This 80 cm × 50 cm oil on wood painting depicts a Royal Air Force (RAF) Harrier that has taken off from the Royal Navy (RN) aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. The painting was commissioned by Group Captain Tom Lyons, a fast-jet pilot and RAF Inspector of Flight Safety, to celebrate his time as chief test pilot and his heavyweight Harrier trials on aircraft carriers (V. Thomas, personal communication). The Harrier was the world’s first vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft—made unique by the Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine that provided vectored thrust using four rotating nozzles. The Harrier entered service with the RAF in 1969 and with the RN as the Sea Harrier in 1980. The painting epitomizes the statement in this journal that the armed forces operate in a particularly arduous physical and psychological environment [1]. The account of an RAF Harrier pilot who flew in the Falklands War highlights the danger associated with their task—‘to serve as attrition replacements for Sea Harriers shot down on operations’ [2]. Even in peacetime, flying at high speed in all weather conditions and in close combat exercises is not without risk of losing aircraft and aircrew.
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