Extreme Low Flying in an F/A-18 Hornet

There's low flying, and then there's this! Join this US Navy pilot in the cockpit of his F/A-18 Hornet as he flies at ultra-low level through the canyons of Northern California, before crossing into Oregon towards the end of the video. The route the pilot is flying is known as VR-1251 and is used for low level target penetration training as it starts over the Pacific and ends at NAS Fallon, Nevada, after flying over the Cascade and Sierra mountains.
You'll almost certainly never get to do this yourself, but that's okay - thanks to this HD footage giving you a pilot's eye view, you can experience the next best thing. Strap in, and enjoy the ride.

[@YammoYammamoto]

1: Thank you for posting!
2: Thank you for not overlaying any music!

[@peteynum1]

WOW!...You wouldn't want to sneeze!

[@blackmennewstyle]

Awesome flight!
Great flight performance! Bravo :D
Thanks for the fantastic ride :)

[@johnnybushman651]

Thanks for your service Sir.
Best job in the world ever in my book !

[@allgood6760]

Awesome.. thanks from NZ 🇳🇿👍

[@mrmacomouto]

Damn, that is amazing!

[@workingclassmf]

Not bad for equipment designed 44 years ago. Super smooth brother! Sic canyon run, I dig the rolls up and over on turn very sharp operating

[@MrFloppyHare]

Well.... Yes, and no. It is a Hornet, but he's flying a Super Hornet (E/F), which had its first flight in 1995.

[@neonblack211]

I'm suprised how much they invert but I guess it makes a lot of sense you get a bigger field of view and you have the performance to do it so..... really cool stuff

[@francisskundaliny1295]

This flighth is so fast,love the hornet!👍

[@eeonnjock4822]

Great vid Love to see a camera on his wingtips!!

[@albozo6263]

Sick performance this dude can fly

[@neonblack211]

Man it must take so much concentration to do this knowing that at any moment the difference between life and death is seconds, and centermeters

[@ernestwarrior2492]

When I was at Amberly Air Base I was Looking at these Awesome Air Frame's , watching them do Touch and go sitting at the Flightline ...... killer ..Loud. .as !!!

[@jamesrosevear]

Top Gun Maverick

[@tom95521]

Just another day at the office.

[@yorkshire_tea_innit8097]

This is the kind of flying I do in flight sims. Although I crash once every few hours or so....
Gives you an indication of how hard it is, maybe not terribly difficult to do, but easy to fuck up on... Providing Sims are a decent representation.

[@pilotintraining2391]

Ryukey you also got to factor in the real life G force and wind occurrences that alter the plans flight patterns

[@jamiewalker8131]

@@pilotintraining2391 also in real life if you crash it's your life on the line there is no resporn button

[@tingtrim4733]

Top Gun Maverick vibes

[@Sanctified_EDC_Gear]

Unreal !!!! 🙏👍

[@Darkjediiii]

Well, maybe I'll get to do this :p

[@parker20125]

PULL UP PULL UP
ALTITUDE ALTITUDE

[@Amr_lotfy]

💙💙💙

[@sebsunda]

Amazing videos!!
I have a question, probably a technicality, but is there a reason why you never really complete an aileron roll?
It seem to me that it's more work to go 160 -170deg & then counter roll back to 0deg.
Is it a question of control or something else?
Thanks for the reply.

[@kickztailout3216]

Because those aren't aileron rolls, he's simply banking to make extreme course changes. Aircraft bank in order to turn.

[@onewire9006]

Hey man, late response. A full aileron roll when pointed at the ground is called a tuck under and can cause great disorientation to a pilot. So to be safe, a pilot always rolls out the opposite way they rolled in when pointed at the ground.

[@JAGIFFORD]

Is that the Klamath River highway at 3:25?

[@furtfurt]

Is this dude trying to make me dizzy/sick?

[@olschoolgamer1869]

How long does the full VR-1251 route take in an F/A-18?

[@MrFloppyHare]

See length of video.

[@unknown_1018]

That is very much not how long it takes, VR-1251 is over 500 miles long. According to someone who flew it virtually in an FA-18E, it took 1 hour 30 minutes @@MrFloppyHare

[@user-rt5br1zi3u]

Thanx for not putting stupid music mate 🌺🌺🌺🌺

[@joshuadabrowski0033]

2:28

[@FredPilcher]

:O They get PAID to do this?

[@thureintun1687]

Are you from Russia or China?! To believe in that kinda things?

[@imsuperman350]

How fast is the plane going?

[@user-gb5ei7jg9o]

Sam Card 2500-3000km/h

[@thureintun1687]

Light speed.

[@jamiewalker8131]

@@user-gb5ei7jg9o not that quick no more than 600mph at max

[@francisskundaliny1295]

Mach,1.8

[@sinanbeyreli7538]

2:36 lol close

[@surasean0]

because it's too risk and dangerous basicly for sure. it's too fast.

[@jamiewalker8131]

But good training

[@kevinengstrand141]

I don't know what to think of this. It looks like a simulator. Head movements don't seem to line up maybe. The walleye effect on the cockpit glass is a factor maybe. Maybe I'm wrong.

[@MrFloppyHare]

That is definitely not footage from a simulator, my friend.

[@danhodge2337]

Hes flying like I do in DCS world in VR in this jet lol, lets over g over that mountain then left no right then change the next over g and fly straight instead lol. literally looks like hes just out having a play!

[@elfollonator]

Who pay this entertaiment flight ? ahahahaha

[@arcisexcelsior3504]

That clearly is a she.

[@thureintun1687]

So?
Female want to be equal, but they just couldn't see equally among sex!

[@jamiewalker8131]

I dont care about fighter pilot gender I just care about if they got flying talent

[@MrFloppyHare]

@@jamiewalker8131 Exactly! If they qualified, they're qualified. Period. Doesn't matter what's between their legs!

[@davidnavarro4821]

No at 3:27 it’s a male

[@impulse8188]

obvious ad to join the military, thanks but no thanks

[@jamiewalker8131]

No it's not it's a Aviation vid that's cool the military has some of the most fascinating flying thing in the world.