AGGRESSIVE! F-18 Super Hornet Demo 2024 El Centro Air Show

[@JusticeLeagueJH]

Man, out of all the Festival of Flights that have taken place at NAF El Centro, this one was the best so far!! The schedule was on point, and it came down to two top military fighter jets. The Raptor and the Rhino!! Razz stole the show, but the Navy said, "It's our turn! Both aircraft are superior when it comes to slow handling and quick acceleration. Great airshow, beautiful weather and a great KZbin video, appreciate it, Spence. ✌️🔥🌀💯🇺🇸💥

[@CarolDougherty-h3g]

"Klink" was the pilot for the 1st Hawk to refuel at the Cleveland Air show. He's my cousin's spouse and I'm so proud of all all fly boys! Thank you for your service.

[@stephenbrown1077]

Lovely well flown display, very well filmed. Thank you for sharing. It's nice to see a clear blue sky, as opposed to permanent rain, here in the UK currently.

[@ClaytonB.]

unfortunately seems to be the status quo weather here! would love to be back in California right now, London isn't feeling like summer!

[@TomP913]

Awesome! Thanks for posting

[@Deionburns114]

Nice the sound of freedom

[@Thomas-sp1pp]

GOD BLESS AMERICA, AND THESE AWESOME DEFENDERS OF OUR COUNTRY AND PEOPLE..THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO GOD FAMILY AND COUNTRY..AMEN

[@Cnorm11]

They added back the tail slide nice

[@flightlines6337]

I know. I was so happy to see it!

[@aviagalatics]

very happy

[@bt_the_yank6234]

This was my favorite jet as a kid. Ive seen her several times at alliance but they dont do the show anymore

[@fivesevenfive2035]

Great performance and awesome job capturing it, as always. The Hornets will always be my favorite, whether the Legacy Hornets or the Super Hornets. It's just such a menacing design with a ferocious roar and devastating payload.

[@fivesevenfive2035]

@@donkoh5738 Legacy Hornets definitely know how to dazzle but the Super Hornet was an upgrade in range and payload and incorporates features to reduce its RCS while also taking over the electronic warfare job from Prowlers. The Legacy Hornets could have been sold to countries with smaller defense budgets but with the Gripen, Lightning II, Rafale and Eurofighter, it would have struggled with international sales. The Raptor was the jet that had its production line cut way too soon. And now look at the pickle we're in. 😑

[@donkoh5738]

@@fivesevenfive2035 -- follow-up... I love topics of discussion like this one ! Regarding Gripen? It most likely has a massive discounted operational Life cost and sustainment cost, vs twin-engine fast jets such as Typhoon EF and even Rafale. Yes, I'm biased as being pro-Gripen C+ & E for a number of strategic and tactical reasons, but I think it's a good debate. Lightning II ?? I'm more in the critical camp. Unless you're just buying in now perhaps, in the block IV CTOL?? But lol, I actually got banned over a decade ago in F16net, for advocating fast-tracked enhanced F-16 Viper C+ development and procurement as a hedge against the sketchy block III F-35 at the time. That and advocating back in 2011-2012 for fast-tracking development of a practical USAF F-15E+ model based off the SA/Q export mods (forget Silent Eagle), as a prudent way to hedge the Tacair gap coming from the F-22 line shut-down. F-22 just being unsustainable, not feasible and impractical in it's original design to continue cost-effectively. I was a big supporter of the FB-22 development though, as part of the next-gen modernization and recap mix. Man... I was deserving that ban over there so much, as the site mods were repeatedly telling me and warning over and over, to knock off all the advanced F-16 block (soon to become known as the 'V') development path hype and the ridiculous F-15E+ stopgap cheerleading... and I was just relentless : D ✌

[@fivesevenfive2035]

@@donkoh5738 My pleasure. Thanks for your thoughtful replies, as well. Interesting take on it. I think the cost of the F-22 and upcoming costs of the F-35 killed that R&D phase. The amount of money to modernize and try to keep an open architecture for future survivability was probably shot down before the first blueprints were made. It truly appears that they probably thought of that and then asked themselves "Is this a new plane we're making?" Thus the Super Hornet was born. lol Technically a new plane with similar design traits. I agree, though, that the Legacy Hornets should have been kept in service and the production line kept open with some block upgrades that keep it relevant in the fight but not so cutting edge that it prices out export sales. I think it probably would have found its niche as an interceptor and represent a challenger to other light attack aircraft like the FA-50, with the D model being an advanced trainer...we could have had that instead of the new Red Hawk (a baby Hornet) which would have saved them money on that R&D so they could have held onto more money to fund R&D on more exotic airframes. It was a good thing the Super Hornet came along, though. The F-35 was way behind schedule and it was good that the Navy got some fresh airframes on the decks instead of risking abusing the airframes of the Legacy Hornets beyond their limits. But hey, whether Legacy or Super, Hornets are awesome. =o)

[@donkoh5738]

@@fivesevenfive2035 Thanks for this intelligent reply. I'll just respond critically by arguing that much of US DoD procurement strategy / Armed services / Congress & Defense Industry goofed up and overshot, especially from around '97-'98 onward (if you were in the camp that F-14 should have been upgraded and continued, then go as far back as around '93)... Honestly, I feel the F-22 / ATF program (and JSF / F-35 program) were well-intentioned, but yes, initiated before their time - perhaps by various interests that be. Simply too much USAF TACAIR procurement budgets alone were sucked out of more seamless, vital stopgap modernization and upgraded next-gen recapitalization from around '99-2010 period that would have been more prudent and strategic, especially given geopolitical uncertainties following 9-11. That said, yes, I agree that USN's strategic recapitalization policy decision in FY15 to restart emergency procurement of stopgap F-18E/F units was shocking, as I didn't believe such prudent decision makers could be possible. I was in the camp that E/F mod procurement should never have been stopped at all a couple years earlier (in part to help boost F-35C R&D) . But I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the would-have-been more strategic and prudent plan by USN/USMC to have just kept a more assertive and robust legacy C++ modernization and block upgrade R&D and procurement path open... the R&D over 10 years of seamless evolutionary modifications would have been affordable and cost-effective. I'm a big fan of the light FA-50 actually (USAF should have bought these variants as it's advanced trainer + reserve Air Sovereignty mission aircraft, imho) , but a modernized evolutionary Legacy Hornet (w/ 35k lbs tot thrust) would enable an entirely different level of TACAIR capacity especially in standoff load carrying.

[@peaceshallovercome1043]

@fivesevenfive2035 Thanks for this intelligent reply ^^. I had to login from a different acct from my other device. Please forgive the critical assessments here, but I'd argue that much of US procurement strategy / Armed services / Congress & Defense Industry goofed up and overshot, especially from around '97-'98 onward (if you were in the camp that F-14 should have been upgraded and continued, then go as far back as around '93)... Honestly, I feel the F-22 / ATF program (and JSF / F-35 program) were well-intentioned, but yes, initiated before their time - perhaps by various interests that be. Simply too much USAF TACAIR procurement budgets alone were sucked out of more seamless, vital stopgap modernization and upgraded next-gen recapitalization from around '99-2010 period that would have been more prudent and strategic, especially given geopolitical uncertainties following nine eleven. That said, yes, I agree that USN's strategic recapitalization policy decision in FY15 to restart emergency procurement of stopgap F-18E/F units was shocking, as I didn't believe such prudent decision makers could be possible. I was in the camp that E/F mod procurement should never have been stopped at all a couple years earlier (in part to help boost F-35C R&D) . But I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the would-have-been more strategic and prudent plan by USN/USMC to have just kept a more assertive and robust legacy C++ modernization and block upgrade R&D and procurement path open... the R&D over 10 years of seamless evolutionary modifications would have been affordable and cost-effective. I'm a big fan of the light FA-50 actually (USAF should have bought these variants as it's advanced trainer + reserve Air Sovereignty mission aircraft, imho) , but a modernized evolutionary Legacy Hornet (w/ 35k lbs tot thrust) would enable an entirely different level of TACAIR capacity especially in standoff load carrying.

[@Avofan]

That pilot was really throwing that Rhino around. Awesome performance!

[@flightlines6337]

Met him. Callsign is Sheldon! Awesome dude!

[@aviagalatics]

@@flightlines6337me too

[@YurrickLamhfhada]

Considering the last Rhino demo pilot, Stalin, became Blue Angel #3 (now#4), Sheldon could be next.

[@aviagalatics]

@@YurrickLamhfhada Wrong coast and not how the blues work.

[@jimbob100-d3l]

@@YurrickLamhfhada Yeah not at all how that works bud.

[@jimsanders4412]

I’ve seen the Super Hornet demo many times…and it NEVER GETS OLD!!!!!👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@aviagalatics]

Love WCRD!! Amazing video

[@mauimikeable]

Awesome video Spencer! Thanks for sharing. Love the Rhino.

[@timgarvey8638]

Was that fuel coming out of the tail section or something else at the 4:20 and 5:10 mark in the video ‽

[@zanzibarcraig1174]

The camera man hit the auto lock on. He was spot on.

[@michellewhyatt4438]

What fantastic flying this was absolutely 100% fantastic awesome crew big time thank you to all in the U.S Airforce. You are the tops

[@robertholland5771]

Flew it like he stole it!!! Great video!!!!

[@cynthiamills403]

I have seen FF 18 before and I love them. They are the coolest thing ever.

[@AhmearClayIombo-dj6di]

Awesome Air Show

[@ezekielpritchard1028]

Watching this on a bigger screen highest quality, at 6:00min, when pilot does a high speed past from the left to right and the a hard bank to the left you can actually see the vertical stabilizers buffet left to right very fast. When you adjust the playback speed to the slowest setting, the physics behind the physical stress the F-18 Super Hornet is dealing with are astonishing and become apparent . 🤯🤓

[@charlievillarreal9867]

It never dose the F-18 has been around along time but this is a newer version replaceing the swept wing F-14 and older F-18s

[@jtnotlim7920]

Great demo, great videography!

[@bwash6249]

Love the 9G circle turn into the vertical transition, straight into the positive G pushover🔥

[@flightlines6337]

messed up everything possible in that comment. he pulled ab 7G into a vertical tailslide to tailstand, then into a NEGATIVE G pushover. holy hell how did u get everything wrong💀💀💀

[@bwash6249]

@@flightlines6337 😅🤣😂🤣😅 My bad, it sounded cool when I said it. I guess I'll just stick to my Eagle & Viper Maintainers corner.

[@jimbob100-d3l]

@@flightlines6337 You didn't get it right either...tail slide means going backwards (didn't happen) and there's no maneuver called a "tail stand".

[@flightlines6337]

@@jimbob100-d3l Tailstand is a real thing. That’s what the real team even calls it. I talked to them

[@jimbob100-d3l]

@@flightlines6337 They made it up then

[@tklube308]

An F18 preforming prior to the Blues. Talk about pressure

[@peaceshallovercome1043]

The Blues were jealous : ) Honestly, the current Blues demo routine, flying the SHornet, is mediocre at best. The Super was never designed as a high-performance agile tactical fighter. The legacy Hornet was a top notch demo flying capable machine. The Super of course being an entirely different airframe and system within. That said, the Super doesn't fly so badly to not even show off... so it's all good : D

[@bmezay2003]

glad to see on the MRT the rhino is sliding out of the turn into the vertical again instead of leveling out then pulling up

[@eligreggsr553]

Thank you for sharing 🙏

[@happycanayjian1582]

Slow acceleration, always the Hornet’s Achilles heel. Decent display, tho.

[@blue81blue81]

Nice demo but always seems redundant and over kill when they do an F18 demo at the same airshow where a full flight demo team will be performing in.......F18's....doing many of the same maneuvers.

[@kcn-qt6fc]

That is awesome!

[@leezinke4351]

Very awesome!

[@swghavoc]

A great aircraft!

[@pigybak]

why is he not in an Echo?

[@charlievillarreal9867]

The FA-18 is an Awesome Aircraft I’m sure the Air Force wood use them the Air Force commen aircraft the F-16 is its sister aircraft

[@IsmaelBerrios-j2c]

McDonnell Douglas USN F-18 Super Hornet

[@jimbob100-d3l]

Gotta get the Growler airshow team, they do a much better performance

[@donaldclements4394]

WOW OH WOW!

[@hartiyantichannel4924]

sip sip sip sip warna merah dan putih aku lewat.

[@raygonzales1607]

hey

[@pkelly3463]

Aggressive? It's the same profile D.O.D. allows the Navy/AirForce to perform for the last 30 yrs.

[@spencerhughes2255]

Yes, but a little more aggressive than normal.

[@peaceshallovercome1043]

The Super Hornet is an entirely different airframe design than the legacy Hornet. Thus, it can't fly as aggressively even if it wanted. The Super doesn't fly horrendously, but it was never designed to be a high performance tactical airshow demo flyer.

[@pkelly3463]

@@peaceshallovercome1043 you make moot points.

[@pkelly3463]

@spencerhughes2255 The Canadian CF-18 demo team in the 90s used to perform the high alpha pitch attitude about 40° nose high at very slow speed. The Blues do the same in tandem. But here's the kicker. The Canadian flew the bug on its tail in a 360° level turn. I've seen it done twice once at Stockton Air Show mid 90s. That's was the most aggressive "stunt" I've seen the bug perform. I wish I had video of it.

[@peaceshallovercome1043]

@@pkelly3463 - on which points did you seem to have a problem with? I respect your personal opinions, so thanks to your contribution to this discussion.

[@bernardanderson3758]

Naval Aviation