I second that question. My wild guess is, that since he dated squadron mate, that he possibly would do the same in F-22 squad, and since they took themselves too seriously (F-22 squadron leader), it was a no-no. edit: Mover, please explain it better - am I right or wrong?
I’ve already explained a few times in the comments actually. It was a different era. She took an assignment there because of me, becoming the first female in an era when no one wanted that. They blamed me. And then they blamed me again when she wound up actually causing drama.
@@CWLemoine Thank you so much for your reply. Always a pleasure listening and reading about your storytelling. Even when it wasn't quite happy ending in this case. I totally misconstrued that it was F-22 wing commander blocking you... No wonder you wrote books... you had a such an eventful life (and I guess you still do, for me, you, as a tube broadcaster, are true rock-star, never quite got closer to real fighter pilot in my life than to you, thanks to your channel). Thanks again for taking time to clarify (again) (I just missed your other explanation in comments) this situation to us.
Hawg driver here, I appreciate your words about the A-10. Out of all the negative words out there about it, the hawg is still a beast. The gun is amazing to shoot and our CSAR capability is unmatched. The Sandy mission is by far my favorite along with the FAC ability. Cool to know that you wanted to fly it too. Attack! Pilsung! Thunder!
Us civilians need to rally and tell the idiot's in the USAF to never kill this bird. It's the only one that can do what it can do. Stupid General thinks the F35 can do what the 10 can...pff maybe in his dreams. I have seen the hawg fly at the Hillsboro airshow; such a beautiful aircraft and put's a big smile on my face.
Who was your father? My father Walt Foster, ran Grummans Flight Test from 1940-1964. He was the Project Manager responsible for getting the F-14, into production.
I was the flight science lead engineer for F-15SA testing, which is the predecessor of the EX. The resemblance between F-15 D/E and EX is only skin deep. The airframes are the same. Nearly everything inside the SA and EX is new and the best we can make it. If you are wondering why the EX has a passenger seat, it is because all of the tooling still in existence for F-15 is for export versions. Apparently all the customers wanted E like airplanes. We would have to build new tooling to make a single seat F-15. Part of the goals of the SA program was to activate and certify the outboard air to air stations, which every F-15 has, but until then laid dormant. This unlocks the possibility of a 12 AMRAAM loadout. I asked one of my test pilots what he would do with that. He just smiled broadly and replied "Anything I want.".
Someplace I saw recently during the Cold War some of the back seaters in the F4 Phantom would put their helmets on backwards and then lean forward when intercepting Russian bombers. So the Russians would return with photos of the F4 with the all new rear facing RIO. With the “passenger seat” on the F15EX all kinds of fun stuff could be installed to throw off our adversaries. With the flip of a switch an inflatable R2-D2 droid would be first on my list.
Maybe the extra seat will come in handy again in the future. The jet may not require a WSO to operate the radar as older platforms did, which is why single-seat fighters are a thing in the first place. But unmanned buddy aircraft that accompany a manned fighter jet are the future. While these unmanned aircraft will be semi-autonomous, it might still be worthwhile to have somebody in the back seat to monitor and coordinate them.
I was in the Navy while the F14 was still flying and the Top Gun school was still at Mirramar. I took my brother on the the base and showed him the F14 up close. He was so stoked about that. He was also stoked about the big hangar that was painted Figher Town just like in the movie
I was stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln, 96-99, we had F-14s, they are amazing. Captain Robert "Rat" Willard was the CO of the Lincoln at the time. He was a Tomcat Pilot but made it onto the credits of the Top Gun Movie as a MIG Pilot. He also was the XO at Top Gun when they filmed it. Its crazy how the F-14 is so iconic and connects so many people in one way or another. Thanks for your story.
I build the F-15EXs for Boeing right now. Aft fuselage. Pretty cool. Worked on C, D and E models while in the USAF. Will always have a spot for them. Love the F-14s as well. So awesome🤘
Great format Mover. Unbelievable misfortune with your desired airframe transfers but still... you have excelled in the fighter pilot role, especially with being an aggressor. 👌
@@CWLemoine Fun video, thanks for making it. And I agree that you've shown a lot of resilience in your career. It would be easy to get really discouraged after those misses.Two quick questions. One, without going into details, can your romantic life really be used against you in the military or was this more about some kind of office politics? Two, why no SR-71? Going to the edge of space seems like it'd be cool.
@@hoghogwild I don't think I'd want those either. For all the speed and altitude superlatives, they were basically flying pizza ovens with as dynamic a mission profile as an airliner.
Re your comment about being denied the F-35 opportunity. At some point I hope you will feel free to tell your whole story. Not to slag the armed forces but to bring to public attention the roadblocks, both institutional and personal that keep the right people out of the right jobs.
I fell in love with the Tomcat in 1978 as a teenager at an airshow. The weather was garbage but the Tomcat went up anyway and blew me away. So I was in love with it before the Final Countdown and Top Gun. What a beast.
Hardest part of being a Tomcat driver would be getting good at beach volleyball haha. Love the list and this series of videos. I always tell people “IF, you even make it to the merge with an F35, be prepared for its F22 or F16 pal doing OCA to reward your persistence with a forever nap.”
If you make it to the merge with Fat Amy, that means either her pilot or whoever did the mission planning is a mouth breather who royally 💩 the bed already. Same goes for the Raptor (except the Raptor has much better maneuverability and carries AIM-9X internally, so you're still likely boned)
@@RT42069 Well, Mr Eurofighter and Mr Rafale would kick Fat Amy as well.....but as you said: If Fat Amy is there, something before went very, very wrong....
Reminds me of the Lindsey Lohan version of the Mean Girls movie (the jungle fight scene where she says "If we were in the jungle, I know how this would work!!)
Great video, Mover! Sucks that you never got to fly the F-22 or the A-10 but you wouldn’t be the person you are today if those things had happened. You’re a great content creator and a great human being!
TOMCAT... That would be my number 1 choice too. My grandfather was Flying Tigers pilot during WW2 in China. He then went to work for Fairchild Space and was Senior Metallurgists who was part of the team that built the tails on the F14.
Panther punk here, the F-35 is an absolute blast to fly. The SA it gives you almost feels like you’re playing a video game and cheating while doing so.
If I finish flight school at a high enough class rank, and have the option, do you think I should take F-22 or F-35? Also because of when I’ll finish flight school, maybe NGAD?
My #1 was the A10 - but sadly my eyes prevented me in 1998 from even qualifying - at least I thought. Wish I listened to you on UA-cam back then. This series is great!
TOMCATS! I agree with your list...I got to fly my boss's TF-51 and had lots of rides in his P-51 and flying a mustang is AWESOME. I think you're in FL, if you are you should go to Stallion51 in Kissimmee and go up in one of their TF-51s, I flew CrazyHorse2 with "Hobo". Coolest flying experience of my life. Getting intercepted by Blackhawks in a Tigermoth is a close second haha. It wasn't my fault, the rudder was having issues and we drifted a little to close to uber protected airspace. We were so slow, it had to be helos to come check us out.
Good idea, your "I wish I could`ve flown" series, Mover! Well, as non US, non military pilot and ten years older than you, I would choose following US-Jets: 5 A10, 4 F18, 3 F16, 2 F22, 1 F15C... yes, I would choose the old Eagle, flying high, fast and with a lot of power without fly by wire... just pure feeling of riding an Eagle.
Right now I’m trying to make the dream happen of me becoming a fighter pilot. My top five: 1. F-18 (Blue Angels inspired) 2. F-16 (Thunderbirds and Iron Eagle inspired) 3. A-6 Intruder, I wish I had the opportunity 4. F-22 5. AV-8 Harrier
I was able to see a, Tomcat, at an airshow around the mid 90's. Went to quite a few airshows, saw countless planes, from WWII, up to the F-117, and B-2, but the Tomcat, made the biggest impression.
The Tomcat community really made that plane great. The pilots, maintainers, factory people, it’s a tight community still to this day. There was an effort to bring an F-14D back to flying status for heritage flights an adversarial training like they used the last F-4’s for. The Tomcat in question is AJ-213 out at AMARC. It’s a complete airplane so theoretically it just needs serviced and some people to support it. Last I heard it was going to NAVAIR for approval and haven’t heard anything new yet.
I hope that’s true and i hope it gets approved. The dumbest thing the DOD did was to slaughter all those planes. I get not wanting Iran to get parts, but really? They couldn’t leave 3 or 4 together to do demos?
I spent 20 years in the Navy as an AT. I truly wish I could have gotten to work on, or just be around the F14. Such an incredible jet. Another awesome video Sir.
My dad was an Air Force fighter pilot who flew the F-84E, F-84F, O-1E (FAC), AT-33 (FAC Instructor), F-100, and F-105 during his career, with 3 combat tours in Vietnam. I asked what his favorite plane to fly had been and he said it was the F-84F. I asked him why and he said it was because it was his first fighter assignment, and you never forget your first love. I was a career Army helicopter pilot and flew the AH-1F, OH-58A/C, and the AH-64A/D. Yet, the helicopters I most wanted to fly were the OH-6A and AH-1G. Unfortunately, I was a little too late. My younger brother was a Navy pilot, and, of course, wanted F-14s. His entire class ended up in helicopters. Still, he had several good tours, including Desert Storm, flying Sea Kings with HC-2, the Desert Ducks. Please continue the series. It's great to see others talk about aircraft they would have liked to have flown.
This was a cool show. And don't worry, we won't tell Gonky about Fat Amy ;) My List, hmmm, Personally I would have been happy just to be able to fly fighters at all. Unfortunately when I was of age to apply, the RCAF had the 20/20 uncorrected rule and my eyes are crap. But were I to have gotten the chance, 1) TOMCATS! 2)F16 3)F22 4)F15(E or EX) 5)f18. Would be curious for sure as to what other TOP 5s you have. Keep up the good work man and best of luck with the training!
@@daviddovnino7585 There's a max age because they are pouring millions of dollars into you for training and they want a decent return on investment. Plus, as we age, it becomes more and more difficult to pass physicals. There's astronauts that were flying space shuttle Orbiter Vehicles wearing glasses.
Definitely do this series, you have some good choices. Top 5 US for me: F-4E, F-16C, A-10B, AV-8B, F-22 T5 Euro: Tornado GR4, Typhoon, E.E. Lightning, Me-262 (going way old school), MiG-29 T5 props: P-38, B-25, P-51D, Bf-109K, P-40N T5 chops: AH-1Z, RAH-66, Mil-24, ACH-47 gunship, AH-64E
I knew I'd see the hog on your list. My old man was Shanghai's squadron commander at the 511th. I miss the sound of it to this day. When we were at Osan I got to go out to Koon-ni and watch the hogs from the 25th roll in on the range. Was a hell of a time. I dated a girl who was a flight scheduler at Langley and I got a chance to go up in the backseat of the T-38 squadron playing red air for the Raptors.....it was a time and seeing the Raptor from that perspective was insane.
@@CWLemoine Nobody likes being a duo. Batman & Robin, Sonny & Cher, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Jordan & Scotty Pippen, Kobe Bryant & anybody. Even Speed Racer preferred Trixie in the Chopper. 🚁
Great video Mover! I worked on The Final Countdown and was made an honorary member of VF84 when I was a teenager. Fox Farrell, Shoes, and the other pilots were so much of a significant influence that all top 5 of my aircraft on the list would be Tomcats. Kinda 'ate up with the Tomcat', as my father would say. Although he was too! I am making 17in x 45in F14 wall art, engraved on T6 aluminum. I've got Fox's #202 above me on the left, a beautiful limited display piece that the wings can sweep back on. 'No touchie', sacred.
I’m surprised you haven’t had award Carroll on your channel yet. He’s got some great stories to tell as a F14 RIO. And since you asked about top five jets from us the viewer here’s mine: 5) F4 phantom 2 4) F15 3) A10 2) F16 1) F14
@@crystalrock18 Not sure if they’ve ever met or corresponded in any way, but they certainly have a history of ridiculing Ward Carroll. It’s possible that he stopped using the term “deep intel” for a while because of such ridicule. Ward Carroll has been a guest on other channels. I don’t recall him being on The Pilot Fighter Podcast, but Ward Carroll has had Jell-O on before. I thought Mover said that he’d been asked to be on The Fighter Pilot Podcast but couldn’t make it to San Diego.
@@Abledoggie42 that makes sense. I myself never flew. I ground transport in the USAF active duty, enlisted too. I never had issues with guard or reserve guys that came and trained with us. But in the fighter world I can see the divide, kind of a shame if you ask me. Went we all on the same team?
Totally agree with the A-10 and F-14. From there I hook right to the SR-71 at M3+ on the edge of space, A-6 Intruder in Vietnam, B-1B on a low-level NOE bomb run, P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, PBY Catalina island hopping the south Pacific... Just my dream list. Great channel!!
Man the whole time I’m watching this video I’m sayin to myself, if I could fly any jet it would be my all time favorite the F14. I’m 45 years old. I grew up all my life with air shows and watching them fly. Then you give me goosebumps when you say your number one is the F14!!! That came out of nowhere! Wasn’t expecting that! I am also a born and raised Cajun in marksville Louisiana.
Awesome video! I was so caught up in your #5-2, that I wasn't even thinking F-14 when it came time for #1🤣I sadly didn't start going to airshows until 2006/2007, so I've never gotten to see an F-14 fly🥺
I remember growing up as a young child dreaming everyday about flying the F-14 since it was my favorite aircraft. My dad kept telling me that it would be retired by the time I became an adult. Low and behold it happened when I was 13 and I remember feeling a huge hole in my heart start to develop. It was like hearing your favorite celebrity pass away.
As someone who's never flown anything faster than single engine propeller planes, my top 5 list of jets would be: F-16XL, Harrier, SR-71, Vampire, F-22, Saab Draken, F-104, and Hawker Hunter.
F16Xl being the 2seater? Yea I'd like to fly with that too :) Harrier I think remember as a kid saw at an airshow, the one who can stall in the air right, was very loud. My friends dad was a Seaking operator (helicopter) so we took a little tour in that flying. Someone in my family apparently flew the french Mirage. But had to quit after injured his back after an ejection.
Thanks Mover, enjoyed the video. As a Brit, looking forward to seeing your top 5 overseas aircraft. I know a few RAF veterans and will be interesting to see if any of ours are in there, including my favourite cold war interceptor, the Lightning (Also known as the 'frightening' for sheer power, they actually managed to intercept U2's in exercises). One that I would imagine won't make it is the Tornado F2 ADV - A rushed introduction, one of the vets said it had 'Blue Circle radar'. Apparently, the radar wasn't ready and it was a modified GR1 so in order to maintain the balance of the plane they put bags of Blue Circle cement in the nose to correct the trim! It was hastily replaced by the F3
@@Akm72 For that Time yes and no. Because Missile tech I believe wasn’t really at its peak and it was actually relatively slow. The sr-71 itself did an amazing job as a Surveillance plane. The F12 , Idk man it just doesnt make sense to have a missile on a plane that could outrun literally everything
@@Nolangrayson_1000 As I see it the advantage is that you can yeet the missiles a really long way because of the launch speed and altitude of the launch platform - this allows you to break up enemy formations well before they get into range to fire anything in return. In addition a small number of aircraft can patrol a huge area compared to a normal fighter cruising at subsonic speeds. The question mark is how many sorties they could do per day. The SR71 needed a week or so of maintenance between flights as I understand it, which would have been completely unacceptable on a fighter.
I find the back story the most interesting part. It's amazing what life can throw at you - I work as a software engineer and the number of interviews I have been to where I would have done really well in the job but they either didn't like me or I saw some huge red flags is considerable. Also sometimes the environments which at first suck can be the best places because they are the most challenging places.
#1 F117, #2 F22, #3 B2, #4 Tomcat, #5, F15EX. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do rotary and foreign aircraft asap! Love the series, maybe my favorite you have EVER put out!
@@flybeep1661 747's aren't stealth, these two options are. If doing "dogfights" is the only serious qualification for this list, then these wouldn't apply, but stealth highly weighs into my list decision, otherwise i'd just pick planes like the PAK FA or the Rafale or Su33 to compliment the F22 in a combined international effort aimed at total air dominance...but that's gonna come after CW's upcoming lists.
God, I feel you on the "Commander" getting you knocked out of the running for the F22. Effing jerks with rank. I myself would find out later my former Platoon Sergeant was trashing me during Background inquires when I was trying to become a Police officer.....hence part of the reason I'm not wearing a badge right now and selling cars for a living. 🤷♂ So... rage level infuriating, so I can imagine how you felt when you found that out. That aside, flown Cessna 150 and C23 Sundowner....then had drop out of Flight School for Economics...so I can't comment on ACTUAL flying jets...BUT had I made different choices or was able to go into Military Aviation as some point and had a choice, then my list would be 5. F-14D, 4. A-10C, 3. F-15E (Had up some "up close" experience with these in Afghanistan..so some Strike Eagle bias from me), 2. F-22A, and 1. F-4E. I'm a bit two engine bias too, I guess.
Great format, Mover, and I'm looking forward to the next installment. As always, I love seeing the TOMCAT! get some love. As an Army guy, it kind of blows my mind when you talk about interviewing to fly at different units. I was a Ranger, and an interview is absolutely part of the process at higher end SOF units, but the idea of a regular infantryman (or medic in my case) interviewing to go to a line unit, or even an airborne unit, still hits me weird.
MOVER, I have to 100% agree with your list . I've at least got to fly all of them in dcs, and I can't imagine what they would be like in real life either way it's nice to know that my list directly lined up with yours before I even saw what your list was
NEVER let a girl get in the way of your goals, dreams, and opportunities. There will always be another girl down the road, but hardly ever another opportunity!
This was an excellent video. Almost first hand knowledge of what the planes are like. And a deeper understanding of how “the system” works… or doesn’t.
@@CWLemoinenot this specifically but have you talked about culture differences from where you started and how you see it now the good and bad in your opinion. Or just throughout your series.
The fact that you mentioned supporting the troops on the ground being a cool mission, I hope the socom AT-802U gets a mention during the prop video. The idea of flying a tricked out crop duster on socom/jsoc missions sounds incredible haha.
Shortly after the Tomcat hit the fleet I had the chance to attend an airshow at Miramar. During the show, an A4 took off, then an F4, both from the far end of the runway. Next up was the F14. Big difference was that the Tomcat lined up on the runway in front of the crowd, then came up on the power and in somewhere around 1500-2000' down the runway was off the ground and cleaning up..... about 5k down the runway, the nose started coming up and didn't stop until he rolled out from inverted, several thousand feet above the runway. No one there had ever seen a jet do that..... 'the crowd went wild'. And, this was one of the early 'A' models.
As a non-pilot guy who just likes aircraft, my top 5 US jets (in no particular order) I'd like to fly are: 1) A4 Skyhawk - the ideal would be to take the big engine from an Israeli A4 and put it into a RNZAF A-4K (Kahu upgrade) and fly it at 50ft. 2) F4D Skyray - the best looking of the cold war US fighters. 3) B-58 Hustler - the best looking of the cold war US bombers. Also really fast although with a widow-maker reputation. 4) SR-71 - white hot performance, ice cool looks, insta win any bragging rights contest :D 5) TOMCATS!
I love this series. My top 5 Choices are 1)F15C Eagle Single seat 2)F14Tomcat 3)F16 C Falcon 4)Northrop YF23 Blackwidow II(I'm actually designing a car after this) 5)A10
I live near Calverton, LI and used to park by the Grumman fence in the 1970's and watch F-14s and A6s go out for test flights- great stuff! Most takeoffs were "normal" with early, steep climbs, but occasionally the pilots would keep it on the deck and the F-14s would look like a ghost, little sound, just getting bigger and bigger! There are still one of each (and a Phoenix missile shell) on public display.
I’m with you on the A10. I’ve had the pleasure of watching them practice hunting. I used to drive my truck across the Florida Georgia line and the A10’s would be flying way low over the forest. When I say low I mean treetop level. They would pop up over the road and drop the nose directly at me then pop back over the trees. I’m talking 3-5 seconds and they were gone ! They were using me as a target. They stalked my tractor using trees and terrain as cover. Occasionally I’d see one flying over a clear cut and the plane was below the tops of the surrounding trees. All the footage you used was so high. I’m pretty sure flying that high over contested airspace with a near peer would be suicide ! I bet flying that low would be a trill. Needing to pop up to maneuver then right back down on the deck. All the while hunting targets.
Love it. Hope you continue the series. As per your request, my non-educated top 5; 5) Fat Amy (I actually recently was able to fly a simulator at Lockheed Martin, 4) F-18 , 3) Viper, 2 ('cause 9+G) F-22, (thrust vectoring and 9G) and number 1)- TOMCAT, because... see TOMCAT!!
My dream was to fly any of these; A10, B2 Spirit, B1 the Bone, Apache (love helicopters) but then you mention the Tomcat heck yeah, but life events changed that for me so now I love watching and hearing all your videos. Thank you and I really do mean it.
One of my best friends worked on the Tomcat, in the 80’s. He was on the Kennedy after the attack on our Marines in Beirut. The more I read about that beast, the cooler it became.
You were dating an F16 pilot and they didn’t like it so you couldn’t fly the F22? How does that work?
I second that question. My wild guess is, that since he dated squadron mate, that he possibly would do the same in F-22 squad, and since they took themselves too seriously (F-22 squadron leader), it was a no-no.
edit: Mover, please explain it better - am I right or wrong?
I’ve already explained a few times in the comments actually. It was a different era. She took an assignment there because of me, becoming the first female in an era when no one wanted that. They blamed me. And then they blamed me again when she wound up actually causing drama.
For all the great parts of the reserve, it still can be incredibly cliquish and sorority-esque.
The Raptor squadron wanted to hire me. It was my own wing commander that told them to rethink it.
@@CWLemoine Thank you so much for your reply. Always a pleasure listening and reading about your storytelling. Even when it wasn't quite happy ending in this case. I totally misconstrued that it was F-22 wing commander blocking you...
No wonder you wrote books... you had a such an eventful life (and I guess you still do, for me, you, as a tube broadcaster, are true rock-star, never quite got closer to real fighter pilot in my life than to you, thanks to your channel).
Thanks again for taking time to clarify (again) (I just missed your other explanation in comments) this situation to us.
“The EX still has a back seat for someone to film the merge”. 😂😂
Well played Mover.
THAT would be my role.. thank you very much!!!
Does that mean his EX transitioned from him and the F-16 to the F-15 and another guy and she's still in active service?
2nd Place for the future: Project Loyal Wingman,,,,that´s all I say.
This is awesome!!!!
Hawg driver here, I appreciate your words about the A-10. Out of all the negative words out there about it, the hawg is still a beast. The gun is amazing to shoot and our CSAR capability is unmatched. The Sandy mission is by far my favorite along with the FAC ability. Cool to know that you wanted to fly it too. Attack! Pilsung! Thunder!
Us civilians need to rally and tell the idiot's in the USAF to never kill this bird. It's the only one that can do what it can do. Stupid General thinks the F35 can do what the 10 can...pff maybe in his dreams. I have seen the hawg fly at the Hillsboro airshow; such a beautiful aircraft and put's a big smile on my face.
Even a Viper would be jealous of the Hawg’s ability to change directions.
I worked on 15’s most of my career and being honest I rarely heard a bad word about the HAWG except from ammo troops.
@@dblankenship88 Went through it too fast, huh?😉
@@FS2K4Pilot what?
My late Father was in the F-14 Flight Test Program thru 1972 at Grumman. He loved that plane and the test pilots that flew it.
Who was your father? My father Walt Foster, ran Grummans Flight Test from 1940-1964. He was the Project Manager responsible for getting the F-14, into production.
I was the flight science lead engineer for F-15SA testing, which is the predecessor of the EX. The resemblance between F-15 D/E and EX is only skin deep. The airframes are the same. Nearly everything inside the SA and EX is new and the best we can make it. If you are wondering why the EX has a passenger seat, it is because all of the tooling still in existence for F-15 is for export versions. Apparently all the customers wanted E like airplanes. We would have to build new tooling to make a single seat F-15. Part of the goals of the SA program was to activate and certify the outboard air to air stations, which every F-15 has, but until then laid dormant. This unlocks the possibility of a 12 AMRAAM loadout. I asked one of my test pilots what he would do with that. He just smiled broadly and replied "Anything I want.".
Someplace I saw recently during the Cold War some of the back seaters in the F4 Phantom would put their helmets on backwards and then lean forward when intercepting Russian bombers. So the Russians would return with photos of the F4 with the all new rear facing RIO. With the “passenger seat” on the F15EX all kinds of fun stuff could be installed to throw off our adversaries. With the flip of a switch an inflatable R2-D2 droid would be first on my list.
the 2nd Seat is a very good Sales Argument for Project loyal Wingman.
@@jamesnichols7507Very childish thing to do in a very expensive jet. 😢
Maybe the extra seat will come in handy again in the future. The jet may not require a WSO to operate the radar as older platforms did, which is why single-seat fighters are a thing in the first place. But unmanned buddy aircraft that accompany a manned fighter jet are the future. While these unmanned aircraft will be semi-autonomous, it might still be worthwhile to have somebody in the back seat to monitor and coordinate them.
If it is flown operationally with only the front seat occupied it will waste capability..
I'd like to hear Mover breathily say "Would you intercept me? I'd intercept me"
Because I’m Batman
Put the lotion in the basket!
C'mon, do you two NOT watch Habitual Linecrosser's shorts??
😂
We should start a go-fund-me
I was in the Navy while the F14 was still flying and the Top Gun school was still at Mirramar. I took my brother on the the base and showed him the F14 up close. He was so stoked about that. He was also stoked about the big hangar that was painted Figher Town just like in the movie
I was stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln, 96-99, we had F-14s, they are amazing. Captain Robert "Rat" Willard was the CO of the Lincoln at the time. He was a Tomcat Pilot but made it onto the credits of the Top Gun Movie as a MIG Pilot. He also was the XO at Top Gun when they filmed it. Its crazy how the F-14 is so iconic and connects so many people in one way or another. Thanks for your story.
I build the F-15EXs for Boeing right now. Aft fuselage. Pretty cool. Worked on C, D and E models while in the USAF. Will always have a spot for them. Love the F-14s as well. So awesome🤘
Great format Mover. Unbelievable misfortune with your desired airframe transfers but still... you have excelled in the fighter pilot role, especially with being an aggressor. 👌
Thank you!
@@CWLemoine Fun video, thanks for making it. And I agree that you've shown a lot of resilience in your career. It would be easy to get really discouraged after those misses.Two quick questions. One, without going into details, can your romantic life really be used against you in the military or was this more about some kind of office politics? Two, why no SR-71? Going to the edge of space seems like it'd be cool.
@@davidsmith8997 No Sr-71, no YF-12, no M-21-why?-They all have back seaters. Maybe ask him about the single seat A-12?
@@hoghogwild Is M-21 the Mig 21? Anyone who can fly a Mig is superlative.
@@hoghogwild I don't think I'd want those either. For all the speed and altitude superlatives, they were basically flying pizza ovens with as dynamic a mission profile as an airliner.
Re your comment about being denied the F-35 opportunity. At some point I hope you will feel free to tell your whole story. Not to slag the armed forces but to bring to public attention the roadblocks, both institutional and personal that keep the right people out of the right jobs.
I fell in love with the Tomcat in 1978 as a teenager at an airshow. The weather was garbage but the Tomcat went up anyway and blew me away. So I was in love with it before the Final Countdown and Top Gun. What a beast.
Hardest part of being a Tomcat driver would be getting good at beach volleyball haha. Love the list and this series of videos. I always tell people “IF, you even make it to the merge with an F35, be prepared for its F22 or F16 pal doing OCA to reward your persistence with a forever nap.”
If you make it to the merge with Fat Amy, that means either her pilot or whoever did the mission planning is a mouth breather who royally 💩 the bed already. Same goes for the Raptor (except the Raptor has much better maneuverability and carries AIM-9X internally, so you're still likely boned)
@@RT42069 Well, Mr Eurofighter and Mr Rafale would kick Fat Amy as well.....but as you said: If Fat Amy is there, something before went very, very wrong....
I'm always amazed when I hear you talk about the politics of the Military. It's like the brass never evolved past High school, crazy.
Reminds me of the Lindsey Lohan version of the Mean Girls movie (the jungle fight scene where she says "If we were in the jungle, I know how this would work!!)
Great video, Mover! Sucks that you never got to fly the F-22 or the A-10 but you wouldn’t be the person you are today if those things had happened. You’re a great content creator and a great human being!
TOMCAT... That would be my number 1 choice too. My grandfather was Flying Tigers pilot during WW2 in China. He then went to work for Fairchild Space and was Senior Metallurgists who was part of the team that built the tails on the F14.
Panther punk here, the F-35 is an absolute blast to fly. The SA it gives you almost feels like you’re playing a video game and cheating while doing so.
I really really want to fly the F-35 someday, so thank you for reaffirming my adoration for it! 🥰
Why do you call yourself Panther punk? Just wondering.
"feels like you’re playing a video game and cheating while doing so"
A wise man once told me: "If you fight a fair fight, your tactics suck."
F-35A pilot is my dream! Truly the best of the best!
If I finish flight school at a high enough class rank, and have the option, do you think I should take F-22 or F-35? Also because of when I’ll finish flight school, maybe NGAD?
My #1 was the A10 - but sadly my eyes prevented me in 1998 from even qualifying - at least I thought. Wish I listened to you on UA-cam back then. This series is great!
TOMCATS!
I agree with your list...I got to fly my boss's TF-51 and had lots of rides in his P-51 and flying a mustang is AWESOME. I think you're in FL, if you are you should go to Stallion51 in Kissimmee and go up in one of their TF-51s, I flew CrazyHorse2 with "Hobo". Coolest flying experience of my life. Getting intercepted by Blackhawks in a Tigermoth is a close second haha. It wasn't my fault, the rudder was having issues and we drifted a little to close to uber protected airspace. We were so slow, it had to be helos to come check us out.
I love the A-10, it’s a great aircraft and the pilots are always super cool.
You need to write a non fiction book at some point.... naming names. ;)
Absolutely!
Good idea, your "I wish I could`ve flown" series, Mover!
Well, as non US, non military pilot and ten years older than you, I would choose following US-Jets: 5 A10, 4 F18, 3 F16, 2 F22, 1 F15C... yes, I would choose the old Eagle, flying high, fast and with a lot of power without fly by wire... just pure feeling of riding an Eagle.
CF 104, F-4, CF 101, CF 105, CF 5. All before my time but they inspired me as a kid at airshows. (Except the CF 105.) I never saw one fly.
Right now I’m trying to make the dream happen of me becoming a fighter pilot.
My top five:
1. F-18 (Blue Angels inspired)
2. F-16 (Thunderbirds and Iron Eagle inspired)
3. A-6 Intruder, I wish I had the opportunity
4. F-22
5. AV-8 Harrier
Mover dated Penny Benjamin after Maverick? 😂
I was able to see a, Tomcat, at an airshow around the mid 90's. Went to quite a few airshows, saw countless planes, from WWII, up to the F-117, and B-2, but the Tomcat, made the biggest impression.
The Tomcat community really made that plane great. The pilots, maintainers, factory people, it’s a tight community still to this day. There was an effort to bring an F-14D back to flying status for heritage flights an adversarial training like they used the last F-4’s for. The Tomcat in question is AJ-213 out at AMARC. It’s a complete airplane so theoretically it just needs serviced and some people to support it. Last I heard it was going to NAVAIR for approval and haven’t heard anything new yet.
I hope that’s true and i hope it gets approved. The dumbest thing the DOD did was to slaughter all those planes. I get not wanting Iran to get parts, but really? They couldn’t leave 3 or 4 together to do demos?
Mistakes were made with the F-14 but still a great plane!
Would’ve loved to see that honestly, it stopped flying when I was still a preschooler.
I spent 20 years in the Navy as an AT. I truly wish I could have gotten to work on, or just be around the F14. Such an incredible jet. Another awesome video Sir.
My dad was an Air Force fighter pilot who flew the F-84E, F-84F, O-1E (FAC), AT-33 (FAC Instructor), F-100, and F-105 during his career, with 3 combat tours in Vietnam. I asked what his favorite plane to fly had been and he said it was the F-84F. I asked him why and he said it was because it was his first fighter assignment, and you never forget your first love.
I was a career Army helicopter pilot and flew the AH-1F, OH-58A/C, and the AH-64A/D. Yet, the helicopters I most wanted to fly were the OH-6A and AH-1G. Unfortunately, I was a little too late.
My younger brother was a Navy pilot, and, of course, wanted F-14s. His entire class ended up in helicopters. Still, he had several good tours, including Desert Storm, flying Sea Kings with HC-2, the Desert Ducks.
Please continue the series. It's great to see others talk about aircraft they would have liked to have flown.
I always wanted to fly Airwolf.
What does Gonky think of your #1? Tomcat over Eagle EX...
I hear the AF boys crying!
Watching the f22 fly in person is absolutely amazing
This was a cool show. And don't worry, we won't tell Gonky about Fat Amy ;) My List, hmmm, Personally I would have been happy just to be able to fly fighters at all. Unfortunately when I was of age to apply, the RCAF had the 20/20 uncorrected rule and my eyes are crap. But were I to have gotten the chance, 1) TOMCATS! 2)F16 3)F22 4)F15(E or EX) 5)f18. Would be curious for sure as to what other TOP 5s you have. Keep up the good work man and best of luck with the training!
I love the F-35 and would love to fly it. I don't care what anyone says. 😅
@@daviddovnino7585 There's a max age because they are pouring millions of dollars into you for training and they want a decent return on investment. Plus, as we age, it becomes more and more difficult to pass physicals. There's astronauts that were flying space shuttle Orbiter Vehicles wearing glasses.
When I was old enough to join is what I was referring to. Also I'm 48 now so there is an upper age limit as well. @@daviddovnino7585
I was hoping for some F-4 love. My dad flew F4s during Vietnam and loved that plane.
Definitely do this series, you have some good choices.
Top 5 US for me: F-4E, F-16C, A-10B, AV-8B, F-22
T5 Euro: Tornado GR4, Typhoon, E.E. Lightning, Me-262 (going way old school), MiG-29
T5 props: P-38, B-25, P-51D, Bf-109K, P-40N
T5 chops: AH-1Z, RAH-66, Mil-24, ACH-47 gunship, AH-64E
the P-40 rules!
F86…….
I knew I'd see the hog on your list. My old man was Shanghai's squadron commander at the 511th. I miss the sound of it to this day. When we were at Osan I got to go out to Koon-ni and watch the hogs from the 25th roll in on the range. Was a hell of a time. I dated a girl who was a flight scheduler at Langley and I got a chance to go up in the backseat of the T-38 squadron playing red air for the Raptors.....it was a time and seeing the Raptor from that perspective was insane.
on the subject of the F-14, ever thought about doing a video with Ward Carroll? I think he was an F-14 RIO. btw what's the aversion to back seaters?
Most single seat fighter pilots find no use for them. It’s a culture thing.
That would be cool if mover and ward could do a show together
@@CWLemoine Nobody likes being a duo. Batman & Robin, Sonny & Cher, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Jordan & Scotty Pippen, Kobe Bryant & anybody. Even Speed Racer preferred Trixie in the Chopper. 🚁
It only works for Luke Skywalker. 🤖
@@CWLemoine I;m sure you'd "reculture" in order to fly your #1 pick.
Your #3 is my #2!!!! Loved having them over my head as a grunt!!!!!
Yes, the F14 was the master of the skies back then !
So loud and impressive !
Still miss it !
Great video Mover! I worked on The Final Countdown and was made an honorary member of VF84 when I was a teenager. Fox Farrell, Shoes, and the other pilots were so much of a significant influence that all top 5 of my aircraft on the list would be Tomcats. Kinda 'ate up with the Tomcat', as my father would say. Although he was too! I am making 17in x 45in F14 wall art, engraved on T6 aluminum. I've got Fox's #202 above me on the left, a beautiful limited display piece that the wings can sweep back on. 'No touchie', sacred.
I’m surprised you haven’t had award Carroll on your channel yet. He’s got some great stories to tell as a F14 RIO. And since you asked about top five jets from us the viewer here’s mine:
5) F4 phantom 2
4) F15
3) A10
2) F16
1) F14
Not a chance Ward Carroll would ever be on.
They have an F4 at the Evergreen museum, I was amazed how big that plane is, such a cool looking machine.
@@ypw510 why, because he’s a RIO?
@@crystalrock18
Not sure if they’ve ever met or corresponded in any way, but they certainly have a history of ridiculing Ward Carroll. It’s possible that he stopped using the term “deep intel” for a while because of such ridicule.
Ward Carroll has been a guest on other channels. I don’t recall him being on The Pilot Fighter Podcast, but Ward Carroll has had Jell-O on before. I thought Mover said that he’d been asked to be on The Fighter Pilot Podcast but couldn’t make it to San Diego.
@@Abledoggie42 that makes sense. I myself never flew. I ground transport in the USAF active duty, enlisted too. I never had issues with guard or reserve guys that came and trained with us. But in the fighter world I can see the divide, kind of a shame if you ask me. Went we all on the same team?
Great video. As a DCS F16 pilot I chuckled every time you mentioned the backseat LOL.
F104 Starfighter. So cool
Totally agree with the A-10 and F-14. From there I hook right to the SR-71 at M3+ on the edge of space, A-6 Intruder in Vietnam, B-1B on a low-level NOE bomb run, P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, PBY Catalina island hopping the south Pacific... Just my dream list. Great channel!!
I've always enjoyed watching the Hawk T2, Avro Vulcan, The Spitfire, Hurricane, The Seafury and the Seafire and the Panavia Tornado.
Are you by any chance British?
@@Pouncer9000 yep
Man the whole time I’m watching this video I’m sayin to myself, if I could fly any jet it would be my all time favorite the F14. I’m 45 years old. I grew up all my life with air shows and watching them fly. Then you give me goosebumps when you say your number one is the F14!!! That came out of nowhere! Wasn’t expecting that! I am also a born and raised Cajun in marksville Louisiana.
Awesome video! I was so caught up in your #5-2, that I wasn't even thinking F-14 when it came time for #1🤣I sadly didn't start going to airshows until 2006/2007, so I've never gotten to see an F-14 fly🥺
Love the Tomcat, but I would have to say my favorite jet is the F-104. The Starfighters group out of Florida put on a good show!
Alec here my top five is 1. TOMCATS! 2. HORNETS 3. INTRUDERS 4. WARTHOGS 5. VIPERS also RAPTOR and FAT AMYS
Loved it Mover - my 5 in no particular order: F-4, F-8, F-104, F-106, and SR-71.
I love when Pilots admit they want to fly an Eagle.
Eagle is a charm
I remember growing up as a young child dreaming everyday about flying the F-14 since it was my favorite aircraft. My dad kept telling me that it would be retired by the time I became an adult. Low and behold it happened when I was 13 and I remember feeling a huge hole in my heart start to develop. It was like hearing your favorite celebrity pass away.
As someone who's never flown anything faster than single engine propeller planes, my top 5 list of jets would be: F-16XL, Harrier, SR-71, Vampire, F-22, Saab Draken, F-104, and Hawker Hunter.
Those are 8 tho
Thats a good list but surprised you didnt include the Folland Gnat in that group
@@marcjohnson4884 I need something French on the list, I think. Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard, maybe?
Come to Newport News Flight Training school for the hawker hunter
F16Xl being the 2seater? Yea I'd like to fly with that too :) Harrier I think remember as a kid saw at an airshow, the one who can stall in the air right, was very loud. My friends dad was a Seaking operator (helicopter) so we took a little tour in that flying. Someone in my family apparently flew the french Mirage. But had to quit after injured his back after an ejection.
Concur #1. It’s hard to name a more iconic fighter and I was glad to have the opportunity to work on and around them.
1. F-14 Tomcat
2. F-15 Eagle
3. A-10 Warthog
4. F/A-18 Super Hornet
5. F-16 Viper
Thanks Mover, enjoyed the video. As a Brit, looking forward to seeing your top 5 overseas aircraft. I know a few RAF veterans and will be interesting to see if any of ours are in there, including my favourite cold war interceptor, the Lightning (Also known as the 'frightening' for sheer power, they actually managed to intercept U2's in exercises). One that I would imagine won't make it is the Tornado F2 ADV - A rushed introduction, one of the vets said it had 'Blue Circle radar'. Apparently, the radar wasn't ready and it was a modified GR1 so in order to maintain the balance of the plane they put bags of Blue Circle cement in the nose to correct the trim! It was hastily replaced by the F3
More of a Sr-71 guy myself. Man I wish i could have flown it. That plane is what dreams are made of
Though I fly through the valley of death, I shall fear no evil, for I am at 80,000 feet and climbing.
Do you think the F-12B would have been worthwhile if it had entered service?
@@Akm72 For that Time yes and no. Because Missile tech I believe wasn’t really at its peak and it was actually relatively slow. The sr-71 itself did an amazing job as a Surveillance plane. The F12 , Idk man it just doesnt make sense to have a missile on a plane that could outrun literally everything
@@Nolangrayson_1000 As I see it the advantage is that you can yeet the missiles a really long way because of the launch speed and altitude of the launch platform - this allows you to break up enemy formations well before they get into range to fire anything in return. In addition a small number of aircraft can patrol a huge area compared to a normal fighter cruising at subsonic speeds.
The question mark is how many sorties they could do per day. The SR71 needed a week or so of maintenance between flights as I understand it, which would have been completely unacceptable on a fighter.
@@Akm72 You know alot more than me man. Im a year 10, Gonna take aeronautical engineering in a polytechnic next year
I find the back story the most interesting part.
It's amazing what life can throw at you - I work as a software engineer and the number of interviews I have been to where I would have done really well in the job but they either didn't like me or I saw some huge red flags is considerable.
Also sometimes the environments which at first suck can be the best places because they are the most challenging places.
I like this series.
Great list Mover!
My list would be:
1. F14 Tomcat
2. F117 Nighthawk
3. F16 Fighting Falcon (viper 😅)
4. F18 Hornet
5. F22 Raptor
#1 F117, #2 F22, #3 B2, #4 Tomcat, #5, F15EX. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do rotary and foreign aircraft asap! Love the series, maybe my favorite you have EVER put out!
F117 and B2 seem very nonsensical choices. B2 would likely be the very same experience as flying a 747 would. F117 is a brick to fly.
@@flybeep1661 747's aren't stealth, these two options are. If doing "dogfights" is the only serious qualification for this list, then these wouldn't apply, but stealth highly weighs into my list decision, otherwise i'd just pick planes like the PAK FA or the Rafale or Su33 to compliment the F22 in a combined international effort aimed at total air dominance...but that's gonna come after CW's upcoming lists.
F104 Starfighter!
That's all
The f-16 is my dream aircraft to pilot. It just seems like the Ferrari of the skies. So glad that was your aircraft.
Here's my top five...starting with #5: Spitfire MK lX...#4: P51D Mustang...#3: P47D Thunderbolt...#2: F86 Saber....#1: A4M Skyhawk ll
A-4 would be amazing. Like flying a hummingbird
As a kid growing up, I loved the F4, man what a sweet looking aircraft
The Hog would be my first choice. Time to bring in the BFG.
My son, currently serving, is an Avionics tech for the F15 EX model. He enjoys his job and loves his plane.
God, I feel you on the "Commander" getting you knocked out of the running for the F22. Effing jerks with rank. I myself would find out later my former Platoon Sergeant was trashing me during Background inquires when I was trying to become a Police officer.....hence part of the reason I'm not wearing a badge right now and selling cars for a living. 🤷♂ So... rage level infuriating, so I can imagine how you felt when you found that out.
That aside, flown Cessna 150 and C23 Sundowner....then had drop out of Flight School for Economics...so I can't comment on ACTUAL flying jets...BUT had I made different choices or was able to go into Military Aviation as some point and had a choice, then my list would be 5. F-14D, 4. A-10C, 3. F-15E (Had up some "up close" experience with these in Afghanistan..so some Strike Eagle bias from me), 2. F-22A, and 1. F-4E. I'm a bit two engine bias too, I guess.
being a cop is the most difficult job in the world
Great format, Mover, and I'm looking forward to the next installment. As always, I love seeing the TOMCAT! get some love.
As an Army guy, it kind of blows my mind when you talk about interviewing to fly at different units. I was a Ranger, and an interview is absolutely part of the process at higher end SOF units, but the idea of a regular infantryman (or medic in my case) interviewing to go to a line unit, or even an airborne unit, still hits me weird.
F14, SR71, F16, F104, F22
F104 and f22 😂 love it my man!
MOVER, I have to 100% agree with your list . I've at least got to fly all of them in dcs, and I can't imagine what they would be like in real life either way it's nice to know that my list directly lined up with yours before I even saw what your list was
Damn, missed out on the F22 over a girl... That's rough.
NEVER let a girl get in the way of your goals, dreams, and opportunities. There will always be another girl down the road, but hardly ever another opportunity!
Maybe the girl wasn't the problem. Maybe the problem was the officer that objected.
I think the officer was jealous that she only had eyes for Mover!
@@tomwilson1006 I mean it could be worth it. She could be the mother of your children. Hard to know.
@@deanwilliams433 Was she crosseyed or very short-sighted? 😇
Love your choices! Love the spectre books by the way. Action packed and attention to detail are great!
Damn I wouldve been super bitter about that F22 snub for some dumb reason like that.
I know an F-35 pilot who closed the canopy on his helmet. Great dude.
A-10. Not really a fighter jet, but it does have wins against an F-22.
This was an excellent video. Almost first hand knowledge of what the planes are like. And a deeper understanding of how “the system” works… or doesn’t.
Dude you cant just leave us hanging on that girlfriend story! Switch the names for gods sake lol.
I'm glad we got justice for Fat Amy! It's close to my earth having followed the development since childhood and I was in love with the f-22
No f22 for you because your gf was an f16 pilot.. really..
It’s complicated. Cultures were different back then.
@@CWLemoinenot this specifically but have you talked about culture differences from where you started and how you see it now the good and bad in your opinion. Or just throughout your series.
The fact that you mentioned supporting the troops on the ground being a cool mission, I hope the socom AT-802U gets a mention during the prop video. The idea of flying a tricked out crop duster on socom/jsoc missions sounds incredible haha.
Man I love to see the drivers chiming in. So fun! Great content Mover !
Thanks for doing this episode, Mover! I have been wanting to ask you this question, for YEARS!😂
Just found your channel. Absolutely love your commentary. You and Gonky are a riot together. Love your channel! Glad I found it.
Shortly after the Tomcat hit the fleet I had the chance to attend an airshow at Miramar. During the show, an A4 took off, then an F4, both from the far end of the runway. Next up was the F14. Big difference was that the Tomcat lined up on the runway in front of the crowd, then came up on the power and in somewhere around 1500-2000' down the runway was off the ground and cleaning up..... about 5k down the runway, the nose started coming up and didn't stop until he rolled out from inverted, several thousand feet above the runway. No one there had ever seen a jet do that..... 'the crowd went wild'. And, this was one of the early 'A' models.
I was with you on the F-35 until the Tinker Air Show last summer the f-35 demo flight was amazing
Great list and interesting video. Of course, it would be cool to fly some vintage jets like the F-86.
Like this series .. especially your comments about each jet
Was totally unaware that folks thought the f35 was an ugly jet?! I love the way that thing looks…built for a very specific purpose!
Operators of more primative jets seem to think it's ugly, looks ok to me.
Thank you, this was a very informative video!
As a non-pilot guy who just likes aircraft, my top 5 US jets (in no particular order) I'd like to fly are:
1) A4 Skyhawk - the ideal would be to take the big engine from an Israeli A4 and put it into a RNZAF A-4K (Kahu upgrade) and fly it at 50ft.
2) F4D Skyray - the best looking of the cold war US fighters.
3) B-58 Hustler - the best looking of the cold war US bombers. Also really fast although with a widow-maker reputation.
4) SR-71 - white hot performance, ice cool looks, insta win any bragging rights contest :D
5) TOMCATS!
Thanks for sharing Mover 👍 This would be a good series. Would find props and helis interesting too. Maybe top 5 experimentals perhaps.
I love this series.
My top 5 Choices are
1)F15C Eagle Single seat
2)F14Tomcat
3)F16 C Falcon
4)Northrop YF23 Blackwidow II(I'm actually designing a car after this)
5)A10
I live near Calverton, LI and used to park by the Grumman fence in the 1970's and watch F-14s and A6s go out for test flights- great stuff! Most takeoffs were "normal" with early, steep climbs, but occasionally the pilots would keep it on the deck and the F-14s would look like a ghost, little sound, just getting bigger and bigger! There are still one of each (and a Phoenix missile shell) on public display.
I’m with you on the A10. I’ve had the pleasure of watching them practice hunting. I used to drive my truck across the Florida Georgia line and the A10’s would be flying way low over the forest. When I say low I mean treetop level. They would pop up over the road and drop the nose directly at me then pop back over the trees. I’m talking 3-5 seconds and they were gone ! They were using me as a target. They stalked my tractor using trees and terrain as cover. Occasionally I’d see one flying over a clear cut and the plane was below the tops of the surrounding trees. All the footage you used was so high. I’m pretty sure flying that high over contested airspace with a near peer would be suicide ! I bet flying that low would be a trill. Needing to pop up to maneuver then right back down on the deck. All the while hunting targets.
Love it. Hope you continue the series. As per your request, my non-educated top 5; 5) Fat Amy (I actually recently was able to fly a simulator at Lockheed Martin, 4) F-18
, 3) Viper, 2 ('cause 9+G) F-22, (thrust vectoring and 9G) and number 1)- TOMCAT, because... see TOMCAT!!
My dream was to fly any of these; A10, B2 Spirit, B1 the Bone, Apache (love helicopters) but then you mention the Tomcat heck yeah, but life events changed that for me so now I love watching and hearing all your videos. Thank you and I really do mean it.
I think this series is a good idea. Keep it up, Mover.
Here are my top 5 American fighter jets:
1. F-22
2. F-14
3. F-111
4. F-16
5. F-18
Great idea with the 4 part series.
This is an AWESOME idea for a video series. PLEASE keep them coming!
GREAT episode! And thank you for the usual candid commentary on each of the planes.
One of my best friends worked on the Tomcat, in the 80’s. He was on the Kennedy after the attack on our Marines in Beirut. The more I read about that beast, the cooler it became.
This was a great set of anecdotes