Interview with Dave 'BIO' Baranek on the F-14 and TOPGUN

[@grazydine2]

Man I really feel his story. I got nominated to go to the Naval Academy in High School. I started flying at 16, soloed at 17, pilots license at 19. Eyesight was so bad I knew I couldn't fly. But I talked to an f-117 pilot at an air show. Who said give it a shot kid, they might change the requirements. So I went to college and won a Navy Rotc scholarship. Couldn't swim, but I guess they saw I was willing to drown myself. And went to all the swim classes, when others did not, did PT with the Marines. So they awarded me the scholarship anyway. The Tomcat was getting phased out at this time (late 90's). And I saw as an Nfo I'd probably end up in an Orion, or E-2, staring at a radar screen. The Super Hornet was a one seater mostly. And my eyesight 20/200 was not gonna work. Lasik surgery was not accepted until almost 10 years later. Killed my whole dream...

[@oneflops569]

thanks for sharing your killed dreams. sorry to hear that but at least it it was your that and not people around you who killed it - the worst case scenario that I know. there is a saying 'bitterness prevent people from flying'

[@dks13827]

Similar here. So I skydived a lot........ got commercial and helicopter ratings, all for fun. Old now, retired.

[@WillKinton]

This is an incredibly underrated channel. These interviews are absolutely top notch.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers Will!

[@sonnyronin3453]

Pro tip: watch series on flixzone. I've been using it for watching lots of of movies these days.

[@noechase3516]

@Sonny Ronin Yup, been using Flixzone for since december myself =)

[@marbleman52]

I was in a Navy squadron VAQ-33, an ECM squadron based at N.A.S. Norfolk, Va. from 1971-75 . Our squadron was at Miramar for war games when the first operational F-14's flew in. I was a 'plane captain' for our ERA-3B's, and waiting out at the fuel pits, which were right next to the runway, for our ERA-3B's to get back, when those first F-14's came in. It was amazing...those F-14's came in so slow with full forward wings, lightly touched down, and well short of 100 yards turned off the runway...wow...incredible to watch. Our squadron also shared the hangar with Top Gun( the real Top Gun squadron...LOL..).

[@andycap1223]

This man clearly reveals his pedigree as an officer & gentleman. Chaps of this calibre would be an asset to any military. Thank you for putting this interview together. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@hg2560]

The fact you have less than 100k subs is ridiculous. These videos are an amazing insight. Thank you so much

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thanks :). Hopefully we will get there one day.

[@liveaboard1]

Bio . . . I flew the F-8 with VF-211 62-65 . . . my favorite bird was the F11-F. Enjoyed the interview, thank you for the wonderful stories and the smile . . . Tom (Twigs)

[@Aircrewinterview]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Tom!

[@n7565j]

I remember being in flight training and my instructor told me that if you have to think to do something ie:rudder input, it's to late! You have to do it instinctively like you do in a car hitting the brakes in an emergency. It took a while, but I finally understood what he meant ;-) Excellent video sir :-)

[@TakeDeadAim]

You really need to try an interview Capt Dale "Snort" Snodgrass...One of the highest time "Turkey" drivers and after retirement an airshow legend. He also flew many of the public airshow demos during the mid 90's.

[@shannahuffman4655]

Snort passed away

[@patrickflohe7427]

@@shannahuffman4655 Did he crash?

[@shannahuffman4655]

@@patrickflohe7427 in a different plane, yes and passed away

[@patrickflohe7427]

@@shannahuffman4655 Dang, that’s too bad. Very sad.

[@paulprigge1209]

@@patrickflohe7427 Wasn’t that long ago maybe year. They just come out with the crash result s Not good

[@Scoobydcs]

I'm a brit and the tomcat is 1 of my favourite jets ever, it was a beast and it just looked right too lol

[@innercry]

The Cutting Edge is a fantastic book and illustrates the F14 very well. CJ 'Heater' Heatley 3rd was a legend in the F14 community...

[@maxwellheintz2391]

I read “The Cutting Edge”. Phenomenal book. Beautiful photography.

[@davidfoster2613]

Just found this episode with Dave BIO Barek . I love all of this book. The one think I loved when he did the F-14 Tomcast. Love every episode of that podcast. I really wish they could do a Second season of it. I’ve listened to every episode multiple times. Love this episode. Keep it up

[@Thetequilashooter1]

I love the Tomcat. When you look at it head on it’s curved wings make it look absolutely sinister. Such a badass aircraft. After I watched Top Gun as a young kid I wanted nothing more than to be a fighter pilot. Finally got serious about school, studied my ass off, all to get into college and enroll to get an Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering program. A huge drawback with all the studying is that I became near sighted before I even began college. Back then they didn’t allow corrected surgical vision. It absolutely bursted my dreams. I had no other interest other than being a pilot so I didn’t go into ROTC like I had planned. Oh well, such is life. Sometimes it just sucks. Knowing my luck, it’s probably for the best. I was too much of a risk taker, very naive and immature. Probably for the best, as I would most likely have crashed and burned anyway. I have a lot of admiration and respect to all fighter pilots. They’re usually very smart, quick thinkers, in good shape, and they all seem to be very enthusiastic and appreciative to be fortunate to fly multimillion dollar aircraft.

[@AvengerII]

I've read this fellow's book. It's pretty good! There's still plenty of disinformation and crap slung around the Net about the Tomcat and its dogfighting capabilities. If you've seen them perform in airshows -- ESPECIALLY the B and D models -- they were more than capable dogfighters. The F-14 was SUPPOSED to be developed into a true fighter-bomber earlier in its career but that was delayed because of the existing medium (A-6) and short-range designs (A-7, later F/A-18) and the emphasis was more on the interception/dogfight capability. That came back to bite the F-14 production program in the late 1980s when the decision was made to end production just as the improved B- and D-models were coming into the fleet. What was undeniable was that at the time they were operating, they were among the longest-ranged fighters in operation. At least twice the range if not more of of the classic F-18 (A-D models). The Super Hornet never quite lived up to the range requirement and it's still barely more than short-ranged according to the more believable sources I've read. The USN is in a situation right now with the budget and realities of the F-18's performance shortfalls (as well as accepting what is a MARINE Corps design, the F-35) about whether they have the will to fight for a true follow-on to the F-14 or not.

[@Galf506]

A follow on of the Tomcat won't happen. Its role died with the Cold War, the F-35 has the legs and capabilities the Navy needs, the F-18 is a nice plane but it should have been kept alongside the F-14, way too short legged for a real conflict.

[@simmo8490]

Great Interview as always Mike and what a awesome character to have on the channel, great stories! Thanks mate.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers mate!

[@TechGaming45]

The more I watch these F-14 interviews the more I want Heatblur to hurry up with the Tomcat for DCS.................. Great interview By The way.

[@Aircrewinterview]

TechGaming45 Cheers :)

[@TechGaming45]

Aircrew Interview keep them coming.

[@wumbologytm4466]

End of this month hopefully! :P

[@Canadus]

2 more weeks :)

[@gungriffen]

I am too, still waiting.

[@charlescoulson]

Love the last remark about aviators in general. Reminded me of the saying that how do you know your talking to a BA captain???? Don't worry he'll tell you! I was one as well and I got so fed up with people asking daft questions about flying I used to tell them I was a traveller in aluminium tubing. Peace!!!

[@michaelalanpowell]

Bio is badass. Have just finished Topgun Days. Brilliant. Looking forward to his new one...it's on it's way. Great story teller.

[@deantait8326]

I’ve seen you on every ones channel except your channel. Bio the Legend!

[@Cliffjumper24]

A very interesting and enlightening interview.... thank you both for doing that!

[@eicjc]

Been meaning to watch this one for a while but life just got in the way! It was worth the wait though. Bio is such a gent. Great interview. If you are thinking of buying his book, do it, it's a great read - delighted to say I have a signed copy. Keep up the great work.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers mate. I agree, his books are brilliant.

[@mrmoser]

Greate interview Mike! One of the best so far!! Keep on the amazing work!! Cheers,

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers Marcel!

[@thefrecklepuny]

Once again, a very entertaining piece. And a very enthusiastic subject as well!

[@Aircrewinterview]

thefrecklepuny thanks very much.

[@matthewaper3716]

This guys book was really good. Nice to see him on vid!

[@hughesja1975]

Another masterpiece Mike, roll on RIAT 2017 ☺

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thanks very much :) Looks like a great lineup this year.

[@stradastudio]

Excellent interview, Great stories have to get the book now !!

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers! BIO kindly sent me a signed copy after the interview, and I can highly recommend it. Great stories, great photos and a top chap.

[@pescatoralpursuit1726]

I would love to have heard the details of the 1v1 with the F-15

[@TakisDiakoumis]

good work again, i really enjoyed it and a great complement to the book which i read a little while ago. thanks :)

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers Takis.

[@simonhellier7281]

Great channel. Bio mentions the book by “Heater” Heatley - The Cutting Edge which should be on your bookshelf!

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers Simon. I shall keep an eye out for it

[@blakedremin1475]

Hello bio can you please answer this question regarding Top Gun when Goose yells out engine one is out engine two is out the graphics show the rear of the aircraft the right side going out first and then the left don't we count the aircraft engines from left to right so it should have shown the left engine out first and then the right engine out first graphically in the picture thank you very much Blake

[@dandlb]

Yeah, I think when Goose said "engine one is out," he meant "we've lost one of our two engines." They probably wrote it that way to emphasize that there are two engines. In my experience, we did not refer to them as 1 or 2, but Left and Right. So, this is yet another technical inaccuracy of the movie. But I still think it's a great movie: people are still watching it 37 years after it came out!

[@alexanderryan-jones600]

Hey @Aircrew Interview, can you get an interview with Sharkey Ward? Sea Harrier pilot from the Falklands. His book was amazing, very opinionated fellow.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Alexander Ryan-Jones I would be happy to interview him so maybe in the future.

[@thelmaviaduct]

He gets slated by fellow pilots, meant to be a proper bell-end. Would be interesting to see if they're right.

[@Ecthaelyon]

I think this would be the only Aircraft Interview video I would choose not to watch. But it's horses for courses, right? :)

[@AdrenalineJunkieXL]

Just found your channel... It's awesome!!!

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thanks. I hope you enjoy what we have to offer :)

[@stever3832]

Awesome guy, great interview!

[@infotechsailor]

Isn't that thumbnail a Northrop F5 tiger ?

[@jessebrown2916]

Great interview.

[@Aircrewinterview]

Thanks Jesse.

[@JoeJohn777]

I met BIO & RAT back in 1990 in Miramar

[@Aircrewinterview]

BIO is a top bloke.

[@mrdfac]

What a nice, friendly guy. Thoroughly enjoyable interview.

[@michaelalanpowell]

What a legend! What a jet!

[@DJBoysToys]

Was this live or not awesome interview mate :)

[@Aircrewinterview]

It wasn't live, however, we are doing a live Q&A with Dave on 30th July 7 pm UK time. Glad you enjoyed it Declan

[@DJBoysToys]

Right awesome will look forward to seeing it loved the live thing you did with Mark Hasara was great thanks for the awesome videos

[@simonrichardson5077]

Great work,thanks

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers Simon.

[@rogermahajan7586]

F14 my most favorite fighter ever. Greatest fighter!

[@Aircrewinterview]

Roger Mahajan it is indeed!

[@debbies3763]

MR BARANEK, My question is how do you feel about the IRANIANS possening the F-14 in the year 2020,AND do you think this plane is still conciterd a weapon worthy?

[@dandlb]

Interesting question. On the one hand, it's nice that my former aircraft is still being flown "somewhere," but the bigger factor is that it is being flown by a regime that is the sworn enemy of my country, the USA. Is it still a threat? Yes. I'm sure that American and any potential coalition aircrews can handle it because we put a great deal of effort into our training, but they should not ignore it and I don't think they will. I suspect they would love to shoot down a Tomcat. When I was flying, some countries still flew the MiG-17, which was quite old by then. But we didn't ignore it, we trained to defeat it, along with other threats.

[@debbies3763]

@@dandlb thank you for your wisdom.

[@shannahuffman4655]

That is just the coolest

[@michaelwithstand]

He would LOVE flying Heatblur's F-14A and B....

[@bertiesimmonds]

Not heard of Heater?! Jeez...

[@CaterhamMatt]

Nice mug Mike ;)

[@Aircrewinterview]

It was the biggest one I had to hold coffee lol.

[@seinfeld11123]

great channel. my dad was a super hornet pilot. I almost joined. I didnt not because of academics etc. but I got brainwashed by a fucking cult. became a vegan. not just a vegan. But one of those really really full on vegan. ANd because of that my guru told me that I wont be going to the air force or any military. 20 years later I woke up to myself, escaped and restarted my life. Its my biggest regret EVER. So seeing stuff like this I really like it. Just a tip. when you bring up the black title scene screens saying how was life like on the carrier. And then you ask that question verbally. I would have the black title screen, and then just start with his answer.

[@davidboardman7827]

fab

[@Aircrewinterview]

Cheers

[@igorzeitgeist5153]

Hornet? F14 vs f18

[@marilyn3583]

I used to think that a RIO usually just had their head locked into the radar and not many other duties except maybe radio, being an extra pair of eyes, etc. I have seen vids of RIO's pretty much running the show with checklists, weapons, waypoints, fuel, radar and being the worst back seat drivers in the world. I have also always wondered how much flight training a RIO or WSO have had themselves.

[@nickkaning7616]

I owned the book "The cutting edge " as a kid! Inspired me to get my private and instrument rating when I was in high school. BUT THE LIBERAL MEDIA and the NAVY conspired against me! Kelly Mcgillis gained 200lbs and turned lesbian! Then the Navy retires the F-14. Still angry!

[@erictaylor5462]

It takes a lot of guts to put one of those big heavy airplanes on a carrier deck at night in bad weather... But how much more guts are required to be the guy in the back, who has no control at all?

[@FromGamingwithLove0456]

5 MiG 28 pilots did not like this video.

[@CristianValenzuela2155]

4 MiG-28 pilots were here

[@fridain]

Wished for less Top Gun movie questions. Otherwise great stuff.

[@Luki82]

Baranek...means Lamb in Polish

[@erictaylor5462]

56:10 You know what happened. Someone said, "We don't need no stinking Badgers."

See this is why we where all kringing in the US about Phil getting so high and mighty about bring out hawk trainers from there adversary unit like they where the first guys to do it. Also you guys really are asking for hate mail shit talking the scooter! Probably is a more comfortable ride in the back of a f-5 but A-4's maneuverability made it the best dog fighter especially slow and turning hard. You guys need to get a good driver to talk like these guys did kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4vbmGuemNOJjbs this guy "rabies" is like the last top dog for the f14 program as they turned it into the bomb cat and retired it.

[@wvzepplin1509]

BIO looks like an older version of Kevin Harvick

[@joemd7775]

Neither rehashed versions of the F-18 or F-14 are true 5th generation assets. One is VG, which has a very large RCS; the other has modern avionics but lacks range. The Navy needs new fresh designs. Those from the 1970's are obsolete. Why do you think the USAF has few F-15C squadrons remaining? The jet is old (tail numbers from FY 86 and older) and has a large RCS, its ability to survive in modern AD is questionable.

[@joemd7775]

Sure I bet it does. Tomcat fanboys will never just give it up. Why doesn't the F-22 or F-35 have? Or any other jet in the past 40 years? Do you actually think the Tomcat's or Eagle's giant VG intakes are good for stealth? Both F-15 and F-14 designs are outdated. Stop trying to live vicariously with Tom Cruise.

[@joemd7775]

It should say "Why doesn't the F-22 or F-35 have VG wings?"

[@joemd7775]

Stealth is a useless concept? Gee, what was the only jet that went to downtown Baghdad the night of Desert Storm? The F-117. F-15, F-14, F-18, F-16, F-111 were not put in high ADZ, what was the reasoning? The teen series were great in the 1970's-1990's, but their days are over. Even China and the Russians are developing low observable jets. Although, I do agree with you the F-14D did have a good IRST and TVSU.

[@LRRPFco52]

F-35C has a lot of legs, and the F-35A has more legs than most 4th Gen birds. F-35C has a longer combat radius than the F-14 with 2 tanks.

[@junuvojam8453]

I think the F14s intakes are better for stealth than the F35, because the F35 is a hanger bird and the F14 will be in the air, although I suppose by that criteria a Cesna is a better fighter plane than the F35, and heck, maybe it is... Point is F35 and F22 aren't the soloution, just as much as Cesnas or F18s and F14s aren't, new planes are needed, the F14 went from table to IOC in a 4 year period, the F35 has been in development since about the late 80s early 90s, it's too outdated and old to be relevant anymore. A new series of fighter planes with a 4 year table to IOC is needed.

[@tvbox6955]

You need to direct the interviews more and edit to get less rambling on uninteresting details and get better insights. ...cannot just sit back and let them ramble on.

[@thehangardeckpodcast6806]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/n57Zao1-adB5r5o

[@Scoobydcs]

goose was only 23? holy shit i thought he was 35+ lol

[@Nghilifa]

He was a Lieutenant jg, there are no Ltjg´s who are flight officers or aviators at 35+ years of age, hehe.

[@igorzeitgeist5153]

F 14 the boss or f15

[@wvzepplin1509]

F-15

[@leighphillips7421]

You can’t be a pilot while wearing glasses? Why is that?

[@mikepodella]

Baranek seems like a nice guy, but it has to be somewhat soul-crushing to be retired and have to live in the past like the high school jocks who spend the remainder of their life reliving their glory days when they peaked in high school. It's so sad to listen to these guys retelling the same stories over-and-over-and-over from their HS days. Baranek is full of stories, but they are all obsolete now. All the F-14s have been destroyed - not put in storage at Davis-Monthan, but destroyed per treaty. All that is left is the retelling of stories of the past, and the F-14 was never in a real war (well, they did serve as bomb trucks during the Gulf wars) so the stories are at best mildly interesting - more interesting to the storyteller than to the listener mostly. Instead of rehashing his personal history in three books (although the first one about how the movie was made is at least of more general interest), i think it would be more useful for him to put his knowledge base (most of which is now obsolete with the destruction of all F-14s outside of the Iranian air force) to writing period fiction. Perhaps something along the lines of Tom Clancy writing fiction set in the Cold War era where he can put some of his long training to use laying out how various wartime or other combat scenarios might have played out if the dice had rolled differently - like carrier attacks on the Soviet bastions or in support of Reforger convoys in the Atlantic targeted by Soviet attack subs. Hearing old "non-war" stories over and over is probably only of interest to a limited audience - generally one's own old cronies and some voyeurs. However, the same thing that made Top Gun a successful movie - interesting fictional storylines embellished with some realism based on training and experience would be of more general interest. In sum, less "there I was" glory days reliving and more "imagine if this had happened, here's how it might have been like" both from the backseater's perspective and from the overall situation perspective a la Clancy-style.

[@AvengerII]

Are you 10, Mike, because that's what you sound like... A 10-year-old pissing all over the guy who owned a 1960s Mustang. And FYI, NOT all the F-14s were destroyed. There were around 100 preserved in museums around the US and at least one preserved at a aircraft museum in the UK. The USN still has RIOs so your point about Dave Baranek's knowledge not being useful is utter bullshit I'm happy to say. The mentality you express is what gets us into trouble in new wars when the mission planners and trainers forget the old tactics and training that have worked again and again in the past. It's utterly stupid to place complete faith in technology, especially newer, unproven technology. That attitude got the US military into a lot of trouble in Vietnam and before that Korea and World War II. The F-14 community had enough clout and somebody at NavAIR listened because almost half the Super Hornets built were two-seaters. They have a bunch of F-18F squadrons in service specifically because they value the second seater as the RIO/bombadier/navigator. There are too many instances where that second man has proven invaluable in reducing the pilot's workload and having a second seater has saved planes in any number of circumstances. The Tomcats that were SUPPOSED to be preserved at AMARC were destroyed because of politics (there's been a LOT bandied about online about Dick Cheney and his connection to McDonnell Douglas and favoritism on projects) NOT because the planes were obsolete. Those airframes had possibilities for being rehabbed and updated with the latest avionics and engines but they weren't. There have been planes preserved in the desert LONGER than those F-14s were that were reactivated for use by the US military or resold used to other countries so the issue was never the planes being "too worn" to be reused. Uh-uh. The "official story" is that the planes were destroyed to keep the Iranians from getting their hands on spare parts for their F-14s which is total B.S. I'm sorry but the Iranians can barely keep 10 of their planes together (of ANY kind) flying at any one time -- and that's with the black market AND their reverse engineering! The F-14s at AMARC were destroyed to keep them from EVER being reused by the USN... Somebody in the government WANTED the Navy to be forced to buy new planes but they were never going to be GRUMMAN planes after 1994! The reality is that Grumman Aerospace lost the political battle in Congress to McDonnell Douglas in the 1980s. There were problems with the F-14 but they were all fixable with the right technology, money, and politicial will. They NEVER had all those factors in place at one time so the F-14 became the redheaded stepchild while the newer kid on the block (the F-18) was talked up as the ultimate answer to the Navy's prayers all the while ignoring all the problems THAT design had! (That situation ultimately didn't help McD much, either... They lost contract after contract for follow-on planes like the A-12 and their civilian airliner business dried up. The F-15 was never a huge export success and even the F-18 had limited export appeal. They eventually merged with Boeing in the mid-1990s. That was only shortly after Grumman merged with Northrop in 1994.) The problem with the F-18 was that it was a compromised design from the start. It had significant drag and range issues stemming from the original YF-17 design (which is partly why that plane lost out to the F-16) that only got worse when the plane was redesigned for carrier use. It was reliable from an engine and overall maintenance standpoint BUT it was slower and had less range than most of its American contemporaries and even its immediate predecessor (F-4)! They're (F-18s) wonderful planes to watch fly overhead but the fact is they have to refuel more often and can't carry a weapons load as far as the A-6, the A-7, the F-4, or the F-14. That became very evident when they flew Navy planes over the Persian Gulf and Yugoslavia in the 1990s and early 2000s. What was the Navy plane that became the star of ground support and the go-to vehicle for BDA in the front theater? The F-14! It was incredibly adaptable and long-ranged but those qualities were only appreciated in the last decade of service when it was well past the production shutdown. The problem with reviving production isn't that they can't build the planes new. The issue is the subcontractors. Some of those companies were set up to supply specific parts for one program and when that weapons program is shut down, that's it for the supply of those parts that subcontractor built. That's what make program restarts expensive.

[@AvengerII]

Mike, The Tomcat argument is secondary to what you did. You INSULTED a retired serviceman in your comments whether you realize that or not. He gave 20 years of his life in service to his country. Secondly, you insulted his work experience by stating explicitly that it was worth nothing in the present-day. YOU SAID THAT. You want to spin it and make it sound otherwise, go head, but 100 other people have probably read your words since yesterday so they know what you said! That was extremely ignorant writing and completely false given what happened with the F-18 Super Hornet situation. The US Navy bought almost half those planes set up as two-seaters specifically to maintain continuity between two-men teams. RIOs are still around in the US Navy! The RIO's have been extremely beneficial for naval aviation since the F-4 days and you don't throw away the knowledge and two-men teams unless you're a complete moron. I'm done with this. Not gonna argue with you anymore because you don't know what you're talking about.

[@spins321]

You're comment seems a bit odd. The reason you may hear the same stories from this man is that he's asked to tell them. He's written a book that he has done and continues to do press for. He is invited to speaking engagements for various subjects, and also to talk about his experiences. People attend these functions. Hell, I even bought his book in Ithaca, NY, while I was doing a job out there, and then just happened to run into him at a museum near my home the following weekend and asked him to sign my copy (I had to go home and get the book). We chatted about fighter tactics, energy management, some of the changes over the years in tactics, and it was a really fun one on one discussion. It was also insightful to hear about how they developed their train His path to being able to obtain that particular job is still valid to this day. I also believe his civilian job relies on his experience as a RIO, as it also has many other people who had flown that generation of aircraft, including WSO's and BN's. I can understand why YOU may be totally disinterested by what he has to say. Why do you presume that few others actually do?

[@retrocny5625]

Who are you to say what is or isn't interesting? Jesus you're cringe as hell and you sound like a sanctimonious prick that no one wants to be around. It's actually embarrassing some of this drivel.

[@TheJustUsLeague]

If you didnt like the stories, find another channel. Seems like you would have been more interested in hearing how the Soviet Union was born and how The Hunt For Red October got filmed. Last time I checked there were no F-14 Tomcat pilots still in high school. Regardless if you feel his stories were obsolete there are tons of DCS F-14 Tomcat drivers interested in hearing his "stories". Also his Ace Combat Experience channel with CRASH is even more interesting than this interview. I'm sure he doesnt need you of all people to feel sad for him, the checks he's getting far outweigh yours.

[@phillipneal9289]

Awesome interview