (although they are rare) A healthy, young person will NOT pass out from 4g, and absolutely not a trained jet fighter pilot.

[bryUK]

@zaphr89 Know what you're talking about first.

-SUSTAINED- is the utterly critical key word. Yeah, some roller coasters go to 6g... for a split second.

Big difference. G-LOC occurs when g-forces force the blood from your head, starving your brain of oxygen, resulting in passing out. This isn't an instantaneous process. It happens gradually, like falling asleep. First you get tunnel vision, then your vision turns grey, then you black out.

[zaphr89]

@bryUK I do know what i am talking about.. 4g's can be sustained for seconds before grey out (normal people) 6gs for seconds before G-loc. We are talking about a fighter pilot here with g-suit and training (and in very good condition) he should be (And is) capable of sustaining 4g through a turn. But all this the pilot in the video is doing, i never said anything negative about his capabilities. You are preaching for the choir boys m8.

[bryUK]

@zaphr89 Fair enough. I've seen fit young people applying to be fighter pilots G-loc in centrifuges after being at 4g for about 10-15 seconds.

There is lots of material on it since the Luftwaffe adopted the Russian practice after the fall of the Berlin Wall (inheriting its MiG-29s) of testing candidates G tolerances during initial selection.

They stick them in a centrifuge and rank up the G until they pass out.

Mainly its just a commentary on people like Sekiryu saying 4g is very easy.

[GUARDSMAN24488]

what a super clip many thanks

[ElvenLord14]

haha he sounds like he had a curry last night haha :D

[twz87]

poor heart of his lol, deffo doing some heavy duty work :)

[geohutchison]

great vid, didnt think they'd realese stuff like this, is there more?

[MrBoxhead1]

Fighter Pilot my dream job. I would do this for nothing. Why can't i???? ABSO BRILL

[shrivaldo]

Top vid

[sufa256]

Great video !!!!!