Added: 3 years ago
From: Superfly7XAF
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  • @paleblack1989 no she couldn't have. A rookie nugget asked to do a night landing with a pitching deck and swells of +\- 30 feet is asking for trouble. As her CO, Sex is responsible for Cone's safety - not to mention the $56 million jet!  He also mentions he has "some pilots that I worry about" and judged that Cone was not ready for such a demanding situation. It was a good call on Sex's part.

  • the top gun bullshit has people thinking carrier landings are easy and it takes one go every time.

  • @5.06your a Naval Aviator Deal with it otherwise transfer to the Airforce.

  • How long is it supposed to be 20 min?

  • If they had VTOL F-35's this would be so much easier.

  • @Nightmonkey17 I WONDER WHY

    fucking idiot

  • Orville and Wilbur are looking down from heaven smiling

  • Im going the Navy

  • She could've done it, give the woman a break!

  • @paleblack1989 It's not that she's a woman, it's that she's a nugget and would've been up there with a pitching deck at night with no tanker and no bingo field. You don't do that to a junior pilot.

  • I like how the guys below deck are all watching it eating popcorn. Completely disregarding just how dangerous the operations are. I love it.

  • @terryk1233 that's because the ice cream machine broke 2 months ago

  • These guys are absolutely amazing!!!! I cannot wait until I join the navy in about 2 years!!! Its scary but I am completely excited

  • Seriously... this show is making me nervous!!!

    To all Navy pilots...I tip my cap. Wow.

  • The fidgety LDO ensign is really pissing me off...

    

  • I think that redheaded female officer (Ens or JG) at the radar screen is a doll. Really Really cute.

  • Serious Brass!

  • Those Navy guys are amazing !!!

  • Great series, favorite episode.

    Much love to our service men and women.

  • Amen to the night landings. I was fortunate enough to do a ride-along on the Stennis last year for three days. These pilots and support crew ROCK!

  • Gay....they're all pretty much gay in the Naveee

  • They're ALL on the same side...God Bless America!!!

  • Re Marines, some may be, but the Top Hatters are Navy

  • those Pilots coming in are Marines. not Navy

  • God bless these men and women

  • Back in the mid eighties our guys and all the other carriers guys flew round the clock and in all weather. The IO is flat and dead. Didn't have 15 bolters in a 150 sorties. Glad to see those guys get some pitch/yaw/roll training. Ya got to or your gonna start chuck'in jets. Can't tank up everyone.That old school CO would of taken that tanker from a guy nugget too. Can't believe those bootcamps bet against him. He showed them how it's done and made them eat crow.

  • United States Naval Aviators...best in the world!

  • I wonder if it is easier for Marines to land on L class ships w/harriers?

  • damn I was even nervous for those guys. great stuff

  • Does everyone in the Navy chew gum or something? The lady tanker pilot, the squadron commander pilot, the air traffic lady etc.

  • @CaptainChaos777 People perform better while chewing gum. Test taking, pilots, astronauts.

  • @CaptainChaos777 I'd imagine it relives stress for them.

  • @CaptainChaos777 *relieves stress

  • Thanks WarHoover, I appreciate your kind words.

    Paul

  • Nothing more annoying than Navy women.

  • It kills me all the other pilots are watching on the video eating popcorn ROFL. I bet there is alot of wagering going on there that didn't get shown.

  • @WileeC,

    You're absolutely right. Everyone in that ready room is having a great time watching "the show" and commenting on the landings.

    And every pilot landing KNOWS that all their buddies are just waiting for them to screw the pooch so they can give them grief about it after they land. It really enhances the already pressured experience . . .

    It's a real locker room atmosphere - very irreverent - and one of the best parts of the job.

  • @WarHoover really bad idea to be thinking about that instead of trying to stay ahead of the program. in a Healthy squadron you only give s**t to pilots from the Other outfits, imho. now if you crap yr suit you can expect a lot of grief from Everyone, however

    obtw, ever fly the ES-3?

  • Having flown choppers in Vn to hot LZ's day and night time I would rather cheat death there than what you Navy & Marine guys were doing on that pitching deck. I salute all of you with the great big balls. USA needs guys like you!! WELL DONE!! WELL DONE!!

  • @cantin46,

    I beg to differ.

    Sure there are nights (even after hundreds of night traps) where your legs still shake like it was the first time - but that's NOTHING compared to what you guys went through back in Vietnam.

    Losing ONE aircraft over a six month cruise is a really big deal - and can't even come close to the attrition suffered by the Huey drivers in Vietnam. Right now everyone supports the troops - a luxury you guys did not enjoy. Our hats are off to you Sir!

  • I think we can also give hats off to the guy who designed those landing gear struts

  • Comment removed

  • just listen to the pilots comments on this exercise. The Captian bit off more than he , the ship or the crew should endure. Misguided Management, I've seen it before, I'm an Navy Vet.

  • @danagal79,

    There are definitely nights where you wonder "Why the hell are we going up in this?"

    I don't pretend to have the risk management market cornered or anything, but there is something to be said for being the only Navy able to conduct flight ops in those conditions - and the only way to have that ability is to practice it.

    I'm sure there's a good balance of keeping the skills sharp without over-exposing the ship and flight crews to undue risk, and I think we hit it most of the time .

  • i find that lady don't sound that professional

  • @malithugs she looks like reba :D

  • @malithugs I find she is a typical Air Traffic Officer. Couldn't control a thermostat in a living room but acts like she works every push.

  • Don't forget. Marine Aviators fly off of Navy carriers.

  • Semper Fi

  • great video Thx.

  • A breed apart - luv these guys. I put hundreds of these guys on targets in Vietnam.

  • did the last pilot fail a test? He said that was his last time.

  • I think he was probably retiring

  • YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME.

  • ill tell u what. landing at night in good weather is scary especially the first time you do it. being a new guy, i can't imagine having to do it with a major pitching deck during blue water ops. big balls!

  • There's not a way to do this on autopilot? Perhaps some sort of stabalized ILS + onboard radar and a lot of very sofisticated software?

  • It's called Automatic Carrier Landing System, but i don't know anything more about it. Reccomend you google some more.

  • @roknjohn,

    Some aircraft can do it automatically. But those systems can and do fail from time to time.

    You have to keep the skills sharp to be able to land in these kind of conditions "manually".

    Remember this could be a lot worse. At least they can see the ship (sometimes you don't break through the clouds until your 5-10 seconds away from landing). At least all their engines are operating, etc.

    Sometimes when it's bad, it's BAD . . .

  • Damn a pitching and rolling deck? at night? The ony thing that would make that more frightning woud be rain. These guys have a big pair of banging brass ones. God bless the US NAVY. Those folks are out there for us.

  • @Sundancetr4,

    Here's what would make it more frightening under these conditions:

    -Cloud deck down to 200 feet or less (you don't see the ship until you're seconds away from landing

    -One of your 2 engines is not operating

    -Can't get your flaps down (although this isn't that big of a deal by itself)

    -Electrical malfunction; some/all of your cockpit instruments/lighting is inop

    -Smoke/fumes in the cockpit

    -On fire

    -Can't get your landing gear down

    All have happened before and will happen again

  • The Capt. of that ship needs his ass reamed big time...

  • hard to say shooter, great experience for pilots, LSOs, CATCC & tanker dudes. you might say that because everything turned out well, maybe it was all under control, although there were a few nerves apparent.

    also, the skipper may have gotten some marching orders fm the CARGRU admiral. no one wants to be responsible for an accident or injury, lotsa CYA there, still, it's ultimately up to the pilot to keep himself alive

  • If you haven't seen the whole series you gotta watch it I downloaded it from piratebay whereever you can find it get it. WOW and if you know any cocky airforce pilots send this video to them!!!

  • Now that is skill.

  • My hats off to Navy Pilots.  God Bless you all.

  • @m1keand1ke god bless the navy

  • @m1keand1ke umm don't forget the Marine Core pilots. (most of the pilots in this clip were Marines).

  • @m1keand1ke you mean naval aviators. Pilots are lesser people.

  • I never had a pitching deck at nite

    just day time - even more pitch than this video -

    so much that the LSO told us to IGNORE THE BALL !

    my heart is pounding watching this video and recalling that day - and that was in 1976!

    hats off to the pilots! (and all support crew!)

    semper fi !!

    Phantom Driver

  • @TheDragonBF2 WOW you would think that "pitching deck" would be a part of everyday life as a naval aviator. are you saying that this does not happen that much. I know that the boat is big but I'm sure tyhat it is always rocking. are am i wrong about this?

  • @drod103164 well - there is 'pitching deck' and there is PITCHING deck I only did a very short tour as visiting USMC with less than 50 traps in my F4 (maybe less-been awhile) we were lucky not to HAVE to fly too many operational missions where mission is more important than the Wx but you can see, even these guys who are fully operational are still overwhelmed (yes-scared) at a PITCHING deck I SALUTE them and the LSO that got them home God Bless them all ! and my son- a Super Hornet Pilot
  • @TheDragonBF2

    God bless all Phantom drivers! 

  • Guys flying Tomcats and Phantoms (and RA-5s/A-3s etc) had it a lot harder than these guys. Something to keep in mind when you watch the vid.

  • at the end, is he saying hes gonna quic?

  • He may have gotten promoted out of his pilot slot, transfered, or retired. Guys like that don't quit. The one talking at the end was one of the experienced commanders. The one that pulled the inexperienced pilot out of her plane in the middle of the video.

  • Caught this on PBS about 6 mos. ago...watch for the re-run....great show! Yes, he did retire. Can't remember whether or not he went reserve.

  • As a retired USAF Officer (non-pilot), after seeing this and the related videos, I have the utmost respect for these guys n gals and what they endure for our country. THANK YOU!

  • I remember landing my 747 in Guam during (what I heard later) a 6.5 earth quake. The runway was not only pitching up and down but is was going side to side. But I was lucky to have over 10,000 feet of runway.

    These guys are simply the best.

    That "flat top" skipper made a big boo boo. He needs to re-evaluate his training objectives!

    Captain Rusty Aimer (UAL Ret.)

  • Fantastic vid!!!

  • The last guy that landed,is he going to land base?

  • no he is retiering from the Navy. sad if you think about it

  • damn, i wouldnt want to be in his situation too

  • From a former F4 RIO, this is the most awesome video I have seen.

  • This retired AF officer is in total awe

  • gah dang I hate it when i catch myself reading every comment ever posted on videos! this one has been my favorite for all the legit comments.... can learn a lot reading what people have to say

  • I betcha they don;t do this again anytime soon!

  • Spent a tour working the Flight Deck on the Midway in the mid 70's. Adrenaline is a constant. It was my favorite time while in the Marine Corps.

  • that readhead aint acting in a very professionel way, whats she doing there? The other guys though, mindblowing what they can achieve....awsomnes

  • How about so when it is war time they can do it...as if they will not have bigger things to stress about...you always practice this stuff when you have the room to keep trying and trying...had this been war you'd want to get in first shot.

  • From a retired Navy wife of 27 years, you guys are awesome, real life heroes.

    Good Bless you.

  • I give the Squadron CO enormous credit for taking the gasser up instead of his nugget.

  • From a humble citizen who enjoys the freedoms that you help protect...

    THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH...

  • Oww wish i was an american, get to join the USN and do this :(

  • Best air-fighter documentary ever

  • OMG, respect !!!

  • what an excellent film/documentary ,wow !! you navy pilots have to be the best ... i was on the edge of my seat ..till the last jet landed !! great footage with the crew room and stuff .

  • amazing! ima student pilot. let me tell you. that shit is craaaazzzyyyyyy!!!!! i would love to land a cessna out there! that would be some fun!

  • respect... nuff said...

  • Whats funny is , all these Supers and baby hornets can land themselfs, but that wouldnt be any fun would it.

  • true, but theyre not gonna do that if the deck is pitching and rolling. throws off the instruments.

  • yes they can, in fact they are more accurate that a human will ever be! ACLS

    automated carrier landing system. the only reason pilots land the aircraft or for the most part just steer it ( they control the thrust very often ) is because thats just another way the pilots get graded.

  • Dont control the thrust*

  • When there is trouble in the world who dose everyone call?

  • But I am hating ignorant swedish teens who haven't done squat yet commenting about anyone, much less America.

  • that shit is crazy.

  • Tou you AMERICANS on the Aircraft CArriers! YOU ARE THE BEST! Thank you! And Have a safe and happy new year!

  • Solid brass ones, dude....

  • Awesome! Completely absorbed by this naval aviators performance. Excellent job!

  • wow, amazing. thanks.

  • You know why CDR Fravour is so good...PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

    I have no skipper qualifications, but I think all 12 should be up there every night. It's a calculated risk and a valuable investment.

  • Impressive one time approach and trap by CMDR David "sex" Fravor... I couldn't imagine landing on a moving + pitching + minimal light object....

  • Leading by example. Sheer competency and skill sets displayed by CDR Fravour is most memorable. He made it look so easy. One cool cat. Great documentary all around.

  • I have this whole series but this episode was my favourite! Naval Aviation at it's finest - as stated below, this is what sets it apart from the rest.

    And hat's off to CDR Fravour, thats what leaders do - stepping up and putting the experience where it's needed, Dietrich will get her chance eventually.

  • Being a CAG LSO on a 27C carrier with F-8's, A-3's etc., this brings back many memories. Wonder who gave the launch order?

  • FATKNOTT !  thanks for saving my life once for sure & a couple maybe's

  • obtw i just uploaded some oboat crash video fm howdy, RF-8 barricade & St Price ramp strike, check it out

  • This is what has always set Naval Aviators apart from all the rest.

  • i remember those pitching decks everyone top side used to be nervous hoping not to have a misshap one time we were standing on the bow when a f-18 from VFA-131 hit hard and the right gear broke the sidewinder draged on the deck but no bad misshap all were safe

  • sure brings back memories of my time in the gulf.  I was in Va-94 from Jan.1st,1989 until it became VFA-94, and did 2 cruises as a plane captain, one on the Enterprise, the other on the USS Lincoln. Remember night ops well!

  • he's the CAG

  • no it was the CO of the fighter squadron.

  • Who took the flight for the female officer? Was he the chief fighter pilot?

  • CDR David Fravor, VFA 41 Commanding Officer -- rather 'skipper' than 'chief' ; )

  • Oops sorry was going to call him skipper but thought that was too informal (for us civies). Is it normal for the Skipper to fly or was he looking out?

  • shoulda left her in, the guys were doin pretty bad.

    LSO's fm the 60s & 70s would be laffin at this, waving F-8s & A-5s & 27Charlie stuff.

    Tankerrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Thanks guys for all you do!

    Don

    USN ATL Fleet

    USS Aylwin DE-1081

    1971 - 1975

  • Ditto, GlassOnion (Don).  Hey man... USS Elmer Montgomery FF-1082 (1991-1992) :) NS Mayport?

  • Sorry, no

    1st DTS was Destroyer & submarine piers Norfolk, VA

    2nd was Bath, Maine,

    3rd was Charleston, SC.

  • When I flew for the Navy other than center line there was no deck lighting. Landing on Black Deck Ships you couldn't see the deck until after you got out of the aircraft. (A-4s on the Forrestal 1967-68)

  • The only part of working nights on the flight deck I enjoyed, was not being able to see the horizon so I could not tell how much the ship was rolling. You could feel it but on an overcast or moonless night it is one eerie feeling. VF143 1979-84 CVN69 good memories of some really rough times.

  • These guys experience more adrenaline rush in a single night of ops than the average joe in a long long time.

    Intense!!

  • I agree totally. This is a bit excessive, especially for a pitching deck scenario. What you want to look for which is much more dangerous then a pitching deck is a running engagement, I.E. 10-20 degrees positive pitch aoa while your arresting hook has a wire caught. The nose comes down hard enough to blow out a tire or two.

  • sheer skillzz mannn

  • slightly depressing..... you gona miss the rush, buddy. respect!

  • Amazing... god bless you guys. Keep up the good work.

  • Boy, glad we got guys like this doing this job. What a great group.

  • Day, smooth deck = great fun.

    Night, crappy weather, no moon, pitching deck, broken jet = really really hard. I had 147 night traps and I'm happy to be done. Cheated death enough times.

  • the closest ive ever come to this was on a simulator..... carrier landings are hard enough on a stationary deck during the daytime, with zero wind, perfect visibility. i can only imagine how difficult a pitching deck at night is.

  • im canadian...but im trying to get into the US airforce...i dont know how...can anybody tell me?

  • Get a US citizenship

  • Talk to an officer recruiter. Make sure it's not the enlisted guy first.

  • the US Army might take you, try to get into Army aviation, then attempt an interservice transfer, might take a couple years

  • troll. Shut the fuck up. Do us all a favor, and get the hell off youtube.

  • oh no thanks

  • Hey does anyone know where I can get the song at the last 2 minutes of the video? Great video, this is my favorite episode from the series.

  • Just killer...The whole vid was epic..the best was CMDR Fravor and his Rio walking down the deck, his last pitching deck trap.....Good stuff...

  • It wouldn't look much different, except there would be a diesel slick on the water where the hostile sub used to be.

  • Haha, pwned! USA baby!

  • Let me guess.. your country doesnt operate night carrier landings ay? Get over it.

  • you think your such a big shot cuz your all anti american u stupid shit they get rid of the attacker before its a direct threat.

  • The just blow everything out the water and clean the sky - that simple.

    Behind these (for TV) choking youngsters faces are highly trained and disciplined man.

    Go Boys!

  • we're the only ones who've been doing in since the late 1940s - often in real combat situations and ALWAYS under the treat of attack. you're an idiot.

  • I'm a proud Air Force pilot, 18+ yrs, over 3,600 hrs, but I gotta hand it to my Navy and Marine brothers.....you guys got big brass ones!

    Man, would I love to try to trap at the boat!

    "Twister"

    BTW, kudos to the boss who decided to be the tanker toad instead of putting the inexperienced pilot out in the dark. Way to take care of your people.

  • The Carrier is an amazing machine and team

    OS2 Barrett

    NTDS Track Sup.

    USS Carl Vinson - 1988 - 1990

  • I heard or read somewhere that fighter pilots have years of training for a few moments of sheer terror. Being a carrier pilot, they would have these sheer moments every single time they take off knowing that to come back to base would be amongst the most terrifying moments ever. Especially on a pitching deck in blackness on a stormy night. I salute these aviators and the whole crew who work as one to simply get the job done. Each and every single member of a carrier crew is a true hero.

  • Wow, white knuckle time. Hats off to those fly boys and girls.

  • Great video & job by all....but the Marine Airwing would have saved a lot of fuel and taxpayer's money. 1st and 2nd MAW, DaNang

  • For those of you who have never been a pilot -- imagine you are coming in at 150-180 mph on a "runway" that is going up and down vertically 20-30 feet and pitching too. And you have to catch a cable while avoiding slamming into the stern.

    When that pilot said that this was more dangerous than flying in the gulf I can see why...

    My hat's off to those guys...

  • You Navy Guys and Gals who do that job are slick shit. The toughest, most demanding, most challenging, most emotional, most physical job on the planet. To defend freedom and interests around the globe and to be at the pointy tip of the spear had got to be the most rewarding thing anyone can do. You should all be proud.

  • Does anyone know which is the song in the last minute of the clip??? Pleaseeee!

  • For serious, that was a nice sound!

  • It reminds me of the Friday Night Lights Intro/Theme music.

  • Top Down v.2

    Eclectric Music

    (Scene: Landing on pitching decks)

    Source: PBS Website - Carrier - Music in the film

  • Just Killer!

  • There are many interesting activities aboard an aircraft carrier, but the flight deck is where the action is! FLY NAVY!

  • It's not that big of a deal... My original statement was about all of the Drama in the scenes, it is not that dramatic at all if you are there. I was just disappointed in the way this is portrayed. I understand that it makes better TV, but it is over the top. That lady is way overdramatic, but that is believeable since she is a "BooterEnsign," PBS should just know better. Just saying, there is more to show...

  • guess you're not an aviator

  • Shot in the dark here: like... the hard work that goes on under the decks?

  • Thanks for the upload!