Great to see my friend Okie, even though it was via video. I remember meeting him at a local hobby store in Virginia Beach. He picked up a 1/48 Hasegawa F-14A kit and told me the picture of the box art was him. I built the kit for him and did several other aircraft that he flew. What a fantastic guy. He introduced me to other drivers and from that point on, I was receiving orders to build the F-14s with their names on the them. Even got a call sign from the community - "Gordo." I knew he was a fantastic driver, as I asked others, but he only would say he was ok. I remember being invited to his change of command and he as he was speaking, he stopped to recognize and thanked me for being there. I could go on about the good times I had with Okie, but that would take too long. Moving to Oregon and then Florida has put some distance between us and I lost communicating with him. As said earlier, great to see him. Ward, thanks for a great episode. When you talk to him again, please send my best to him and his family.
Hey Gordon, Dave Sem here… Mike Brown and I were just talking about you the other day! Great to hear you’re still kickin’! Remember building in Pembroke Mall out in front of Hungates - Bart with his welding helmet magnifier😛 Damn I wish I had one now! Keep on truckin’ buddy - awesome to hear from you👍👍
@@donsemininski6535 Hey Don, please forgive me, but I don't remember. Getting old has it's issues. I remember building at the mall, thanks to Hungate's and I frequently talk with Bart. I stay in touch with Bruce Hater, who is a member of Hampton Roads Scale Modelers (the old Hungates club) and we still have family up there in Va Beach, so we go up there twice a year to visit. Anyways, if you are on Facebook, drop me a private message on how to hook up with you and I will do so. Once I get my brain cells working, I am sure my memory will come back. Were you with USAA, build airplanes and cars and had a story about taking pictures at NAS Oceana? If so, I remember. Please contact me. Love to talk.
I loved hearing Okie talk about beating the F-15 Eagle. Because in my job, when I run into an "Eagle driver," and we talk fighters, they always seem to have this "superior" mindset when it came to Tomcat Vs Eagle. Don't get me wrong, I know that they are both amazing aircraft, but if you got someone in the front seat that could really put the Tomcat through its paces (Okie) and lay the wood to an Eagle, it just brings a big ole smile to my face. I Love It!! Thanks for always having such great content on your channel Ward. :)
Strange, I heard him say the Eagle “tattooed” him 3 times and he came back with a different tactic and beat it the next day. So then what would happen day 3 when the Eagles adjusted its tactic? You often hear how Tomcat guys would “break a plane” to beat an Eagle, or launch with only half tank of gas, fight one turn, win and then say “I’m bingo or this or that is broke, I gotta fly home.” I guess that works for 1V1 bragging at the bar, but breaking a plane and having it down for God knows how long wouldn’t work well for a war over Northern Europe for the 80 v 80 Warsaw Pact invasion the F-15 was designed for. The Eagle was significantly more reliable. No spares needed for a mission.
Mooch's signature, "switching from guitars to guns." I can tell you for sure, down out of San Diego, there were pilots that were taking Tomcat's to the limits, certainly in G force limits and beyond. I worked Program Finance for Litton Guidance and Control back then in the early 1980's, and pilots were trashing the bearings on their guidance system gyro's tied in to X, Y, Z accelerometers, pre GPS days. We had many engineering change orders trying to increase the life on the axles and bearings on those units to make them last longer. How they could still fly without blacking out at those kinds of limits, is beyond me, extensive pilot training and gnarly G suits.
'Okie' is one of the best and most entertaining pilots ever. He always has the best F-14 stories. He actually flew F-16N in the aggressor squadrons as well so he knows the Viper really well. This video deserves million+ views.
Ward, if you were to disappear from the earth tomorrow, you must know that you have enriched your viewers' lives beyond description. This is just one of many outstanding interviews you have done that get to the core of the F-14 and its place in history - of which you are a part. A critical part, a growing part. You are leading a revival of the F-14 knowledge base like no other. These drivers obviously respect you, your abilities, and your history - and we, your followers, do as well. Profound thanks and much respect.
Ward, you do a GREAT job bringing us into the fighter community w/o us feeling like outsiders. From training aids to interviews, always excellent in both content and explanation. Thank you.
First saw Okie on aircraft interview a few years ago. What a great, no nonsense, tell it like it is kinda bloke he seems to be. Could happily listen to him talk about ACM all day.
I heard from Aleks at 'Heatblur' who used 'Okie' as a SME for their F-14A and B flight modelling. Aleks said 'Heatblur' guys were blown away at how 'Okie' flew the F-14 even at this age using the stick, throttle and rudders to toss the F-14 around like he still flew an F-14 while telling them 'this is not right. You gotta change that or this". 'Okie' was also instrumental in modelling the compressor stall events for the F-14A.
It’s episodes like this that make me proud to have been in the tomcat community. As an F-14 AE (electrician) I can feel the pain of having to fix the vertical lights, tail light and the PAC and SAC lights with the tails flexing bad enough to pop lights out and leave then hanging by the wires. Would have been amazing if the tomcat stayed, but have amazing memories of her that will remain forever.
I’m an aviation brat and this is one of the most illuminating interviews about the differences between the ‘best’ fighter pilots. I’d also recommend the ‘Punk’ novels for an insight into that world.
Can’t hit that like bell hard enough. You gotta have Okie back… Please give us a sequel! I heard a while back he was trying to get into DCS, so maybe you and him could hop in the virtual cockpit and take us through a dogfight? He’s the real deal, no nonsense guy when it comes to ACM. Love hearing his stories and his perspective. Thanks so much Mooch!
Great interview, and good contrast to Mover who seems to look down on the back-seater position. It's good to see a pilot recognize the value of having a RIO.
This tomcat driver sounds so awesome.. would love more interviews with him and more stories and details on engagements. Getting the drop on F15’s ?!? Love his no fear of the A model and the flame out engine issues either
Ward - much appreciation for providing me with interesting and amusing content while I prepare and review income tax returns (I'm a CPA). I grew up in Maryland, had close friends who were classmates of yours at the USNA (3 years behind), and still have ties to Annapolis, where part of my family lived for many decades along the Severn. I had a mentor who is like a second father to me who flew F-86's, F-100's, F-4's, F-105s, etc. and the stories he told were crazy. Fun enough for me to do AFROTC in college hoping to get fighters.... Happy I can live vicariously through your stories....
Many thanks guys - for all the personal risks you took to preserve our freedoms. I'm so glad that you can still enjoy the camaraderie together, so much, after you earned your (relatively safe) retirements.
Hey Ward, it would have been nice to get definitions explained as okie was describing the flight maneuvers he performed will dogfighting. A rake, a push a......wth...
I had the pleasure of working for Okie (Mr.Nance) twice first with VF31 and then again at VF101.....I knew he was a great pilot but he was low key........He is definitely one of the best.
Great video Mr. Carroll! I can tell Mr. Nance is from Oklahoma just from hearing him talk LOL! Okie boys recognize other Okie boys pretty easy. :D Great to hear these stories from another Oklahoman! You gotta love a guy who isn't afraid to tell you how a situation is without trying to fluff it over. Hope you have Okie on your channel again!
I ever get tired of listening to this episode. It keeps me on the edge of my seat and every listening is like the first time. Keep it all going Ward. I’ll try to get my Trilogy order in this week sometime. All the best, Robert.
That was great! I could listen to stories about BFM engagements from pilots who know how to extract the best out of the Tomcat all day. It's such a privilege to hear more about the legendary aircraft, and the legends who flew and fought in them, and all made possible by the teams of people who maintained them.
Ward, wow that was great. Literally had goose bumps, watching and hearing the real deal discuss his shared experiences. You are my hero, and what a pleasure to meet one of yours on your channel.
Thanks, Ward, for the interesting conversation with Mr. Nance. However, as much as I tried to visualize what the aircraft were doing during his dogfight descriptions, I was completely lost by his terminology. Perhaps it would be beneficial to the unfamiliar, like me, to use your training aids to assist with describing the maneuvers that were being deployed by both aircraft during the engagements that he discussed. It sounded spectacular!
Captain Nance is living proof that a Competent Naval Aviator and NFO can make all the difference in the World in a Dogfight. If you look at some of The USN flight films by Periscope in 1970s the RAG instructors and RIOs said basically the same thing Okie has said word for word. Glad he dispelled the myth that the A-4 could give the Tomcat a run for it's money in ACM in Reality it was no match same for The F-5. The Instructors basically told the Pilot's get your wings level light the burners and go Vertical into the climb and the A-4 simply could not sustain then throttle back bring the nose over and gun them. It was basically fishing with Dynamite. Oh yeah the stories about beating on the Hornets is the Mushroom Gravy on the steak.
Very true. A-4F or TA-4J had a pretty close to 1:1 thrust to weight because it was stripped out of everything, which has been made a big deal, but there is no getting around the fact that it had very high wing loading and no afterburners that are needed for acceleration/overcoming drag or performance in thin air so it could not climb in the vertical due to that reason having less than 1/3rd the climb rate of even a F-14A and less than 1/4 of that of an F-14 B/D. Even in a sustained turning fight, due to the small wings, it would bleed energy really quick and Tomcat would swallow it up quickly especially getting angles and radar lock. The only place where it could match of beat the Tomcat with A-4F being piloted by a good driver, is if Tomcat stayed in only mil power or in a one-circle, slow speed, high alpha fight. But, then again like 'Okie' said, if you get into trouble and become defensive, just light up the burners accelerate away/extend and climb into the vertical and the A-4F could not touch the Tomcat. Tomcat comes down inverted and guns the A-4.
@@2ZZGE100 Excellent Analysis! Commader Randall Duke Cunningham and his RIO Commander William Irish Driscoll were the only Navy Aces during the Vietnam War. He often told how the F-4 with the J79 engines had the ability to out climb alot of the MIGs if they ever got in Trouble they went straight to the Vertical I think they did alot while flying Showtime 100. The Vigilante Drivers did the same thing they simply out accelerated the MIGs and was well capable of Passing MACH 2. Amazing how power and speed can get you out of trouble.
In Japanese, the specific word referring to an aerial dogfight between fighters is 格闘戦 (kakutô-sen), which means essentially "martial arts battle," and listening to this clear master of his craft talk you can hear exactly why that's such an apt description of BFM.
Ward Sir My second viewing of your Channel and I am completely hooked! Gosh the talk with Ace Okie was SO so interesting, just fascinating, his description of dog fighting was amazing and spoken like it was just A walk in the park for Okie! what a Great character and a Great man! Finding your great self and Channel Is the Best on UA-cam and TV that I have seen! Big well done to you Sir Thank you for your So interesting Brilliant interviews and sharing them. All the very best to you and your friend Okie. JB. Surrey. UK.
My least favorite thing about these videos ... is when Ward says "Alright, that's going to do it for this episode" and I realize the episode is coming to an end. Great content, great interviews and insights. Keep it up Mooch! 👍👍
Have Okie tell you the story about the F-14A that compressor stalled on him after a repair at VF-31 when he was MO. First engine stalled, then the second had oil fluctuation +-3 psi. He shut that down too.😂 Anyway RIO was getting nervous calling out altitudes while he figured things out. I think he ram air door the one engine and then cross bled the second engine. He’s a great great smart fighter pilot. I think he was there under skipper Ludwig, Curry and Austin before heading to VF-101.
This was a great conversation to watch. I love it when some one is so passionate about what they do or did that you at times (if you don’t know all the lingo they are using) you don’t understand everything they are saying. I wish I knew the lingo a bit more. Maybe that’s why I watch the same video multiple times, to pick it up. This exact thing happens in the profession I am in. Friends and colleagues of mine can start talking, and someone not familiar with the lingo would be totally lost. On that note Ward, you do a good of bringing back the conversation and breaking that down for us. Just love to see the passion from both of you and all those you interview. Keep it up.
This is awesome Mr. Carroll. I look back at my time at VF-102 and I see all the leaders and I am just in awe. The officers and enlisted leaders was incredible.
What a character. Great stories. Really brings it alive. I can’t think of any better complement than the last guy, Bao Mao. There must be many who miss the Tomcat. I remember reading, years ago when the Super Hornet was new, that an admiral said it was superior to the legacy Hornet in every way except … (paraphrasing roughly) speed, climb rate, acceleration, maneuverability … What am I missing? Why has the DoD turned down the opportunity to develop a more advanced engine? I’m at a loss to understand why our pilots aren’t given the best our engineers can develop. That aside, this was a priceless interview. You do excellent work on this channel. I always look forward to the education and entertainment. Keep it coming!!👍
Issue was, limitation of the airframe since it was designed to be an air-to-ground strike fighter first rather than an air superiority platform like the Tomcat. Legacy Hornet had a lot of drag and very small engines designed for thrust at slow speeds. Those limitations carried over into the Super Hornet (despite being bigger and carrying more fuel) as the issue with drag inducing hard points, lack of thrust for higher speeds (weight and drag combined). You simply cannot control the airspace like you could with the F-14 Tomcat and gain superiority all over the battle space by having the ability to use speed, vertical capabilities, acceleration, altitude, radar and fuel to zip around the whole battle space. 'Jungle' who flew both Tomcats and Super Hornets goes on to say 'it is not a fighter' and at one point, doing the same thing they used to do with Tomcats, he got his a** kicked when even a KC-10 tanker out-accelerated him in the Super Hornet.
My mother worked at Grumman Stuart Florida for twenty years... I have her company flight jacket after she passed.... Grumman built the baddest of the bad asses fighter aircraft.... until Dick Cheney stuck his nose in it... what a mistake for the United States of America...
@@garyjohnston9495 Politicians - The source of most of the world's woes. Whichever country you're in ........ You can usually count on your fingers which ones you might trust to get things right.
More! Also, I’d like to know more about taking the fight vertical and to unpack some of the dogfight jargon that isn’t super obvious in a future video. I can’t begin to express how good you are at making these videos, telling stories, and interviewing folks; you’re supremely talented!
Love hearing from a guy with an absolute predator mindset! Seeking advantage and opportunity in any domain or dimension (physical, mental, temporal, electonic, etc...). Knowing his tools and how to use them. Always seeking to find, or create an edge. A guy like this is simply going to find a way to win!!
Still the man in the box. This guy knows his sh*t. He pushed fight he and the jet could win. Notice he didn't have a no loss record. He admitted that. That's the most important thing. If you don't acknowledge an error you can't fix it. Great episode once again, Mooch.
So this is the first time I think maybe I am getting an insight into why Tomcats get replaced by Hornets. Never could fathom why when F15s & F14s have so many similarities (and advantages as both guys here list) F14 goes out of the picture when looking at it from outside you're thinking - So update all the Tomcat's avionics & controls, bring them up to or beyond the Hornet's spec.. But no, what seems to be an inferior aircraft gets the job. It would be nice to think there wasn't anything corrupt going on. But it might be niaive too?
@@Paladin1873 True. The maintenance hours per flight hours ratio was of the chart. Parts were running out, as well. Like you stated airframes are rated for a certain amount of hours. My comment before was why they didn't choose the "SuperTomcat" over the SuperHornet. I should have stated it better.
@@Diesel0012002 My knowledge of the F-14 is purely secondhand. I used to work with a former F-14 RTO at CENTCOM. He told me it was a demanding aircraft and difficult to get on and off of a carrier. If I recall correctly, he estimated no more than 25% of Naval Aviators (pilots in USAF speak) were good candidates to fly it. If true, this would have severely limited the pool the Navy could draw from. By contrast, a good friend of mine was a P3C Orion driver who later transitioned to F-18s. I never heard any complaints from him about the Hornet. Perhaps that was another consideration in retiring the Tomcat.
Outstanding! I remember Okie in the RAG and he never suffered fools regardless of rank or position. In IWT we new he was inbound as he sounded like an ogre on the radio but his gripes were never bs. We could have used him in 84 lol!
I absolutely love listening to Okie! The takeaway here is not the particular aircraft, but his motto of "fly your best airplane!" He was on a couple of episodes of Aircrew Interview and people should check those out, too. Fantastic stuff and he talks about other aircraft he flew.
As a NAVAIR T&E guy…. Seeing a new Mooch vid pop up in my feed on a Friday is my candy for sure! Fantastic channel! I love the content! It’s redeeming to see and hear how the work we do on our end works out and is implemented in the hands of the operator over the years. It’s the ultimate actionable report card so to speak.
My favorite episode ever! Great to hear you guys working as a team as the video went on! I loved and still do love the F-14. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why the Tomcat was never allowed to reach its full potential! If the F-15 is still viable, which it obviously is, think how much more capable our airwings could be with fully updated Tomcats. Don't get me wrong, the F/A -18 is a great airplane, but endurance, speed and range are game changers. Tanking continues to be a huge issue in the airwing which the Navy seems unable to solve. Why not have a fighter that can carry enough gas to get to the fight, or loiter on CAP with half the trips to the tanker? I think the mix of F-14's, A-6's and A-7's, combined with the ASUW capabilities of the S-3 were the pinnacle of carrier airpower. And, the S-3 seemed to be a good tanker! Think how much more formidable those aircraft would be with updated and lighter systems! I really do not understand the shortsightedness of our leadership. For an admiral to only see the "outdated" cockpit of a fighter that just held its own against the latest and greatest is just sad. Well sir, why do you think it is "outdated"? Perhaps you and your predecessors have something to do with that, you think? Couldn't he see how much MORE capable the F-14 would be if it had the systems of the then state of the art F/A-18? In the helo community, we had to fight to get NVG's because of the shortsightedness of senior officers to see the benefits inherent in being able to actually see at night! I think part of the problem actually stems from the fact that senior officers don't fly anymore and do not really understand the changes that are taking place during their careers and therefore are ill equipped to make decisions or fight for improved technology in the future. Hope this is not too long. It just makes me sad. Going to see the Blues fly in the new F/A-18 in a few weeks. Excited about that, never even seen one of the new ones. Saw the Blues in F-4's as a kid at Shaw AFB, A-4's and "legacy" F/A-18's while in the Nav, and now Super Hornets at Charleston AFB or whatever they call it now. Very excited, but sad to see the direction our Navy is going. Can't imagine an airwing with only F/A-18's, E-2's and H-60's. Keep up the great work Ward!
Good point on senior officers no longer in the fight making equipment, procurement and fielding decisions. As our community migrated from the A model to the D model, the force integration wonks dropped NVGs off of the generic unit's Table of Organizational Equipment (TO&E), causing pilots in the field to jerk readiness officers' chains to correct the gross oversight before we lost those resources, for which we'd fought over 10-15 years. All branches suffer the same problem: Our best get promoted out of the cockpit and they forget everything they ever learned in it. Or worse, somebody gets promoted because they've checked all the boxes (except mastered their trade, believe it or not) and had the right promotion jacket of recommendations; a bureaucrat or politician in uniform. I can only hope that the future of acquisition turns toward the light and program managers are able to show the check signers why an alternative known is the answer, not necessarily the shiny new toy in drag, heels and air superiority lipstick.
@@carlospar3727 Ha! Good point about those who get promoted because they've checked all the boxes (except mastered their trade) ----- I BELIEVE IT! My last CO in my first squadron got 1000 hours in model as a CO! It was the only aircraft he had ever flown, besides the T-34 / TH-57! How exactly does one manage that feat, and why bother to go to flight school anyway if that is ones idea of a successful career? Most guys that did two cruises on their first tour got 1000 hours in model, never mind department head and XO/CO tours.... Anyway, he was a lousy CO. Thank God he was shore based (LAMPS) and never had to go to sea with us. He would probably have restricted us to a 25NM radius and day only as did a Surface Warfare Frigate CO that was a spineless twit. He would regale us at the wardroom table about how scared he was of this or that.... Thankfully my follow-on tours had much better leadership, but I was one pissed off at the Navy JO upon leaving that squadron. Oh yeah, I think 1A1 flight purpose code was training, if I remember correctly. Been a long time.... It is so encouraging to hear the stories of men like Mooch and Okie and others interviewed on this channel that thought their warfare skills came first!
More Sultan Of Spank please! Any chance of getting 'cap' that Oki mentioned when talking about the f14 program and how the guy tried fighting off the 'Hornet mafia' ? or even just more info on what went on there.
You gotta go over the fight descriptions with the training ads. I get what he means by "I'll just rate him" like, he's going to beat the other guy on rate-of-turn in a kind of horizontal scissors fight, but what does it mean to "beat him down like that"? Like, if you got him beat, why do you "drive the fight vertical"? And how you go from turning up into the sky and converting that to a kill seems vague to me, so I'd love to see you play out the whole scenario from the cross, through the "rate him" and "beat down" into "driving the fight vertical" and then actually prosecuting the kill. Thanks so much! This was super entertaining and I will definitely be using what I learned here to ice my friends in video games.
Ward Carroll ALWAYS does Exemplary Work! But THIS Video/Interview is Absolutely Stellar! Check to see if Nance is available in the future…..We need a “Happy Hour” group video with a select group of AV8TORS…..and DON’T forget the wood fireplace in the background! Lol! Salute!
Absolutely great video. There is no wonder why your channel continues to grow. you bring some of the best content in regards to aviation in general and Naval Aviation in particular. Sierra Hotel.
The tidbit with the flap speed was HUGE. These not only are great entertainment, they help a ton with sim players. I was a (Tom)Cat guy before, with that I doubt I’ll fly anything else. Great video Ward, as always 🗽
Awesome content as always! One thing that would help us non-military folks would be some hints about lingo being used, either an on-screen card or something in the description.
My mistake, I was too quick to comment as you included one about the "Big Boys". That said my military aviation ignorance knows no bounds so any help would be useful :)
As a Navy flight test engineer listening to y’all my head wanted to explode as Okie said his did viewing the vertical tail lights. Thank y’all for your service!
Hey Ward, ask Okie about his 1V1 with a VF-43 F-16 with the Skipper of VF-101 in his back seat on his final flight (I believe his callsign was Sparky). I’m sure he’s tried hard to forget it but I think he’ll still remember the fight and me! Love the videos. Take care, Rabbit
Once again a phenomenal guest and content. Thanks for what you do and for your service to your country! I have a suggestion for an episode. With all the brainpower and talent I witness in your videos, why do we seldom see any of these men and women serve their country in government. They are truly gifted, intelligent and highly trained in our military academies and so much more prepared to lead than what we are forced to choose from these days. Thought that it might make for a good conversation on your channel with someone like Admiral Winnefeld.
Great interview Mooch. Okie's rep certainly precedes him. I would loved to have heard you discuss his flying experiences in other planes, particularly the F-16N.
Great, GREAT interview! One thing I take away though---and this is meant in a humorous way---is that, like boatswain's mates in the USCG, one should never ask an F-14 pilot for his opinion. He just might give it to you. :) Thank you sir!
I've recently discovered Okie on a couple of other podcasts on UA-cam. This guy is a fighter pilots fighter pilot he is outstanding...! Thanks, Mooch tremendous insight on the working of the F-14 crew, and the working of the Hornet Mafia...!
Great story. I love the inside stories that you elude to. I was a maintenance guy and it was similar that way when we're worked with other specializes and we clicked. I was also a long time E-6 in the Air Guard and when I went to high level conferences(Not going to say what Command) , I was able speak up with the truth. After I got back to the shop and the other AF guys said "I guess you are not worried about making E-7, I told them the way the Guard works my bosses would have to die and so I know that is going to happen. And final my old AF buddy when out to dinner with other higher up and told me that my name came up in conversation and he pretended not to know me LOL. Bottom line the issue got noticed and fixed. I was not invited back the next year and my boss told the "that is how you know you did a good job, because I have not been invited back to a lot of conferences too 😜😜
Great to see my friend Okie, even though it was via video. I remember meeting him at a local hobby store in Virginia Beach. He picked up a 1/48 Hasegawa F-14A kit and told me the picture of the box art was him. I built the kit for him and did several other aircraft that he flew. What a fantastic guy. He introduced me to other drivers and from that point on, I was receiving orders to build the F-14s with their names on the them. Even got a call sign from the community - "Gordo." I knew he was a fantastic driver, as I asked others, but he only would say he was ok. I remember being invited to his change of command and he as he was speaking, he stopped to recognize and thanked me for being there. I could go on about the good times I had with Okie, but that would take too long. Moving to Oregon and then Florida has put some distance between us and I lost communicating with him. As said earlier, great to see him. Ward, thanks for a great episode. When you talk to him again, please send my best to him and his family.
Hey Gordon, Dave Sem here… Mike Brown and I were just talking about you the other day! Great to hear you’re still kickin’! Remember building in Pembroke Mall out in front of Hungates - Bart with his welding helmet magnifier😛 Damn I wish I had one now! Keep on truckin’ buddy - awesome to hear from you👍👍
@@donsemininski6535 Hey Don, please forgive me, but I don't remember. Getting old has it's issues. I remember building at the mall, thanks to Hungate's and I frequently talk with Bart. I stay in touch with Bruce Hater, who is a member of Hampton Roads Scale Modelers (the old Hungates club) and we still have family up there in Va Beach, so we go up there twice a year to visit. Anyways, if you are on Facebook, drop me a private message on how to hook up with you and I will do so. Once I get my brain cells working, I am sure my memory will come back. Were you with USAA, build airplanes and cars and had a story about taking pictures at NAS Oceana? If so, I remember. Please contact me. Love to talk.
Man, bring that guy back. He's awesome. I could listen all day to you guys.
Something tells me that guy isn't easy to get by or to get on the air.
That man is a warrior. What a treat to hear his experiences.
I loved hearing Okie talk about beating the F-15 Eagle. Because in my job, when I run into an "Eagle driver," and we talk fighters, they always seem to have this "superior" mindset when it came to Tomcat Vs Eagle. Don't get me wrong, I know that they are both amazing aircraft, but if you got someone in the front seat that could really put the Tomcat through its paces (Okie) and lay the wood to an Eagle, it just brings a big ole smile to my face. I Love It!! Thanks for always having such great content on your channel Ward. :)
RIP Captain Dale Snort Snodgrass and Commader Joe Hoser Setrapa both Experienced Tomcat driver's who could give the Eagle a run for it's Money!
Yep 100% it's the man not the machine that wins the fight.
Strange, I heard him say the Eagle “tattooed” him 3 times and he came back with a different tactic and beat it the next day. So then what would happen day 3 when the Eagles adjusted its tactic? You often hear how Tomcat guys would “break a plane” to beat an Eagle, or launch with only half tank of gas, fight one turn, win and then say “I’m bingo or this or that is broke, I gotta fly home.” I guess that works for 1V1 bragging at the bar, but breaking a plane and having it down for God knows how long wouldn’t work well for a war over Northern Europe for the 80 v 80 Warsaw Pact invasion the F-15 was designed for. The Eagle was significantly more reliable. No spares needed for a mission.
Mooch's signature, "switching from guitars to guns." I can tell you for sure, down out of San Diego, there were pilots that were taking Tomcat's to the limits, certainly in G force limits and beyond. I worked Program Finance for Litton Guidance and Control back then in the early 1980's, and pilots were trashing the bearings on their guidance system gyro's tied in to X, Y, Z accelerometers, pre GPS days. We had many engineering change orders trying to increase the life on the axles and bearings on those units to make them last longer. How they could still fly without blacking out at those kinds of limits, is beyond me, extensive pilot training and gnarly G suits.
Nice little story!
I really like it when professionals give out their cool and interesting stories. :D
'Okie' is one of the best and most entertaining pilots ever. He always has the best F-14 stories. He actually flew F-16N in the aggressor squadrons as well so he knows the Viper really well. This video deserves million+ views.
Ward, if you were to disappear from the earth tomorrow, you must know that you have enriched your viewers' lives beyond description. This is just one of many outstanding interviews you have done that get to the core of the F-14 and its place in history - of which you are a part. A critical part, a growing part. You are leading a revival of the F-14 knowledge base like no other. These drivers obviously respect you, your abilities, and your history - and we, your followers, do as well. Profound thanks and much respect.
Ward, you do a GREAT job bringing us into the fighter community w/o us feeling like outsiders. From training aids to interviews, always excellent in both content and explanation. Thank you.
I 2nd that.
Yeah Certainly!
First saw Okie on aircraft interview a few years ago. What a great, no nonsense, tell it like it is kinda bloke he seems to be. Could happily listen to him talk about ACM all day.
I like his relentless pursuit of excellence, his impatience with tosswits. His integrity shines through. Thank you both.
I heard from Aleks at 'Heatblur' who used 'Okie' as a SME for their F-14A and B flight modelling. Aleks said 'Heatblur' guys were blown away at how 'Okie' flew the F-14 even at this age using the stick, throttle and rudders to toss the F-14 around like he still flew an F-14 while telling them 'this is not right. You gotta change that or this". 'Okie' was also instrumental in modelling the compressor stall events for the F-14A.
Yes, we fly Okie's spirit of the Tomcat in DCS :D There's so much love in that software.
@@MongooseTacticool Very true. Agreed.
@@2ZZGE100 Though there were several SME's for it.
Totally respect. It’s a privilege to be alive and listening to this legends. Best regards
That was one of the best videos yet Ward. Amazing to hear the nuts and bolts as told here. Loved it.
It’s episodes like this that make me proud to have been in the tomcat community. As an F-14 AE (electrician) I can feel the pain of having to fix the vertical lights, tail light and the PAC and SAC lights with the tails flexing bad enough to pop lights out and leave then hanging by the wires. Would have been amazing if the tomcat stayed, but have amazing memories of her that will remain forever.
You are absolutely correct...
In canceling the F-14 Tomcat...
As an airframer I replaced or rebuilt a few of those fin tips.
Absolutely fantastic interview. As a general aviation pilot these are great points to use just in every day flying. What a phenomenal pilot he is.
Wow. Amazing to see guys like this that had complete understanding then and now can replay all that information like they just got out of the plane!
I’m an aviation brat and this is one of the most illuminating interviews about the differences between the ‘best’ fighter pilots. I’d also recommend the ‘Punk’ novels for an insight into that world.
As a former Diamondback maintainer I love your video's for the aircrew perspective of what I believe was the best aircraft in the fleet!
Can’t hit that like bell hard enough. You gotta have Okie back… Please give us a sequel! I heard a while back he was trying to get into DCS, so maybe you and him could hop in the virtual cockpit and take us through a dogfight?
He’s the real deal, no nonsense guy when it comes to ACM. Love hearing his stories and his perspective. Thanks so much Mooch!
Great interview, and good contrast to Mover who seems to look down on the back-seater position. It's good to see a pilot recognize the value of having a RIO.
This tomcat driver sounds so awesome.. would love more interviews with him and more stories and details on engagements. Getting the drop on F15’s ?!? Love his no fear of the A model and the flame out engine issues either
Ward - much appreciation for providing me with interesting and amusing content while I prepare and review income tax returns (I'm a CPA). I grew up in Maryland, had close friends who were classmates of yours at the USNA (3 years behind), and still have ties to Annapolis, where part of my family lived for many decades along the Severn. I had a mentor who is like a second father to me who flew F-86's, F-100's, F-4's, F-105s, etc. and the stories he told were crazy. Fun enough for me to do AFROTC in college hoping to get fighters.... Happy I can live vicariously through your stories....
Best interview ever! Just love this guy for the professionalism.
Many thanks guys - for all the personal risks you took to preserve our freedoms.
I'm so glad that you can still enjoy the camaraderie together, so much, after you earned your (relatively safe) retirements.
A dying breed, if not completely extinct! Great interview Ward.
Hey Ward, it would have been nice to get definitions explained as okie was describing the flight maneuvers he performed will dogfighting. A rake, a push a......wth...
I had the pleasure of working for Okie (Mr.Nance) twice first with VF31 and then again at VF101.....I knew he was a great pilot but he was low key........He is definitely one of the best.
Great video Mr. Carroll! I can tell Mr. Nance is from Oklahoma just from hearing him talk LOL! Okie boys recognize other Okie boys pretty easy. :D Great to hear these stories from another Oklahoman! You gotta love a guy who isn't afraid to tell you how a situation is without trying to fluff it over. Hope you have Okie on your channel again!
I ever get tired of listening to this episode. It keeps me on the edge of my seat and every listening is like the first time. Keep it all going Ward. I’ll try to get my Trilogy order in this week sometime. All the best, Robert.
Okie reminds me of the F14 pilots we had on Enterprise during our 78 Westpac...loved directing capable pilots on deck 👍
That was great! I could listen to stories about BFM engagements from pilots who know how to extract the best out of the Tomcat all day. It's such a privilege to hear more about the legendary aircraft, and the legends who flew and fought in them, and all made possible by the teams of people who maintained them.
Ward, wow that was great. Literally had goose bumps, watching and hearing the real deal discuss his shared experiences. You are my hero, and what a pleasure to meet one of yours on your channel.
Great presentation and thoroughly captivating. Hats off to our Navy flight crews.
Thanks, Ward, for the interesting conversation with Mr. Nance. However, as much as I tried to visualize what the aircraft were doing during his dogfight descriptions, I was completely lost by his terminology. Perhaps it would be beneficial to the unfamiliar, like me, to use your training aids to assist with describing the maneuvers that were being deployed by both aircraft during the engagements that he discussed. It sounded spectacular!
Captain Nance is living proof that a Competent Naval Aviator and NFO can make all the difference in the World in a Dogfight. If you look at some of The USN flight films by Periscope in 1970s the RAG instructors and RIOs said basically the same thing Okie has said word for word. Glad he dispelled the myth that the A-4 could give the Tomcat a run for it's money in ACM in Reality it was no match same for The F-5. The Instructors basically told the Pilot's get your wings level light the burners and go Vertical into the climb and the A-4 simply could not sustain then throttle back bring the nose over and gun them. It was basically fishing with Dynamite. Oh yeah the stories about beating on the Hornets is the Mushroom Gravy on the steak.
Very true. A-4F or TA-4J had a pretty close to 1:1 thrust to weight because it was stripped out of everything, which has been made a big deal, but there is no getting around the fact that it had very high wing loading and no afterburners that are needed for acceleration/overcoming drag or performance in thin air so it could not climb in the vertical due to that reason having less than 1/3rd the climb rate of even a F-14A and less than 1/4 of that of an F-14 B/D. Even in a sustained turning fight, due to the small wings, it would bleed energy really quick and Tomcat would swallow it up quickly especially getting angles and radar lock. The only place where it could match of beat the Tomcat with A-4F being piloted by a good driver, is if Tomcat stayed in only mil power or in a one-circle, slow speed, high alpha fight. But, then again like 'Okie' said, if you get into trouble and become defensive, just light up the burners accelerate away/extend and climb into the vertical and the A-4F could not touch the Tomcat. Tomcat comes down inverted and guns the A-4.
@@2ZZGE100 Excellent Analysis! Commader Randall Duke Cunningham and his RIO Commander William Irish Driscoll were the only Navy Aces during the Vietnam War. He often told how the F-4 with the J79 engines had the ability to out climb alot of the MIGs if they ever got in Trouble they went straight to the Vertical I think they did alot while flying Showtime 100. The Vigilante Drivers did the same thing they simply out accelerated the MIGs and was well capable of Passing MACH 2. Amazing how power and speed can get you out of trouble.
@@georgesykes394 Very true.
@@2ZZGE100 Captain Nance has a very different view on The F-14s with the TF-30 Pratt & Whitney's.
@@georgesykes394 Yeah, one of the rate F-14 pilots who does not think they were a POS
In Japanese, the specific word referring to an aerial dogfight between fighters is 格闘戦 (kakutô-sen), which means essentially "martial arts battle," and listening to this clear master of his craft talk you can hear exactly why that's such an apt description of BFM.
Ward Sir
My second viewing of your Channel and I am completely hooked!
Gosh the talk with Ace Okie was SO so
interesting, just fascinating, his description of dog fighting was amazing and spoken like it was just
A walk in the park for Okie! what a Great character and a Great man!
Finding your great self and Channel
Is the Best on UA-cam and TV that
I have seen! Big well done to you Sir
Thank you for your So interesting
Brilliant interviews and sharing them.
All the very best to you and your friend
Okie.
JB. Surrey. UK.
My least favorite thing about these videos ... is when Ward says "Alright, that's going to do it for this episode" and I realize the episode is coming to an end. Great content, great interviews and insights. Keep it up Mooch! 👍👍
Every time you bring the other guys onboard it’s a great learning adventure
Have Okie tell you the story about the F-14A that compressor stalled on him after a repair at VF-31 when he was MO.
First engine stalled, then the second had oil fluctuation +-3 psi.
He shut that down too.😂
Anyway RIO was getting nervous calling out altitudes while he figured things out.
I think he ram air door the one engine and then cross bled the second engine.
He’s a great great smart fighter pilot.
I think he was there under skipper Ludwig, Curry and Austin before heading to VF-101.
This is one of your best, and could easily be a multi part series. Thanks.
This was a great conversation to watch. I love it when some one is so passionate about what they do or did that you at times (if you don’t know all the lingo they are using) you don’t understand everything they are saying. I wish I knew the lingo a bit more. Maybe that’s why I watch the same video multiple times, to pick it up. This exact thing happens in the profession I am in. Friends and colleagues of mine can start talking, and someone not familiar with the lingo would be totally lost. On that note Ward, you do a good of bringing back the conversation and breaking that down for us. Just love to see the passion from both of you and all those you interview. Keep it up.
This is awesome Mr. Carroll. I look back at my time at VF-102 and I see all the leaders and I am just in awe. The officers and enlisted leaders was incredible.
I love this guy......this kind of humor is what I miss the most about the military.
What a character. Great stories. Really brings it alive. I can’t think of any better complement than the last guy, Bao Mao. There must be many who miss the Tomcat. I remember reading, years ago when the Super Hornet was new, that an admiral said it was superior to the legacy Hornet in every way except … (paraphrasing roughly) speed, climb rate, acceleration, maneuverability … What am I missing? Why has the DoD turned down the opportunity to develop a more advanced engine? I’m at a loss to understand why our pilots aren’t given the best our engineers can develop. That aside, this was a priceless interview. You do excellent work on this channel. I always look forward to the education and entertainment. Keep it coming!!👍
Issue was, limitation of the airframe since it was designed to be an air-to-ground strike fighter first rather than an air superiority platform like the Tomcat. Legacy Hornet had a lot of drag and very small engines designed for thrust at slow speeds. Those limitations carried over into the Super Hornet (despite being bigger and carrying more fuel) as the issue with drag inducing hard points, lack of thrust for higher speeds (weight and drag combined). You simply cannot control the airspace like you could with the F-14 Tomcat and gain superiority all over the battle space by having the ability to use speed, vertical capabilities, acceleration, altitude, radar and fuel to zip around the whole battle space. 'Jungle' who flew both Tomcats and Super Hornets goes on to say 'it is not a fighter' and at one point, doing the same thing they used to do with Tomcats, he got his a** kicked when even a KC-10 tanker out-accelerated him in the Super Hornet.
Love these stories. Grumman built a pretty tough airframe apparently.
A-6 Prowler is another one.
My mother worked at Grumman Stuart Florida for twenty years...
I have her company flight jacket after she passed.... Grumman built the baddest of the bad asses fighter aircraft.... until Dick Cheney stuck his nose in it... what a mistake for the United States of America...
@@garyjohnston9495 Politicians - The source of most of the world's woes.
Whichever country you're in ........
You can usually count on your fingers which ones you might trust to get things right.
@@gbormann71 EA-6B is The Prowler The A-6 is the Intruder but Yes both were Fine Warplanes.
@@georgesykes394 Yeah, wasn't sure but I meant the platform anyway. Thanks for correcting me!
This channel never disappoints, thanks for your time Ward 😉
Regards from Perth, Australia.
Hello, Perth!
Thank you Mr. Carroll and Mr. Nance for your time !
This was AMAZING 👍👍
Thank you so much for doing this interview 😆
Thanks Ward, explaining acronyms makes it far easier to understand what you're talking about, as always, loving your work!
More! Also, I’d like to know more about taking the fight vertical and to unpack some of the dogfight jargon that isn’t super obvious in a future video.
I can’t begin to express how good you are at making these videos, telling stories, and interviewing folks; you’re supremely talented!
Love hearing from a guy with an absolute predator mindset! Seeking advantage and opportunity in any domain or dimension (physical, mental, temporal, electonic, etc...). Knowing his tools and how to use them. Always seeking to find, or create an edge. A guy like this is simply going to find a way to win!!
Still the man in the box. This guy knows his sh*t. He pushed fight he and the jet could win. Notice he didn't have a no loss record. He admitted that. That's the most important thing. If you don't acknowledge an error you can't fix it. Great episode once again, Mooch.
So this is the first time I think maybe I am getting an insight into why Tomcats get replaced by Hornets.
Never could fathom why when F15s & F14s have so many similarities (and advantages as both guys here list) F14 goes out of the picture when looking at it from outside you're thinking - So update all the Tomcat's avionics & controls, bring them up to or beyond the Hornet's spec.. But no, what seems to be an inferior aircraft gets the job.
It would be nice to think there wasn't anything corrupt going on.
But it might be niaive too?
@@Farweasel From what I've read, it had more to do with F-14 life cycle operating cost than anything else.
@@Paladin1873 True. The maintenance hours per flight hours ratio was of the chart. Parts were running out, as well. Like you stated airframes are rated for a certain amount of hours. My comment before was why they didn't choose the "SuperTomcat" over the SuperHornet. I should have stated it better.
@@Diesel0012002 My knowledge of the F-14 is purely secondhand. I used to work with a former F-14 RTO at CENTCOM. He told me it was a demanding aircraft and difficult to get on and off of a carrier. If I recall correctly, he estimated no more than 25% of Naval Aviators (pilots in USAF speak) were good candidates to fly it. If true, this would have severely limited the pool the Navy could draw from. By contrast, a good friend of mine was a P3C Orion driver who later transitioned to F-18s. I never heard any complaints from him about the Hornet. Perhaps that was another consideration in retiring the Tomcat.
@@Paladin1873 That sounds right. From everything I have read and watched the Tomcat's flight control system did strange things around the boat.
Outstanding! I remember Okie in the RAG and he never suffered fools regardless of rank or position. In IWT we new he was inbound as he sounded like an ogre on the radio but his gripes were never bs. We could have used him in 84 lol!
I absolutely love listening to Okie! The takeaway here is not the particular aircraft, but his motto of "fly your best airplane!" He was on a couple of episodes of Aircrew Interview and people should check those out, too. Fantastic stuff and he talks about other aircraft he flew.
Totally awesome interview! Thanks
That was great, thank you. I enjoy the unvarnished straightforwardness of the fighter pilots you have on, Mooch!
Great show Ward, very interesting conversation, hope he can come back for a part 2
As a NAVAIR T&E guy…. Seeing a new Mooch vid pop up in my feed on a Friday is my candy for sure!
Fantastic channel! I love the content! It’s redeeming to see and hear how the work we do on our end works out and is implemented in the hands of the operator over the years. It’s the ultimate actionable report card so to speak.
Love the Tomcat, but every picture of "Scooter" always puts a big grin on my face
My favorite episode ever! Great to hear you guys working as a team as the video went on! I loved and still do love the F-14.
I cannot, for the life of me, understand why the Tomcat was never allowed to reach its full potential! If the F-15 is still viable, which it obviously is, think how much more capable our airwings could be with fully updated Tomcats. Don't get me wrong, the F/A -18 is a great airplane, but endurance, speed and range are game changers.
Tanking continues to be a huge issue in the airwing which the Navy seems unable to solve. Why not have a fighter that can carry enough gas to get to the fight, or loiter on CAP with half the trips to the tanker? I think the mix of F-14's, A-6's and A-7's, combined with the ASUW capabilities of the S-3 were the pinnacle of carrier airpower. And, the S-3 seemed to be a good tanker! Think how much more formidable those aircraft would be with updated and lighter systems!
I really do not understand the shortsightedness of our leadership. For an admiral to only see the "outdated" cockpit of a fighter that just held its own against the latest and greatest is just sad. Well sir, why do you think it is "outdated"? Perhaps you and your predecessors have something to do with that, you think? Couldn't he see how much MORE capable the F-14 would be if it had the systems of the then state of the art F/A-18?
In the helo community, we had to fight to get NVG's because of the shortsightedness of senior officers to see the benefits inherent in being able to actually see at night! I think part of the problem actually stems from the fact that senior officers don't fly anymore and do not really understand the changes that are taking place during their careers and therefore are ill equipped to make decisions or fight for improved technology in the future.
Hope this is not too long. It just makes me sad. Going to see the Blues fly in the new F/A-18 in a few weeks. Excited about that, never even seen one of the new ones. Saw the Blues in F-4's as a kid at Shaw AFB, A-4's and "legacy" F/A-18's while in the Nav, and now Super Hornets at Charleston AFB or whatever they call it now. Very excited, but sad to see the direction our Navy is going. Can't imagine an airwing with only F/A-18's, E-2's and H-60's.
Keep up the great work Ward!
Good point on senior officers no longer in the fight making equipment, procurement and fielding decisions. As our community migrated from the A model to the D model, the force integration wonks dropped NVGs off of the generic unit's Table of Organizational Equipment (TO&E), causing pilots in the field to jerk readiness officers' chains to correct the gross oversight before we lost those resources, for which we'd fought over 10-15 years. All branches suffer the same problem: Our best get promoted out of the cockpit and they forget everything they ever learned in it. Or worse, somebody gets promoted because they've checked all the boxes (except mastered their trade, believe it or not) and had the right promotion jacket of recommendations; a bureaucrat or politician in uniform. I can only hope that the future of acquisition turns toward the light and program managers are able to show the check signers why an alternative known is the answer, not necessarily the shiny new toy in drag, heels and air superiority lipstick.
@@carlospar3727 Ha! Good point about those who get promoted because they've checked all the boxes (except mastered their trade) ----- I BELIEVE IT!
My last CO in my first squadron got 1000 hours in model as a CO! It was the only aircraft he had ever flown, besides the T-34 / TH-57! How exactly does one manage that feat, and why bother to go to flight school anyway if that is ones idea of a successful career? Most guys that did two cruises on their first tour got 1000 hours in model, never mind department head and XO/CO tours.... Anyway, he was a lousy CO. Thank God he was shore based (LAMPS) and never had to go to sea with us. He would probably have restricted us to a 25NM radius and day only as did a Surface Warfare Frigate CO that was a spineless twit. He would regale us at the wardroom table about how scared he was of this or that.... Thankfully my follow-on tours had much better leadership, but I was one pissed off at the Navy JO upon leaving that squadron.
Oh yeah, I think 1A1 flight purpose code was training, if I remember correctly. Been a long time....
It is so encouraging to hear the stories of men like Mooch and Okie and others interviewed on this channel that thought their warfare skills came first!
Great interview! Thank you sirs for your service.
Damn you have the ability to bring us some great interviews with true airmen.....thanks Ward.
More Sultan Of Spank please! Any chance of getting 'cap' that Oki mentioned when talking about the f14 program and how the guy tried fighting off the 'Hornet mafia' ? or even just more info on what went on there.
In short the demise of the F-14 project was on Dick Cheney's shoulders....
This is the reason I watch. The real deal! Great stories! Rock On! See if you can get him back for more. Got my T-shirt's yesterday, they're kickass.
Mooch so cool! That guy really knows his stuff! If I met him at an airshow and he said let’s go up. I’d be first onboard!
You gotta go over the fight descriptions with the training ads. I get what he means by "I'll just rate him" like, he's going to beat the other guy on rate-of-turn in a kind of horizontal scissors fight, but what does it mean to "beat him down like that"? Like, if you got him beat, why do you "drive the fight vertical"? And how you go from turning up into the sky and converting that to a kill seems vague to me, so I'd love to see you play out the whole scenario from the cross, through the "rate him" and "beat down" into "driving the fight vertical" and then actually prosecuting the kill. Thanks so much! This was super entertaining and I will definitely be using what I learned here to ice my friends in video games.
Wow what a great interview. Love the swagger of you both. Great stories love to hear more 👍👍
Super cool details on this one! Thanks for sharing Mooch!
Saw okie on the aircrew interview channels a few times - watched his interviews dozens of times. He’s amazing- great to see you guys together.
Going back and watching some older episodes, I really liked how much you enjoyed this one!
Ward Carroll ALWAYS does Exemplary Work! But THIS Video/Interview is Absolutely Stellar! Check to see if Nance is available in the future…..We need a “Happy Hour” group video with a select group of AV8TORS…..and DON’T forget the wood fireplace in the background! Lol! Salute!
Absolutely great video. There is no wonder why your channel continues to grow. you bring some of the best content in regards to aviation in general and Naval Aviation in particular. Sierra Hotel.
i love these interviews, its like listening to realatives chat away and you ask alot of questions that i want to ask
Thanks!
Mr. Carroll and his guests make me proud to be American.
You guys are as smart as tacks. This is the Best episode. Would love to see another interview.
The tidbit with the flap speed was HUGE. These not only are great entertainment, they help a ton with sim players. I was a (Tom)Cat guy before, with that I doubt I’ll fly anything else. Great video Ward, as always 🗽
Love your content, and how you let the guy tell his story! And yet still add relevant conversation!
Excellent interview
Awesome content as always! One thing that would help us non-military folks would be some hints about lingo being used, either an on-screen card or something in the description.
My mistake, I was too quick to comment as you included one about the "Big Boys". That said my military aviation ignorance knows no bounds so any help would be useful :)
Ive waited since day one for Okie. Thank you Ward!!!
Okie is the man, that was so much fun, I could see him making that Tomcat work and say I got a real driver on board lets rock big boy !!! 🏁🏁
As a Navy flight test engineer listening to y’all my head wanted to explode as Okie said his did viewing the vertical tail lights. Thank y’all for your service!
Hey Ward, ask Okie about his 1V1 with a VF-43 F-16 with the Skipper of VF-101 in his back seat on his final flight (I believe his callsign was Sparky). I’m sure he’s tried hard to forget it but I think he’ll still remember the fight and me! Love the videos. Take care, Rabbit
What was the fight's resaults if you be so kind to share it :)
Once again a phenomenal guest and content. Thanks for what you do and for your service to your country! I have a suggestion for an episode. With all the brainpower and talent I witness in your videos, why do we seldom see any of these men and women serve their country in government. They are truly gifted, intelligent and highly trained in our military academies and so much more prepared to lead than what we are forced to choose from these days. Thought that it might make for a good conversation on your channel with someone like Admiral Winnefeld.
GREAT talk on tactics. Thanks for another insightful interview Ward.
Okie and Ward for President. Two thinking and flying as one. Just imagine.
Great interview Mooch. Okie's rep certainly precedes him. I would loved to have heard you discuss his flying experiences in other planes, particularly the F-16N.
Fighter pilot talk. I don't understand a word, but I love listening to it.
Great, GREAT interview! One thing I take away though---and this is meant in a humorous way---is that, like boatswain's mates in the USCG, one should never ask an F-14 pilot for his opinion. He just might give it to you. :) Thank you sir!
Put a boatswains mate (sans coffee cup) in closed compartment with a 5 pound steel ball and he will ether “F” it up or lose it -
Wow amazing interview Sir. This is the kind of content I find so interesting. Thank you so much.
Ward, that was the best of the best right there !
Thank you for another outstanding session Sir. These stories are amazing.
Excellent! I love these discussions and stories. Thank you!
Great Video - Loved getting that inside scoop on the F14 from the Pilot perspective. Helps my DCS skills!
I've recently discovered Okie on a couple of other podcasts on UA-cam. This guy is a fighter pilots fighter pilot he is outstanding...!
Thanks, Mooch tremendous insight on the working of the F-14 crew, and the working of the Hornet Mafia...!
Semipr0, what other podcats is Okie in? I'd love to see / hear them.
you keep getting the channel to a higher level
Hes awesome, could listen to you two all day
Great story. I love the inside stories that you elude to. I was a maintenance guy and it was similar that way when we're worked with other specializes and we clicked.
I was also a long time E-6 in the Air Guard and when I went to high level conferences(Not going to say what Command) , I was able speak up with the truth.
After I got back to the shop and the other AF guys said "I guess you are not worried about making E-7, I told them the way the Guard works my bosses would have to die and so I know that is going to happen.
And final my old AF buddy when out to dinner with other higher up and told me that my name came up in conversation and he pretended not to know me LOL.
Bottom line the issue got noticed and fixed.
I was not invited back the next year and my boss told the "that is how you know you did a good job, because I have not been invited back to a lot of conferences too 😜😜