Five decades later with many former shipmates gone, I look at those faces and think “Were we really ever that young?” And, yes, we were and lucky to have served. Beautiful video.
we civilians were blessed to have you and your shipmates serve! Sincere & humble thanks for your sacrifices, difficult times and honorable service to our nation.. and the same thanks to your loved ones and families.
....[ALSO] TAKES REQUESTS! 🙏🙏🏿🙏🏻🙏🏾🙏🏼🙏🏽 -By the WAY- A🦃 also sounds funny.... but roosts up high! Be proud of your differences! Enough, to let it [R]eyeDe in plain Sight, not trying to wax poetic, THATS FOR THE BIRDS... just keep those waxed [w][r]ings close to the sun! It’s like Greek to my LP. Lord Power. Can’t make this sht up,⏏️. without asking..... FORGIVE THE BAD, hold the {G{o;o]D}. If ]EYE[ can catch a lift, so can you!
@@davidcole333 Music no matter who wrote it, or what they said.... is expression of true feelings.... !JUST! !! a reminder, even if it isn’t your station... it’s someone’s feelings, and prayers! Just know who your texting, #tag GEt DOWN?..... then GET ON UP!!!! Turkey! 🛐🦃 Osceola was a fighter too! I’m feelin JAMES BROWN THIS MORNING.... and to all the guys behind the scenes at SEE and across the Oceans, {I}: WANTA RIDE!
Lots of folks ask about the thumb work. Answer: those are the electric trim buttons and they are important to offload the pilots' hands from the pressure of the control column (and rudder pedals). Offloading the presure is important to allow the pilot to make smaller timely control inputs, which is important for precise landing. Finding the trimmed position is difficult when the aircraft turns, changes speed, changes flap and gear settings, and it can only be found "by feel", hence the intense work with the left thumb as well. Hope this helps. UA-cam doesn't alllow links here, so search for Trim systems and Skybrary, if someone want to know more about the background.
Is the use of the trim because of the disk on top? I'm a commercial pilot and I never find myself having to constantly re-trim. I love watching these navy aircraft videos.
My best friend from the Navy was an E-2 pilot and LSO. He went on to be a 747 captain with Delta. He said the E-2 was the hardest plane to land on the boat. With its unusual configuration of the big disk antenna on top, the aerodynamics changed with every power setting. On approach, anytime the power changed, it was like flying a whole different airplane. That is the reason for the constant trim changes.
E-2C mechanic here. Dome is actually “aerodynamically neutral.” It’s those wings that make it difficult. E-2C has the largest footprint on the carrier. (FWIW, this plane might actually be an E-2D. Only a hand full of C’s were retrofitted with the glass cockpit. It’s standard on the Delta.)
@@hawkeyeted The E-2D had a fully glass cockpit where the one in the video is only halfway glass. This is one of the upgraded C models most likely especially since it's VAW-113 who did have the upgraded C cockpit Some of the major differences between the two is the fact that the glass C cockpit retained the analog engine gauges while the D had a separate display in the middle for that and other purposes But I have no connections that would allow me to confirm this aside from the internet so take what I say as you want ;)
I grew up as an Air Force brat. My dad was a B-17 pilot in WW II, shot down, and spent 2 years as a POW. He stayed in the Air Force after the war and became a B-47 and B-52 pilot during the Cold War. I had the best parents any kid could have hoped for and so I wanted to be a pilot. Unfortunately, I had two strikes against me: I had poor eyesight and I was that good at math because we moved so often. I attended 7 different Junior and Senior High Schools. Different teachers, different text books, different everything. In 1967 while I was in college, I knew I would soon be drafted because I had received my pre-induction draft physical. I didn't want to be drafted into the Army, so I joined the Marine Corps. Probably the best decision in my life for reasons that would take too long to tell here. I was a Platoon Commander in Vietnam, a company commander for the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, and then I was assigned to the 1st Marine Brigade, Marine Air Station, Kaneohe, Hawaii. I was a company commander there, so the hours were very long. Left my apartment at 0430 to lead PT with my company, and didn't return until 2000 to 2200 (8 pm to 10 pm). I worked all or part of most weekends. But I always wanted to be a pilot, so on the few times I had off, I took flying lessons at a company at Honolulu International. What was great about that is that I had to follow all of the same procedures for takeoffs and landings as the commercial and international flights. One day I was on final and the 747 behind me chimed in "If you don't hurry off the runway, I'm going to eat you up". It's a long story, but I had to fly at night after work most of the time and the flying company gave me spare key to one of the aircraft because I always paid in advance. After they closed, I could take that aircraft for a night flight, record the block time, and slip it in the mail slot. I got far more night time flying in than daytime. Another great thing about flying our of Honolulu International is that the Historic Ford Island of the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941 was still operational for private aircraft to practice touch and goes. Every time I was on approach to Ford Island, I was reminded of the thousands of WW II aircraft that had made the same approach. I was back in Oahu 6 years ago and the Ford Island runway had been destroyed, but nothing built on it, so it still looked like a runway, but it was just gravel. Also while I was stationed in Hawaii, I also earned my gliders license/certificate at Dillingham Field. To be honest, I didn't like gliders that much because you only had one chance to land, and I found it difficult to get the damn thing to quit flying. I did land the damn thing, but only with a few feet to spare at the end of the runway. During my brief time flying, I accumulated 600 hours of pilot in command time. I flew the Grumman AA-1 and AA-2, various Cessna's, the Rockwell 112, a Laker amphibian, and I took training in Alaska while on leave for the Beaver floatplane and a Mountain flying course. At the time I had considered resigning from the Marine Corps and becoming a bush pilot. But my Alaskan instructors advised me that if I hadn't been flying in Alaska for years, I'd probably end up dead. But I did take basic, intermediate, and advanced aerobatics. My basic was in the Grumman AA-2. My intermediate was in the Citabria, and my advanced was in a Pitts Special S2. When I was reassigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington DC, I became the Project Officer to automate the officer assignment system. The only thing I knew about computers was that NASA used them to launch rockets. I was now the officer in charge of automating something between 150=200 three ring binders plus what were the unwritten rules in the heads of the assignment monitors. It's a very long story, but it too me a little over 3 years to get it done. I had a very small company to support me and they wrote the core code. But there wasn't sufficient funds to produce the output and so I learned to program in Natural (the precursor to SQL) and I wrote over 500,000 lines of output code. This was done on card punch machines and fed into the main frame computer loading decks of card punched cards. The point of this part of the story is that I had to learn what a computer was, how it functioned, and what computer code was and learn how to program. It began when I purchased computer parts from a company called Heath Kit (which became Radio Shack) and I built my first computers from parts, soldering the connections in my basement. My first attempt shorted out and blew out a couple of vacuum tubes, but I finally succeeded in getting the computer to turn on. But, there was blinking cursor in the upper left corner and I had no idea what that was/meant. So I went back to the store and they told me that I needed software to make the computer functional. The guy sold me a game called Pong. I finally understood the difference between the hardware and software. This was a major revelation for my as I was trying to manage a major program of mainframe computers and software at the time was way beyond my ability to comprehend. So, at this point I have to explain why the Marine Corps thought an infantry officer could be the project officer to automate the Marine Corps officer assignment system. It's because in those days, the Marine Corps had this idea that an infantry officer could do just about anything except fly a plane. I digress. I had horrendous hours trying to automate the Marine Corps officer assignment system that required working very late at night and over weekends. This while I was trying to date a wonderful woman who had no idea why I had to work such long hours and weekends. But she stuck with me and after dating for two years, we got married. So the point is that I had very few hours to devote to flying and the nearest airport with instrument rated rentals was too far, and it was too expensive, so I had to give up flying. After leading Marines (especially in combat), flying was he greatest thrill of my life. There is a poem by John Gillespie Magee Jr. called High Flight about flying. The last line is "Put out my hand, and touched the face of God". That's how I felt on every flight. My dad died on active duty in 1971 at the age of 54. He could fly anything that two or more engines. I hope he is looking down and proud of what I have done in the Marine Corps and flying. My apologies for the long rambling post, but there are some things that bring back strong memories.
It's fascinating to watch these young pilots work so well and so hard. These vids give us the perfect perspective of just how difficult landing on a carrier must be. Not to mention their age. 26, 27, 28ish... Then, I think back to what I was doing with my life at 28ish... Ouch...
Between the trim and yoke that's a whole lot of input for these E-2's especially on short final. That tells me all that surface area is taxing the pilots stick and rudder skills to the max! Great job!
Naval Aviation At its finest and the best flight yet is having a great Veiws from the cockpit and now I know that the nose gear steering is great from the lower left side of the panel. And thank you for sharing this great opportunity to ride along with you and your crew members. I'm looking forward to seeing more and thank you all aboard and serving our country of the United States of America
Love it! I flew P-3s back in the late 80s. I'll never forget the sound of the engines. We had to sync our props to prevent unwanted harmonics, but I'll never forget looking outside and seeing those 13 foot diameter props swinging at 1300 rpm and knowing that each one had 4600 shp behind them. I think you guys had the same engine. We had fun with the P-3 but you guys got to hit the boat. Hat's off to you.
Governed propeller 1020 RPM at 13820 engine RPM , at least you did not have to fly the 606 aero products, off, center, sync, phase sync, they all did something different. The HS 54H60 pretty much always worked in left or right master
same basic type but the T56 for each end user (P3s, E2/C2 and C130, sometimes different models of C130) are not interchangeable. P3 T56 had their own cradles, while E2/C2 T56s showed up on a 3000 trailer. I'm not certain what SE was used to haul C130 T56s (my only 'direct' experience in support of C130s was at Pt Mugu where the legacy DC130 [the one with skies for Antartica ops] was still flow for VX9 and i dont think i ever saw the engines pulled off and delivered to AIMD 400...
We had P3s up in Argentia Newfoundland back in the late 60s. Wasn't attached to the squadron but managed a couple training hops cuz I loved flying. It was a great plane that doesn't get enough credit. Operating in that environment was hard on men and equipment. I remember looking out the small porthole window behind the cockpit at a feathered prop as we flew on 2 engines for fuel conservation. Great times for a 20 year old.
Built the forward section of E2C for two and a half yrs 1980 to 1983 great men to work with after serving three years in the MARINE corps then on to the FDNY for 33 years it was my honor to build the E2EC thank you to all the Gentleman I worked with in Grumman job well done!
Impressive! I have no aviation experience, but the yoke movement was a bit of a surprise to me. Lots of work and the head on a swivel. Thanks for sharing.
Can't imagine how frustrating a wave off must be for them, especially after the longer grueling flights when your tired and just ready to get the plane on the deck only to be waved off.
its worse at night when the whole approach takes much longer, but CATCC is working hard to keep planes coming down in efficient intervals and the green shirts are working hard to reel in the wire from the previous guy as fast/safely as possible so the deck can go green. sometimes it just doesn't work out.
@@jamesprice6381 Trust you? Yeah, you're right, wardroom coffee isn't from a Folgers jar, it's standard Navy issue, comes in tall rectangular dark olive green cans... but what do you mean? If you mean to imply USN aircrews routinely drink alcohol at sea because they’re stressed from slamming back onto a tiny landing area on an aircraft carrier deck at 120 knots with a sink rate up to 25 feet/second, TRUST ME, I spent nearly 20 years with E-2 squadrons on seven aircraft carriers and US naval aviation isn't like the French Navy or some Hollywood movie. In the Vietnam era, and probably earlier, sometimes individuals sneaked a bottle or two (or maybe a lot, I don't know, that was before my time) into their staterooms. But, by the 1980s, the practice had mostly vanished, maybe because the Navy instituted random urinalysis testing (mostly to screen enlisted for drug use) and the trend was very much towards safety and professionalism. In all my years at sea, I heard of only one instance, and that was in 1980 in the North Arabian Sea on a dark and moonless night. After three bolters in their E-2C and with an increasingly low fuel state showing maybe only enough for one more pass (E-2 refueling capability only began with the current E-2D model) while the designated bingo field in Oman was not answering radio calls, the Ready Room was tense and silent, all eyes glued on the PLAT as we watched our guys' next approach. Everybody heard the Skipper, a pilot, who was on the phone with CAG, say "... if we don't get them aboard on this next pass, we have to consider having them take it to about 5,000 feet and stepping out..." What he meant, of course, was they might have to bail out - and at that time I don't think there had ever been a successful bailout or ditching at sea of an E-2 with its crew of five. Fortunately, they trapped aboard on that next pass... and after the debrief, our civilian tech rep, himself a veteran of Vietnam combat deployments flying in the Douglas EA-3 Skywarrior "Whale", was said to have diverted the highly relieved crew into his stateroom for a celebratory shot... but I wasn't there so I can't confirm.
As a kid I got to stand next to the LSO and watch my dad land on the kittyhawk. That was an amazing cruise. I still have the pic somewhere of me wearing the vest and holding the LSO controller for a camera.
Wow that was amazing. I could not imagine doing that at night... in the rain... in a storm... under the stress of combat. The control movements from 5:40 till stopped are insane.
I was showing this to my father. We were sent to Naples AFI where he was with VR-24 (1966-1970). The C-1 was transitioning to C-2, but did not become operational until he got to Vietnam. The C-2 was welcome because the carriers did not have to carry AVGAS anymore and the long legs allowed many squadron detachments like Naples AFI to be shut down. It is good to see that landing aboard a carrier has not changed in 50 years.
Back in the 88, I got to go with my step dad to Coronado every day while he was at work. There was a lime-green F-14 permanently parked there for some reason, and I got to see some of the Jolly Rogers F-14s, but I remember most of all the A-6 exhaust in my face, and watching new pilots train in the S-3 Vikings, that weird, weird whoop-whoop the engines would make as they throttled down, then up. I've always loved Navy planes and always will.
Nice job guys! I’m proud to say I was a Black Eagle during the 1980’s as an AT. WestPac 84’/85’ USS Constellation, WestPac 87’ USS Ranger. Those were the days.
Thanks for your service. I was a Marine platoon commander in Vietnam 1968-69, a Marine company commander during the evacuation of Saigon in April 1975, and a LtCol supporting counter-insurgency operations in El Salvador 1986-88. My last assignment was with US Special Operations Command, MacDill, FL where I retired. I'd do it all again if I could, but at 74 that's not likely to happen. Greatest honor in my life was leading Marines--especially in combat. I'd like to also thank all the Navy, Air Force, and Marine pilots who saved our asses in Vietnam and a special shout out to the Army helicopter pilots of the 282nd Assault Helicopter Company "Black Cats" for evacuating my wounded and dead when other helicopters couldn't. They were all amazing and free beer for any of them I run across. I also am thankful to the gunnery crew of the battleship USS New Jersey that gave us an awesome lesson in Naval Gunfire Support with its 16 inch batteries. And I would be remiss if I didn't thank the B-52s for their arc light missions at night that left a visual impression we will never forget. And a special thanks to my Corpsmen who shared our dangers, gave lifesaving care to my wounded, and those that died trying. There's a special place in heaven for them.
US Navy has, by very far, the finest pilots in the entire world. I've seen first hand aboard CVN-70 what these dudes are capable of, as an AO2 from 1998 - 2002. They command respect and rightfully so.
@@wilhard45 its not the pilot my man. Its rhe equipment. F35 STOVL basically lands itself. Marines have fine infantry but the sky's belong to the Navy brother 🇺🇲⚓🇺🇲
@@Mr.Deleterious -- Last time I looked they were both Naval Aviators and both carrier qualified. Well one thing Ordnancemen and Navy flyers have in common. You are both squids. :-)
@@jamesduncan3171 Which division were you in and who was your division officer? I never got my cruise book from the first cruise which was Desert Shield and Storm because someone stole a number of them. We never did find out where the theft took place, just that we never received delivery of a number of cruise books to the squadron, so I don't have anything to go back and look up who was in the squadron with me at that time. For the most part I served as the ASO, and had to work on the class alpha mishap we had that Jul of 92. I did not sail with the squadron for the training exercise because I was on medical leave from a sinus surgery I just had the week before you all set sail. To this day I don't know if that medical leave saved my life because with the make-up of the crew on AC602 that day, I had a very good chance of being on that crew. I know my family freaked out because my name was on that plane and they had the impression that you always flew the plane that your name was on. I think that mentality was from the days of WWII and Korea when my grandfather was a bomber pilot and crews were assigned to a specific plane back then. So when did you leave the squadron? For me freedom ( :) ) came May of '93 when I transferred out to the Puget Sound area. Best choice I ever made in duty assignments. Unfortunately it all went down hill medically wise and after 2 spinal fusion surgeries that did not work, I was medically discharged without retirement due to the doctor from Bethesda lying about my condition because he was insulted that I was still in pain after HIS surgery. Got to love the corruption in the medial system, including the med boards. I eventually did finally receive full VA after I was found to be unemployable and after several years of fighting with Soc Sec, I got my disability award. I will say that it was not a fun experience going through all of that bureaucratic nightmare. I am trying to remember some of the enlisted guys that I remember from that time frame and I can only remember Ukermark, don't judge me on the spelling be cause I have not a clue, Lewis, and Pearson. My memory is pretty much fried so I can't remember the rest. Later, Steven Lamoureux
Much respect to you few who can do this job!! At the average age of 24, I dont think I had the maturity to fly a jet which is why I ended up in the Army for 22 years. 🤙 Good times! 20 years of war and 9 deployments.
You all get the big RESPECT!! Hard enough trying to get the fighters on the deck . Now you all have to put these monsters on there also. God bless you all 🙏🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪💪💪
Exactly..... I was wondering if it is normal the way this pilot uses it because of type of plane and landing conditions or is totally useless the way he does it.
@@cap.erwintamayo9677 Another reason is because both engine props rotate in the same direction with the rotodome so there's a lot of yaw difference and when the throttle setting changes so does the propeller angle and RPM which means that it has to be trimmed out.
I was in VAW-112 in the mid 80's. I still love these birds. PS: not flight crew. One of the greatest things I remeber seeing is in 1987 ,when on the Kitty Hawk, coming out of the Suez canal and seeing the Nimitz off in the distance. Would have loved to gotten photos of both "birdfarms" together at sea.
Would love to hear the radio traffic with this! But can't have your cake and eat it too. Awesome video. God bless everyone who flies and gets them in the air on the deck and keeps it all going.
Good to see the Black Eagles in action! I served with them 1995-1996 as a YNC(SW) and got commissioned in the Persian Gulf aboard VINSON July 1996. Great memories!
Do traps take place from the Right hand seat under training or for getting landings up? I was just interested in the different perspective that the Right hand Pilot would have with roll out and perhaps with aligning with the Optical Landing System. I.e if it has an effect on the aircrafts attitude late in the roll out at all?
Please forgive me if this questions has already been answered, but the pilot is continually making movements with his left thumb on the control stick. What is this? What controls or information is he accessing? Great video, loved it!
I think he's over doing it. Once you nail your approach speed, leave your trim alone, use power for rate of descent and ailerons and rudder for directional control. Electrical devices can fail without warning.
@@johnschroeder7528 none of that is true for E-2s. Both props spin the same direction and there are three rudders because the tail has to be so short to fit in the hangar bay. we move the power levers multiple times a second. every forward movement makes the nose move up and left, and down and right for a power-off correction. we are constantly trimming these corrections out during the approach turn and especially in the final 15-18 second straight away.
@@treyshelton03 I love your videos because there is always one guy who went on a Discovery Flight in a 172 who knows how to fly an E2 better than you. You routinely do carrier landings in a fucking twin prop but Joe from Toledo is going to tell you that he never uses the trim tab while flying an A380 with a mouse and keyboard in Microsoft Flight Sim.
I noticed the Garman 540 unit on the center console. I’ve never seen that on a military aircraft. Did they have to do any modifications for it for carrier use? Why do they need that when the aircraft already has an FMS?
I understand the constant trimming for pitch (...done it thousands of times myself), but the pilot appears to be trimming a lot for yaw or roll as well, or am I misinterpreting what I'm seeing? Some of the planes I flew had roll trim, but it was usually a manually set trim wheel and didn't need constant attention. Thanks in advance.
My old ship, I was crash and salvage onboard, if you look and see the red box on back of the P-25 crash truck as the hummer goes to a 6 o clock in the L.A., that was the brainchild of my Crash Bos’n….damn, I still can’t believe they still have them on there after all these years. I watched those things get built and painted and installed. Hahah, where has the time again. Miss V-1 immensely
Five decades later with many former shipmates gone, I look at those faces and think “Were we really ever that young?” And, yes, we were and lucky to have served. Beautiful video.
Thank you and your friends from the bottom of our Hearts
Thank you for you and shipmates service. 🇺🇲🇺🇲
God I miss this. EA3B and F-14A
we civilians were blessed to have you and your shipmates serve! Sincere & humble thanks for your sacrifices, difficult times and honorable service to our nation.. and the same thanks to your loved ones and families.
4 decades since I started my service on the Connie USS Constellation CV 64.
This is sublime. Just the natural cockpit sound, no stupid somebody-else’s-taste music. Thanks for posting.
They wish it was normally that quiet in there!! Those props are LOUD
i can't count the number of perfectly good videos ruined by horrible music.
If my White Noise gets to huuum-ble-ing, {I AM}...
....[ALSO] TAKES REQUESTS! 🙏🙏🏿🙏🏻🙏🏾🙏🏼🙏🏽
-By the WAY- A🦃 also sounds funny.... but roosts up high! Be proud of your differences! Enough, to let it [R]eyeDe in plain Sight, not trying to wax poetic, THATS FOR THE BIRDS... just keep those waxed [w][r]ings close to the sun! It’s like Greek to my LP. Lord Power. Can’t make this sht up,⏏️. without asking..... FORGIVE THE BAD, hold the {G{o;o]D}. If ]EYE[ can catch a lift, so can you!
@@davidcole333 Music no matter who wrote it, or what they said.... is expression of true feelings....
!JUST! !! a reminder, even if it isn’t your station... it’s someone’s feelings, and prayers! Just know who your texting, #tag GEt DOWN?..... then GET ON UP!!!! Turkey! 🛐🦃 Osceola was a fighter too! I’m feelin JAMES BROWN THIS MORNING.... and to all the guys behind the scenes at SEE and across the Oceans, {I}: WANTA RIDE!
Lots of folks ask about the thumb work. Answer: those are the electric trim buttons and they are important to offload the pilots' hands from the pressure of the control column (and rudder pedals). Offloading the presure is important to allow the pilot to make smaller timely control inputs, which is important for precise landing. Finding the trimmed position is difficult when the aircraft turns, changes speed, changes flap and gear settings, and it can only be found "by feel", hence the intense work with the left thumb as well. Hope this helps. UA-cam doesn't alllow links here, so search for Trim systems and Skybrary, if someone want to know more about the background.
thank you, i was just going to ask about the wild thumb button pushing. first i thought it was radio button but then i saw how much he was pushing it.
Seems the trim control could be controlled by a microcontroller. I wonder if the E-2D updated the manual trim control.
@@RC-ld3cn Good question, I don't know, but maybe someone will drop by and tell.
@@robertweitlauf4653 I was thinking exactly like you.
Is the use of the trim because of the disk on top? I'm a commercial pilot and I never find myself having to constantly re-trim. I love watching these navy aircraft videos.
My best friend from the Navy was an E-2 pilot and LSO. He went on to be a 747 captain with Delta. He said the E-2 was the hardest plane to land on the boat. With its unusual configuration of the big disk antenna on top, the aerodynamics changed with every power setting. On approach, anytime the power changed, it was like flying a whole different airplane. That is the reason for the constant trim changes.
E-2C mechanic here.
Dome is actually “aerodynamically neutral.” It’s those wings that make it difficult. E-2C has the largest footprint on the carrier.
(FWIW, this plane might actually be an E-2D. Only a hand full of C’s were retrofitted with the glass cockpit. It’s standard on the Delta.)
@@hawkeyeted The E-2D had a fully glass cockpit where the one in the video is only halfway glass. This is one of the upgraded C models most likely especially since it's VAW-113 who did have the upgraded C cockpit
Some of the major differences between the two is the fact that the glass C cockpit retained the analog engine gauges while the D had a separate display in the middle for that and other purposes
But I have no connections that would allow me to confirm this aside from the internet so take what I say as you want ;)
I was wondering why the pilot was hitting what I thought are trim controls almost constantly. Thank you for the explanation.
Yeah, it was a video game -- for real
i was wondering about that, the pilot seems to be on the electric trim button all the time...thanks for the info..
The Clark Gable mustache was essential for a smooth landing.
I grew up as an Air Force brat. My dad was a B-17 pilot in WW II, shot down, and spent 2 years as a POW. He stayed in the Air Force after the war and became a B-47 and B-52 pilot during the Cold War. I had the best parents any kid could have hoped for and so I wanted to be a pilot. Unfortunately, I had two strikes against me: I had poor eyesight and I was that good at math because we moved so often. I attended 7 different Junior and Senior High Schools. Different teachers, different text books, different everything.
In 1967 while I was in college, I knew I would soon be drafted because I had received my pre-induction draft physical. I didn't want to be drafted into the Army, so I joined the Marine Corps. Probably the best decision in my life for reasons that would take too long to tell here. I was a Platoon Commander in Vietnam, a company commander for the evacuation of Saigon in 1975, and then I was assigned to the 1st Marine Brigade, Marine Air Station, Kaneohe, Hawaii.
I was a company commander there, so the hours were very long. Left my apartment at 0430 to lead PT with my company, and didn't return until 2000 to 2200 (8 pm to 10 pm). I worked all or part of most weekends. But I always wanted to be a pilot, so on the few times I had off, I took flying lessons at a company at Honolulu International.
What was great about that is that I had to follow all of the same procedures for takeoffs and landings as the commercial and international flights. One day I was on final and the 747 behind me chimed in "If you don't hurry off the runway, I'm going to eat you up".
It's a long story, but I had to fly at night after work most of the time and the flying company gave me spare key to one of the aircraft because I always paid in advance. After they closed, I could take that aircraft for a night flight, record the block time, and slip it in the mail slot. I got far more night time flying in than daytime.
Another great thing about flying our of Honolulu International is that the Historic Ford Island of the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941 was still operational for private aircraft to practice touch and goes. Every time I was on approach to Ford Island, I was reminded of the thousands of WW II aircraft that had made the same approach. I was back in Oahu 6 years ago and the Ford Island runway had been destroyed, but nothing built on it, so it still looked like a runway, but it was just gravel.
Also while I was stationed in Hawaii, I also earned my gliders license/certificate at Dillingham Field. To be honest, I didn't like gliders that much because you only had one chance to land, and I found it difficult to get the damn thing to quit flying. I did land the damn thing, but only with a few feet to spare at the end of the runway.
During my brief time flying, I accumulated 600 hours of pilot in command time. I flew the Grumman AA-1 and AA-2, various Cessna's, the Rockwell 112, a Laker amphibian, and I took training in Alaska while on leave for the Beaver floatplane and a Mountain flying course. At the time I had considered resigning from the Marine Corps and becoming a bush pilot. But my Alaskan instructors advised me that if I hadn't been flying in Alaska for years, I'd probably end up dead.
But I did take basic, intermediate, and advanced aerobatics. My basic was in the Grumman AA-2. My intermediate was in the Citabria, and my advanced was in a Pitts Special S2.
When I was reassigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington DC, I became the Project Officer to automate the officer assignment system. The only thing I knew about computers was that NASA used them to launch rockets. I was now the officer in charge of automating something between 150=200 three ring binders plus what were the unwritten rules in the heads of the assignment monitors.
It's a very long story, but it too me a little over 3 years to get it done. I had a very small company to support me and they wrote the core code. But there wasn't sufficient funds to produce the output and so I learned to program in Natural (the precursor to SQL) and I wrote over 500,000 lines of output code. This was done on card punch machines and fed into the main frame computer loading decks of card punched cards.
The point of this part of the story is that I had to learn what a computer was, how it functioned, and what computer code was and learn how to program.
It began when I purchased computer parts from a company called Heath Kit (which became Radio Shack) and I built my first computers from parts, soldering the connections in my basement. My first attempt shorted out and blew out a couple of vacuum tubes, but I finally succeeded in getting the computer to turn on.
But, there was blinking cursor in the upper left corner and I had no idea what that was/meant. So I went back to the store and they told me that I needed software to make the computer functional. The guy sold me a game called Pong. I finally understood the difference between the hardware and software. This was a major revelation for my as I was trying to manage a major program of mainframe computers and software at the time was way beyond my ability to comprehend.
So, at this point I have to explain why the Marine Corps thought an infantry officer could be the project officer to automate the Marine Corps officer assignment system. It's because in those days, the Marine Corps had this idea that an infantry officer could do just about anything except fly a plane.
I digress.
I had horrendous hours trying to automate the Marine Corps officer assignment system that required working very late at night and over weekends. This while I was trying to date a wonderful woman who had no idea why I had to work such long hours and weekends. But she stuck with me and after dating for two years, we got married.
So the point is that I had very few hours to devote to flying and the nearest airport with instrument rated rentals was too far, and it was too expensive, so I had to give up flying.
After leading Marines (especially in combat), flying was he greatest thrill of my life. There is a poem by John Gillespie Magee Jr. called High Flight about flying. The last line is "Put out my hand, and touched the face of God". That's how I felt on every flight.
My dad died on active duty in 1971 at the age of 54. He could fly anything that two or more engines. I hope he is looking down and proud of what I have done in the Marine Corps and flying.
My apologies for the long rambling post, but there are some things that bring back strong memories.
Great memories, thanks for sharing
Thank you for your Service to Our Country and the Marine Corps was lucky to have you.
I guarantee that your dad is proud of you and is looking out for you. What a great story.
You should seriously consider to write your memoires, sir. Thank you for your service.
That was worth the read my friend.
Thanks,for keeping it real and no dumb disco music. Love the humming noise.
Yes I agree thank you for no BS music. Side note I love music very much ..
Gonna need a new trim switch after that flight. Pilots thumb is now numb.
Yeah. Why is he doing that
Yeah, working that sucker over..
From Pensacola, we are in awe of our Naval aviators. Thanks for being there guys and gals.
The E2 is one of the most difficult aircraft to land on carrier, excellent job !
But easily than landing a carrier on a E2 !
It's fascinating to watch these young pilots work so well and so hard. These vids give us the perfect perspective of just how difficult landing on a carrier must be.
Not to mention their age. 26, 27, 28ish...
Then, I think back to what I was doing with my life at 28ish...
Ouch...
Between the trim and yoke that's a whole lot of input for these E-2's especially on short final. That tells me all that surface area is taxing the pilots stick and rudder skills to the max! Great job!
Naval Aviation At its finest and the best flight yet is having a great Veiws from the cockpit and now I know that the nose gear steering is great from the lower left side of the panel. And thank you for sharing this great opportunity to ride along with you and your crew members. I'm looking forward to seeing more and thank you all aboard and serving our country of the United States of America
Love it!
I flew P-3s back in the late 80s. I'll never forget the sound of the engines. We had to sync our props to prevent unwanted harmonics, but I'll never forget looking outside and seeing those 13 foot diameter props swinging at 1300 rpm and knowing that each one had 4600 shp behind them. I think you guys had the same engine. We had fun with the P-3 but you guys got to hit the boat. Hat's off to you.
T56A's on the E-2C's...IIRC
Governed propeller 1020 RPM at 13820 engine RPM , at least you did not have to fly the 606 aero products, off, center, sync, phase sync, they all did something different. The HS 54H60 pretty much always worked in left or right master
same basic type but the T56 for each end user (P3s, E2/C2 and C130, sometimes different models of C130) are not interchangeable. P3 T56 had their own cradles, while E2/C2 T56s showed up on a 3000 trailer. I'm not certain what SE was used to haul C130 T56s (my only 'direct' experience in support of C130s was at Pt Mugu where the legacy DC130 [the one with skies for Antartica ops] was still flow for VX9 and i dont think i ever saw the engines pulled off and delivered to AIMD 400...
We had P3s up in Argentia Newfoundland back in the late 60s. Wasn't attached to the squadron but managed a couple training hops cuz I loved flying. It was a great plane that doesn't get enough credit. Operating in that environment was hard on men and equipment. I remember looking out the small porthole window behind the cockpit at a feathered prop as we flew on 2 engines for fuel conservation. Great times for a 20 year old.
Built the forward section of E2C for two and a half yrs 1980 to 1983 great men to work with after serving three years in the MARINE corps then on to the FDNY for 33 years it was my honor to build the E2EC thank you to all the Gentleman I worked with in Grumman job well done!
"With a great mustache comes great responsibility!"
*Peter Griffin
John, this is cool angle because it shows the coordination between the yoke and the power adjustments. Neat vids.
Impressive! I have no aviation experience, but the yoke movement was a bit of a surprise to me. Lots of work and the head on a swivel. Thanks for sharing.
It's incredible the use of trimming at the approach segment even in final
Was that what his left thumb was doing? Honed by years of PlayStation and put to good use
The AOA was glued in the center the whole pattern...
Nice ball flying!!
Superb videos! Love the insight to carrier life. Thanks for sharing and keep em coming 👏
Shout out to AME, whoever did the tape job on PIC's helmet is a champion.
I love the way the pilot works the trim button constantly.
Yeah, its like he's flying with the trim switch.
@@TadHepnertheman or it's like the aircraft constantly has changing yaw because of the engines so the pilot constantly has to correct
Can't imagine how frustrating a wave off must be for them, especially after the longer grueling flights when your tired and just ready to get the plane on the deck only to be waved off.
its worse at night when the whole approach takes much longer, but CATCC is working hard to keep planes coming down in efficient intervals and the green shirts are working hard to reel in the wire from the previous guy as fast/safely as possible so the deck can go green. sometimes it just doesn't work out.
TRUST me, the smell of coffee coming from the wardroom aint folgers :)
I'm sure there are some colorful metaphors used when this happens.
@@jamesprice6381 Trust you? Yeah, you're right, wardroom coffee isn't from a Folgers jar, it's standard Navy issue, comes in tall rectangular dark olive green cans... but what do you mean? If you mean to imply USN aircrews routinely drink alcohol at sea because they’re stressed from slamming back onto a tiny landing area on an aircraft carrier deck at 120 knots with a sink rate up to 25 feet/second, TRUST ME, I spent nearly 20 years with E-2 squadrons on seven aircraft carriers and US naval aviation isn't like the French Navy or some Hollywood movie. In the Vietnam era, and probably earlier, sometimes individuals sneaked a bottle or two (or maybe a lot, I don't know, that was before my time) into their staterooms. But, by the 1980s, the practice had mostly vanished, maybe because the Navy instituted random urinalysis testing (mostly to screen enlisted for drug use) and the trend was very much towards safety and professionalism. In all my years at sea, I heard of only one instance, and that was in 1980 in the North Arabian Sea on a dark and moonless night. After three bolters in their E-2C and with an increasingly low fuel state showing maybe only enough for one more pass (E-2 refueling capability only began with the current E-2D model) while the designated bingo field in Oman was not answering radio calls, the Ready Room was tense and silent, all eyes glued on the PLAT as we watched our guys' next approach. Everybody heard the Skipper, a pilot, who was on the phone with CAG, say "... if we don't get them aboard on this next pass, we have to consider having them take it to about 5,000 feet and stepping out..." What he meant, of course, was they might have to bail out - and at that time I don't think there had ever been a successful bailout or ditching at sea of an E-2 with its crew of five. Fortunately, they trapped aboard on that next pass... and after the debrief, our civilian tech rep, himself a veteran of Vietnam combat deployments flying in the Douglas EA-3 Skywarrior "Whale", was said to have diverted the highly relieved crew into his stateroom for a celebratory shot... but I wasn't there so I can't confirm.
Thank you for sharing what you do on UA-cam, it really is awesome to see these videos
Hawkeyes are the unsung heros of Naval Aviation. Proud to have worked on them!
Cool video. My nephew is serving on the USS CARL VINSON. Happy Holidays to everyone serving.
As a kid I got to stand next to the LSO and watch my dad land on the kittyhawk. That was an amazing cruise. I still have the pic somewhere of me wearing the vest and holding the LSO controller for a camera.
Wow that was amazing. I could not imagine doing that at night... in the rain... in a storm... under the stress of combat. The control movements from 5:40 till stopped are insane.
I wonder if he ever has nightmares about his left thumb fallin off?
^.^
He's kind of flying the plane with the trim. After his thumb gets sore, he might start using the yoke more.
Awesome job great stick and rudder skills, thanks for your service and very artful flying. Good bless.
I was showing this to my father. We were sent to Naples AFI where he was with VR-24 (1966-1970). The C-1 was transitioning to C-2, but did not become operational until he got to Vietnam. The C-2 was welcome because the carriers did not have to carry AVGAS anymore and the long legs allowed many squadron detachments like Naples AFI to be shut down. It is good to see that landing aboard a carrier has not changed in 50 years.
Reminds me of the Pilatus. 4-way hat switch for pitch and roll and rudder trim on the PCL.
St. Barths was my aircraft carrier.
Boy that pilot is giving that trim button hell with his left thumb!
I noticed the constant trim changes. Nice flying, guys! Would fly with you any time. Best wishes to all servicemen.
Back in the 88, I got to go with my step dad to Coronado every day while he was at work. There was a lime-green F-14 permanently parked there for some reason, and I got to see some of the Jolly Rogers F-14s, but I remember most of all the A-6 exhaust in my face, and watching new pilots train in the S-3 Vikings, that weird, weird whoop-whoop the engines would make as they throttled down, then up. I've always loved Navy planes and always will.
Nice job guys! I’m proud to say I was a Black Eagle during the 1980’s as an AT. WestPac 84’/85’ USS Constellation, WestPac 87’ USS Ranger. Those were the days.
Thanks for your service. I was a Marine platoon commander in Vietnam 1968-69, a Marine company commander during the evacuation of Saigon in April 1975, and a LtCol supporting counter-insurgency operations in El Salvador 1986-88. My last assignment was with US Special Operations Command, MacDill, FL where I retired. I'd do it all again if I could, but at 74 that's not likely to happen. Greatest honor in my life was leading Marines--especially in combat.
I'd like to also thank all the Navy, Air Force, and Marine pilots who saved our asses in Vietnam and a special shout out to the Army helicopter pilots of the 282nd Assault Helicopter Company "Black Cats" for evacuating my wounded and dead when other helicopters couldn't. They were all amazing and free beer for any of them I run across.
I also am thankful to the gunnery crew of the battleship USS New Jersey that gave us an awesome lesson in Naval Gunfire Support with its 16 inch batteries.
And I would be remiss if I didn't thank the B-52s for their arc light missions at night that left a visual impression we will never forget.
And a special thanks to my Corpsmen who shared our dangers, gave lifesaving care to my wounded, and those that died trying. There's a special place in heaven for them.
Was on the Chucky V from ‘85 they ‘89. I miss her. Great video!
How often do they have to fix that trim button is what I wanna know!
On S-3s, our AEs changed about one a month. Looks like it might be higher here. He's really working it.
My mentor, Instructor in T-38s (5,600 hrs) would inspect his student’s glove... If the thumb was not worn, they were not TRIMMING enough.
I was wondering if they actually need a yoke. :D That poor trimmer switch.
@@JamesP33R never mind the switch, what about the poor actuator?
You should ask that question to maintenance folks working on MBB 105's, or BK 117 helos. (among other types) ☺️ 👍
US Navy has, by very far, the finest pilots in the entire world. I've seen first hand aboard CVN-70 what these dudes are capable of, as an AO2 from 1998 - 2002. They command respect and rightfully so.
And when the Navy NAs grow up they want to become Marine NAs. Why Marines can land a jet on deck and not even bother with a trap.
@@wilhard45 its not the pilot my man. Its rhe equipment. F35 STOVL basically lands itself. Marines have fine infantry but the sky's belong to the Navy brother 🇺🇲⚓🇺🇲
@@Mr.Deleterious -- Last time I looked they were both Naval Aviators and both carrier qualified. Well one thing Ordnancemen and Navy flyers have in common. You are both squids. :-)
@@wilhard45 My Ass Rides In Navy Equipment, Sir!
it wouldn't surprise me if that left thumb had a moustache as well, and hung out in bars.
Damn, that brings back so many memories flying the E-2 during the early 90s. Didn’t have any of the fancy glass cockpit instruments though. :(((
Ditto! Mid '80's for me in VAW-123 aboard the venerable USS America CV-66
@@larrylong4829 I was 90 to 93 in VAW-126 onboard the Kennedy, CV-67.
@@flyboy38a i was with 126 the same time.
@@jamesduncan3171 Which division were you in and who was your division officer? I never got my cruise book from the first cruise which was Desert Shield and Storm because someone stole a number of them. We never did find out where the theft took place, just that we never received delivery of a number of cruise books to the squadron, so I don't have anything to go back and look up who was in the squadron with me at that time. For the most part I served as the ASO, and had to work on the class alpha mishap we had that Jul of 92. I did not sail with the squadron for the training exercise because I was on medical leave from a sinus surgery I just had the week before you all set sail. To this day I don't know if that medical leave saved my life because with the make-up of the crew on AC602 that day, I had a very good chance of being on that crew. I know my family freaked out because my name was on that plane and they had the impression that you always flew the plane that your name was on. I think that mentality was from the days of WWII and Korea when my grandfather was a bomber pilot and crews were assigned to a specific plane back then.
So when did you leave the squadron? For me freedom ( :) ) came May of '93 when I transferred out to the Puget Sound area. Best choice I ever made in duty assignments. Unfortunately it all went down hill medically wise and after 2 spinal fusion surgeries that did not work, I was medically discharged without retirement due to the doctor from Bethesda lying about my condition because he was insulted that I was still in pain after HIS surgery. Got to love the corruption in the medial system, including the med boards. I eventually did finally receive full VA after I was found to be unemployable and after several years of fighting with Soc Sec, I got my disability award. I will say that it was not a fun experience going through all of that bureaucratic nightmare.
I am trying to remember some of the enlisted guys that I remember from that time frame and I can only remember Ukermark, don't judge me on the spelling be cause I have not a clue, Lewis, and Pearson. My memory is pretty much fried so I can't remember the rest.
Later,
Steven Lamoureux
@@flyboy38a
Awesome video and flying. Would have liked to see the rest of the taxi, it’s crazy full of planes.
Monster video. Thanks for sharing!
Much respect to you few who can do this job!! At the average age of 24, I dont think I had the maturity to fly a jet which is why I ended up in the Army for 22 years. 🤙 Good times! 20 years of war and 9 deployments.
The LSO waived them off to give their porn stache a chance to grow.
lmfao
You all get the big RESPECT!!
Hard enough trying to get the fighters on the deck . Now you all have to put these monsters on there also. God bless you all 🙏🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪💪💪
Man - that pilot is working that trim. Fantastic to see these guys in action.
Very interressing👍🇫🇷thanks!
Those trim switches must not last very long.
Exactly..... I was wondering if it is normal the way this pilot uses it because of type of plane and landing conditions or is totally useless the way he does it.
@@cap.erwintamayo9677 He's landing on a carrier...normal af for the environment. Easier to use trim then to move the stick and overcorrect
@@flyboykd3672 Ok. That makes sense. Thank you. God day
@@cap.erwintamayo9677 Another reason is because both engine props rotate in the same direction with the rotodome so there's a lot of yaw difference and when the throttle setting changes so does the propeller angle and RPM which means that it has to be trimmed out.
@@treeamble585 I agree. Thanks for the information. It is amazing. Good day.
I was in VAW-112 in the mid 80's. I still love these birds. PS: not flight crew. One of the greatest things I remeber seeing is in 1987 ,when on the Kitty Hawk, coming out of the Suez canal and seeing the Nimitz off in the distance. Would have loved to gotten photos of both "birdfarms" together at sea.
Would love to hear the radio traffic with this! But can't have your cake and eat it too. Awesome video. God bless everyone who flies and gets them in the air on the deck and keeps it all going.
Thanks for the topside view of the ship I left 28 years ago....ET1 nuke (90-94)
Outstanding! If I could go back in time I'd love to train to be in that seat!!
Fantastic. Rolled into a righteous groove, on speed and a damn foul deck. loved the vid
All the credit for that landing goes to the thumb!! It did all the work!!
Yes!!! Lol lol
Just unbelievable how large the flat top looks (actually IS) from inside the cockpit!
It would nice if we could hear the comms going on.
the division that owns the audio on the ship keeps it pretty tight and doesn't circulate it
Спасибо !!!
Half the time my airplane would be yelling at me, “bank angle! Bank angle!”
Good to see the Black Eagles in action! I served with them 1995-1996 as a YNC(SW) and got commissioned in the Persian Gulf aboard VINSON July 1996. Great memories!
amh3 black eagle 92-95, two deployments, must've just missed you.
A full start up to launch would be an awesome video if you could do that.
I flew with 2 of my students today. Just watching this aircraft turn you just wonder how marvelous flying is. Humans are clever buggers.
Always a Nice Relief To Be Back Aboard.
I know someone who did three tours CIC that Plane
Awesome and thank you
Great film. The skipper loves to fiddle with the trim!
That was intense! I don't care how easy he makes it look that was impressive. What a job! I envy navy pilots. Balls of steel for sure.
What's the screen to the left of the right seater's PFD? Great video. Awesome skills
Joe Cool. Great airmanship. Cheers!
Wow! Liked and sub’d. Great footage, even better landing 😎👌
I really liked the video!
Great stuff! 👍 Intense job!
Great footage. Balls of steel
Holy smokes, that trim system is getting a serious workout. How often does the trim actuator on an E-2 get changed, like every 3rd flight?
I agree.
I'm an Army fan, but God Bless all you NAVY Fly Boys out there.
Great camera angle on this!
Are you trimming the aircraft with your thumb? Like fine touches?
I wonder what the life cycle of that poor trim control is. He must have used it 500 times in this video. Great vid!
Every carrier landing is an amazing thing!
Do traps take place from the Right hand seat under training or for getting landings up? I was just interested in the different perspective that the Right hand Pilot would have with roll out and perhaps with aligning with the Optical Landing System. I.e if it has an effect on the aircrafts attitude late in the roll out at all?
Please forgive me if this questions has already been answered, but the pilot is continually making movements with his left thumb on the control stick. What is this? What controls or information is he accessing? Great video, loved it!
That's incredible how much flying you have to do with the trim adjustment, incredible video!
Do they replace that component after every flight? It must get worn out.
I like that too. These approaches are all super steady and that continuous trimming might have something to do with it.
I think he's over doing it. Once you nail your approach speed, leave your trim alone, use power for rate of descent and ailerons and rudder for directional control. Electrical devices can fail without warning.
@@johnschroeder7528 none of that is true for E-2s. Both props spin the same direction and there are three rudders because the tail has to be so short to fit in the hangar bay. we move the power levers multiple times a second. every forward movement makes the nose move up and left, and down and right for a power-off correction. we are constantly trimming these corrections out during the approach turn and especially in the final 15-18 second straight away.
@@treyshelton03 I love your videos because there is always one guy who went on a Discovery Flight in a 172 who knows how to fly an E2 better than you. You routinely do carrier landings in a fucking twin prop but Joe from Toledo is going to tell you that he never uses the trim tab while flying an A380 with a mouse and keyboard in Microsoft Flight Sim.
I noticed the Garman 540 unit on the center console. I’ve never seen that on a military aircraft. Did they have to do any modifications for it for carrier use? Why do they need that when the aircraft already has an FMS?
This trap brought to you by the power of the cruise mustache!
Military pilots love thier trim button..
Makes "Top Gun" look like a high school pissing contest!
I understand the constant trimming for pitch (...done it thousands of times myself), but the pilot appears to be trimming a lot for yaw or roll as well, or am I misinterpreting what I'm seeing? Some of the planes I flew had roll trim, but it was usually a manually set trim wheel and didn't need constant attention. Thanks in advance.
That bank angle. Holy.
Out of curiosity, what are the switches constantly being toggled by the pilot on the left hand grip on the yolk as he’s flying, Communications ?
I’ve long been a fan of nice, well-functioning trim.
LMAO trim i haven't heard that in a minute
do you have any full vids from start up to launch?
@MichaelKingsfordGray no I’m not a real person.
Damn this last quarter mile burble turbulence was nasty. Well done!
Would be nice to hear the ATC (or whatever it's called on a carrier) radio chatter
That's a fancy STOOF! :-] Naval aviators rock!
I was a controller on a Grumman E2B mostly on The USS Independents and USS Enterprise Had many scary missions. VAW 12 out of Norfolk
What was the pilot doing with his left thumb on the yoke? Was he adjusting some flight parameters or is it just a nervous twitch?
What is the pilot doing with his left thumb? Is that a trim hat or he is controlling a cursor on one of the flight displays?
best aviators in the world.
Giving that trim one heck of a workout.
My old ship, I was crash and salvage onboard, if you look and see the red box on back of the P-25 crash truck as the hummer goes to a 6 o clock in the L.A., that was the brainchild of my Crash Bos’n….damn, I still can’t believe they still have them on there after all these years. I watched those things get built and painted and installed. Hahah, where has the time again. Miss V-1 immensely