Harrier NATO Exercise.
May 15, 2011
NATO exercise between the Royal Navy and the Spanish Navy (in Spanish, Armada Española) with the Harrier. The aircraft’s official name is Matador, although the distinctive large air intakes led to the nickname “Cobra”. All of the AV-8Ss were operated by 8 Escuadrilla (8 Squadron), based at Naval Air Station Rota, as were all other Spanish Naval Aviation Squadrons. After the sale of the two TAV-8S aircraft in 1996, US Marine Corps instructors at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, trained the Spanish Harrier pilots. After delivery of the sole TAV-8B of the Spanish Navy in June 2001, Spanish Harrier pilots can receive their training at NAS Rota. But Spanish Harrier pilots in the making still have to travel to the United States as all initial flight training is conducted with the T-34 Mentor and T-45 Goshawk training squadrons of the US Navy. Four EAV-8B Day Attack Harriers continue to operate next to the EAV-8B+ variants with 9 Escuadrilla, although the Spanish Navy is looking into a small upgrade of these aircraft. This upgrade would not give them the AN/APG-65 radar of the EAV-8B+, but would include the F402-RR-408 engine and some of the targeting systems.
First Solo Flight with aerial spinning exercise
April 19, 2011
This video footage was taken by Shaun Fraser and Carlos Cabral of Peter Annandales first solo flight at Pretoria Flying School in Wonderboom airport Pretoria. The caption at the end of the video was of a spinning exercise that certainly put a smile on Peters dial. www.pfs.co.za +2712 567 5124 +2712 567 5125
