The MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina hosted an event during the weekend of May 11 and 12, when this legendary jet’s last tour before retirement took over the scene and drew large airshow crowds to bid farewell to the AV-8B Harrier II. Marine Corps Major Iconic Aircraft Capability, a workhorse in its aviation inventory, traces its history back to the early 1980s and made its final public appearance in a spectacular demonstration of airpower.
This is a time of great change for the Corps, which is transitioning from the service’s legacy AV-8B Harrier II to the state-of-the-art F-35B Lightning II. Changes include the activation of new F-35B squadrons while at the same time deactivating Harrier units. Only two Harrier squadrons remain VMA-223, “The Bulldogs,” and VMA-231, “The Ace of Spades.”
Captain Alfonso Fucci is a Harrier pilot and the Director of Safety and Standardization in VMA-231. VMA-231 will be the last to transition to the F-35B, occurring in summer 2025, and VMA-223 will go in September 2026. That dates out with the last two pilot trainees for the Harrier in March of 2024. Participants in this case, Captain Joshua Corbett, one of the last to graduate, stated that this is bittersweet, in a way that a new transition can be, as it closes an era out and marks new opportunity.
The Harrier has a storied history, having supported numerous operations worldwide, including Operation Desert Storm, Operation Allied Force in the former Yugoslavia, the Global War on Terrorism, and more recently, Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea. Its unique capabilities, such as Vertical or Short-Take Off and Landing (V/STOL) operations, have made it a versatile and valuable asset.
The 2024 MCAS Cherry Point airshow, the first since the 2021 edition, brought in the biggest crowds ever recorded at the show—an estimated 80,000 people on Day One and 120,000 for the two-day show. The Harrier’s last hurrahs included solo demos, all while flying as part of the always-popular MAGTF demo. MAGTF is a demonstration of the coordination between close air support and infantry forces, what the Harrier does in aviation combat.
The experienced pilots of VMA-231—Maj. Eric Scheibe and Lt. Col. Paul Truog demonstrated the Harrier solo capabilities by executing V/STOL operations, as well as during attack profiles, that ended with a dramatic, photogenic banked photo pass through which they thrilled photographers and spectators.
“So with a lot of emotion,” said Captain Fucci, “about the meaning of this last demonstration of the Harrier in Cherry Point, site of the birth of the Marine Corps as well as the birth of the Marine Corps’ use of the Harrier, he regretted it was the last show for the Harrier, but it seemed fitting that it was here at Cherry Point.”.
The Aviationist would like to send a thank you to the following persons, without whom media coverage of this event would not have been possible: Capt. Alessandro Rossi, Samantha Kupiainen, 2nd Lt. John Graham, and Capt. Alfonso Fucci. Their support assured that such an important legacy of the AV-8B Harrier II would have been celebrated and remembered by all the visitors.