Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The AV-8B developed the vectored-thrust Harrier into a second generation of ground-attack aircraft. It served in close air support and reconnaissance roles in the United States, Spain and Italy. The British Harrier II and tandem-seat TAV-8B are related developments. The simulator product represents the AV-8B.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗The first ski-jump looks like a wall
Moving from the Hawk to the Harrier gave Schofield a much larger set of flying techniques to keep practised. He remembered the vibration on the ground, the view from the cockpit and the unusual experience of hovering over a field with cows nearby. Even returning after a weekend could leave a pilot feeling rusty in one part of the repertoire. His first carrier ski-jump departure brought a different surprise.
Hush-Kit interview · February 2019. RAF Harrier GR.7 conversion in 2000; this British Harrier II account does not establish identical AV-8B cockpit equipment.
Hush-Kit · Read more ↗Adjust how the simulator presents movement and sound
The package lists a Smartview camera tied to flight path and speed, configurable sounds and aural warnings, and optional particle effects. These presentation settings accompany the aircraft’s navigation and flight controls.
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II · X-Trident · X-Plane 11
X-Trident · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube USA Military Channel · 9 min ·
COCKPIT VIEW - AV-8B Harrier II's Amazing Vertical Take-off & Landing
Cockpit footage shows the AV-8B operating from a ship and a runway.
Real aircraft · McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
The AV-8B developed the vectored-thrust Harrier into a second generation of ground-attack aircraft. It served in close air support and reconnaissance roles in the United States, Spain and Italy. The British Harrier II and tandem-seat TAV-8B are related developments. The simulator product represents the AV-8B.
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
McDonnell Douglas → · Explore the family →
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
Wikipedia contributors · McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II ↗X-Trident · X-Plane 11 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
Cherry Point links the first aircraft with the final trainees
The Marine Corps report places the first AV-8B arrival at Cherry Point in January 1984. Forty years later, the same community marked the qualification of its final two new Harrier pilots, connecting the programme’s beginnings with its planned transition.
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing · Marines receive last AV-8B Harrier pilot designations ↗April 2024 retrospective; subsequent retirement timing is not established by this report
Development milestones
First flight: YAV-8B: 9 November 1978 AV-8B: 5 November 1981
Developed from: Hawker Siddeley Harrier
Wikipedia contributors · McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II ↗McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1372770805
Pilot accounts
The first ski-jump looks like a wall
Moving from the Hawk to the Harrier gave Schofield a much larger set of flying techniques to keep practised. He remembered the vibration on the ground, the view from the cockpit and the unusual experience of hovering over a field with cows nearby. Even returning after a weekend could leave a pilot feeling rusty in one part of the repertoire.
His first carrier ski-jump departure brought a different surprise. From the cockpit, the ramp looked alarmingly like a wall, despite the notes and briefing that explained what would happen. Once the aircraft was airborne, the immediate worry shifted to getting it back aboard.
Hush-Kit interview · February 2019. RAF Harrier GR.7 conversion in 2000; this British Harrier II account does not establish identical AV-8B cockpit equipment.
Read the full account · Hush-Kit ↗Joining the Harrier community as its final new class
Corbett and Jorgensen completed the last AV-8B pilot training class with a low-altitude close-air-support training sortie. For Corbett, earning the designation was a proud achievement with an unusual emotional setting: he was entering a community that already knew its aircraft was approaching the end of Marine service.
He described the occasion as bittersweet, recognising both the work behind reaching the cockpit and the significance of being among the final newcomers. The report also gives space to the squadron supporting the two pilots as they moved towards fleet assignments. It records the start of their Harrier careers in spring 2024, without assuming that the transition dates planned at the time describe the fleet’s present status.
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing report · April 2024. Corbett and Sven Jorgensen completed their final qualifying sortie on 29 March; counted as one reported account, with Corbett’s remarks.
Read the full account · 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing ↗Taking the AV-8B from a test programme onto ships
Nalls’s biography describes a move from operational flying into a small test team at Patuxent River after test-pilot school. Four pilots shared work on the new AV-8B, giving him a place in the aircraft’s development as well as experience flying it. The assignments extended beyond a normal squadron’s daily routine.
Shipboard trials took that work onto the Italian Giuseppe Garibaldi and Spanish Príncipe de Asturias, helping establish how the aircraft would operate from those decks. His biography also records engine-restart testing involving Harrier variants and other aircraft. These reported assignments show the range of a test pilot’s working life; the combined totals in the source are not presented as hours flown exclusively in an AV-8B.
Nalls Aviation biography. Selected material concerns AV-8B/TAV-8B test work after U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School in 1985; earlier AV-8A incidents are separate.
Read the full account · Nalls Aviation ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
Compare simulator versions →X-Plane 11McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
X-Trident · Released
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
X-Trident · Released
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024AV-8B Harrier II, Plus and GR9
DC Designs · Released
AV-8B Harrier II, Plus and GR9
DC Designs · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 46 ft 4 in (14.12 m) |
| Wingspan | 30 ft 4 in (9.25 m) |
| Height | 11 ft 8 in (3.55 m) |
| Wing area | 243.4 sq ft (22.61 m² ) |
| Empty weight | 13,968 lb (6,340 kg) |
| Gross weight | 22,950 lb (10,410 kg) |
| Powerplant | 1 × Rolls-Royce Pegasus F402-RR-408 (Mk 107) vectored-thrust turbofan , 23,500 lbf (105 kN) thrust |
| Maximum speed | 585 kn (673 mph, 1,083 km/h) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 0.9 |
| Range | 1,200 nmi (1,400 mi, 2,200 km) |
| Rate of climb | 14,700 ft/min (75 m/s) |
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
Adjust how the simulator presents movement and soundMcDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II · X-Trident · X-Plane 11
The package lists a Smartview camera tied to flight path and speed, configurable sounds and aural warnings, and optional particle effects. These presentation settings accompany the aircraft’s navigation and flight controls.
X-Plane 11 product feature list · gathered September 2026
X-Trident · Read the source ↗Pilot account
The first ski-jump looks like a wallHush-Kit interview · February 2019. RAF Harrier GR.7 conversion in 2000; this British Harrier II account does not establish identical AV-8B cockpit equipment.
Moving from the Hawk to the Harrier gave Schofield a much larger set of flying techniques to keep practised. He remembered the vibration on the ground, the view from the cockpit and the unusual experience of hovering over a field with cows nearby. Even returning after a weekend could leave a pilot feeling rusty in one part of the repertoire. His first carrier ski-jump departure brought a different surprise.
James Schofield
Hush-Kit · Read the source ↗Joining the Harrier community as its final new class2nd Marine Aircraft Wing report · April 2024. Corbett and Sven Jorgensen completed their final qualifying sortie on 29 March; counted as one reported account, with Corbett’s remarks.
Corbett and Jorgensen completed the last AV-8B pilot training class with a low-altitude close-air-support training sortie. For Corbett, earning the designation was a proud achievement with an unusual emotional setting: he was entering a community that already knew its aircraft was approaching the end of Marine service. He described the occasion as bittersweet, recognising both the work behind reaching the cockpit and the significance of being among the final newcomers.
Joshua Corbett
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
DC Designs AV-8B Harrier II manualDC Designs / Just Flight · Manual captured 28 September 2026; flap, trim and nozzle operationAircraft background
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier IIWikipedia contributors · Research background · retrieved 2026-09-12Product
Harrier AV-8B XP11X-Trident · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12Type designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Developer documentation
DC Designs AV-8B Harrier IIDC Designs / Just Flight · Product listing captured 28 September 2026; MSFS 2020 and 2024Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 2 profile choices
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
X-Plane 11
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II: The selected centre accompanies the powered-control aircraft rendition.
DC Designs Harrier II (AV-8B / Plus / GR9)
DC Designs · Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The second-generation Harrier, designed around vectored thrust and short-field operation.
DC Designs Harrier II (AV-8B / Plus / GR9)
The second-generation Harrier, designed around vectored thrust and short-field operation.
Aircraft and simulator scope
- DC Designs Harrier II (AV-8B / Plus / GR9) · DC Designs · MSFS 2020 · Add-on starting point
- DC Designs Harrier II (AV-8B / Plus / GR9) · DC Designs · MSFS 2024 · Add-on starting point
The simulator model and controls
DC Designs Harrier II (AV-8B / Plus / GR9) is the selected DC Designs configuration.
How this profile feels
The spring stays independent of airspeed. Directed aerodynamic loading is omitted.
Pitch-trim relief is off. Autopilot following is off.
Aircraft and configuration
The AV-8B developed the vectored-thrust Harrier into a second generation of ground-attack aircraft. It served in close air support and reconnaissance roles in the United States, Spain and Italy. The British Harrier II and tandem-seat TAV-8B are related developments. The simulator product represents the AV-8B.
About the values
Strengths are normalized hardware-feel settings. They set the effect balance; hand force depends on the device and its limits. The IAS reference is a tuning value.
Documentary review and sources
These decisions describe the documentary basis and remaining gaps for this revision. Aircraft documentation and a starting setting describe different kinds of evidence.
Aircraft and variant
InheritedDC Designs Harrier II (AV-8B / Plus / GR9) is the selected DC Designs configuration.
Flight controls
InheritedThe second-generation Harrier, designed around vectored thrust and short-field operation.
Trim
InheritedThe profile uses the trim behaviour configured below. Pitch relief is off, with stored authority 0; roll authority is 0.
Autopilot and stability
InheritedAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel.
Equipment
InheritedThe AV-8B developed the vectored-thrust Harrier into a second generation of ground-attack aircraft. It served in close air support and reconnaissance roles in the United States, Spain and Italy. The British Harrier II and tandem-seat TAV-8B are related developments. The simulator product represents the AV-8B.
Speeds and limits
InheritedThe indicated-speed references set the profile response scale; they are separate from aircraft operating limits.
Simulator integration
InheritedThe profile targets msfs2020, msfs2024. Add-on-specific controls use only the supported references configured by this profile.
Force-feedback settings
InheritedThe settings define the profile’s effect balance. Device output limits affect physical hand force.
Starting settings and their rationale
These configured values are starting estimates. The explanations describe what each setting controls; physical validation appears separately below.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | Starting value0.38 | What it controls and whyThis profile uses powered-control feel for McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II. The baseline spring is 0.38. Low-speed spring blending is off. |
| Master force gain | Starting value0.85 | What it controls and whyScales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| Profile force gain | Starting value0.25 | What it controls and whyThe stored 0.25 aerodynamic-load gain is inactive under the zero hydraulic-load factor. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value200 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Spring response reference speed | Starting value65 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Aileron force scale | Starting value0.72 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.72 and 1, respectively. These stored weights do not create directed aerodynamic loading while that term is inactive. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value1 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyRetained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| Trim relief | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAllows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| Autopilot follow | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel. |
| Autopilot neutral hold | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
All 44 starting settings and their rationale
The settings define the profile’s effect balance. Device output limits affect physical hand force.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | Starting value0.38 | What it controls and whyThis profile uses powered-control feel for McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II. The baseline spring is 0.38. Low-speed spring blending is off. |
| Spring deadband | Starting value0.04 | What it controls and whySets travel around the centre before the baseline spring resists. Smaller values engage it sooner. |
| Profile force gain | Starting value0.25 | What it controls and whyThe stored 0.25 aerodynamic-load gain is inactive under the zero hydraulic-load factor. |
| Master force gain | Starting value0.85 | What it controls and whyScales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| QBlend Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAllows baseline spring strength to rise with indicated airspeed where the control law permits it. |
| QSpring Minimum Factor | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whySets low-speed spring strength as a fraction of baseline when blending is enabled. One keeps full strength. |
| QSpring Start Knots | Starting value8 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed spring blend starts rising. This is a feel threshold, not a flight limit. |
| Spring response reference speed | Starting value65 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value200 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whyThe high-speed spring-stiffening gain is 0. No additional speed-driven stiffening is added; this does not disable independent aerodynamic loading. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening limit | Starting value2 | What it controls and whyLimits the squared airspeed ratio used for high-speed spring stiffening; it is not a device-force cap. |
| Aileron force scale | Starting value0.72 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.72 and 1, respectively. These stored weights do not create directed aerodynamic loading while that term is inactive. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value1 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyRetained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| Trim relief | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAllows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| Elevator Authority | Starting value0 | What it controls and whyThe profile uses the trim behaviour configured below. Pitch relief is off, with stored authority 0; roll authority is 0. |
| Aileron Authority | Starting value0 | What it controls and whyScales supported roll-trim relief and permitted centre movement. Zero removes roll response. |
| Force Trim Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyEnables local force trim, separate from aircraft-owned trim and add-on integration qualification. |
| GLoad Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAllows load-factor changes to modify permitted spring laws. Passive fly-by-wire feel can suppress it. |
| Rate Damping Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyEnables rate damping with the configured coefficients and control law. |
| Autopilot follow | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel. |
| Autopilot follow authority | Starting value0.1 | What it controls and whySets admitted AP-follow gain, not a percentage of travel. Runtime ownership and input limits still apply. |
| Autopilot neutral hold | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Autopilot neutral hold strength | Starting value0.6 | What it controls and whySets admitted AP neutral-hold strength; inactive while neutral hold is disabled. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables aerodynamic cues; each still needs nonzero strength and its simulator conditions. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets stall-buffet strength. Zero removes the cue without changing simulator stalls or warnings. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets high-Mach buffet strength; onset and full-strength thresholds are separate. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets flap buffet at the configured position and speed gates. Flap movement texture is separate. |
| Maximum flap index | Starting value3 | What it controls and whySets the final flap index for detent normalization. UP plus three detents uses maximum index3. |
| Minimum flap index | Starting value2 | What it controls and whySets the first flap detent that admits buffet; this is a handle index, not degrees. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets gear aerodynamic buffet; movement and ground-contact cues are separate. |
| Shaker Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits shaker at supported warning conditions; the switch does not establish aircraft equipment. |
| Stick shaker amplitude | Starting value0.5 | What it controls and whySets triggered shaker strength; inactive while the shaker feature is disabled. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables ground effects; each still needs its own strength and contact or motion telemetry. |
| Gain | Starting value0.4 | What it controls and whySets rolling texture strength, modified by speed, surface and undercarriage configuration. |
| Gain | Starting value0.25 | What it controls and whySets gear-bump texture during ground motion, separate from touchdown impact. |
| Gain | Starting value0.65 | What it controls and whySets landing-impact strength; landing telemetry and response shape determine the pulse. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets reverse-thrust vibration with valid reverser and engine conditions. Zero removes the cue. |
| Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyEnables engine cues with nonzero settings and valid running-engine telemetry. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets estimated engine vibration using configured telemetry and response, not measured cockpit vibration. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables accessory cues with configured strengths and observed accessory movement. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets texture from observed flap movement; a command without movement does not establish the cue. |
| Gain | Starting value0.025 | What it controls and whySets texture from observed gear movement, separate from aerodynamic and touchdown effects. |
Limits and open questions
- Documentary starting point; installed-title capture and physical force acceptance are pending.
- Force amplitudes and tuning references are engineering estimates, not measured hand forces.
- No verified add-on servo-target or hydraulic-failure interface; autopilot following and hydraulic-loss forces remain off.
- Manufacturer/developer-qualified title matching is proposed from product identity; unidentified titles do not claim this edition.
- Hover/nozzle state is not qualified; transition-specific forces and automatic trim changes are intentionally not reconstructed.
- Inherited force magnitudes remain editable estimates; aircraft-specific settings for speed response, controls, trim, autopilot and enabled effects are retained. New physical feel acceptance is pending.
Physical validation
No physical force validation is recorded in this public catalogue for this revision. Documentary review and software checks do not establish how a particular device feels.
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