The Harrier jump jet for sale on eBay at £69,999

Blackleaf

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Ever wanted to buy a fighter plane? Well, now's your chance.

Introduced by the RAF in 1969, the Harrier jump jet was the first plane in the world to take off and land vertically. It is considered to be one of Britain's greatest technological achievements.

But the Coalition Government announced in October that they are to scrap the RAF's Harrier fleet to save money.

However, a 1971 Harrier jet, which was decommisioned in 1997, is now yours to buy on eBay for £69,999.

The jet was rescued from the scrapyard by an aircraft restoration company.

Current owner Chris Wilson, 33, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, who served as a mechanic in the RAF, said it would be possible to make the Harrier air-worthy.

It has been stripped of its Rolls Royce engine but Mr Wilson said one can be sourced.

The Harrier played a crucial role in the UK winning back the Falklands after they were invaded by Argentina in 1982.

It shot down 25 enemy aircraft without a single loss in air-to-air combat.

But will it fit in my hangar? The Harrier jump jet for sale on eBay at £69,999


By Ian Drury
4th February 2011
Daily Mail


It was the iconic fighter plane that helped Britain triumph in the Falklands War.

Now aircraft enthusiasts are being offered the chance to snap up a Harrier jump jet to keep in their back garden.

The last of the first generation of the revolutionary aircraft is being sold on the auction website eBay.


Bargain: The world's last first generation two-seater Harrier jet is on sale on eBay at an asking price of £69,999 complete with both cannon and missile storage pods


Buy it now? This is the cockpit of the 1971 Harrier jet which has missile storage pods. The aircraft, decomissioned in 1997, has undergone 12 months of refurbishment




For internet shoppers keen to buy this piece of military history, it’s as easy as ordering a book or CD – all they need do is click on ‘Add to cart’.

However, first they will have to meet the asking price of £69,999.

The sale is particularly poignant as the Government announced to widespread outrage in October last year that it was scrapping the country’s fleet of Harrier jump jets to save money.

Considered one of the country’s greatest technological achievements, the British-built military jets were the first in the world to take off and land vertically.

Introduced by the RAF in 1969, their ability to hover above the ground enabled the aircraft to fly in and out of battlefields that conventional jets could not reach.

The 700mph plane stamped itself on the national consciousness when it played a crucial role in the UK winning back the Falklands after they were invaded by Argentina in 1982.

It shot down 25 enemy aircraft without a single loss in air-to-air combat.


In action: Harrier T2 XW269 on active service in Gutersloh, Germany


£69,999: The world's last first generation two-seater which originally saw service in West Germany during the Cold War



The plane also served for five years in Afghanistan. Following this jet’s decommissioning in 1997, it was rescued from the scrapyard by an aircraft restoration company.

Current owner Chris Wilson, 33, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, who served as a mechanic in the RAF, said it would be possible to make the Harrier air-worthy.


A Harrier firing a Sidewinder missile during the 1982 Falklands War against Argentina. The Harrier shot down 25 Argie aircraft without a single loss.

It has been stripped of its Rolls Royce engine but Mr Wilson said one can be sourced.

He added: ‘Without the Harrier we would never have been able to retake the Falkland Islands. It’s an awesome piece of equipment – a truly classic British engineering feat.’



dailymail.co.uk
 
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bobnoorduyn

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Nov 26, 2008
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Mr. Wilson would make a good used car salesman. That's a lot of money for a really neat lawn ornament. But if the buyer wants tlo fly the thing they're going to need pretty deep pockets. Just try pricing out an engine for the thing. We too have a bunch of airplanes for sale, on the cheap, that are stripped of engines, they each require two RB183-555-15's, (which are quite a bit smaller than the Harrier requires, but it only requires one) that ran, last time I checked 8 years ago, for about $1,500,000 each for an airworthy rebuild. If I had around $5 million to spare I would probably consider buying the bird, because that would be a conservative estimate for what it would cost to make it legally airworthy in this country. That is of course if it can even be made legal here. Privately owned jet fighters are pretty hard to get registered in Canada, we're a bit backward. It's far easier to own a tank, even one with an operable main gun.

But you couldn't beat if for home defense, the noise alone would be enough to scare off even the most dedicated intruder.
 
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#juan

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Aug 30, 2005
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Mr. Wilson would make a good used car salesman. That's a lot of money for a really neat lawn ornament. But if the buyer wants tlo fly the thing they're going to need pretty deep pockets. Just try pricing out an engine for the thing. We too have a bunch of airplanes for sale, on the cheap, that are stripped of engines, they each require two RB183-555-15's, (which are quite a bit smaller than the Harrier requires, but it only requires one) that ran, last time I checked 8 years ago, for about $1,500,000 each for an airworthy rebuild. If I had around $5 million to spare I would probably consider buying the bird, because that would be a conservative estimate for what it would cost to make it legally airworthy in this country. That is of course if it can even be made legal here. Privately owned jet fighters are pretty hard to get registered in Canada, we're a bit backward. It's far easier to own a tank, even one with an operable main gun.

But you couldn't beat if for home defense, the noise alone would be enough to scare off even the most dedicated intruder.

It was my understanding that the Harrier was powered by just one unique Rolls Royce Pegassus turbofan that was that whole basis for the Harrier's existance. Without the Pegassus there would not have been any Harriers.
 

petros

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Nov 21, 2008
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It was my understanding that the Harrier was powered by just one unique Rolls Royce Pegassus turbofan that was that whole basis for the Harrier's existance. Without the Pegassus there would not have been any Harriers.
To find a replaceemt engine you'd have to know someone in the nat gas pumping industry. .
 

coldstream

on dbl secret probation
Oct 19, 2005
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I'm partial to Apache helicopters myself, but i guess this would do, providing i can arm it with sufficient sidewinders and 500lb guided ordinance.. something has to be done about my enemies, they're everywhere.. and the voices are telling me to get prepared for a reckoning... sleep tight!!

:reindeer: :blob7::flower:
 

Cliffy

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A rare photo of the Royal Navy's Harrier jump jet fleet just prior to disbanding due to the present UK 's defence budget cuts, flying over the Houses of Parliament in London.


You have to squint a bit to see the message the pilots are sending to the Government.
 

bobnoorduyn

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Nov 26, 2008
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It was my understanding that the Harrier was powered by just one unique Rolls Royce Pegassus turbofan that was that whole basis for the Harrier's existance. Without the Pegassus there would not have been any Harriers.

The problem is its uniqueness, engines designed for transports are much easier to find. I would probably submit though, that the engine was designed for the aircraft, hence without the Harrier there would be no pegassus. Unlike the Concorde which used a modified version of the already existing Olympus which powered the Vulcan.




A rare photo of the Royal Navy's Harrier jump jet fleet just prior to disbanding due to the present UK 's defence budget cuts, flying over the Houses of Parliament in London.


You have to squint a bit to see the message the pilots are sending to the Government.

Cute. Can we get them to do that here? At tax time? And drop my tax return? But I would have to weight it down with something, maybe dog turds, just to make sure it landed on target.
 

#juan

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Aug 30, 2005
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The problem is its uniqueness, engines designed for transports are much easier to find. I would probably submit though, that the engine was designed for the aircraft, hence without the Harrier there would be no pegassus. Unlike the Concorde which used a modified version of the already existing Olympus which powered the Vulcan..

I believe thar R Royce presented a number of aircraft builders with the Pegassus engine and asked them to build an aircraft around it.

Hawker was the one who came up with a workable design. Even so, the Harrier had a very steep learning curve for pilots learning to fly it.