Thanks @Chicken - welcome to the forums!
That’s truly one hell of a skin!
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Thanks @BeachAV8R! I’ve been reading your stuff for a long time, looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the rest of the training!
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Thanks. I moisturize twice a day and use a natural exfoliate made from ground walnut shells and…oh wait…you weren’t talking to me were your…
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So here we are - we’re going to do what the thing is supposed to do - takeoff and land vertically! After a nice introduction on concepts and making some of the “finger” checks, it is time to perform a vertical takeoff. I elected to do the takeoff with the immediate transition to wingborne flight as opposed to the takeoff / land / takeoff profile (can’t remember what that was called…pop up or something - oh “Press-Up”). We are pretty light so no real struggle with weight on this mission.
I turn into the wind as instructed, checking the nose mounted wind vane / slip indicator…(there is probably a technical name for that thing)…
Nozzles out to 82…
And off we go! After gaining some altitude, I start pitching to put the “Witch’s Hat” in the flight director carats while simultaneously reducing the nozzles…
Easy-peasy! Soon I’m at 0 nozzle and cruising along to the waypoint where we will orbit and receive further instructions…
Autopilot bank/altitude hold is my favorite button in the aircraft…
Heading for the key position. I actually ended up a little bit fast over the smoke and had to do a 360-turn to stay on the profile toward the landing pad…
60 degrees of nozzle and slowing with the gear out and flaps in the STOL position…
Here I am coming across the key position a bit too fast…
Transitioning fully to the hover…riding that column of thrust…
The Harrier feels good…reacts quickly (at least at this weight) to power changes and feels very controllable. I’m sure that will all change in crosswinds, turbulence, and at heavier weights…
I settle in on the pad…! Another landing I can walk away from…err…well, @Baltic_Dragon made me re-think that strategy after shutdown…(always stay until the end of the movie credits!)…
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Thank you, your AARs are a very entertaining read 
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Dont forget…
PUSH FOR POWER !!!
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So you are like Maverick in TopGun, pulling for power? 
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Left eye dominant, lots of ego, and starred in a really bad movie?
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OMG…I AM NIC CAGE!
Left eye dominant - 
Lots of ego -
Starred in a really bad movie - well…I don’t know about starred, but I was IN a movie with Steve McQueen - The Hunter -
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Well, yeah – Nic Cage is everyone.
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Your not on the IMDb page Chris…I’m gonna need a youtube linky here please mate. I’ve got such a wonderful mental picture of how it will look. Please deliver dont leave me hanging
Hmm…I’ll have to rewatch it at some point - I did just watch the trailer and that is my Dad sitting on the bench there on the left side of the screen. In this scene, I was running down the sidewalk toward him, I’ll need to ENHANCE to find myself…!
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I’m not gonna lie that film looks fricking awesome
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How about those gunshot sound effects? LOL…obvious that Michael Mann didn’t direct it…
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Not as good as the fan made 'arry potter film I’m in.
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I’d say that’s close enough to be labeled as “stared in”. 
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