S-3B Viking | with Brian "Sunshine" Sinclair *PART 1* 

I'm a retired S-3B enlisted aircrewman. He seemed to forget to mention that the 4th crewmember was the SENSO (Sensor Operator). Our job was the acoustic (Sonar) and nonacoustic (Radar/ESM/FLIR/MAD). We did the work in detecting the bad guys and was as vital as any other crewmember.

So much about the s-3 is missed here. I get it, he became a pilot in the twilight of the planes career when all it really did was pass gas. But as a former crew member, I can attest to that plane being able to shoot a harpoon, mine a harbor, drop bombs, flares, chaff etc. On top of flying sub-hunting missions, ECM missions, SSC or radar missions, plus, yeah, the gas passing too. Very versatile aircraft when you consider the full crew, and their contributions to each mission

I'm really impressed by Sunshine's attitudes. He's very thoughtful & respectful to the interviewer and the audiences. His stories were very astounding and the way he delivered them was smooth & interesting. A fine real life example of An Officer & Gentleman.

Sunshine is such nice guy! Every time he is on an interview/podcast there is a nice atmosphere and flow of information. Looking forward to part 2!

I was an AW in VS-37, I loved flying in the S-3A and S-3B. War Hover!

Excellent interview as always. Really nice guy....he is a Naval Aviator after all! Loved hearing about the Viking. The S-3 has always been neglected and was a superb carrier aircraft. Prematurely retired.

Always thought the S-3 never got enough attention.

Man how do these not get more views they are so cool you can really learn the information these guys give anywhere else

What a nice guy. His joy give me smile, his nickname really suits him perfectly !!! Jell-o are right, it's and handsome guy. Really nice thanks for sharing

Hey Brian, good interview. I was in VS-29 fr '91-94, nice you were in the community.

I can listen to this guys stories all day.😁👍🏼

Great interview and will say the S-3 always been an attractive aircraft

I wish I could purchase one of these for personal use! Always loved this aircraft.

I had an Airfix Viking back in the day. I still love the way it looks, well proportioned like a fun easy flyer with plenty power. Sounds like I was right Brian!

Another fantastic interview sir!!! I am so grateful that there are so many aviators who are willing to sit down with you and recount their stories for us!!! My uncle was a Major in the Army during WWII and he commanded artillery in Germany. He once told me of flying once with his recon officer (he flew the Piper Cub as a spotter), as they were headed to the plane the pilot grabbed the lid off the cook stove to sit on and told my uncle to do the same, he asked why... "the cloth skin on this a/c in NOT bullet proof, and you don't want to get shot there!!!" He promptly grabbed one and off they went, they landed on the crest of a hill overlooking a city that they would soon overtake, on the roll out the wing strut struck a stump and bent it pulling the wing down... the pilot grabbed a large stick, told my uncle to lift the wing while he beat on the strut to straighten it out ... It worked and once on the ground he said he didn't care if he EVER flew again!!! ;-) This very pilot was credited with the only take down of another a/c with a pistol... He used his sidearm (45cal I believe) to knock down a German spotter plane! Wish digital cameras were around when he was still alive, would love to have gotten some of his stories and made them available like you are doing... Really enjoy your channel sir, thank you!!!

Sunshine brightened my day! Love the looks of the S3, always did! Cool pilot, great interview!

I would pay money to watch an S-3 and an A-6 have a dogfight. Must be fun and funny as hell

Great interview. I was an AO in VF-102 Diamondbacks onboard the USS America (CV-66) back in the early 1990’s. During Desert Storm, the S-3 squadron onboard, VS-32 Maulers, was returning from a mission.. They had expended their ordnance when they encountered an Iraqi gun boat. Not wanting an opportunity to be passed over, they dropped a Buddy Store (fuel tank used for refueling other aircraft) on the gun boat and sunk it. Among the silhouettes of the radar dishes they had taken out was a boat with a buddy store overtop of it. Really great aircraft, very capable for many missions.

What a great guy. Love the fighter pilot podcast too.

One of the best yet, and they all are really good.

Thanks for this upload 😀

Didn't think this video would be as interesting as it turned out to be. Great job, guys....and thanks for your service, Sunshine!

Another great interview..thanks to both and looking forward to part 2. Very entertaining !!

I used to work on S-3A, that model had a FLIR, we called in R2D2, he didn't mention that infrared sensor. Not sure if S-3B had one or not. We used to call it a War-pig. Easy to work on and maintain.

What a great guy, will watch this one again and again, the little S3 is a favourite of mine !

Really enjoyed this. Mr. Sinclair makes for a pleasant and informative guest. Well done gentlemen.

What a Legend.

Wow what a lovely gentleman. Brilliant insight, thank you both

Great stories Sunshine!

Another retired S-3 SENSO here. He mentions he gets to S-3’s in ‘98. By then, the ASW gear and the AW was removed… the beginning of the end of the Viking.

1998 may not have had google but you could still look stuff up on the internet.

Great plane, Brian seems like a great regular guy that had full flying. Not a bad job.👍🏻

May not have been as glam, but there is something beasty about the Viking

HOOOVER ! The finest airline training aircraft in the US Navy. ;-)

During operation Iraqi Freedom the S3's on the Kitty Hawk actually carried cluster bombs just in case some shit went down

Old VS-30 (Diamondcutter) Aircrew here, squadron decommissioned 2005

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Talk more about the S-3A.

What a smashing guy. Takes your mind off all the bs going on

We used to say that the Navy got rid of the Enlisted Sensor Operator (SENSO) because we made the zeroes look bad.

The Goshawk is now grounded (all of them here in the States) because the Compressor blades are cracking

Is it possible to interview active pilots in training? Would be interesting to get their fresh view on things flying trainers.

I was stationed in San Diego for 6 years and then stayed after I got out. It's gorgeous out here but a little expensive to live

All the stuff in the background has me whigging....is that a S-3 or F/A-18 stick??? Seems like officers get to keep their helmets too, my dad was enlisted AC and always had to turn his flight gear in when he went to another squadron.

Who said Sunliner??!! Sunshine was such a nice guy - well deserving of his call sign.

Remember that time you tracked a submarine without the enlisted Aviation Antisubmarine Warfare Operator in the back left seat? Yeah...me neither. The SENSO was 25% of the crew and accounted for 90% of the mission ability.

Sunshine was such a mean person. He used to bully and beat me up every day. He’s not really the nice person people think he is! (Hi Brian, Squirrel)

I would like to hear story from Tu-95 flight crews

Need part 2 please

Where are you aboard the USS America CV 66 from 89 to 1993?

S3 woulda been a lot faster with the wipers in the up position!

Ever since I started playing Fleet Command and Dangerous Waters, I've gotten more and more uncomfortable with the absence of the S-3's replacement. China's nuclear subs are getting better all the time, and we now only have Maritime patrol bombers (P-3 Orion) and Helicopters to hunt them. Hunter-killer submarines have to be pre-positioned in order to protect a carrier group. And now that China has an ELF antenna and ours is retired, they can get coordinates to loiter from below comms depth while we have to come to dangerous, shallow depths to listen. We don't really have a high-endurance, long range, carrier-based submarine hunter. And unless someone's gonna put a sonobuoy processor, magnetic boom and torpedo pylons on a Hornet, we will need a new design, with more different parts and more trouble all around. I don't like it.

11:20 I don't know what blue water ops actually means. I feel like a peasant now...

I was.

There is an s3 that is the only aircraft to have ever been called navy 1.

7:20

brown shoe dudes

I always wonder what the disappointment is like when you want to fly fighters and then your assigned to a garbage truck.

agreed ( timmholl9238 ) aw2 SENSO 77-81 Indy TSC. where would be without us doing a hard reint . :)