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Original McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II Photo 161397 1 of 4 FSD Jets 8x10
Second FSD Airframe, Pre-First-Flight, St. Louis March 1982 -- Museum SurvivorDESCRIPTION:Original 8x10 color photograph of the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II, BuNo 161397, photographed on the ramp at the McDonnell Douglas plant in St. Louis, Missouri in March 1982.This aircraft was the second of only four Full Scale Development (FSD) airframes built for the AV-8B program; the small hand-built fleet that proved out the second-generation Harrier before production began.161397 was one of the two FSD jets that introduced the wing leading-edge root extensions and revised engine intakes that defined the production aircraft.Records show this print predates the airframe's own first flight, which took place in April 1982, by roughly a month... making it a true pre-first-flight ramp shot rather than an in-service test photo.Most surviving period photos of test aircraft were taken after they were flying; this one was not.The aircraft wears the distinctive red, white, gold, and black demonstrator scheme used briefly on the FSD fleet, a scheme that never carried over to production aircraft (which went straight to tactical gray).The elevated cockpit, a key visual difference from the earlier AV-8A, is clearly visible. "AV-8B" is stenciled on the black intake fairing and "MARINES" appears on the tail boom alongside the US national insignia and the aircraft's partial BuNo.BuNo 161397 went on to log over 5,000 flight-test hours during its career and survives today on permanent static display at the Sullenberger Aviation Museum (formerly the Carolinas Aviation Museum) in Charlotte, North Carolina, where it has been since 2005. The actual aircraft pictured here can be visited in person; photo included in images from museum. Verso carries a period McDonnell Douglas St. Louis photo lab stamp, negative number G12-11792-6, dated March 1982. From the personal collection of a retired McDonnell Douglas/Boeing employee.Ships flat and protected between rigid board in a photo mailer. Please see all photos as part of the condition description, and feel free to message with any questions before purchasing.CONDITION:Vintage original color photograph, 8 in x 10 in, glossy surface. The print is complete and the image is sharp and bright. There is one torn / dog-eared corner with a small chip and a matching crease running back from that corner, plus some minor lifting/separation of the print surface along the bottom edge near the affected corner. The verso lab stamp and negative number are legible. The defects are confined to the one corner and edge as shown; the central image area is clean. Photographed in detail -- please review all images and ask before buying.
