F/A-18 Low and Fast through the Sierra Nevadas

[@SmithandWessonBlazer]

As a PCT hiker from Mexico to Canada thank y'all for buzzing me in the socal desert, the Sierras, and Washington state! I swear the one in the desert was only 100 feet above the ridge I was on. Caught me off guard but it was a great experience!

[@Emperorvalse]

I loved this video. I found it interesting how "busy" you are looking around and not just fixated on the path ahead. It really was educational for me when I will go try it in DCS so not to just see the small cone ahead. Also how close were you on that final ridge!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Ridgeline crossings are allowed to be slightly lower than the usual minimum altitude.

[@RjiSales]

​@@FighterPilotPodcastiu😊😅I ou77uu5😅o4uii4

[@Captndarty]

That’s exactly how I look when I’m riding my motorcycle at faster than legal speeds🤣

[@justaskmeiknow5584]

@@FighterPilotPodcast let me translate... below the minimum minimums

[@AaronOxfordExmouth1989]

Absolutely stunning. Something I'd always dreamed of doing but never made it. Still, my love for aviation has never left and from this podcast, I get the next best thing. Brilliant.

[@mickb474]

Absolutely fantastic! and no annoying “music” the thrill must be immense! Such skill 👍🏻

[@laketanner99]

I backpacked the PCT last summer and always enjoyed the frequent howls from fighters overhead. Was even lucky enough to have been on a ridge line as an F-35 and F-18 performed an inverted dive right over my head.

[@rays_n]

Year late but being on pct and seeing that is just pure badassery

[@kaba4466]

Thank you always for incredible videos like this! Aviation really is one of the great joys of life.

[@guillermodelcastillo2548]

Nice vid....brings back memories. And no annoying music!

[@markcoveryourassets]

No camera shutters either!

[@nickbayer7847]

The terrain/views is all music needed🤜🤛

[@scottharris5714]

That is awesome! It surprised me with how much situational awareness you really have to have as you navigate that type of terrain - continuously scanning in front and especially side to side. I felt as if I was right with you. Thanks for sharing! Fly NAVY!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

💪

[@Jonsoar]

When one sits at a desk job almost every day and you watch this you realize how fortunate and hard these people work to get to do these things. One of my fav podcasts. Thanks for the content!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

You're welcome! I was truly blessed to be able to do this.

[@Ryanboy2020]

I would be smiling from ear to ear if I was in that cockpit. I sure would love to have been on a hiking trail that day with a camera!!

[@JRGTEXUS]

It's not uncommon to see these guys fly up the Kern and back, amazing site to behold.

[@SkarnDeBrax]

It's really nice to watch, and also to see how much you have to scan everywhere

[@dremwolf5419]

As a former F-111A Dedicated Crew Chief it never gets old seeing jets doing low level sorties.

[@danf4447]

the vark?? underrated airplane .

[@mikebridges20]

Three observations: 1. That scenery is gorgeous. 2: Got that scan REALLY going! 3. HOLY SMOKES that's fast! Thanks for sharing!

[@thatswhatshesaid4246]

One of the best videos I have ever seen on KZbin. Thanks for the video Hiking in Montana when I was in high school and a pair of F-16's came through the mountains doing the same thing and very, very close to the sides.

[@danhirtle7825]

45 years ago I was skiing at China Peak and while riding up the triple chair to the top an A7 from Lemoore NAS screamed in low over the trees and went vertical right off the summit. The guys with me on the chair laughed and said "he's got to get in and get out of sight fast so nobody can ID the plane and complain about it..." They were squadron mates with the pilot. What a job!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

😝

[@gryhze]

I'm old enough to remember F4 Phantoms flying low and through remote canyons in Sequoia National Park. Thanks for this perspective.

[@fyremanbill]

And regularly breaking the sound barrier!

[@Mentaculus42]

@@fyremanbill And I am old enough to have experienced “breaking the speed of sound” in that area (1960’s).

[@igatago9166]

So much info being absorbed. Head ona swivel. Sweet video.

[@3MinutesofAviation]

Awesome perspective! May I feature a part of this video in one of my next episodes? Of course with a link back to your original video. Cheers!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Yes.

[@EveryoneIsFightingSomeBattle]

Awesome video Jell-O! That was fun to watch!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

🙏

[@harryfox8028]

Here are my guesses for the route: At about 1:10, that looks like Tower Peak in the background over the pilot’s left shoulder, which would mean the initial run was northbound up Stubblefield Canyon. Then at the end he goes inverted over Ski Lake and Leavitt Lake, near Sonora Pass. Of course, there is a lot of similar terrain in the Sierra Nevada, so I could be off by 10 miles or 100 miles.

[@Planehype]

great video! do mind if i use it in one of my compliations? i will link your video in it ❤

[@TheModelGuy]

Bet your 757 passengers would enjoy that route too!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Some might, but the company would surely not.

[@dsmallen]

I've seen this back packing a couple of times over the years myself. A-7, F-4, years ago, and recently flight of 2 F-18 over the Bridgeport area in loose trail.. Love it.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

One of our low levels starts right there on the Bridgeport reservoir dam.

[@danielhahn2897]

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing. Very interesting to see how visually aware he was. And this is why we need two seaters.

[@Mentaculus42]

If you liked this then you have to see his video of the “Sidewinder Low Level” ending at Jedi Transition. The highlight is the F-18 threading between the “Needles” on a knife edge.

[@graphguy]

This was fantastic seeing my home area from this perspective.

[@gpaull2]

Living my dream…thank you for taking me along! 😎

[@AlbaAdventures]

That is some beautiful terrain. Missed my calling as I always say. Great interview with Chopper by the way.

[@ThomasGabrielsen]

Nice! The landscape looks almost exactly like the mountains of Norway.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

I'd like to fly through those!

[@mace41canuck]

Birds and deer come at you fast with those speeds.

[@rostamr4096]

Awesome to watch...I guess that considered terrain masking and with a pop-up at the end...

[@beingaware8542]

Nice! I rock climb in the Needles a lot and you guys go screaming by. The old burned up ranger fire lookout iron is still on top Voodoo spire. Fun to see you coming up low and lifting up over the spires. Do you have time to spot climbers? Probably not.

[@racecargeorge]

When we go camping at Kern River its such a treat to see these guys screaming over the valley for about 4 seconds or so

[@D5Pasadena]

Great one, Jell-O! Nice to see you in your iconic yellow visor over this majestic landscape.

[@txgho634]

Clean rails LH SW on wing tip looks to rattle some. No wingman visible. Awesome vid.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

No wingman present.

[@2whl4re]

If altitude is your friend, this could be called 'zero mistakes high'.

[@KMondy]

I love the scanning technique.

[@wayneschenk5512]

Nicely done in an f18 I’ve liked my civilian low level flying.

[@MetaliCanuck]

That's pretty slick. The Hornet was always a dream to fly low altitude, handled like a Corvette.

[@billcrowell6911]

I saw two fighter jets "threading the needle" through the Wassuk range west of Walker Lake last year and was awe struck! And I thought I was fast in a race car! 😂

[@geemanbmw]

This was FREAKIN AWESOME 🔥🔥🔥

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

💪

[@thecatdaddy1974]

For some reason I can here the ghost of Goose yelling " Watch the Mountains" lol

[@beachboy0910]

Great footage Jello. Thank you!

[@MustangPilot1]

Wow, keep bringing it! Beautiful!

[@Jimmy-lk1dh]

The sky is your….thank you for your service. God speed

[@cs0986]

1:42 I think he saw a nice spot to come back to to do some fishing!

[@Lionheart1157]

Love it! Excellent tutorial on scanning; duly noted.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

😎

[@ReclusiveMountainMan]

Love the Sierra Nevadas

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Likewise. If I ever disappear, start your search there.

[@tommynikon2283]

HOLY F!!!!! Look at the SA (situational awareness) LOOK at the....head on a pivot; all axis. Total BAD-ass.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

😎

[@schmerkampfmunde]

Awesome footage! Showcasing full-on SA and airmanship.

[@maxjpind]

So friggin cool!

[@LTTUSA]

Head on a swivel 👍 I could watch it all day ! More Please !!

[@Prifly70]

Everytime I try giving DCS a break you post a cool video like this, and I gotta go back. Enabling my addiction to F/A-18's Sir.

[@JRGTEXUS]

I could spend a lifetime exploring the Sierra mountain range and never experience what you have in one flight, btw Thanks for you service!

[@captq4]

"Head on a swivel" I'm impressed.

[@ryanverplank8212]

Your office is much nicer than mine. Good days work!

[@petertarantelli]

Going inverted at the end was the best part…thanks Jell-O!

[@matauboy]

You know he's flying low when he keeps looking up to see what direction to take😮

[@AAL245]

Hey Jello. Thanks for sharing. Fantastic. Love your podcast and everything you do. What general area of the sierras was this? Looks awesome for some hiking backpacking with meadows and lakes. At least us earhtbound can do the route at 0 ft agl and 1knot. 😂

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Well thanks for the kind words but if you knew me better (or spoke with my wife), trust me, you would not love "everything" I do.

[@justinmills4566]

It’s also not the sierras. It’s part of the low level route out of Fallon.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@justinmills4566 Nope, Sierra's. I was there.

[@AAL245]

@@FighterPilotPodcast ‘I was there’ response made my evening.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@AAL245 😎

[@JeremyD986]

Only an aviation fan. Not a pilot. Legacy Hornets were always so cool to me. Everyone loves to Tomcat or the Eagle. But even when I was young the Hornet felt like it quietly lead the way ahead for future fighters. It has such a unique and fascinating past from the Northrop series of designs to now the super hornet. I hope someday you can create a podcast on that airplane “Tale of the Hornet” like the F-14 Tomcast.

[@nickr5658]

Incredible video! Wow! Very well done! What’s the reason for going upside down over the ridges? Are you on an MTR? I fly the cascade range frequently and the growlers from whidby NAS do low low level there too.

[@OhMySack]

Pushing positive G's when terrain following is no bueno. Aircraft are typically rated for far less positive G than negative. Plus, all the dirt, napkins, and cigarette butts in the cockpit end up in your lap and face after a positive G manuever. Some of those areas in the Sierra are MOA's and might have MTR's leading to and from but if memory serves, there aren't any MTR's in the Sierra proper. Admittedly, I'd have to check my charts to be absolutely certain.

[@chris99997]

@@OhMySack Switch "positive" with "negative" and everything you said would be correct, except for the part about napkins and cigarette butts.

[@gustavoheberle6265]

This is what a call scanning the sky ! 😊

[@thomasfortnerconductor]

Featuring Jello sightseeing. Looking to purchase some acreage in the area? 😂Good stuff, thanks for posting! 1:26

[@mickyday2008]

Awesome footage

[@xenaandzenafromsanbernadin3807]

Very cool. Does anyone recognize which training route it is? It's fun to 'fly' these in VR in MSFS.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

This was a create-your-own-adventure session.

[@extendedclips]

@@FighterPilotPodcast😁🫡

[@gregory.chalenko]

How much planning and improvising did it involve? Did you plot the entire route on the chart in advance?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@gregory.chalenko nope.

[@willj487]

Head on a swivel, guy never stops looking

[@joevaccaro6655]

That’s awesome 💯 only thing it’s missing are the cameras in the valleys

[@dougstitt1652]

Nice scan sir

[@GaryBrandt-f7l]

WOW! What a beautiful view. Fly Navy! ⚓✈️⚓

[@micksand4704]

Great video Jell-o! Question: what is the thing on the left wingtip? Looks more like an instrument then a weapon. Jets often fly with those on either wingtip.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Correct: an instrumentation pod.

[@grantyoung3076]

I'm going nuts trying to figure out where that is on Google Earth. Any hints? Are you between Midway Mountain and Mount Whitney? Thank you!

[@robmiles233]

The master at work.

[@pogo1140]

Remember when they said that low level flying was a thing of the past, that all attack missions were going to be above 15,000ft.? Well, looks like flying below 500ft at 450-600knts is back.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

It's more visually stunning.

[@flightmode254]

Absolutely love your plane capture! Would you mind if I feature it in my project? I'll credit your original footage with a link. Thanks a bunch!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

What's the project? (You can email the show if preferred.)

[@fenny1578]

Near-The-Floor-able. Good shit chief.

[@ShrikerN955MG]

How old is this video? I noticed that the aircraft is a legacy hornet

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

2014-ish

[@MikeL-js4ou]

Awesome video! Is there a method to your scan? In other words is there a pattern you follow?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Not really, I just look around.

[@fightingillini1717]

Incredible video. Two questions. 1. Was it fun? 2. Whats the green helmet cover?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

1. Hell yes. 2. Something they do at NSAWC (now NAWDC).

[@Geesum44]

Driver , your head really is on Swivel huh ?

[@luckyirvin]

fast as hell smooth sweet fast

[@AviationVault]

Hey, Great video! May I feature a part of this video in one of my next episodes? Of course with a link back to your original video. Cheers!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Please email the show and we can discuss.

[@LostAnFound]

For those of you who don't know, this is what expert scanning looks like

[@Wiseman__]

With my glasses and ADHD I'll more than likely never be allowed to be a pilot. Project Wingman in VR is probably the closest I'll ever get. Would be cool to be a passenger though if allowed.

[@torreyintahoe]

It's just called the Sierra Nevada. Awesome footage. Flying out of Fallon?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

It cannot be plural?

[@torreyintahoe]

@@FighterPilotPodcast No It's a single range. Try it. You'll like it.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

@@torreyintahoe I changed the video title just for you.

[@torreyintahoe]

@@FighterPilotPodcast Thanks. I’ll sleep better.

[@techdaemn]

So what are you constantly scanning for out to the sides?

[@Arkaine_]

Oh wow. Is this recent ? I thought you've had the last ever flight on the Hornet many many many moons ago.

[@craigwolflajr9720]

This has always been a bucket list for me. Just one time in my life id love to experience this. At 51 im too old to join and learn to fly. But man, THIS would be like a slice of heaven!!!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

It was a lot of fun, no doubt.

[@Nghilifa]

You're not too old to learn to fly though! Might not be high performance jets, but you're definitely not too old to enjoy piloting an aircraft all by yourself :D

[@briggsy1382]

Great to watch. Cool to see wings flexing.

[@RCAvhstape]

"Sierra Nevadas" sure it is. We all know it's actually the mountains of Bad-guy-istan and somewhere just off camera is Rooster on your wing.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

🤣

[@jackl9658]

Do east coast squadrons go out to California to do this stuff too? Or do they do it elsewhere

[@J_JetClips]

Hey Jello super cool vid. I was wondering, why do did some Legacy Hornets have JHMCS and some not? Did it have to do with the type of mission flown?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Partly that and pilot preference. I never had the JHMCS but could have been wearing it on this hop were I so equipped.

[@J_JetClips]

@@FighterPilotPodcast thank you for the response! Love the channel 👍( I'm a DCS Hornet nerd haha)

[@markcoveryourassets]

Great recon for next camping trip. Was he counting black bears?

[@Seattle_Daniel]

Does the F/A-18 have a GCAS and did you have to turn it off? Very cool footage

[@bbb-k6v]

Nice office !

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

With a nice view!

[@toobasaurus23]

"Watch the mountains!".. - Goose

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

😎

[@jackjetpilot]

Looks similar to your day-to-day Delta time in the air.

[@BrianRhodes9763]

Great video Jell-o, That looks like it was close to my home. How close to Reno, Tahoe, Carson City was that?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Just southwest

[@romagnolo]

Wait, is that the Top Gun Maverick valley run? 😅

[@dgax65]

Fantastic video. Show your video at an Imax theater and I'd choose that over Top Gun any day.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

😎

[@NatedoGP]

So cool!