Tag Archives: nalls aviation

Detail on a SHAR

Leave a reply

Another throwback post today to some of the time I spent with Art Nalls and Team SHAR.  Art is now selling his Harriers which is a big shame.  No idea who will buy them (assuming someone will) and what will happen to them but I hope they fly again.  The two-seater was close to flying again and I imagine there would be a few people interested in that.

I got a lot of shots with Art and the crew over the years but I recently found myself scanning through some detail shots of the plane.  I even played with a few shots from a single position where I had experimented with moving the focus point along the wing.  These seemed worth trying to focus stack.  I hadn’t aligned them shots perfectly when I took them so it didn’t stack perfectly but it made a reasonable job of it.  I hope to see this airframe again some time.

Farewell to the SHAR?

Leave a reply

Sad news in the air show scene for the US is the announcement that Art Nalls has put his Harriers up for sale.  Art did an amazing thing by buying a retired Royal Navy Sea Harrier and getting it airworthy and then displayed on the air show circuit for a number of years.  He also bought a two seater which is apparently close to being flight ready.  I was lucky to spend a lot of time with Art and the team both at shows and also visiting them in Maryland.

His hangar there also includes an ex-RAF Harrier GR3 which has a lot of common parts with the SHAR so could be used for bits he needed from time to time.  The support team had a bunch of Harrier experience from the Marine Corps and various ex-RN individuals also got involved over time – not harmed by many people deployed to Pax River on the F-35B program coming from a SHAR background.  Maybe someone will pick the jets up and take them forward but Art has other things to work on now and they are not part of the future for him.  Here is a selection of shots I have got over the years of the team at work and the jet displaying.

Team SHAR

3 Replies

wpid7576-AU0E2766.jpgI have spent time with Art Nalls and his Team SHAR at various events over the years but it had been a while since we had last crossed paths.  Therefore, it was good to see Art and the guys again at Gary for the Chicago Air and Water Show.  This year has been a busy year for the team.  Not only have they got themselves well established on the show circuit but the lack of military participation has meant a relatively modern fast jet is in high demand to fill the gap left by the normal front line fighters.  Add to that, the difference that a Harrier brings and you can see why their calendar has been filling up.

wpid7580-C59F4939.jpgI caught up with Art early in the day and ended up running some errands with him for a while.  However, I didn’t want to miss other acts on the ground so left them for a while to do some other stuff.  I did get back later in the day and chatted to the guys for a while and watched the launch and recovery.  With the jet on the ground, I also took the time to get some shots of it while no one was working on it.  On the final day of the show, I did head back to the beach to try and catch it in action too.

wpid7592-AU0E3939.jpgIt was, as always, great to hang out with the team.  They did a great job and closed out the show nicely.  I hope it isn’t as long before I next see them!