Up Close w/ Fighter Jets - Catapult Topside Petty Officer

[@Edwardo4953]

This is so badass. I could watch this all day.

[@LeFatCobra]

Funny, because i was thinking the exact same thing.

[@harpoon_bakery162]

i believe there are even people below deck operating those catapults, but i could be wrong, they could all be computerized and the people on the deck have remote controls controlling everything under the deck. seems complicated and i can't imagine meeting someone who actually does that or did it for a portion of their service time. They probably have some stories to tell, that's for sure.

[@chrismaggio7879]

@@harpoon_bakery162 Hey, yes, there is a whole cadre of green shirts operating the mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and pneumatic systems that make the catapults, jet blast deflectors, and arresting gear operate smoothly and safely. All you see on the deck are the contact points for the aircraft to hook to for launch, or catch to land quickly. Below decks are massive and fantastic equipment systems developed to do the work above deck, and they are a LOT of work to maintain and repair and operate. Each green shirt is trained at each station in a rotation to become qualified at everything (as is each color jersey for their particular job description) so that at any given time if needed, any green shirt qualified in that station can take over for the other person. There is no "day crew" and "night crew"... if the cats and gear are operating then every green shirt is up and working. And, oh yes! There are some great and scary stories.

[@intrinsicimagery]

This is a slow tempo for carrier qualifications. We flex decked on TR during Desert Storm non stop for six weeks. They had yeomen and storekeepers on deck humping bombs for the A6 squadrons. You could load 28 500 pound MK82 bombs on an Intruder.

[@TheBalrogTx]

Can I just say, that was a total joy to watch. That's my old Cat (Cat 3) in my old work center (Waist Catapults) on my old ship (Ike). Did Bow Safety, Weigh Board, JBDs, Hold-back, Water Brakes, and eventually for my last year on Ike I was the Cat 3 Topside Petty Officer... although in my time we weer still launching F-14s along with the F-18s (and C-2's, E-2s, A-6s, KA-6Ds, EA-6Bs, and S-3s), This video brought back a million memories. I was literally narrating the entire sequence in my head as I was watching. Just awesome to see a vid from my old perspective. I miss the old, tiny topside locker (just inside and to the left of the hatch that you stopped filming at) THANKS FOR SHARING! - ABE3 Jones

[@kevinriordan7842]

Yup, I know that deck very well. AE2 attached to VFA-136. Early in my flight deck trouble shooting days I was staged with one of our birds on cat 4 waiting on tomcat to launch off cat 3. Tomcat went into full mil power and I made the mistake of being between my bird and the JBD for cat 3. Hanging onto pad eye with dear life kept me from god knows what bad day. From then on, I always used the aircrafts fuselage to protect me from cat 3 power ups.

[@corrodesthefilm]

I'm convinced whoever designed the A-6 and derivatives had a green shirt sleep with his wife or something because those intakes are ridiculously close to the nose gear.

[@warringtonminge4167]

As a landlubber the shooters are cool as anything but for me the coolest deck job of all is the green shirt hookup man (Petty Officer or whatever his proper rank style and title is). I could watch them for hours on end.

[@TheBalrogTx]

@@warringtonminge4167 that's the Topside Petty Officer. I was an E-4 when I ran that position. The TSPO ran both Cats on the Waist, or on the Bow. It was fun too because all the E-5's getting their Certifications on your catapults had to take orders from you... lol. The A-6's (and their off-shoots) were pure Demon Spawn as far as I was concerned. The air intake tickling your neck while you were hooking the bird up to the shuttle was enough to make you run away in terror. Also, it was the only bird we had to run out through the wing, rather than through the nose after power-up. One mistake and you were an instant 'Here's how not to do it' highlight reel for your replacement.

[@GT-mn3bx]

How does the holdback bar thing work? What disconnects it?

[@Mom-USMCRichardUSMCChristopher]

This is so neat watching you guys on the carrier. Your responsibilities are huge! Thank you for giving us a look through your cameraman capturing it on film for us to see. So proud that all of you made the choice to serve. Thank you for all you do to keep us safe. Your families must be in heaven seeing what you do, knowing how important you are for everything that takes place on the flight deck. I know that my family and I greatly appreciate your service. Have a great, happy and safe time. With love from all American's.

[@heatherrobinson5458]

This was my husband's job he did on CVN 70. Now our son is in the Navy following his dad's footsteps but he's on a destroyer. Thank you all who served and serving ⚓🇺🇲

[@TheSlugstoppa]

ASTONISHING !! I can see why this place is regarded as one of the most dangerous places to work - and this is in brilliant sunshine.

[@h.r.puffnstuff8705]

This is just a light traffic day. You should see the insanity when your shooting a large strike package and the entire roofs full of turning birds. It just gets better after dark.

[@sashad8204]

Absolutely incredible - i have no idea how long you must train to do this but my word it is jaw dropping how precise and disciplined you all are to make this work. Thank you for your service and may God always bless and be watching over you!

[@patrickr9606]

Those Greenies are the best...overworked and underpaid! Go Navy!

[@binksterb]

Amen!

[@ronringwald5120]

We all in the navy are overworked & under paid, you couldn't pay a civilian to do the jobs we do for what we get paid.

[@ronringwald5120]

@GrantKP you have never been in the military with that remark.

[@jamesmata2945]

Looks pretty fun tho

[@ronringwald5120]

@@jamesmata2945 can be fun at times, but very serious while working.⚓🇺🇸

[@TheCzechmate007]

Absolutely brilliant video! Thank you! Unfortunately, me being in the mid fifties and not even US citizen, the probability to ever get on carrier flight deck is ZERO, but thanks to you it's almost like being there myself...

[@Johnnyringo07]

Very cool! We manufacture those hold back bars at my work. It's really awesome to see them in action! Look at the nameplate, Yakima Wa.

[@mode1charlie170]

John McClure Very cool....I was wondering how they work?.....I thought they were designed to break at a pre-determined force but this one is being reused so there is something else obviously going on.

[@kurtiskaskowski5386]

@@mode1charlie170 tension bolt

[@hyliedoobius5114]

I heard 20 yrs ago or so that those breakaways were pretty expensive like $100-200 per use. Can you confirm that?

[@ศิรสิทธิ์แก้วเสมา-ป3ฑ]

@@mode1charlie170 ၈၉

[@timothyosborn1697]

So, it's when the tug of the cat that causes Force to break the tension bolt? If that's the case then the bolt is relatively inexpensive to replace versus the whole mechanism? What happens to the busted bolt?

[@andrewho4155]

Really love the first person videos. Really hard and dangerous work on deck. I visited the USS Ranger once many years ago and it was freaking awesome. Thanks for all your hard work @FlightDeckLife.

[@Cast_A_Way]

That's my old boat/job! Thanks for bringing back memories. Start waist then transferred to gear '90-94.

[@dreamtree1510]

Thank you for your service!

[@rihamy2nd]

Thank you for your service.

[@hellohun7331]

What an amazing job to have. Although dangerous, there is no place on the planet that does this better. So much practice of perfection.

[@ricoudu64]

Vraiment fascinant de voir cet aspect du métier sous cet angle, vidéo de très bonne qualité!

[@pauladams9067]

Fantastic Launches and Fantastic Launch Team. Everything has to be by a well coordinated Team. Proud of you GUYS, P.Adams Hm2/USN, Early 50's

[@docmccoy1928]

I spenht three years working the flight deck on the Ike. Loved every minute of it. HMCS (Ret) Doc McCoy

[@davidchristensen6908]

What an honor for you to share your world. Wonderful video thank you for all your hard work

[@Pow3llMorgan]

I can see why it is among the most stressful and dangerous workplaces now. Constant action, several complicated steps for every launch and any mis-step or failure of routine could spell death for you, or many others on the deck. I highly respect your work and as a NATO member, I than you for your service.

[@Thebunkerinspector]

This is one of the best video's I've seen. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into part of your day as well as for your service to our country.

[@rubenandres8814]

Hello, thank you very much for showing us those unknown operations of a fighter plane before taking off.

[@pizzafrenzyman]

Most people probably didn't catch the special hand gesture at 13:49 "please step behind the red and white line" signal

[@the_rick4360]

The famous "GTFO" hand gesture haha

[@bobbycv64]

Thank you for the recording. Please don't take this wrong, this must be for training. When we launched, every 40 seconds a plane was leaving the ship (Constellation CV64 - 77/81) and the other Carriers during that time frame. As a matter of fact CVN69 IKE, your ship was (BRAND NEW) part of that TEMPO. Then what is an eye opener, look at the handlers they had back in Korea and Vietnam (Jet Age). WOW, yes Grandpa and Great Grandpa would put us to shame. Then WW2 with the propellers, NO WAY, LOL - Thank You for your service, Bobby Estey CV64 SQUID 🙂

[@torn-_shuttle123]

I get what you’re saying. Back then, risks were taken. But, statistically more and more sailors were being injured. Over time, SOP’s were changing and implemented to reduce the number of casualties. I know, it takes the fun out of launching aircraft off the deck as fast as possible. New Navy, new rules. The newer generation of kids coming into the rate couldn’t perform at the same pace without injury, or worst death. Makes a good conversation piece stating “my generation was/is better than yours “.

[@bobbycv64]

@@torn-_shuttle123 right on, thank you for your reply, I RESPECT THAT.

[@bobbycv64]

@@torn-_shuttle123 BTW, Please look at how they launched aircraft back in WW2. LOL, and WOW!!! So scary, props turning, guys with CLEATS, just missing the props, that was Grandpa 🙂

[@flyjarrett]

Great job. My seven year old son and I enjoy watching your videos. Thanks for your service!

[@Ryzen_56X]

What happened to that Hornet? Technical failure at the last minute of take off ???

[@aztec0112]

I saw the one guy kick at some component at the head of the track, just before the hookup and thought, "Hmmm, that looks odd."

[@timdavidson1627]

@@aztec0112 Bowcat

[@yxeaviationphotog]

@3ds max I don't think the cat broke. The pilot didn't even advance the power to full military and then the safety guy signalled to suspend. The shuttle was fired off after the launch bar was disconnected from the shuttle.

[@tacoenvy]

@Cameron Hastings Wrong. The cat was fine, it was something with the aircraft. the pilot gave the go good or no go signal in the cockpit and indicated something was wrong with the aircraft.

[@TheBalrogTx]

@@yxeaviationphotog It would not have been 'fired off' (shot forward with steam pressure) in that scenario, it would have been advanced (moved forward mechanically) to the safe position at the forward end of the track, to get it out of the way during aircraft maneuvering.

[@johnsmith-qe2fd]

I was in the Airforce for 11 years, couldn’t imagine doing this job 12hrs a day. Too many ways to get hurt or worse...then you have to stay on your toes all the time looks like. Then again you get to port at all the cool places so it evens out. Much respect.

[@gregoryhuston4485]

I remember the days..I was just a kid. USS America CV66 V1 div.

[@josephburns3406]

I love this!!! When was this filmed. The first jet to take off was my old squadron. VFA-103. I deployed with them when they were a Tomcat squadron and then when we went to the Super Hornets. I did the ‘06-‘07 cruise on the Eisenhower. I remember the flight deck like it was yesterday. I miss it a lot!!!! Got out in 2012. The friends I made and the times we had were some of the best of my life. Thanks for posting this!!!

[@garypierce2280]

I was a center deck operator in the seventies. good job. JFK CV 67

[@ArcturanMegadonkey]

Your videos are brilliant! Any chance you could overlay text on the next video with what all the hand gestures mean?

[@FlightDeckLife]

Hey, thanks for the support! I'm in the process of making a second video that has audio commentary. I would do overlay text but things happen pretty quickly and I don't want to take away from the awesome visuals.

[@ArcturanMegadonkey]

yes audio commentary of what is going on and what the hand signals would be excellent thanks Paul

[@andrewho4155]

You can actually get them here: www.navysite.de/cvn/catcom.htm#end

[@IllegalAlienRacing]

I agree that audio commentary would be a nice touch. You can get a mic for your go pro and just talk as you do your job vs. having to edit in text which is time consuming. I started doing it on my videos and have gotten a lot of positive feedback from it. Your videos are great, I really enjoy watching them!

[@keithwilson5746]

Andrew Ho Thanks!

[@petergriffin383]

So flippin cool! Thanks for this unique look!

[@BadGuyDennis]

Many people asked (as well as I am also interested) why that F/A-18 didn't launch. It is quite difficult to see but I have noticed that the pilot was shaking his head at 13:06, and later even raised his arms refusing to proceed the procedures. So I think he might found something unsatisfied with the plane.

[@kevingriggs3213]

The pilot wanted to get the weight of the aircraft again that’s the whole point of the weight board is to get the weight of the aircraft so the pilot was basically getting like a double check on it before they shoot

[@dannyphantomvision]

thank you so much for the new content!!!

[@LTV_inc]

America was always great. You now have the reigns.

[@wayned5872]

Controlled chaos,much respect, thank you to all that served..SALUTE!!

[@robertlindholm8073]

Thank you for explaining the system in a clear and concise video.

[@FlightDeckLife]

Be sure to share this video with others that'll enjoy it as much as you!

[@straightfaceguy7966]

whats the pole with the orange on it for? to stop the plane going backwards? hmm..

[@maxanklowitz9888]

welsh kraken it the hold back it is so planes can go full power and not start rolling still the cat launches them.

[@petephelan969]

Its so loud when that plane launches. It will cause permanent hearing damage without those earphones on called sound attenuators.

[@TangoDelta8111]

Do they work that well? I want to know if flight deck personnel suffer hearing problems later in life.

[@torn-_shuttle123]

@@TangoDelta8111Yes. It causes hearing loss later in life. But, after service it’s up to the service member to claim hearing loss through the VA to claim a disability from “hearing loss”. I will tell you that if you wait to do that, your claim will almost become invalid. And the VA will not associate your claim as “service related”. And you’ll get nothing.

[@giantfisher]

Incredible, watch a video from the Tomcat era of the deck observation camera or the onboard camera and the quality is so bad it's hard to discern anything. Yet now we have a camera attached to someone's head that's crystal clear.

[@SirDeanosity]

Some of the dangers here reminds me of factory work near silent electric forklifts and while wearing hearing protection. Turn your head or turn your body to look, THEN move. Nearly got smooshed by one for not doing that. I instantly remembered to look first the next time.

[@mikegallegos7]

Nice video. Nice to see how my targets operate !! LOL jus' kiddin' !! Great vid, Shipmate.

[@Kanakahammah]

Every time the camera hits the gear feel like I got hit on my forehead

[@alanmohlman3530]

First & foremost thanks for your service to our country, thanks also for sharing this awesome pov video. You guys rock!!

[@pointnozzleaway]

IF I was 18 again.....I'd be ALL ON THIS ! Much Respect ...yeah !

[@GeFlixes]

I find the communication via signals utterly fascinating. Do you know of a video/website explaining them all, or the system behind them?

[@davelater857]

On you tube there is a video on hand signals

[@sznlikesvideogames2676]

@@davelater857 that’s where I came from lol

[@rongriffiths1099]

You guys have got to have your wits about you on deck. We haven't had cat launched a/c since HMS Ark Royal was decommissioned in 1979. Would've been nice to have cats on our two new carriers. Stay safe.

[@spaghetti9845]

13:43 camera guy got told off. He told pilot to lower the launch bar... twice in fact. the guy in the green shirt yellow vest pretty much said 'get the f*ck out of here' and immediately told the pilot to raise the launch bar. What was that all about?

[@TangoDelta8111]

Looks like they cycled the shuttle, but thats all I saw?

[@TangoDelta8111]

The catapult broke

[@spaghetti9845]

look at the hand gesture... i think 2 people were giving the pilot conflicting orders and one of them finally said to piss off.@@TangoDelta8111

[@torn-_shuttle123]

It was an issue with the aircraft. After arming the plane, the pilot made the decision to abort. It had nothing to do with the catapult. The AO’s were trying to get the Safety Observer out of the way to de-arm the aircraft prior to spinning off the Cat.

[@MOAONAABE]

i was a close in sentry in a SAC B52 squadron posted under the aircraft to monitor the 2 man policy and no lone zone, but i was always asking questions. why do you do this whats that for. never stopped learning and being fascinated just being around the action. im 65 now and its like it was yesterday, I can still smell the JP4

[@buynsell365]

Great video. I was on the Nimitz CVN68. This video brought back memories. Keep up the great work.

[@kskins56]

nacra60na My brother was a civilian worker out of PSNS one of his job was to fix the catapults below deck.

[@richcook2007]

I was also on nimitz. 80 to 84.

[@andelkahasanbegovic9082]

My son's job on on Nimitz

[@mantia39]

Cool as shit! What is that red thing that stays behind after the plane is launched?

[@Cragified]

Those two are the waist catapults. Because they are at the end of the landing area they have to cover the shuttle and put plates in the slot called wrapping the catapult to prevent arrestor wires from falling into the track or hanging on the shuttle.

[@ronplucksstrings7112]

FDL; Why the launch suspend at 13:08? ...and how come the Shooter doesn't touch the deck to launch on previous launches...new signals?? Thanks for posting and thanks for your service!

[@mikefoster527]

Ronplucksstrings the cat officer is looking directly at the pilot and then suspends the launch. While I can’t say at 100% certain, it must be pilot check. He could have a warning light or some type of check failure. We use the expression “bird is down” which means it is a maintenance issue. That is why they dearmed the plane and pulled it off the car.

[@DJTrainBrain]

I did see the pilot shake their head. The shooter picked that up and in turn signalled the suspension.

[@Ryzen_56X]

@@DJTrainBrain Yes, I saw the same, pilot shook his head sideways in a "no no" manner, definitely a technical failure on the plane during his final checks before catapulted.

[@Michael-ol2jn]

The "Shooter" isn't touching the deck to signal the launches because the person you're talking about isn't actually the shooter. In these launches, the actual Shooter is inside the bubble on the side of the deck. The person you're calling the Shooter in this case is the Top Side Petty Officer and he does most of the same job and signals as the Shooter with the exception of the final launch signal. There are two main modes to launch. One with the Shooter in the bubble and the other one (and the one you see in movies all the time) is with the Shooter on the flight deck.

[@BeechSportBill]

Really want details of the Launch/holdback bar.

[@chrismaggio7879]

It is a tension-based linkage that is designed to not release until it is over stressed (by the opening of the catapult valves). The aircraft are not powerful enough to actually cause it's release (unless it's defective, but they are constantly tested and certified!). Before the modern bars we used "T bars, which were little dumbbell looking metal pieces that you used to connect a bar to the nosegay. Each aircraft had it's own color coding, so you were sure the bar you were using was the right tension for the aircraft you were hooking up. It worked ok for a long time but if you dropped a t bar it meant that t bar was no longer useable, so you threw it overboard. The bar actually snapped at launch, and you had to retrieve the end that stayed with the holdback bar so it didn't become a steel missile form the jet blast!

[@davehall44]

patents.google.com/patent/US4101099A/en

[@avilesvidal]

Amazing and very instructive. Congratulations ! 🚀

[@ScreamingElectron]

I love the pace. Great vid!

[@lettermansgirl90]

That was fricken amazing! 💯👍. Thankyou!

[@ladyhonor822]

AC/DC BAD BOY BOGGIE YOU ARE SO BLESSED/ NECESSARY

[@mlonde78]

Great vid. Just a question, around the 14 min mark, why was the launch cancelled?

[@torn-_shuttle123]

Who knows. It could’ve been a pilots “suspend”, or it could’ve been something that was a discrepancy below decks.

[@harrisonmundschutz2654]

Slowly piecing together how the carrier deck works by watching these vids

[@BenjWarrant]

Also me, tovaritch!

[@Yora21]

That seems like a really small attachment point for such a big plane and such a large force. That's some quality engineering on the nose gear.

[@MrNvona]

The training and situational awareness it would take to work in that environment. I'd love to see how they train them..

[@1martinjom]

Flight Deck Fam was only qual I have when I was in V2. The rest of my final years in the Navy, spent TAD to Security with the MA’s, and that was the best time I had in the Navy.

[@torn-_shuttle123]

So, V-2 Division got rid of you to fulfill the rest of your enlistment to “Security”??

[@metalheadramones]

Awesome. I would be sleeping if I was there, that sound just puts me out.

[@fireside007]

Smoke’n!! . . . YOU ~ ROCK ! ! 👍🇺🇸 🛩️

[@lutherlerfald984]

i was navy 'bosun' 50 yrs ago and i still would like to know what rate and rank ( and specific job description ) ( color coded jackets ) some of the personnel are doing to get the jets airborne . i served on the uss rexburg stationed off point loma (decommissioned march 1970) and i was last quarterdeck watch to shut down the uss galveston on may 20, 1970.

[@dj6769]

SALUTE! 75/79 USS Nimitz VF41 F14 power plants shop, spent a few days on the flight deck.

[@918davisable]

Thx for the video ! Inpressive work ! PRO !! Thank you for your service!!

[@CarstenBauer]

Cool video, can you explain to me what happened with that last aircraft not taking off? Aircraft went tech or the catapult went tech?

[@yxeaviationphotog]

Aircraft went U/S.

[@hondadude7]

my cat was 3 also on the USS Indy CV62 '91-'94

[@arnomrnym6329]

Very interresting! 👍🏾😎 Thx

[@matthewyoung9476]

I see you are on the Eisonhower, My Dad was going to get stationed on board in 2018 but they switch him to the Lincoln, Agian but thank you all for your service and keep up the great work!

[@dellendinho]

What happened at minute 14? and how long do you go before breaks? what's a typical shift like?

[@FlightDeckLife]

16-18 hour work days. Very little sleep!

[@MotoMarios]

Oh boy. Doesn't this fatigue you guys to the point of becoming prone to mistakes?

[@mikefoster527]

Delton Phillips you do 2 launches in the morning. You recover the first launch then launch again. After the recovery, you will respot the the recovery to launch them. Then the pilots walk out the the next launch. It is nonstop. This continues all day until around midnight then start up again. Around 8.

[@h.r.puffnstuff8705]

The ABs are the hardest working crews on the roof imo. Under manned and beat like a red headed step child. At the squadron level we work 12 on 12 off to keep mistakes down. However when the birds break down in mass which is most of time that 12 on 12 off goes out the window. 15hrs + a day is pretty normal.

[@MrSpeartip12]

When I worked the flight deck as a troubleshooter and final checker my working hours was from flight ops to flight ops. Sometimes that consisted of 36 hours. You would catch a cat nap between launch and recovery cycles. But that was in combat operations.

[@gk10002000]

Thanks for the Vid. I work on the UCAS X-47N unmanned system that did cats and traps. Good shots of the hold back bar and launch bar and cat shuttle

[@coremagik5099]

I'm a. French paratroopers in French army, i respect your job

[@h.r.puffnstuff8705]

Amen Frenchy! Paratroopers and Roof Rats make the big money in hazardous duty pay. Lol, I think it was a whopping $110 bucks in my day.

[@sikorskykid]

This is just awesome.. More cool videos

[@Tubesmaney]

I could watch this all day long. If you haven't made another yet - please do. Also, that's a brave man's job that. Just being around running aircraft on that small flight deck is crazy, and then having to wait underneath by the front wheel is unreal. Question: So when you are waiting under there - what are you waiting for? Also, what does the post behind the front wheel do? One of them had a red barrel, and I saw others on the deck near the guy that gives the launch signal. Keep up the great work and by all means, stay safe sir.

[@erubs2010]

Gotta bike from santa on the IKE when my dad was on that carrier a beautiful ship

[@harpoon_bakery162]

Catapult 3 is the best ever!!!! I bet the smell of being on that deck was unmistakable. I love the blaring loud sound. i could listen to it all day. I like heavy-metal, maybe that's why i would love to hear the whine of those jets all day and night. i would like do 12 hour shifts if i had to. What does that orange thing do that is behind the nose-wheel that is connected to the track inside the deck ? Some sort of strange back-pressure device. perhaps it keeps the jet from succumbing to a roll-back?

[@Tubesmaney]

Oh, and very proud of our Seamen! Go Navy!

[@michaelchung1526]

What does that detachable rod do behind the front wheel of the airplane? The one that someone puts in at 11:20 or so

[@slowpoke96Z28]

Michael Chung holdback bar. It holds the the plane still from the time the pilot releases the plane's brakes to the time the catapult actually fires and starts moving forward.

[@panamacity2532]

I LOVE THIS TYPE OF STUFF...IN HD AND SO CLOSELY ....REGARDS FROM COSTA RICA AND THANKS 4 THE VIDEOS .. *** I JUST SUSCRIBE ****

[@Hellcat1960]

LOVE your Videos!

[@a320nick]

Wow, what a team!!

[@jakecampbell4208]

I go to bootcamp in less than a month. I'll be in Aviation as well but not on the flight deck. This is cool as hell good content

[@michaelhogan3246]

That’s the IKE. Powerful and so sweet...GO Navy 😎

[@robdalton4528]

That's the Mighty Ike.

[@kendonnelly3248]

Saw the other video too. About time someone did this. Great job. Any way to putt a go pro at the end of the cat. Show the release of the plane in slo mo? Always wondered what happens to the shuttle at release.

[@jamesrbrindle]

awesome video, could watch for hours. what are the plates being installed in the cat track at the end for - is this part of recovery prep?

[@yxeaviationphotog]

It's to make sure the arresting wire doesn't get snagged in the cat track. It's part of "wrapping the waist", so yes, prep for recovery.

[@MrDemonicDan]

Excellent videos. Any chance of a video or annotation of a video describing the various hand signals and what they all mean? I can get the gist from what's going on, but would love to know more of the specifics.

[@hillbillyhoe8169]

It’s cool how he is constantly checking his surroundings, easy to see he and they are all dam good at their jobs.

[@1martinjom]

That’s his job, and before he even get certified for that position (flight deck PO), he must show to the panel members during his board that he strictly focused on SAFETY. He can cancel the launch if he has to regardless if the skipper is pissed off or not. He will articulate how unsafe it was for cancelling that launch.

[@chrisfinta4941]

I can watch it all day this is awesome team work! 🙏🏻 God bless American 🇺🇸

[@neil7813]

Awesome video. I feel like I'm part of the crew.

[@Call9-1-1]

Great work! It shows how much coordination goes into each launch. Maybe someone can tell me what’s the purpose of the bar that goes onto the rear side of front landing gear? Some kind of counter brace?

[@gbsailing9436]

Holds them back while they apply full thrust prior to the catapult being released.

[@jerryloufretz1797]

So proud of our Navy men and women!

[@latvariansavage9134]

How fast does that pully go and how come it doesn't rip the plane in half when taking off this is awesome to see ty for your service and upload

[@onddu2254]

The catapult launches the plane to about 300km/h i think and i'm not fully sure how the catapult detaches but the design looks like when the catapult stops it automatically detaches.

[@chrismaggio7879]

@@onddu2254 The nose gear of the plane has a bar that drops down in front, and that is hooked from behind, so as the plane moves forward and the catapult stroke ends it is free to go, kind of like if someone hooked two fingers into your nostrils and ran forward, you would go with them until they stopped, and the fingers no longer held your nose.

[@onddu2254]

@@chrismaggio7879 thanks

[@torn-_shuttle123]

The internet is still a thing, right?? All of this information is provided if you really wanted to know the answers to your questions. Seriously, what’s happening here?

[@AlienVibesss]

So, what does the little red thing they put on the gear do, and why was that one F-18 unable to launch?

[@chrismaggio7879]

That red thing is part of the holdback bar... and that's exactly what it does. It holds the aircraft back when it's in full power! Until the catapult fire button is pressed it could sit there all day and hold the plane in place. The catapult overpowers the hold back bar and the plane shoots forward. The holdback bar is hooked into it's own little notch and stays behind for another use. As far as the planes not launching, there are a hundred possible reasons, and unless it's obvious then it's just guess work on our part. Hope that helps.

[@AlienVibesss]

@@chrismaggio7879 it does. Thank you!

[@pugachevcobra9422]

13:15 I dont know why this plane not interest to fly Please tell me guys i need a answer

[@oldfucker68]

Because shit happens

[@mjames2117]

Could be a defect.. not surprised looking at condition of the gear assemblies.

[@ethanwsmith2487]

What happened towards the end when they had to unhook him from the catapult?

[@mernstgeek]

Erock 777 looks like a mechanical issue

[@ethanwsmith2487]

matthew ernst yeah. That's what I was thinking.

[@stevegibson2255]

How frequently are aircraft allowed to/can they take off from a carrier. Great video.

[@philchurch1115]

I was in the Navy with VS-41 and VS-33 1982 to 1988 two west pacs one on the USS Ranger CV-61 Jul 83 to Feb 84 I was a plane captain and ran the pilot through all of the areas of our aircraft the S3A and everything on the flight deck is ran by hand signals and miss the action and the smells of the flight deck and the second west pac was on the USS Kitty Hawk CV-63 Jul 85 to Oct 85 then shore duty AZ2 and I'd do it again because you don't know what you're missing if you have never served on an aircraft carrier..

[@rredford307]

I was on the Lexington in 68 69 I I was the topside safety petty officer on .a very hairy job.

[@2view428]

Do they have flight operations at night and in bad weather ? Thanks for share U.S. Navy.

[@FlightDeckLife]

Yes.

[@TheNemosdaddy]

Not only that, but imagine in a combat scenario? When all the training counts. When it truly becomes life and death. Someone is relying on that team to be 100%.

[@h.r.puffnstuff8705]

@@TheNemosdaddy They re 100% dedicated to the grunts on the beach in need of air power. Every day I seen guys doing dangerous sh!t that should rate a medal or too. Trying to quicken the pace of a turnaround so that bird can be back over head as soon as possible. For the most part the heroic efforts on the Roof go unrecognised and under appreciated.

[@reallifescottsterling1471]

How does one train to apply for the job of plane captain or the guy that detects the f-18 around please answer to the best of your ability Thanks for all the hard work you do out on the flight deck

[@oldfucker68]

The first thing you need to do is go visit your local Navy recruiters office.