Naval Aviation: Carrier Ops, Combat, & Ejection

F-18 fighter pilot LCDR Roderick "Hot Rod" Kurtz, USN (ret) shares his experiences with carrier operations, combat missions, and ejection. Produced by Jarel & Betty Wheaton for Peninsula Seniors www.pvseniors.org

[@DrMackSplackem]

I'm not quite a senior yet but damn if I don't love this channel.

[@DrRich-mw4hu]

As a former US Navy Rescue Swimmer, I thank you Sir, for your honest and candid feedback. Nice to know the training I went through helped such a positive person.👍👍

[@allandavis8201]

I am a disabled military veteran in the United Kingdom, and like this group , PeninsulaSrsVideos, we have a group in my residential area, mostly retired older people with either a military or engineering background, but with others who just have an interest in “big boys toys, they people who run the group have called it “Planes, trains and Zimmer frames” an excellent name in my humble opinion. Thanks for sharing this excellent lecture, learned a bit more of the history surrounding recent conflicts and events, things that aren’t usually found in the media or the history books 📖, thanks again and keep up the good work. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@hannesjonasson3550]

Fun fact: His wingman and roommate "Guido" a.k.a Ryan Bernacchi was the 2016-17 commander/boss of the Blue Angels.

[@IrishManJT]

Very impressive - especially the footage of the landing in the goo.

[@Thomrigg]

I spent time on a carrier and the professionalism of every naval aviator I was acquainted with always amazed me. Even in a crisis they are professional.

[@mxcollin95]

Great talk! Have another 25 years to retirement but love this channel. 👍

[@elroinoronha433]

Love the positivity in the ejection story

[@xdiver01]

Man, That approach 31:04 is kind scary... Congrats!

[@simflier8298]

Awesome story! Totally amazing! Thank you for the risks you've taken defending our freedoms, Sir!

[@12gauge1oz]

Very candid presentation. Thank you for your service Sir!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yeah, L39! Love that plane. Slick plane, really slick plane.

[@masskilla469]

Great awesome story!! This shows how the Training will get you through what seems to be impossible!! Thank You for your service Roderick "Hot Rod" Kurtz Thank You PeninsulaSrsVideos for another amazing Video!!

[@andrewlavey6992]

Good presentation and honesty, Rod.

[@Thomasbahl]

So humble and nice pilot.. And those stories:-)

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Amazing story about the gas.

[@MongooseTacticool]

Great story, thanks :)

[@56hueycobra]

GREAT STORY & Murphy's Law: Anything That Can GO Wrong Will GO Wrong!!!

[@granskare]

The Finns use the F/A 18 jet. My classmate is Darrell Edson who flew off the Orskany over Viet Nam. And our current prez was a draft dodger for that war.

[@panchonuts7059]

"Combat Missions" ..... F18 pilots that flew in Desert Storm just laughed their ass off when they heard that.

[@chriso5662]

Well told story

[@bobsbarnacle]

Bravo Zulu, "Hot Rod"!

[@TeufelHunden55]

OOOrah

[@AvengerII]

Is it really proper to call the YF-17 the "F-18 prototype?" They're really two very divergent designs. If you know NOTHING about the process of adapting a land-based design for carrier use then, yeah, I can see why you would THINK it might be the "F-18 prototype" but it really isn't. "F-18 predecessor" is a better term for the YF-17 than "F-18 prototype." They had to completely redesign the wings to fold and strengthen that plane all over the place for carrier use! The landing gear of the F-18 absorbs MUCH greater shock than the YF-17's and the avionics of the F-18 are light-years apart from the 1970s F-5 level avionics that the YF-17 used. The Legacy Hornet C-model is about 3,000 lbs heavier EMPTY than the loaded take-off weight of the YF-17 during the ACF competition! Think about that... The YF-17 had a take-off weight of 20,000 lbs versus about 35,000 lbs take-off (and more) of the F-18C, and 35,000 lbs is LOW for the F-18C and basically catapulting off the carrier with no weapons other than the gun and a full internal fuel load.

[@Ditmanppi]

Prototype is more than appropriate. A final product often evolves completely from design to production. Case and point look at Boeing’s X-35 design versus what they eventually delivered for testing. They were completely different airplanes but both shared the same name.