RIDE ALONG is the first video produced by author and historian Bruce Gamble for his new channel, Skywarrior Media. Originally filmed by Bruce in the mid-1980s (using a bulky VHS camcorder), the video documents a reconnaissance mission over the Gulf of Oman by an EA-3B Skywarrior crew from the USS Carl Vinson. Viewers get a "dashcam" look at flight operations, a catapult launch, aerial refueling, and an arrested landing. Several Cold War era planes appear, including F-14s, A-7s, A-6s, and E-2Cs.
And visit Skywarrior Media here on Bruce's webpage: brucegamble.com/
Music provided by slip.stream/
"Big Dipper" - slip.stream/tracks/542739ef-2...
"How Could You" - slip.stream/tracks/10b3e6ee-2...
"Slide Into The South" - slip.stream/tracks/06bdecc2-c...
"Tough As Me" - slip.stream/tracks/57abf826-0...
0:00 Introduction
1:10 We begin by briefing the mission in the squadron ready room.
1:16 Then we head to the Paraloft to get our flight gear and survival equipment
1:46 The EA-3B Skywarrior is huge for a carrier-based aircraft, with a mission crew of 7.
2:03 We start the J-57 engines, then hold on the flight deck while the launch cycle proceeds.
2:36 In the meantime, we have a ringside seat for the dynamic activity on the flight deck.
2:53 The 4.5 acre flight deck is awash with heat, noise, and steam, and the air is heavy with the smell of jet exhaust.
3:53 The plane director guides us toward the edge of the flight deck.
4:31 We're going to launch from Catapult 4, on the port side of the angled deck.
4:41 We hold for a Grumman F-14 launching from Cat 3.
5:04 We're hooked up to the catapult and go to full power.
6:21 We join on a Grumman KA-6, which unreels its fueling drogue.
8:12 For the next few hours we conduct reconnaissance off the coast of Iran.
8:20 It's a desolate place. Windblown sand creates a thick layer of haze for many miles out to sea.
8:31 The pilot and navigator work together to constantly monitor aircraft systems and position
8:45 The guys in back work their black boxes, scanning for electronic intel from Iranian and Soviet sources.
9:05 The navigator plots high-value positions the old-fashioned way, on an aerial chart.
9:25 A Tomcat slides in for an impromptu photo op...
10:10 It's time to head back to the ship for the recovery cycle.
10:49 When it's our turn to enter the landing pattern, we fly down the starboard side at 800 feet.
11:13 We slow to approach speed and go through the landing checklist on the downwind leg.
12:32 We clear the landing area, and chalk up another safe, successful mission.
23 июл 2024
