Great video Ironroad! Felt just like the movie and a lot of those aerial shots were fantastic.
Originally Posted by RossUK
Simply wonderful video, watched it twice. You got a little close to the F-5 at one point!
I'd say about 2, or actually about 1.5 meters.
In DCS the F-5 and A-4 are nasty little buggers, they are hard to see and turn inside you in a heartbeat. However, you take them into the vertical you can always stall them out.
Fun fact: I smudged black grease all over one of VF-101's display F-14s years ago at an airshow. Background: My father and I attended airshows regularly together throughout my childhood. In the mid 90s, we attended one at the local naval air station where VF-101 had their red CO bird on static display.
I distinctly remember my stern father, who was also former military and retired law-enforcement, telling me "don't touch anything on those planes!!!" His reasoning, he didn't want a mischievous pre-pubescent boy breaking something on an plane the ground crew spent all day and night getting show ready.
For some reason or other we wandered over the a S-3 viking that was on static display. I remember my father spending a long-time joking around with the Viking flight crew that was hanging out in lawn chairs in the shade underneath the aircraft.
I came to the place to see fighters! And after awhile of listen to my father jaw-jack it up, I got bored and ran over to VF-101's beautiful red show bird that was sitting gleaning in the afternoon sun. I had seen the F-14 fly dozens of times before but this was the first time I had ever seen one painted up in a nice red. I had to do something...anything.... so I jumped. I'm not sure what I was thinking really, but figured I could get some hang time or something. And I had seen ground crew guys jump up and touch aircraft, so why not?
When I jumped, I grabbed for the recessed area of the F-14's tailhook, I mean that big beast could take dealing with a young grade school boy. When I cupped the inside of the tail hook (the actual "hook" part) what I got was nasty, gunky, and gooey surprise! My entire hand was covered in grease!
My father came over, looked me, looked at my greasy hand, and then stared at the long grease smudge I left across the F-14's grayish-white beaver tail and stripped tail hook.
"I told you not to touch anything!" head said in his stern former sergeant voice. "Christ!!!" My father embarrassed and frustrated, took my greasy hand and quickly wiped it off on one of the F-14's shinny red VF-101 engine covers, smack dab across the white Grim Reaper insignia. Then he quickly shooed me away from the area hoping his new S-3 Viking "buddies" didn't see what was going on.
Was on the Virtual Aerobatics Server last night and had my first human radar intercept officer (RIO), player by the name of Whale.
The guy was pretty #%&*$# good! Worked the radar and navigation systems in a superb manner and was also very patient with me.
We tooted around for about a hour, I did a lot of dangerous and low altitude maneuvers over the airfield and he quietly sat in the back clicking away and doing whatever it is RIOs do.
I took us out towards the boat to do a few morale passes over the ship, trap, takeoff, and then over to practice aerial refueling. My first time trying to tank in the F-14 and thought everything was ok until...
