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Thank you for talking with this great Pilot. I was wondering if by having Navigator sitting next to Pilot HELPS in better communication, than having the REO behind pilot (F-14s) Love how you talk about the Navigation officer study the work up Of Land so carefully. It just seems to me in my Humble opinion that a Navigator sitting next to you, it works so much better on second to second operations.
Off topic... Did Paco ever run across Chris Buhlmann up in the Pacific Northwest? He's a former colleague of mine, a pretty decent air-air photographer, and a lot of time in A6s, if I remember correctly
Hi Ward! Was wondering if you could get an interview with one of your old crew chiefs on the Tomcat. We hear so much from those who flew them, but what about those who kept them flying? The unsung heroes.
From a fellow maintainer, this would be awesome; however, unlike our aviator colleagues, we engineers tend to be somewhat less talkative about our achievements. Different jobs, different personality types.
Great interview! I served with Cdr Chierici in VFC 13 (1999-2004), I was an MMT Chief/ACOR. I have much respect for the aircrews/pilots and enjoy hearing of their trials and tribulations! I watched “Speed and Angels “ when it came out and several times since! I am an F4, F14, F/A 18 (VX 4, VFA 305, VFC 13) Egress tech/ Maintenance Chief that is still involved with the Gen 5 fighters of today as a Quality Assurance Specialist! Keep up the great interviews and stories! Love them!
I lived in Central WA and loved watching the A6 do their maneuvers coming out of the Palisades and turning to follow the Columbia River south. I was also a Firefighter on scene for a couple of their incidents in our area. One cut one of the high voltage power cables that runs across the country with its wing and kept going, the cable fell on the hwy and cut a missionary camper in half, no injuries Thank goodness! The other had a little different outcome after hitting the Columbia River. They were incredibly tough aircraft, great respect for the A6 and NAS Whidby.
Finally! Paco hits the big time. I’ve been waiting for this interview. I’ve had the privilege of flying with Paco over at the airline job and can confirm that he’s a good guy and a good stick. BZ to both of you.
@@pacoch Sir, you made an epic, inspirational movie, way better than Hollywood ever managed (trust me😅) , Respect, JOhn Moore, director, “Behind Enemy Lines”
Absolutely lovin' your stuff, Ward! I'm a "girl-dad," 2 daughters, sisters, nieces, granddaughters, additionally, so I appreciate your obvious respect for the women who qualify. The nation needs to see the rigors to which we commit a new generation of brave youth -- our best and brightest, indeed, our sons and daughters -- who willingly transition from starry eyed fledglings to the sobering reality of adulthood, with character and valour. Keep it comin'.
It's such a cool fact that Speed and Angels almost wrote itself. It's a great movie (saw it years ago) with both great human stories and great aerial footage. If you haven't seen it, and you like the Tomcat, I highly recommend it. Paco always gives a good interview, so thanks for having him on the channel!
Did this one actually make it to the theater? I saw some cool clips (couldn't tell you where, this was the pre-UA-cam days), looked it up on Amazon, and bought the DVD. Damn glad I did, I still watch it 3-4 times a year.
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy It was produced as a documentary only, broadcasted in 2008, on I believe it was, The Discovery Channel. It was not produced for release in the theaters.
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy 2008 was a great year for the release of military themed documentaries including this one Off the top of my head, some other documentaries come to mind such as "Carrier" a ten part mini series, "Navy Seals BUDS Class 234" and "Jetstream'" about Canadian pilots training in the CF 18. Jetstream was still available on UA-cam. It wasn't for a while then someone uploaded it again. BUDS is a six part series, it too was gone, but had since been uploaded again. "Carrier" is no longer free and can only be found on Amazon Prime. Okay. I'm going to retire my podium and power down now. 😂
This is a fantastic interview. Really enjoyed Paco's stories and delivery. Moreover I was glad you talked about the A-6 community. I'd visited Oceana once and got to hang with some VF-142 pilots and watch the airshow. It was like a comedy sketch when the A-6 and F-14 guys got in the same airspace. Good times. circa 1986. Hoping to have a DCS setup this summer sometime.
these interviews allow me to close my eyes and listen to cinematic quality stories, reminding me of listening as a child to service members speak around the table after a meal, or sharing around the fire. thank you.
425th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Black Widows, Willy AFB, AZ. I concur with everything Paco stated about the F-5s. Thanks much Mooch for having Paco as your guest.
My son retired Cmdr. Marc Stirton spent two tours with VAQ-129 at Whidbey Island. First as newly winged aviator in the in the Prowler 'RAG.' 2nd tour 13 years later as a IP with VAQ-129. Great episode!
I watched “Speed & Angels” when it first came out and loved it. Since then I bought the CD and have watched it 3 more times. It’s an excellent film and I really enjoyed it. It’s great to see the the man behind the concept. Thank you, Paco, for a great flick. Thank you, Mooch, for this episode. 🤙🏼
My ears perked up when Paco mentioned "Step Into Liquid". I was heavily into surfing when it released in 2003 and was fortunate to see the movie in an actual theater. Most surf films are direct to DVD. Really cool that Paco drew a creative spark of inspiration from that film.
WoW! What an interview!! These are so awesome no matter the branch of service. Ward, I cannot wait to see how Congresswoman Muddy saves a beloved Naval Asset!
Love listening to you guys talk "inside baseball" with warts and all. Details that most aviation aficionados will never truly or fully appreciate as passive readers, listeners and gamers. It has occurred to me that some of your biggest fans especially in any realistic computer simulated gaming scenario would be Chinese military aviators, who at this point in time, lack the conceptual broad tactical and combat experience our veteran aviators would bring to the real game of actual combat!!
Haven’t had time to watch yet but I hope you get to play the DCS campaign Speed and Angels. Paco did a great job voice acting and it was wonderful to hear Meagan as well. Can’t wait to hear more about the documentary from you two 👍
Great episode! Appreciate the very interesting guests that Mooch brings to his show. I also appreciate the very thoughtful editing that are part of anything Mooch puts together. I'll check out 'Speed and Angels' and Paco's book. Thanks for the steer!
Thank You Ward for introducing me to Paco, Peyton, Meegan and Jay. Watched Speed and Angels last night. First movie I've watched in years. So fabulous. All Y'all hit it out of the park! Thank you again.
Great interview, Ward. You and your friends have a great way of telling the story and bringing us along for the ride as if we were living the experiences right along with you. Thank you for another awesome episode.
Watched he movie, read the book, played the DCS campaign and wow Paco really took me on a journey through navy aviation. Job well done Paco, hope we can get more from you.
Hey Paco, Sir - you made an epic, inspirational film. It’s WAY BETTER than Hollywood ever managed (trust me 😅) - Respect, John Moore, director, “Behind Enemy Lines”
What a great episode!! While I have seen the movie, it was just now that I noticed how much stress is put on an airframe. At the 28:50 min when the 206 Tomcat is launched, the flex is mind blowing. Don't get me wrong, I know this exists and I have seen it. But there is something about this footage that just made me go "HOLY TOADS" to see that thing go through a cat shot like this! How it didn't break its spine is incredible. I have a new appreciation, not only for the designers, but the maintainers that kept this magnificent bird in the air. Wow! And a side note, how cool Paco is a follower of me on IG? What an Honor. 😂
13:00-ish. This is interesting. I went from flying the RF-8 on the Indy to 2 cruises in the A on the Enterprise. In some ways, I thought it was easier to get a good grade in the RF-8 (no BLC) but easier to die in the RF-8. You blasted through the "burble" like a bullet, being faster and smaller, but it would only be a slight exaggeration to say that, if you came around the corner close to a lens high and 2 kts fast, you might get a ramp strike out of it. With the Tomcat, you were plenty ahead of the power curve (I'm thinking 12 kias Vs. 3), had better throttle response and lots of lift. But it did look like a turkey landing! It was easy to be safe, but harder to be "pretty". Flying the A like the crusader was a winning strategy though! I owed my A grades to my crusader experience, for sure.
Good day Ward, keep up the great interviews, I’ve learn a lot just hearing from the many pilots/ RIO, WISSO. I’m just stick to my retired life Army. Many of my relatives served in all branches of the miItaly. Even my Dad started in the caddy’s then switch to subs just b4 WWII. Yes he came home afterwards. Couple of uncles and aunt in the USAF. My family lawyer retire JAG US Army. His brother was POW came home from. Shot down from A-6. Thank you.😂
Oh do I know that feeling of flying to go flying. For years whilst living in Raleigh, NC as the fleet maintenance director for then Midway Airlines (Fokker F-100s, CRJ-50’s, and 737-700’s), I drilled / flew as NAC with VP-64 out of NAS Willow Grove. Would dead head / cockpit jump seat from Raleigh to Philadelphia take the train from the airport to Willow Grove. Yeah miss those days. Fly Navy.
From the ground side, there was a NOTICEABLE drop off in the ability of Navy aircraft to perform close air support with dumb bombs as the A-6s sundowned. A-6s would pop high and roll inverted, looking up through the canopy to ID the target visually, roll back over and call "wings level." Ground guy, usually a Forward Air Controller, would take a look and think "Well, he looks like he's generally pointing in the right direction" and would call "Cleared hot." Releasing exactly on time was critical because we would have shot an artillery barrage to suppress air defenses on the plane's way in, put an artillery smoke round on target in the middle of the run, and shot another barrage as the airplane egressed - there were different times of flight for each of those artillery missions and seconds mattered to synchronize all of it. A-6 crews could do it superbly: F/A-18s were, for a while...hit or miss and even money.
What a super interview. Great story arc told really well by Paco and with his ego nicely in check. Really enjoyable. And his DCS work sounds great also.
I enjoyed this interview! Surprisingly (to me), this is not my first UA-cam encounter (pun) with Paco Chierici. For anyone even mildly interested in the Nimitz Incident/Tic Tac UFO events, I HIGHLY recommend the interview on Aircrew Interview titled "F/A-18 vs UFO," with Paco briefing us on the article he wrote about the incident in question. It's a fantastic summary with all of the fascinating details recounted by someone who understands the background, but with none of the glitz, hype and nonsense (there's not a single video clip) that was often slathered over other recent media reporting on the topic. It's a very intriguing story that I find much more compelling than some of the more attention-grabbing UAP stories.
Mooch I know you probably won't see this. but I was an F-14D Avionics technician (Aviation Electronics) in VF-101 Miramar and also VF-2 Oceana. I am one of the best Avionics Technicians in the F-14D community of all time. You can ask Stewie, Tool, Burner, etc. but I am just being honest. Do you know these guys? 2 pilots and a RIO "Stewie" who asked me personally to reenlist for the VF-2 1999 Cruise.... He was a great dude
I really enjoyed Speed and Angels and this is great backstory info. I also enjoy the tight community in Naval air and hearing how and where you have crossed paths with the people you have had on your channel. Keep up the great interviews.
Holy Crap! Another great interview with an AWESOME guest. Paco is very articulate with a subtle comedic sense. Thank you, Ward! I'm now going to look for Speed and Angels and get a copy of Lions of the Sky. One of my favorite lines of the interview, the off the cuff: "Huge mistake. Whatta talking to pilots for?" 😆 A really great interview.
"Airliner dork." As a former attack pilot, I see this as a comment from someone who has never been an over-paid bus driver making insane money to do the world's easiest job and never have to deploy.
The Speed and Angels campaign is the most fun, challenging, and sometimes intimidating campaign I've ever played in DCS, and it's just wild to be going through a digital RAG after growing up as a kid watching the documentary.
Great interview Mooch, and of course, Paco is a great person to interview. I had plenty of LOL moments at some of the things he said about 40 yr old pilots vs the young RAG students, etc. I do remember Paco's comment during that big DCS event (cos I helped organise it, which was a thrill) about how the DCS tomcat pilots would take off and not veer to the left or right (depending on which cat they flew off) to get out of the road of planes behind or next to them. Pretty sure that was one of the things he was referring to in his comments. Speed & Angels was and still is one of my very favourite documentaries and I loved speaking with the whole team during the big Tomcat 50th Anniversary livestream event Paco, Bio & I put on back in 2020. If I had known you back then Mooch, I would definitely have invited you on to the show. Another time perhaps. 😀PS: howdy from Perth, Western Australia.
ironically i asked Paco (at which point i Knew NOTHING about him) on the crew van after an all-nighter if he'd seen Speed and Angels (i had only seen it the night before) to which he replied "I made that movie!" CRAZY
12:25 "I was a top ten ball flyer in the A-6 as a nugget, which made me think that I was a really good ball flyer, turns out I was pretty average when I got into a Tomcat. Maybe a little bit above average, but I was certainly not a Top Ten ball flyer" That's very telling on so many different levels. the aircraft, mission set, ease of flight, ease of carrier ops. etc
Completely get the methadone reference. And it's right (recovering competition aerobatic pilot ~2500 hours in Sukhoi 26, 31, 29 and Yak 55M with the odd Pitts for good measure), had to stop flying cold turkey. Ouch!
Always nice to see NAS Oceana. First duty station was VFA131. VF213 was part of our CAG. 213 I think they were the last squadron on the east coast to transitioned to the Super Hornet. Used to love seeing them so the sonic boom because that mess rock the carrier really hard unlike a hornet. Miss that feeling.
There was a video on here years ago about surviving your first year in the military academies. Small world how Meagan is in it. I believe, Lt. Gettys from BUDS 234 is an upper classman in that same video.
Another great interview sir. I own the campaign and it really is great to go through the RAG and become combat ready and do some "live" sorties afterwards😊
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Thank you for talking with this great Pilot. I was wondering if by having Navigator sitting next to Pilot HELPS in better communication, than having the REO behind pilot (F-14s) Love how you talk about the Navigation officer study the work up Of Land so carefully. It just seems to me in my Humble opinion that a Navigator sitting next to you, it works so much better on second to second operations.
🇺🇸
Off topic... Did Paco ever run across Chris Buhlmann up in the Pacific Northwest? He's a former colleague of mine, a pretty decent air-air photographer, and a lot of time in A6s, if I remember correctly
Hi Ward! Was wondering if you could get an interview with one of your old crew chiefs on the Tomcat. We hear so much from those who flew them, but what about those who kept them flying? The unsung heroes.
glory to the heroes!
that would be awesome, also to know how an squadron operates, training, selection, scheduling, supply, maintenance and other than flying
From a fellow maintainer, this would be awesome; however, unlike our aviator colleagues, we engineers tend to be somewhat less talkative about our achievements. Different jobs, different personality types.
If you can go to the F-14 Tomcast they interviewed maintainers and ordinance and they are fantastic! Of course Mooch will have his own style
Absolutely, that would be a golden episode. Excellent suggestion!
Great interview! I served with Cdr Chierici in VFC 13 (1999-2004), I was an MMT Chief/ACOR. I have much respect for the aircrews/pilots and enjoy hearing of their trials and tribulations! I watched “Speed and Angels “ when it came out and several times since! I am an F4, F14, F/A 18 (VX 4, VFA 305, VFC 13) Egress tech/ Maintenance Chief that is still involved with the Gen 5 fighters of today as a Quality Assurance Specialist!
Keep up the great interviews and stories! Love them!
Hey Chief!
@@pacoch Good evening Cdr. Enjoyed the interview a lot. If you are in the Fort Worth area give me a shout, maybe we can grab some BBQ!
@@tonyshumaker1360 ok!
I lived in Central WA and loved watching the A6 do their maneuvers coming out of the Palisades and turning to follow the Columbia River south.
I was also a Firefighter on scene for a couple of their incidents in our area. One cut one of the high voltage power cables that runs across the country with its wing and kept going, the cable fell on the hwy and cut a missionary camper in half, no injuries Thank goodness! The other had a little different outcome after hitting the Columbia River.
They were incredibly tough aircraft, great respect for the A6 and NAS Whidby.
Finally! Paco hits the big time. I’ve been waiting for this interview. I’ve had the privilege of flying with Paco over at the airline job and can confirm that he’s a good guy and a good stick. BZ to both of you.
Your check is in the mail, Mike. Thanks for the kind words!
@@pacoch Sir, you made an epic, inspirational movie, way better than Hollywood ever managed (trust me😅) , Respect, JOhn Moore, director, “Behind Enemy Lines”
@@johnmoorefilm wow! Thanks. Let’s make a movie out of Lions the Sky!
@@pacochCAPT, hope you're doing well, I remember the LAST of the F14 pilots, you made a great movie
Absolutely lovin' your stuff, Ward! I'm a "girl-dad," 2 daughters, sisters, nieces, granddaughters, additionally, so I appreciate your obvious respect for the women who qualify. The nation needs to see the rigors to which we commit a new generation of brave youth -- our best and brightest, indeed, our sons and daughters -- who willingly transition from starry eyed fledglings to the sobering reality of adulthood, with character and valour.
Keep it comin'.
It's such a cool fact that Speed and Angels almost wrote itself. It's a great movie (saw it years ago) with both great human stories and great aerial footage. If you haven't seen it, and you like the Tomcat, I highly recommend it. Paco always gives a good interview, so thanks for having him on the channel!
Did this one actually make it to the theater? I saw some cool clips (couldn't tell you where, this was the pre-UA-cam days), looked it up on Amazon, and bought the DVD. Damn glad I did, I still watch it 3-4 times a year.
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy
It was produced as a documentary only, broadcasted in 2008, on I believe it was, The Discovery Channel. It was not produced for release in the theaters.
@@vinyltapelover
Ah, good info!
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy
2008 was a great year for the release of military themed documentaries including this one
Off the top of my head, some other documentaries come to mind such as "Carrier" a ten part mini series, "Navy Seals BUDS Class 234" and "Jetstream'" about Canadian pilots training in the CF 18. Jetstream was still available on UA-cam. It wasn't for a while then someone uploaded it again. BUDS is a six part series, it too was gone, but had since been uploaded again. "Carrier" is no longer free and can only be found on Amazon Prime. Okay. I'm going to retire my podium and power down now. 😂
@@vinyltapelover
Oh right, I remember Carrier. I watched BUDS on UA-cam, too bad it's not around anymore. Maybe it's on streaming somewhere.
This is a fantastic interview. Really enjoyed Paco's stories and delivery. Moreover I was glad you
talked about the A-6 community. I'd visited Oceana once and got to hang with some VF-142 pilots
and watch the airshow. It was like a comedy sketch when the A-6 and F-14 guys got in the same airspace. Good times. circa 1986. Hoping to have a DCS setup this summer sometime.
these interviews allow me to close my eyes and listen to cinematic quality stories, reminding me of listening as a child to service members speak around the table after a meal, or sharing around the fire. thank you.
Mooch...another Great Interview......I was a Fly 1 Director on the USS RANGER....handling VA-145...1976
425th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Black Widows, Willy AFB, AZ. I concur with everything Paco stated about the F-5s. Thanks much Mooch for having Paco as your guest.
My son retired Cmdr. Marc Stirton spent two tours with VAQ-129 at Whidbey Island. First as newly winged aviator in the in the Prowler 'RAG.' 2nd tour 13 years later as a IP with VAQ-129. Great episode!
I watched “Speed & Angels” when it first came out and loved it. Since then I bought the CD and have watched it 3 more times. It’s an excellent film and I really enjoyed it. It’s great to see the the man behind the concept. Thank you, Paco, for a great flick. Thank you, Mooch, for this episode. 🤙🏼
Ward: I"m back. This episode is brilliant! Thanks.
I appreciate how you add in the patches and the pictures, no other channel really does that on any topic like that. Great story too. Thanks.
The A-6 was a stick and rudder bomb truck! The new tech kind of erodes really good piloting and navigation skills. Love the channel!
My ears perked up when Paco mentioned "Step Into Liquid". I was heavily into surfing when it released in 2003 and was fortunate to see the movie in an actual theater. Most surf films are direct to DVD. Really cool that Paco drew a creative spark of inspiration from that film.
What a great interview, I could listen to you 2 talk about naval aviation for days. Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts and stories.
Broke away from this chat and looked up Last of the Dogfighters...that was an excellent video. Thank you, Ward, for this video!
WoW! What an interview!! These are so awesome no matter the branch of service.
Ward, I cannot wait to see how Congresswoman Muddy saves a beloved Naval Asset!
Thank you both for keeping our country safe by putting your lives on the line.
I'm very grateful.
Awesome interview Mooch. I remember meeting Paco for the first time in CAG-11 back in 1994. Great dude and aviator. Love the show!
Mousse? If so, I still have pipper burns on the back of my head from that 1v1 off the boat. You gunned me all three engagements. Damn!
Paco, so glad to see this interview. You’re awesome dude. Best to you and yours. Mousse
@@seanclark5669 same to you!
Paco was great in that film. He was super supportive of the young pilot. Recognized him right away. Great interview.
Thanks!
I'm not aware of Speed & Angles the documentary. I know what I am going to watch tonight. Thank you. 🙏🏼
Loved Speed & Angels, and Paco’s book ‘Lions of the Sky’!
Great interview, Ward! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I served in VA-155 from 88 to 93. The Silverfoxes had the best group of guys ever. Still in contact with several of them.
Love listening to you guys talk "inside baseball" with warts and all. Details that most aviation aficionados will never truly or fully appreciate as passive readers, listeners and gamers. It has occurred to me that some of your biggest fans especially in any realistic computer simulated gaming scenario would be Chinese military aviators, who at this point in time, lack the conceptual broad tactical and combat experience our veteran aviators would bring to the real game of actual combat!!
Both the DCS speed and angels and the documentary are awesome! Thanks for making this episode Mooch!
Love the channel. Real appreciation for the commitment you guys made protecting this country and working your craft.
Haven’t had time to watch yet but I hope you get to play the DCS campaign Speed and Angels. Paco did a great job voice acting and it was wonderful to hear Meagan as well. Can’t wait to hear more about the documentary from you two 👍
Great interview, love the 34C pic on the wall over Paco's shoulder! Thanks for all of the great background info.
Just ordered "Lions of the Sky"!
Loved "Speed and Angels"!
Awesome!
Loved both Paco's work on film and literature. I'm hoping to see more of his work in the future
This was awesome! I love the documentary, so well done. Paco is the man so happy to see him on your channel!
Great interview. Peyton should have gotten a ride in a Tomcat. Speed and Angels was enjoyable to watch. Kudos to everyone involved.
Great episode! Appreciate the very interesting guests that Mooch brings to his show. I also appreciate the very thoughtful editing that are part of anything Mooch puts together. I'll check out 'Speed and Angels' and Paco's book. Thanks for the steer!
Thank You Ward for introducing me to Paco, Peyton, Meegan and Jay. Watched Speed and Angels last night. First movie I've watched in years. So fabulous. All Y'all hit it out of the park! Thank you again.
Great interview, Ward. You and your friends have a great way of telling the story and bringing us along for the ride as if we were living the experiences right along with you. Thank you for another awesome episode.
Watched he movie, read the book, played the DCS campaign and wow Paco really took me on a journey through navy aviation. Job well done Paco, hope we can get more from you.
Working on it!
Hey Paco, Sir - you made an epic, inspirational film. It’s WAY BETTER than Hollywood ever managed (trust me 😅) - Respect, John Moore, director, “Behind Enemy Lines”
Great discussion! Real good guy. Looking forward for your interviews with Jay Consalvi and Meagan Farley.
Fly Navy!
What a great episode!! While I have seen the movie, it was just now that I noticed how much stress is put on an airframe. At the 28:50 min when the 206 Tomcat is launched, the flex is mind blowing. Don't get me wrong, I know this exists and I have seen it. But there is something about this footage that just made me go "HOLY TOADS" to see that thing go through a cat shot like this! How it didn't break its spine is incredible. I have a new appreciation, not only for the designers, but the maintainers that kept this magnificent bird in the air. Wow! And a side note, how cool Paco is a follower of me on IG? What an Honor. 😂
13:00-ish. This is interesting. I went from flying the RF-8 on the Indy to 2 cruises in the A on the Enterprise. In some ways, I thought it was easier to get a good grade in the RF-8 (no BLC) but easier to die in the RF-8. You blasted through the "burble" like a bullet, being faster and smaller, but it would only be a slight exaggeration to say that, if you came around the corner close to a lens high and 2 kts fast, you might get a ramp strike out of it. With the Tomcat, you were plenty ahead of the power curve (I'm thinking 12 kias Vs. 3), had better throttle response and lots of lift. But it did look like a turkey landing! It was easy to be safe, but harder to be "pretty". Flying the A like the crusader was a winning strategy though! I owed my A grades to my crusader experience, for sure.
Good day Ward, keep up the great interviews, I’ve learn a lot just hearing from the many pilots/ RIO, WISSO. I’m just stick to my retired life Army. Many of my relatives served in all branches of the miItaly. Even my Dad started in the caddy’s then switch to subs just b4 WWII. Yes he came home afterwards. Couple of uncles and aunt in the USAF. My family lawyer retire JAG US Army. His brother was POW came home from. Shot down from A-6. Thank you.😂
Another good one Ward! I really enjoyed Speed and Angels and never really knew how or by who it was made. Keep ‘em coming sir.
Oh do I know that feeling of flying to go flying. For years whilst living in Raleigh, NC as the fleet maintenance director for then Midway Airlines (Fokker F-100s, CRJ-50’s, and 737-700’s), I drilled / flew as NAC with VP-64 out of NAS Willow Grove. Would dead head / cockpit jump seat from Raleigh to Philadelphia take the train from the airport to Willow Grove. Yeah miss those days. Fly Navy.
Going to enjoy this one - speed and angels is an all time favourite!
From the ground side, there was a NOTICEABLE drop off in the ability of Navy aircraft to perform close air support with dumb bombs as the A-6s sundowned. A-6s would pop high and roll inverted, looking up through the canopy to ID the target visually, roll back over and call "wings level." Ground guy, usually a Forward Air Controller, would take a look and think "Well, he looks like he's generally pointing in the right direction" and would call "Cleared hot." Releasing exactly on time was critical because we would have shot an artillery barrage to suppress air defenses on the plane's way in, put an artillery smoke round on target in the middle of the run, and shot another barrage as the airplane egressed - there were different times of flight for each of those artillery missions and seconds mattered to synchronize all of it. A-6 crews could do it superbly: F/A-18s were, for a while...hit or miss and even money.
Your voice, cadence and tone, sound just like Colin D. Heaton on the Forgotten History channel.
He's ex-military too.
Very pleasing to listen to.
Ward- excellent episode. I followed up by watching ‘Speed and Angels’- very well done documentary- very moving and inspirational
Great video BTW, and everybody who hasn't yet: Go BUY Speed and Angels. Best DCS campaign I've ever seen! Paco's a great guest.
Flying drumstick.
Great interview!
Nothing funnier than listening to an F-14 mechanic tell an F-18 mechanic how much easier the Tomcat was to work on.
Saw “Step Into Liquid” also in ‘04. Awesome film, but “Speed and Angels” tops it.
Amazing interview. Thanks for setting this up, Ward.
What a super interview. Great story arc told really well by Paco and with his ego nicely in check. Really enjoyable. And his DCS work sounds great also.
Thanks Ward
I did a year in the east coast A-6 RAG, VA-42. It was cool working with nuggets especially taking them to the boat for the first time.
I enjoyed this interview! Surprisingly (to me), this is not my first UA-cam encounter (pun) with Paco Chierici. For anyone even mildly interested in the Nimitz Incident/Tic Tac UFO events, I HIGHLY recommend the interview on Aircrew Interview titled "F/A-18 vs UFO," with Paco briefing us on the article he wrote about the incident in question. It's a fantastic summary with all of the fascinating details recounted by someone who understands the background, but with none of the glitz, hype and nonsense (there's not a single video clip) that was often slathered over other recent media reporting on the topic. It's a very intriguing story that I find much more compelling than some of the more attention-grabbing UAP stories.
Another awesome episode! Thanks a lot! All these insights are so interresting! greetings from a swiss dude 🙂
I grew up in Fallon. Poured most of the concrete for the run way and most of the hangers and support structures. You guys looked and talked cool .
Excellent story, great, fun, entertaining info! Thanks!
My family used to love traveling down to NAS Whitbey for the airshows.
" The Sound of freedom ".🇨🇦❤🇺🇸
Really enjoyed hearing from your guest, fun stuff, I look forward to seeing the film and reading his book.
Thank you both for the cool stories and perspective!
Really interesting discussion. Thanks Ward.
Thanks for watching.
Great episode, Paco it’s very passionate about naval aviation! Just like you, sir!
Loved the title find story.
Mooch I know you probably won't see this. but I was an F-14D Avionics technician (Aviation Electronics) in VF-101 Miramar and also VF-2 Oceana. I am one of the best Avionics Technicians in the F-14D community of all time. You can ask Stewie, Tool, Burner, etc. but I am just being honest. Do you know these guys? 2 pilots and a RIO "Stewie" who asked me personally to reenlist for the VF-2 1999 Cruise.... He was a great dude
I've known Stewie since our Naval Academy days. Great dude indeed. Thanks for your service and skills, shipmate.
I really enjoyed Speed and Angels and this is great backstory info. I also enjoy the tight community in Naval air and hearing how and where you have crossed paths with the people you have had on your channel. Keep up the great interviews.
Holy Crap! Another great interview with an AWESOME guest. Paco is very articulate with a subtle comedic sense. Thank you, Ward! I'm now going to look for Speed and Angels and get a copy of Lions of the Sky.
One of my favorite lines of the interview, the off the cuff:
"Huge mistake. Whatta talking to pilots for?" 😆
A really great interview.
Great interview Ward
"Airliner dork." As a former attack pilot, I see this as a comment from someone who has never been an over-paid bus driver making insane money to do the world's easiest job and never have to deploy.
It’s a joke
Cool chat Ward! Inspired me to get into the DCS speed and angels campaign that's been in my library since its release :)
I had a spiritual mentor that was an A-6 pilot. Got his wings at Chase around 1976. He flew for Southwest after the Navy. I’m sure he’s retired now
The Speed and Angels campaign is the most fun, challenging, and sometimes intimidating campaign I've ever played in DCS, and it's just wild to be going through a digital RAG after growing up as a kid watching the documentary.
Great interview Mooch, and of course, Paco is a great person to interview. I had plenty of LOL moments at some of the things he said about 40 yr old pilots vs the young RAG students, etc. I do remember Paco's comment during that big DCS event (cos I helped organise it, which was a thrill) about how the DCS tomcat pilots would take off and not veer to the left or right (depending on which cat they flew off) to get out of the road of planes behind or next to them. Pretty sure that was one of the things he was referring to in his comments. Speed & Angels was and still is one of my very favourite documentaries and I loved speaking with the whole team during the big Tomcat 50th Anniversary livestream event Paco, Bio & I put on back in 2020. If I had known you back then Mooch, I would definitely have invited you on to the show. Another time perhaps. 😀PS: howdy from Perth, Western Australia.
Cool presentation. Thank you. Go Navy! 🇺🇸⚓️
Brilliant interview. Thanks guys! Especially the tie in to DCS. Gotta build the community! ❤
"Speed and Angles" was cool. Saw it years ago.
Another awesome interview CDR! "Speed and Angels"... BETTER than Top Gun in my book! BZ Mooch and Paco!
Great guest Ward!
Cool interview Ward and Paco. Going to have to watch the movie and read your books now!
Just need to start a campaign to get the 111 on DCS😂
ironically i asked Paco (at which point i Knew NOTHING about him) on the crew van after an all-nighter if he'd seen Speed and Angels (i had only seen it the night before) to which he replied "I made that movie!" CRAZY
That was funny!
12:25 "I was a top ten ball flyer in the A-6 as a nugget, which made me think that I was a really good ball flyer, turns out I was pretty average when I got into a Tomcat. Maybe a little bit above average, but I was certainly not a Top Ten ball flyer"
That's very telling on so many different levels. the aircraft, mission set, ease of flight, ease of carrier ops. etc
Have recently completed speed and angels campaign and wow! Just wow! Also nice to hear you at the boat 😁
Thanks so much loved it will check out the last dogfighters and also speed and Angel's
This interview was awesome, you guys have a great humorous chemistry 🤣
Small world! I served with Vargus in her last reserve unit until her (very) recent retirement. Awesome person - I had no idea she was in this!
When I was on the Ranger in VA 25, VA 145 was one of A6 squadrons , the Swordsmen
My dad was in VA155 when they decommissioned from A7's at NAS Lemoore.
Amazing story and persistence!
Completely get the methadone reference. And it's right (recovering competition aerobatic pilot ~2500 hours in Sukhoi 26, 31, 29 and Yak 55M with the odd Pitts for good measure), had to stop flying cold turkey. Ouch!
Hell yeah Ward, was hoping you’d have Paco on your channel one day, love his work as well!
The quick shot of his LTD is classic. A lot full of Mustangs and Camaros, even a 57. Clearly the fighter pilot lot.
Always nice to see NAS Oceana. First duty station was VFA131. VF213 was part of our CAG. 213 I think they were the last squadron on the east coast to transitioned to the Super Hornet. Used to love seeing them so the sonic boom because that mess rock the carrier really hard unlike a hornet. Miss that feeling.
I lived on the glide path into Nas oceana when I was a kid...always loved watching the planes!!
Cracking good episode, gotta check out DCS. Thanks for posting
love your videos!
I think the A6 is such a cool looking jet. No Tomcat, but I dig the way it looks. I like the A10 too. They are planes that look good at their jobs.
There was a video on here years ago about surviving your first year in the military academies. Small world how Meagan is in it. I believe, Lt. Gettys from BUDS 234 is an upper classman in that same video.
Another great interview sir. I own the campaign and it really is great to go through the RAG and become combat ready and do some "live" sorties afterwards😊