Secrets of Maintaining the F-14 Tomcat
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- Опубліковано 9 чер 2024
- Veteran F-14 Tomcat structures mechanic Kory Mehrer sits down with Ward at the NAS Oceana Air Show to discuss serving together 35 years ago and what it was like to maintain a capable but complicated fighter.
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Thanks for giving props to your enlisted support crew. You don't fly without them.
Exactly.
In any arena, people who don't acknowledge those lower on the ladder who make things happen are risking having that ladder fall out from under them! But definitely a smart thing to avoid when your life rested on their work!
There's no 'i' in team.
THANK YOU Ward
Recognition of tge maintainers is so appreciated.
By the way, I just finished Punks War…. Small print was a challenge. None the less
I ordered all of the other books of the trilogy. Very well written
Thank you again for the maintainer recognition.
Thanks@@TheMilwaukieDan
I was working those years as a young structural design engineer at Grumman on the f-14 program. Many of Kory’s structural repairs originated from our area, and i know i made a lot of changes to honeycomb core types over a couple of years to improve corrosion resistance. We were all proud of the program and people who used the equipment.
Yes I remember the delam inside the engine air intakes
@@ron.7105 I was supposed to fly out on a c12 for the repair on ship but that was scuttled, at least for me, for some reason. That would have been a trip.
Cmdr Carrol, thanks for bringing recognition to the enlisted ranks, and what they contribute. FMR PC VF-201
Hey I was vf-201 tar program NAS Dallas 87-91.
Plane Captain was the most trusted member of the plane crew. Good on you Kory!
Total Team Situation is Spot-On. Kory's reflections echo the feelings of many of us who were Roof Rats.
It was very gratifying to see you giving some much overdo recognition to the ground crews. I know I have mentioned this before, but I was in VAQ-33 ( ECM) from 71-75 and was a Plane Captain for our ERA-3B Skywarriors. And yes...I took my job very seriously.
Thanks for that!
Is a Plane Captain, what the USAF calls a crew chief? (Brit here.)
@@johnnunn8688 I'm commenting on your comment because I want to know too, never heard "plane captain" before
Navy flight crews and the plane Captain take ownership of that aircraft. The plane Captain works only on his aircraft. Thus, his name is also on the aircraft. And why plane Captains speak so honorably about their aircraft.
Go Navy ⚾️ 🏈 🏀
@@johnnunn8688 ....Hi, and yes, a Navy Plane Captain is similar to the Air Force Crew Chief. I was sent to the Navy aircraft electrician school but after I got to my squadron, I decided that I wanted to become a Plane Captain. My duties were daily inspections of my type of plane, refueling, check & refill oil if needed, pre-flight inspection, post flight inspection, assisting the shops whenever needed, packing the big drag chute, directing the start-up and launching of plane with hand signals to the pilot and ground crew ( Air Force had headsets to communicate with the pilot and others, we did not.) Also towing aircraft in & out of the hangar when needed. Directing planes to proper parking spots after returning from flight. Talking with pilots before & after flights about any concerns with the plane. And other jobs that I probably forgot...this was in 1971-75...a long time ago...!!
As a maintainer, I'd love it if you could get more maintainers on the show from time to time. As a maintainer in todays Air Force, it's always interesting to learn about other air frames from the past, especially the F-14, as complex as it was.
Took the words right out of my mouth, more maintainers!
I was F-14a, electrician but were all involved in everything. Like engine changes the forward fixed cowling was a intense ordeal! Yes I disconnected the electrical connectors and bagged the ends, removed the generator but usually helped with whatever needed to be done. We all had the paperwork such as assist maf's and miar machines unlike today's digital sign-offs
Former airframe troubleshooter for an F/A-18c squadron. Every Tomcat leaked something on the way to the cat. I’m glad the tomcat maintainers are getting some love. The pride, determination and sheer will those guys had to keep those jets mission capable largely in the shadows is commendable. The Hornets were significantly less labor intensive by comparison. Shame such an icon is gone. It was absolutely awe inspiring to be on the catapult when an F14 was in tension. You could feel the power in your chest. It was down right intimidating for the uninitiated. Twice saw F-14 break the sound barrier during at sea air power demonstrations. They shook the whole ship. There will never be another. Glad I had the opportunity to experience two naval legends in the A-6 and F-14. NGL also glad I was a Hornet Handler and never had to maintain them. 😂
I loved working with our enlisted troops. They were the absolute best. When I'd finally made it through Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT), Naval Aviation Transition (TA-4F Skyhawks) in VMT-203 at NKT, (CHERRY POINT), and A6 Intruder checkout in VMAT (AW) 202, also at NKT, I finally got to my first "gun squadron", VMA(AW) 224, again at NKT. When as a young first lieutenant I reported in to the Skipper, LtCol "Duke" Brandon, USMC, he asked me what I wanted for my first collateral (i.e. ground) duty, and I said, "Give me some Marines, sir". He laughed and said, "Great! I've got just the job for you, line division officer!" I had no idea what the line division was. He explained that I would be in the maintenance department, reporting to the aviation maintenance officer. I would be responsible for the plane captain's who prepared the jets for each flight, refueling them, checking out all the on-board systems, cleaning the bugs off the wind screens, checking tire pressures, changing tires when necessary, riding brakes in the cockpits when the aircraft were being towed from one position on the parking ramp to another, and chocking and chaining them securely to the tarmac when unattended, etc. I would also be in charge of the ground equipment troops who drove and maintained the "Garwoods", the tow tractors, aircraft maintenance stands, and jacks. The skipper said the line troops were an unruly wild bunch who needed a highly motivated hard charging lieutenant like me to keep them in line and smoothly functioning in their critical and sometimes dangerous jobs. I would have two experienced staff NCOs to help me, and keep things in hand when I was off flying or attending to my administrative and paperwork duties. I loved that job and my young, mostly teenaged Marines who made things hapoen on the flightline. It was a great leadership building experience. I had them teach me every aspect of their demanding jobs. I learned how to drive the tractors and tow the ungainly but expensive A-6s around the ramp, how to use hand signals to guide other pilots accurately to their parking spots, and how to preflight inspect them before each launch, and postflight them when they returned. I had two really professional career staff NCOs to teach me the ropes, and I gained tremendous respect for my brown shirt troops and the hazardous work they performed. I salute them all for the essential role they played in accomplishing the daily flight schedule. It was the best duty I ever had in my 13 years as a Marine. Semper Fidelis!
Those were the days.
Machine gun problems in the turtle backs, 4-way valve leaks on a hot go, outboard spoiler mod changes, combined and flight reservoir leaks on a go, stab pack leaks ( foamy ear plugs do wonders), mode-4 and JTIDS upload issues, flap-slat lock-outs, overstress inspections on the last recovery Friday night with an off weekend….I could go on and on.
Those were the best days of my life. I’m one of the few privileged to have had the honor to spend time with the F-14 A/B/D. Anytime baby.
I love your channel Mooch. Thank you for all you do and especially for recognizing the backbone of the aviation fleet…the maintainers. Without them, there’s no flying, and without the pilots, RIOs, and WSOs, the work that maintenance puts in is null and void, and the bad guys win.🫡
RIP Shaker…the best C.O. any sailor could ever hope for.
Shaker was a great man.
@@WardCarroll thank you for your comment. May he rest with Davy Jones with fair winds and following seas.
Former RCAF aviator here. Maintainers are outstanding - no matter the service, we trust them with our lives. Thanks for highlighting the great work done by these pros.
I am a retired SWO and I served on 2 aircraft carriers. I always admired the comraderie between the Aviators and their Enlisted men. I was glad to be part of those 2 carriers. It was a total team effort, and Aviators are team players. The SWO community would benefit from developing these attributes instead of "eating their young". Thanks for the great videos.
Pretty cool to see a maintainer and a pilot reunite and catch up. Good stuff.
Airframers rock. If you can fix a Tomcat, everything else is cake!
Began my 1st enlistment (spell check tried to make it enlightenment which is also true) in VF-101 in ’85! Made Plane Captain, went to Phase shop, then to Airframes. Left in 1989 to go to VA-105/ VFA-105. Came back around to VF-101
again in ‘93-‘96 before becoming a Jolly Roger for six years and finally retiring as an instructor in ‘05.
Just remember nothing meant more to us enlisted than to have the O’s come down and hang out with us. That one act went a long way to help us understand that we really were a team. Just having that personal relationship really makes you care more about the guys driving and really makes it worth going the extra mile to give them the best aircraft to strap on.
So thank you to all the officers who made/make the effort to come and hang out and share a part of themselves with us on and below the flight deck, or outside the ready rooms.
Thanks, Sir for highlighting the maintainer. As a USAF aircraft specialist myself, understanding how much work goes in to make jets in flight possible, it's great to see your appreciation for your enlisted sailors.
More enlisted interviews please!
Love hearing from the maintainers, the real heroes
Teamwork makes the dream work. Props to every Veteran for their duty to country. We are a great nation because of you. Thank you for your service!
Thanks for having an AMS on the show! I was AMS with RVAW-110 73-77...haha ya the delamination's! fingers going through that stuff...had no cruise, just some shore dets and 5 quals on ships (coralsea,kittyhawk,connie,ranger,forestal- checking E-2s)..best/coolest thing ever....you guys are amazing landing in dead black of night in driving rains...over and over again...getting those traps and takeoffs.....absolutely amazing....many funny stories too!.....but again thank you and all the crews (ship and air) for the incredible teamwork...!!!
Thanks for doing this Ward, I would love to see a 45-60 min long m, structured interview like those with Hozer and Nasty for Tomcat ground Maintenance and Operations.
These off the cuff interviews are great. Peoples' stories deserve to be shared. There are so many non job related details. I've worked in the gym in West Ft. Hood (now Ft. Cavazos), driven a WW2 code breaker around Ft. Huachuca, even spent a year on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
I was an MR in the navy from 76-84. I wanted so much to be in carrier aviation. Even tried to switch rates to air traffic controller when I reenlisted but no joy, they wouldn't let me. So my flying is as a private pilot in my Vans Aircraft. Still fun but I get my naval aviation/carrier fix here on this channel. Thanks Ward!
MR?
A MR is a Machinery Repairman; an enlisted engineering rating. They are the ones who run the machine shop with the lathes and milling machines. I was a MM, Machinist Mate. MR's and MM's are in Auxiliaries Division (A-Gang), Engineering Department, Ship's Company. An A-gang MM maintains the Air conditioning units, Emergency diesels, and in direct support of Aviation on an Aircraft Carrier, the aircraft evelvators (my job) and the Oxygen/Nitrogen production plant. MR's are the ones who back us all up with precision metal fabrication on the ship. I was on the USS NIMITZ 1986-1990.@@johnnunn8688
Hi John. An "MR" is what is a "Machinery Repairman." Actually a machinist working in machine shops. Running metal lathes and milling machines doing repairs or manufacturing new parts.
@@paulschannel3046 , thanks, Paul.
Oddly enough, my late father worked for Grumman on the F14. I was an MR3 84-88 and really wish I would have chose the aviation field myself.
Ward awesome to show some love to maintainers!
Teamwork is what keeps the navy operating. The bond between pilots and enlisted squadron personnel is so unique. Great episode!
Man, it's simply heartwarming to see people who made sure you were ok up there 30 years later. Pure brotherhood.
I did graduate school in Virginia Beach. Our apartment was right next door to NAS Oceana. If you were having a conversation when the Super Hornets were on approach you learned quickly to just pause the conversation. The sound of freedom.
I was on the COD crew from VR-24 sig that stayed deployed on the JFK for a few weeks. Must have been right around 84. I must say, it was the best I have ever been treated. Except when we had a darken ship and a sand storm. Putting on the intake covers at night, in the dark wasn't fun :-) But, Love the JFK! I also ran the hush house in San Diego and used to push the F-14 engine, I could and did, re-wire an F-14 and a C2's engine by memory.
Awesome.
Great interview. Thank you Sir for recognizing the enlisted. Very cool.
I used to help maintain a Cessna T-50 for the CAF, and people would always ask at airshows, is it a problem that the engines are leaking? The joke response was, it's only a problem if they stop leaking. These were the "Shaky Jake" radial engines from WWII.
Great props for us maintainers! Thanks CDR Mooch. I was a Powerplants Technician in the the Prowler community aboard JFK 80-82 with VAQ-138. VF-32 was one of the Tomcat squadrons on board then as well. Great times!
This maintainer has a great attitude. Not hard to see him as a young man serving his country, fixing F-14s and building his future.
Much respect. I can only imagine the amount of work, sweat, contortion, bloody knuckles, et al involved in keeping those airframes air worthy.
Please do a follow up interview with him so he can get into more detail.....thanks!!
“if it wasn’t leaking, it was empty.”
Great quote.
Mooch, thank you very much for letting an unsung hero sing!
Hey, I was an AMS too.
This came across my radar while looking up tomcats (I have two orange male felines). The phrase 'If it's not leaking, it's empty' immediately caught my attention. Very cool video! Thanks for posting.
Ward, that is again a fantastic interview. I am lucky enough to have friends that are retired Navy. This weekend we are at a “Fly In” up in South Carolina. The mix of officers and enlisted men having drinks together, sitting around singing and playing music is a great window into the camaraderie of the shipmates. Your interviews along with Bio and Cruches F-14 Tomcast series further demonstrates this. Thank you again for your service and a look into the world of Naval Aviation.
1977, VF-213, AIMD Hyd. shop, Miramar CA. I was an expert at repairing those pesky glove vane and spoiler actuators. I received 4.0 performance evals and to this day that remains a great source of pride. Three weeks after i turned 17 i was in boot camp and I gave the Navy my best!
Awesome! Were the glove vane actuators accessed from on top of the wing gloves adjacent to the intake trench walkway? What about the spoiler actuators? Seems like you would have to service them with the spoilers in the up position to get access from the rear.
@@LRRPFco52 I was TAD to AIMD so i never worked on the AC. The squadron took off the actuator and sent it to us to be overhauled and tested. It was a great job!
Ward. As an
Enlisted
Marine I
cant tell
you how
awesome
this
is.
Ward, you look happiest when you’re visiting with your old shipmates! God bless you for the positivity you put into your channel! More please!
Ward, thank you for taking the time to acknowledge maintainers. These professionals work their tails off to support the mission. It is a grind few understand. I remain in awe of their devotion to the cause. Freezing rain, wind blowing, snot dripping, hyd fluid running down their arms, finger dexterity gone as they try to get their hands in tight places to troubleshoot, and repair or replace components.
Hydraulic fluid on your arm stinks. Hydraulic fluid in your eyes is excruciating. I think the Navy runs Mil-H-5606, but in airliners, it's Skydrol. That stuff is evil.
@@dougrobinson8602 MIL-H-83282 in the Tomcat (aka PRF-83282). 5606 was a preservation fluid.
I was smiling like an idiot during that interview.
Definitely need more context from the maintenance side,great channel!
Incredible discussion (and videos) between Kory and Ward. I was (a long time ago!) PN3 USS FOX(DLG-33) Vietnam 1967-68. When you are on board a ship for months at a time in a combat zone the crew works together to get things done. Well done.☮
Great to hear from the maintainer side of things. I was VF-33 when we transitioned from F-4's to F-14's (O-level to I-level). His touch on corrosion was spot on, especially concerning the spoiler actuators. At sea we would see about 2 actuators a month, at Oceana where all the squadrons were we would see 3-4 per day. All mostly the same thing; the position switches corroded beyond use resulting in actuator failure.
Great times and I always thank the USN for giving me the career of a lifetime (active & civilian).
The craziest maintainer stories I have ever heard are from Tomcat wrenchers. You could spend a lifetime interviewing guys about all the things they had to deal with on that bird. I ran into a guy who was an F-14 maintainer who told me this insane story about their top bird in the squadron, an F-14A with TARPS plumbing, that didn’t have the brakes working. Plane Captain was in the cockpit while the tow truck was pushing it onto the right rear elevator on hangar deck level with rolling seas. The boat’s rolling motion combined with the momentum of the bird rolling backwards onto the elevator, and it went all the way to the lip, pitched up vertically with the tow bar and truck still attached, both the PC and truck driver bailed out onto the elevator, and he could see the perfect planform view of the bottom of the F-14 hanging on the edge of the elevator, everything happening in surreal slow-motion. The F-14 then gracefully and elegantly leaned back over the elevator and fell into the ocean. My eyes were bugged out the whole time as he was telling me about this.
@@LRRPFco52and you believed that story?
@@johnnunn8688 Not only did I believe it, but I found the incident details.
The incident with the F-14A that went over the edge was BuNo 161283, North Arabian Sea just as he described.
Phase of flight: Pushback/Towing
Narrative: Fell off No>3 elevator on USS America (CV-66) and fell into the North Arabian Sea and sank in 9000 feet of water - 'AB-111' - VF-102. (1 sailor KILLED).
It was very clear this guy was who he said he was. I spent decades in the USAF Flight Test Center and studied a lot of the Navy side of things, so I knew all the carriers, most of the Air Wings and what boats they were on, a lot about their aircraft since we worked on joint systems between USAF/USN/USMC, especially certain weapons integration.
We worked with China Lake NWTC, Pt. Mugu, and sometimes Pax River. I can sniff out a BSer within about 1-3 seconds.
Was that a bugs bunny or Tom and Jerry episode?😂😂😂😂......
The nostalgic element in this channel is amazing.
Hello shipmates,so cool to see you on UT. I'm proud to say I was there too. I would be interested in joining a future reunion,let's get me on the list. Thanks for the memories VF-32,CV-62;CV-67.
PR3 Ron Gutenberger.
I was an AMS in the Navy in 1968-72 on A-4s and A-7s. In 1975 I worked for Grumman at Pt. Mugu, Cal. doing modifications in fuel tanks on F-14s. They have very thin bladders inside the tanks easily damaged so that could be a source of leaks but they didn’t leak when we were finished.
Point Mugu in the 1970s was out of control. For their open house, they did freaking live-fire into the ocean away from audience.
@@LRRPFco52 , Not out of control. They do that there. The only air show I know where they do.
Your respect of this man is plainly evident, which makes me respect you even more!
I was a former AMH I took lots of baths in MIL-H-83282. I'll never forget that Mil spec #. ;)
Great interview fantastic perspective from a rated member.❤😊
Good to hear that other squadrons having reunions!
Seamlessly moving between interviews with Adm. Mullen to one of your early tours maintainers requires a genuineness of intellect and character rarely exhibited by traditional media. Thank you, Mooch. 👍😎
Thanks for recognizing the enlisted ground crews. I was an AT at VX-9 Mugu near the end of the tomcats life and had the pleasure of working on A, Bugs, B, and D Tomcats including the last Tomcat ever made.
Great interview with Cory! I did 2 tours with VF-32 and one tour with VF-142. Power Plants CPO, Line CPO, Flight deck coordinator during Desert Shield, and Desert Storm on JFK, than MMCPO before retiring February 1993. Sure miss the guys. Alias- Big Daddy, and MCPO Gill. Keep up the good work CMDR.
You were so blessed to have such team work and mutual respect.
LoL, “If it isn’t leaking, it’s empty,” was what we said about our F-4G Wild Weasels. Never on F-15’s though. If they had a leak, you troubleshot. Great video Ward.
Good memories. I was an AMS. Went in in 1987 and started with VA-94.
Pilots without maintainers are just pedestrians with sunglasses and a cool jacket.
Yep.
FUN interview - as a former Naval Aircrewman, got to experience both worlds (Enlisted & Officer), to an extent. As an HSL (Helicopter ASW, Light), we HAD to assist our small maintenance crew in all inspections and work, as WELL as conduct our tactical duties and flights. Aircrew in VS (fixed wing ASW) or HS (helicopter ASW) did NOT do maintenance at ALL.
At least, being Aircrew kept us from doing any time with "I" Division - until we were 2nd or 1st Class AWs and the ship would TRY to drag one of us down to the Mess Deck as "Galley Captain" - which the Ops Boss would fight.
Even a quick six minute video can brighten my day. Thanks again for the pick me up, Mooch.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching.
I was on the Kennedy 86-87. VMA - 533, Marine A-6 final checker/troubleshooter. Probably saw you guys up there on the flight deck. Nice to know that all Grumman AC leak.
Super cool to see your old shipmates!
Seems like a neat guy, I hope we can get more Tomcat Tweakers on the channel. Need a longer interview with more technical maintenance questions
Stay tuned!
More non comms Ward. These are great.
Roger that!
Dear Commander, I have watched almost everyone of your videos since day one...this is one of the best......thanks so much....Paul in Orlando
Thanks, Paul.
and read Punks War too.....wonderful book......cheers....@@WardCarroll
Fantastic interview and stories. THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR SERVICE, YOU HAVE MY GRATITUDE.
Holy $hit, Ward! When this video started I thought you were interviewing/getting ready to jam with Michael Anthony of Van Halen!!! Great interview!
Great work, Mooch! Would love to see a round table with maintainers from every shop to give folks a real deep dive on how fighter maintenance works in combat.
The quality and character of people surrounding you help determine your level of success. Kory’s obvious passion for his job is contagious. You’d go to war with that guy.
Absolutely.
Heyyy, Indy, served on there in VF-21 - nice to see other Indy people
Thank you so much, Sir, for giving us old maintainers some recognition.
I'm was an AT with VF-142 from '83-'86. Loved the Tomcat even if she was sometimes a pain in the keister to fix, especially some of the computers and cockpit stuff.
We took a lot of pride in what we did and it spilled over into other areas; so much so that we won both the Battle E and the NAS Oceana Captain's Cup trophy in '84. As long as I live, those years with the squadron will be the best of my professional life.
Sorry I missed the weekend. Would've been cool to talk with you a little bit.
Ward, I’d love to see you do some interviews with guys from VF-84. They were the wing that my uncle worked with as a yellow shirt on Nimitz back when they filmed the Final Countdown. Keep up the great work!!
Was never a Jolly Roger.
Nice interview with one of your maintainers. Glad to see you guys having a reunion on airshow weekend. We at VF-142 had ours the week before the airshow. It was a great time and also got to visit the IKE while there.
The Maintainers make the Tomcat fly!
It is now time for The SUPER TOMCAT!
First class! Awesome acknowledgement of the teamwork both ways! My son in law was on the deck of the USS Roosevelt CVN-71 in the 2015-16 range. Love to hear his stories, and it was deeply cool that he served aboard the Big Stick as She provided air support to my TF in the Balkans. As always love the channel
The best part of serving in the Navy was the relationships that were made.
"The friends we made along the way."
Commander, in my opinion, this is what makes your channel so interesting. Damn good stuff Sir!
Love the sit down content from air show ward 👍
A couple more episodes to follow!
That's awesome! Very cool video. I served in the Marine Corps 1980 - 1986 and it is always fun to see how people matured and lived their lives after the military. Thank you for sharing.
As a veteran USAF F-15 Avionics Specialist, I really appreciate this video. Thanks for recognizing the enlisted aircraft crew chiefs and maintenance specialists.
Old school Navy:
AMS - Aviation Structural Mechanic Airframes
AMH - Aviation Structural Mechanic Hydraulics
What they really meant:
AMS = Supervisor
AMH = Helper.
Fixing hydraulic leaks with 9/16th's rags and trichlorofluoromethane.
F-it, It's within limits, shoot it!
Troubleshooters and everyone else!
Thanks Ward, Thanks Kory, great video!
Great video Ward! I'd love to see more maintainer videos!
Gypsy Brother you are the man. Cheers and Best Wishes.
This is a great Video. Thank you for recognizing the enlisted that maintain the equipment.
Ward!get more like this one!
Former VF-41 Black Aces AMH/ Troubleshooter out of Oceana/ USS Nimitz 84-88 here.
Yes!
Happy to see you having fun Mooch!
Old enuff as well to have seen motley crüe live, nothing like Tommy lee’s revolving drum set😀
I was working at Grumman when we had a F-14 come in from the fleet that was trimming left (?) wing really heavy. The Grumman guys started going over the plane and immediately found a drain bung on the wing that was clogged. The guy running the check ran the rod up harder and started a shower in hundreds of pounds of water. Because of the plugged drain, water had accumulated in the wing and done massive corrosion damage. It was something that should have been caught in the fleet. Only the wing heavy trim issue finally got the maintenance problem addressed.
During my cardiac rehab at a local hospital I struck up a conversation with the wife of a fellow rehab'er. She said that she had helped maintain the F-14 during her Navy career. I asked her what she thought of the F-14 and was somewhat shocked when she replied that "all it needed was a big tampon." That seems to match your guest's statement.
Thanks, Ward. Not enough attention is given to us techs, without whom you wouldn’t get to have fun. TBF, I had fun, watching the aircrew have fun. I was at RAF Kemble from ‘71-‘76 and watched the RAF Red Arrows practice, every day. Good times. 👍
That was a great interview
Nice to see the guys behind the scenes that keep ‘em flying. Love the camaraderie between you guys! Thank you both for your service!
My 1st shipboard deployment was aboard CVN 75 Harry S. Truman, in 2004, as a member of VAW-126 in CAG-3. I'm pretty sure that was VF-32's last deployment.
That is correct. 2004 was VF-32's last deployment with Tomcats, before they transitioned to the Bug and became a VFA squadron.
Awesome to see aircrew getting a maintainer in on some of the spotlight. You don't often find this happening, not nearly enough IMHO. When you have some aircrew who really understands how much of a team effort it is to get these super complex aircraft ready to fly. Having been a crew chief on F-15's and A-10's for 22 years in the USAF..."If You Know You Know" when that big "Pig" of an aircraft stops leaking...it's time to service those systems! XD
I served in VA 195 an A7E squadron as an AMH the same time you guys served. 1979 to 1984. Airframes final checker. We were based out of NAS Lemoore back then.
this kind of interview is REALLY interestin! more more!
Great and interesting insight of what you and crew did!