In any arena, people who don't acknowledge those lower on the ladder who make things happen are risking having that ladder fall out from under them! But definitely a smart thing to avoid when your life rested on their work!
THANK YOU Ward Recognition of tge maintainers is so appreciated. By the way, I just finished Punks War…. Small print was a challenge. None the less I ordered all of the other books of the trilogy. Very well written Thank you again for the maintainer recognition.
I did graduate school in Virginia Beach. Our apartment was right next door to NAS Oceana. If you were having a conversation when the Super Hornets were on approach you learned quickly to just pause the conversation. The sound of freedom.
Thanks, Sir for highlighting the maintainer. As a USAF aircraft specialist myself, understanding how much work goes in to make jets in flight possible, it's great to see your appreciation for your enlisted sailors.
1977, VF-213, AIMD Hyd. shop, Miramar CA. I was an expert at repairing those pesky glove vane and spoiler actuators. I received 4.0 performance evals and to this day that remains a great source of pride. Three weeks after i turned 17 i was in boot camp and I gave the Navy my best!
Awesome! Were the glove vane actuators accessed from on top of the wing gloves adjacent to the intake trench walkway? What about the spoiler actuators? Seems like you would have to service them with the spoilers in the up position to get access from the rear.
@@LRRPFco52 I was TAD to AIMD so i never worked on the AC. The squadron took off the actuator and sent it to us to be overhauled and tested. It was a great job!
I was an AMS in the Navy in 1968-72 on A-4s and A-7s. In 1975 I worked for Grumman at Pt. Mugu, Cal. doing modifications in fuel tanks on F-14s. They have very thin bladders inside the tanks easily damaged so that could be a source of leaks but they didn’t leak when we were finished.
As a veteran USAF F-15 Avionics Specialist, I really appreciate this video. Thanks for recognizing the enlisted aircraft crew chiefs and maintenance specialists.
Seamlessly moving between interviews with Adm. Mullen to one of your early tours maintainers requires a genuineness of intellect and character rarely exhibited by traditional media. Thank you, Mooch. 👍😎
I was on the Kennedy 86-87. VMA - 533, Marine A-6 final checker/troubleshooter. Probably saw you guys up there on the flight deck. Nice to know that all Grumman AC leak.
My 1st shipboard deployment was aboard CVN 75 Harry S. Truman, in 2004, as a member of VAW-126 in CAG-3. I'm pretty sure that was VF-32's last deployment.
I spent almost 30 years in the Vermont Air Guard working F-16's. One year in the 90's we hosted an exercise in Burlington VT where the Navy flew 4 F-14's from Oceana up to our base to "play". We had our Vipers, Tomcats, Canadian CF18's, EA6B Prowlers all parked on our ramp participating in a 2 week exercise. I distinctly remember the Navy guy had these 8 ft long Drip pans that they would put under each engine when the Tomcat was on the ground. I've never seen a jet leak oil, hydraulic fluid and fuel like the Tomcat leaked. I asked one of the Navy guys if this was "Normal" and dude told me the same thing the guy in this video said. When it stops leaking, it's time to service it back up. I just kind of shook my head and went back to my Viper.
On the Tomcat, the hydraulic system was as much a part of the aircraft structure as the rest of the structural assemblies. It had more of a modular structural design. In flight, she warmed up and everything expanded and she would usually seal those leaks right up. You had to be very consistent on”burping the cat” on starts… bleeding the static air from the system… or it would snap hydraulic line support brackets and angles like nobody’s business. Tomcats loved flying and hated sitting for more than a day. I always dreaded the last day coming out of a long port visit and we would have to do start ups/turns on all the planes to make sure they were ready to go for flight ops the next day. It was a$$holes and elbows with toolbox, hydraulic line wrenches, rags, HSU, and a bucket. Good times! - (AM w/16 years F-14 experience)
I was in VF 51 plane captain and power plants 81-84 on the Carl Vinson. I was tad to the chiefs mess During the 83 cruise. I feel your pain but i always ate good.
This is great content, Mooch. I love it. I wish I could just listen in on a whole explanation about the systems, etc. and how all that worked. Thank you for bringing us into the world of naval aviation. I hope to be at the Oceana Airshow next year with my two boys and shake your hand.
I saw the Girls Girls Girls tour in Sydney ...possibly 1998, it was freaking loud. For 3 nights afterwards all I could hear as a tried to sleep was the drums.
His comment that if it wasn't leaking it was empty, made me laugh. I was a full time Guardsman at Kingsley Field and every 2 years we'd host a big air to air exercise. We'd get units from active duty AF & Navy, Guard, & Canadians. After the exercise was over, you could always tell where the Navy planes were parked, by the huge stains on the ramp, from fuel, oil, & hyd fluid.
I find this so ironic as I was supposed to check in to their sister squadron, VF14 in late summer of 1984 but instead went to VF31 as A/C division chief, then line, flight deck and maintenance chief.
84 85???!!Bunch of "newbies"!!!😁😁😁I had just finished my first tour in 84' on the other side of the country at NORIS. Was an AME on S-3's and did a WEST-PAC on the Big E in 82'-83'. In 3 years I got a pretty deep dive into NAVAIR doing pretty much what this maintainer mentioned....TAD for 90 days mess crankin, Line division then finally to my shop. Worked the flight deck on nights. Right out of H.S. at 17 years of age, and so glad I did it. Retired in 08' as an 0-5 with a pair of Naval Aviator wings.
Intruder squadron out of NAS Oceana ! I was in VA-42 as a plane captain from 1973 to Aug. 15,1975. Got to the squadron April 20, 1972. Went to FRAMP school for power plane (jet engine) (ADJ) soon after, then to barracks to clean for 3 months. Then plane captain school, then to line shack to qualify for plane captain. My orders were to stay to Dec. 1973 but were changed to the end of my enlistment. My enlistment was over 10/17/1975 but I requested an early out to go to VoTech school. I had to be accepted to the school before I could request an early out. My classes started Aug. 25,1975. They gave me 10 days before that to get home and get squared away for school. Enjoyed my work in the squadron but not the watches. Never did the chow hall duty anytime while in the USN. I lived off base with my wife and daughter. I became an E-4 a year and seven months after my enlistment began. Didn’t take the test for 2nd class, didn’t want an 8 hr. desk watch. There’s my USN store. ADJ-3 Dennis Hayes.
I currently work on Buno 161426 at the Deland Naval Air Station Museum which would have been board number 102 during the 98-99 med cruise. I'd love to find out if Kory or Yourself worked on or in our aircraft. To be frank, I'm in the process of tracking the aircraft from it's delivery to the Navy in 82 to its final flight in 05, primarily identifying and recognizing the people who flew and kept her alive. She's the second jet to ever be converted to A+ and one of the first 6 to receive FLIR. Any help from y'all is greatly appreciated.
According to Home of M.A.T.S, this aircraft arrived to VF-32 long after I left. On the other hand, If you obtained a nose landing gear brace from the F-14 Tomcat Association I designed and fabricated it. 🙂
A-gang snipe making O2N2 (liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen) for aviation support. We hated have the leaky F-14s outside of our spaces in the hanger bay while we were handling liquid oxygen.
So on your tour on the JFK did your have a Commader Brubaker in VF- 32 which i belive he took part in shooting up of Libian Mig 23 when you with VF -32
@@WardCarrollI would love for you to pick his brains on what kind of extras the f-16A MLU will get. In the context of munitions and other add ons like an Asq213 HARM targeting pod for its SEAD/DEAD role in Ukraine. Will we equip their vipers to be able to carry out that task? Also, a big question. They now have a search while track functionality and a fox 3 missile in AMRAAM. Will they get something better than the C7? Would be good to know when analysing it against both surface to air and fighter threats it could face.
@@WardCarroll Was that intended for the other gentleman? Or are you referring to ‘staying tuned’ into your channel to find out? Your riddles went over my head, sir.
I was working those years as a young structural design engineer at Grumman on the f-14 program. Many of Kory’s structural repairs originated from our area, and i know i made a lot of changes to honeycomb core types over a couple of years to improve corrosion resistance. We were all proud of the program and people who used the equipment.
@@ron.7105 I was supposed to fly out on a c12 for the repair on ship but that was scuttled, at least for me, for some reason. That would have been a trip.
It was very gratifying to see you giving some much overdo recognition to the ground crews. I know I have mentioned this before, but I was in VAQ-33 ( ECM) from 71-75 and was a Plane Captain for our ERA-3B Skywarriors. And yes...I took my job very seriously.
Navy flight crews and the plane Captain take ownership of that aircraft. The plane Captain works only on his aircraft. Thus, his name is also on the aircraft. And why plane Captains speak so honorably about their aircraft. Go Navy ⚾️ 🏈 🏀
@@johnnunn8688 ....Hi, and yes, a Navy Plane Captain is similar to the Air Force Crew Chief. I was sent to the Navy aircraft electrician school but after I got to my squadron, I decided that I wanted to become a Plane Captain. My duties were daily inspections of my type of plane, refueling, check & refill oil if needed, pre-flight inspection, post flight inspection, assisting the shops whenever needed, packing the big drag chute, directing the start-up and launching of plane with hand signals to the pilot and ground crew ( Air Force had headsets to communicate with the pilot and others, we did not.) Also towing aircraft in & out of the hangar when needed. Directing planes to proper parking spots after returning from flight. Talking with pilots before & after flights about any concerns with the plane. And other jobs that I probably forgot...this was in 1971-75...a long time ago...!!
As a maintainer, I'd love it if you could get more maintainers on the show from time to time. As a maintainer in todays Air Force, it's always interesting to learn about other air frames from the past, especially the F-14, as complex as it was.
I was F-14a, electrician but were all involved in everything. Like engine changes the forward fixed cowling was a intense ordeal! Yes I disconnected the electrical connectors and bagged the ends, removed the generator but usually helped with whatever needed to be done. We all had the paperwork such as assist maf's and miar machines unlike today's digital sign-offs
Thanks for doing this Ward, I would love to see a 45-60 min long m, structured interview like those with Hozer and Nasty for Tomcat ground Maintenance and Operations.
Former airframe troubleshooter for an F/A-18c squadron. Every Tomcat leaked something on the way to the cat. I’m glad the tomcat maintainers are getting some love. The pride, determination and sheer will those guys had to keep those jets mission capable largely in the shadows is commendable. The Hornets were significantly less labor intensive by comparison. Shame such an icon is gone. It was absolutely awe inspiring to be on the catapult when an F14 was in tension. You could feel the power in your chest. It was down right intimidating for the uninitiated. Twice saw F-14 break the sound barrier during at sea air power demonstrations. They shook the whole ship. There will never be another. Glad I had the opportunity to experience two naval legends in the A-6 and F-14. NGL also glad I was a Hornet Handler and never had to maintain them. 😂
Former RCAF aviator here. Maintainers are outstanding - no matter the service, we trust them with our lives. Thanks for highlighting the great work done by these pros.
I was an MR in the navy from 76-84. I wanted so much to be in carrier aviation. Even tried to switch rates to air traffic controller when I reenlisted but no joy, they wouldn't let me. So my flying is as a private pilot in my Vans Aircraft. Still fun but I get my naval aviation/carrier fix here on this channel. Thanks Ward!
A MR is a Machinery Repairman; an enlisted engineering rating. They are the ones who run the machine shop with the lathes and milling machines. I was a MM, Machinist Mate. MR's and MM's are in Auxiliaries Division (A-Gang), Engineering Department, Ship's Company. An A-gang MM maintains the Air conditioning units, Emergency diesels, and in direct support of Aviation on an Aircraft Carrier, the aircraft evelvators (my job) and the Oxygen/Nitrogen production plant. MR's are the ones who back us all up with precision metal fabrication on the ship. I was on the USS NIMITZ 1986-1990.@@johnnunn8688
Hi John. An "MR" is what is a "Machinery Repairman." Actually a machinist working in machine shops. Running metal lathes and milling machines doing repairs or manufacturing new parts.
Those were the days. Machine gun problems in the turtle backs, 4-way valve leaks on a hot go, outboard spoiler mod changes, combined and flight reservoir leaks on a go, stab pack leaks ( foamy ear plugs do wonders), mode-4 and JTIDS upload issues, flap-slat lock-outs, overstress inspections on the last recovery Friday night with an off weekend….I could go on and on. Those were the best days of my life. I’m one of the few privileged to have had the honor to spend time with the F-14 A/B/D. Anytime baby. I love your channel Mooch. Thank you for all you do and especially for recognizing the backbone of the aviation fleet…the maintainers. Without them, there’s no flying, and without the pilots, RIOs, and WSOs, the work that maintenance puts in is null and void, and the bad guys win.🫡 RIP Shaker…the best C.O. any sailor could ever hope for.
I loved working with our enlisted troops. They were the absolute best. When I'd finally made it through Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT), Naval Aviation Transition (TA-4F Skyhawks) in VMT-203 at NKT, (CHERRY POINT), and A6 Intruder checkout in VMAT (AW) 202, also at NKT, I finally got to my first "gun squadron", VMA(AW) 224, again at NKT. When as a young first lieutenant I reported in to the Skipper, LtCol "Duke" Brandon, USMC, he asked me what I wanted for my first collateral (i.e. ground) duty, and I said, "Give me some Marines, sir". He laughed and said, "Great! I've got just the job for you, line division officer!" I had no idea what the line division was. He explained that I would be in the maintenance department, reporting to the aviation maintenance officer. I would be responsible for the plane captain's who prepared the jets for each flight, refueling them, checking out all the on-board systems, cleaning the bugs off the wind screens, checking tire pressures, changing tires when necessary, riding brakes in the cockpits when the aircraft were being towed from one position on the parking ramp to another, and chocking and chaining them securely to the tarmac when unattended, etc. I would also be in charge of the ground equipment troops who drove and maintained the "Garwoods", the tow tractors, aircraft maintenance stands, and jacks. The skipper said the line troops were an unruly wild bunch who needed a highly motivated hard charging lieutenant like me to keep them in line and smoothly functioning in their critical and sometimes dangerous jobs. I would have two experienced staff NCOs to help me, and keep things in hand when I was off flying or attending to my administrative and paperwork duties. I loved that job and my young, mostly teenaged Marines who made things hapoen on the flightline. It was a great leadership building experience. I had them teach me every aspect of their demanding jobs. I learned how to drive the tractors and tow the ungainly but expensive A-6s around the ramp, how to use hand signals to guide other pilots accurately to their parking spots, and how to preflight inspect them before each launch, and postflight them when they returned. I had two really professional career staff NCOs to teach me the ropes, and I gained tremendous respect for my brown shirt troops and the hazardous work they performed. I salute them all for the essential role they played in accomplishing the daily flight schedule. It was the best duty I ever had in my 13 years as a Marine. Semper Fidelis!
These off the cuff interviews are great. Peoples' stories deserve to be shared. There are so many non job related details. I've worked in the gym in West Ft. Hood (now Ft. Cavazos), driven a WW2 code breaker around Ft. Huachuca, even spent a year on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
Hello shipmates,so cool to see you on UT. I'm proud to say I was there too. I would be interested in joining a future reunion,let's get me on the list. Thanks for the memories VF-32,CV-62;CV-67. PR3 Ron Gutenberger.
I am a retired SWO and I served on 2 aircraft carriers. I always admired the comraderie between the Aviators and their Enlisted men. I was glad to be part of those 2 carriers. It was a total team effort, and Aviators are team players. The SWO community would benefit from developing these attributes instead of "eating their young". Thanks for the great videos.
I was on the COD crew from VR-24 sig that stayed deployed on the JFK for a few weeks. Must have been right around 84. I must say, it was the best I have ever been treated. Except when we had a darken ship and a sand storm. Putting on the intake covers at night, in the dark wasn't fun :-) But, Love the JFK! I also ran the hush house in San Diego and used to push the F-14 engine, I could and did, re-wire an F-14 and a C2's engine by memory.
Airframers rock. If you can fix a Tomcat, everything else is cake! Began my 1st enlistment (spell check tried to make it enlightenment which is also true) in VF-101 in ’85! Made Plane Captain, went to Phase shop, then to Airframes. Left in 1989 to go to VA-105/ VFA-105. Came back around to VF-101 again in ‘93-‘96 before becoming a Jolly Roger for six years and finally retiring as an instructor in ‘05. Just remember nothing meant more to us enlisted than to have the O’s come down and hang out with us. That one act went a long way to help us understand that we really were a team. Just having that personal relationship really makes you care more about the guys driving and really makes it worth going the extra mile to give them the best aircraft to strap on. So thank you to all the officers who made/make the effort to come and hang out and share a part of themselves with us on and below the flight deck, or outside the ready rooms.
Thanks for having an AMS on the show! I was AMS with RVAW-110 73-77...haha ya the delamination's! fingers going through that stuff...had no cruise, just some shore dets and 5 quals on ships (coralsea,kittyhawk,connie,ranger,forestal- checking E-2s)..best/coolest thing ever....you guys are amazing landing in dead black of night in driving rains...over and over again...getting those traps and takeoffs.....absolutely amazing....many funny stories too!.....but again thank you and all the crews (ship and air) for the incredible teamwork...!!!
Hey Mooch, If it didn't leak it was empty sounds like the SR-71, only full of fuel when the skin got hot enough to expand and close the holes and then it hit the tanker! Cheers from Downunder Andrew
My first time at sea USS America CV66, where I had my first real job in the Navy. I was part of the air wing in a helicopter squadron and I was going to do some time TAD. Most guys get compartment cleaning, the mess deck, or some other dreadful thing. I worked as/with the liaison between the air wing and the air department. I was the guy writing backward on the clear marking board in flight deck control, on the flight deck. I worked for an E8 chief, and with the aircraft handling officer, . .And all of those yellow shirt guys you see on television moving the airplanes around on the flight deck they would be in and out of there. I would show the status of all of the airplanes, 80+ on the carrier marked on that clear board so everybody knew which planes could fly and which ones were full system capable. I'd be standing there with sound powered phones and I would tell people where airplanes needed to move like which F-14 needed to be on the elevator bring it up from the hanger, and on a telephone and I would talk to the various ready rooms and maintenance offices of the squadrons, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah the funny part is, since I was telling people, words like "Hanger Flight, Light Off L2", *this means: get the aircraft elevator so it is ready to move airplanes. Hanger Flight, Get 602 on L2 after 102 comes up. Everyone called me Chief Tucker, on the sound-powered phones, I was pretty much the guy who said where the Air Department was to move an airplane..., once they are on the flight deck they were not my responsibility, I would only tell them where we wanted airplanes after flight ops. An F14 needs a high-power tie-down for jet engine testing.
Ward, that is again a fantastic interview. I am lucky enough to have friends that are retired Navy. This weekend we are at a “Fly In” up in South Carolina. The mix of officers and enlisted men having drinks together, sitting around singing and playing music is a great window into the camaraderie of the shipmates. Your interviews along with Bio and Cruches F-14 Tomcast series further demonstrates this. Thank you again for your service and a look into the world of Naval Aviation.
I generally know the reason for the F14 A cat launch in full burner but others may not be aware of the idiosyncrasies of those PW engines...They had a bad habit of flaming out. Might make for a good episode if you have not already covered it, Ward. The Phoenix missile, now retired, which the F14 was designed to carry, and the only plane that could carry that monster would also be an interesting story. Surely, parts of its capability are still classified but plenty can be said about it without causing an issue.
Ward, I’d love to see you do some interviews with guys from VF-84. They were the wing that my uncle worked with as a yellow shirt on Nimitz back when they filmed the Final Countdown. Keep up the great work!!
That's so cool you have one of your former team mates that worked on the aircraft's you flew. With that said you must be a mind reader. I was thinking you have a lot of your former pilot buddies on and I was thinking on asking you to bring some of the maintainers on the show and talk about the maintenance side of it. The problems with Airframes, Structure, Engines and Avionics. I was an AT1 working on EA-6A & EA-6B's, FA-18A/B's, H3's and worked in IM3 and AIMD COM/NAV W/C 610 also the corrosion shop. I was the primary radio technician for HF, VHF & UHF radios and RAD/ALT's. APN-194's, ARC-542's on the EA-6B's, ARC-105, ARC-159's ADF, the OLD Sea Doppler Radars AN/APN-153's and TACAN AN/ARN-52 & 84's. Some of you AT's may remember the old programmable MIARs tape reading machines when they tried to go paperless, or the old MicroFiche readers on all the benches with the pubs on micro film slides in boxes. Man that brings back some memories. Those old ARC-542 radios were fun to repair and even more fun to tune those open air capacitors driven by gears in the bottom and the old mini vacuum tubes. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya AT1 USN/USNR-TAR Retired
Thanks for giving props to your enlisted support crew. You don't fly without them.
Exactly.
In any arena, people who don't acknowledge those lower on the ladder who make things happen are risking having that ladder fall out from under them! But definitely a smart thing to avoid when your life rested on their work!
There's no 'i' in team.
THANK YOU Ward
Recognition of tge maintainers is so appreciated.
By the way, I just finished Punks War…. Small print was a challenge. None the less
I ordered all of the other books of the trilogy. Very well written
Thank you again for the maintainer recognition.
Thanks@@TheMilwaukieDan
Man, it's simply heartwarming to see people who made sure you were ok up there 30 years later. Pure brotherhood.
I did graduate school in Virginia Beach. Our apartment was right next door to NAS Oceana. If you were having a conversation when the Super Hornets were on approach you learned quickly to just pause the conversation. The sound of freedom.
Thanks, Sir for highlighting the maintainer. As a USAF aircraft specialist myself, understanding how much work goes in to make jets in flight possible, it's great to see your appreciation for your enlisted sailors.
1977, VF-213, AIMD Hyd. shop, Miramar CA. I was an expert at repairing those pesky glove vane and spoiler actuators. I received 4.0 performance evals and to this day that remains a great source of pride. Three weeks after i turned 17 i was in boot camp and I gave the Navy my best!
Awesome! Were the glove vane actuators accessed from on top of the wing gloves adjacent to the intake trench walkway? What about the spoiler actuators? Seems like you would have to service them with the spoilers in the up position to get access from the rear.
@@LRRPFco52 I was TAD to AIMD so i never worked on the AC. The squadron took off the actuator and sent it to us to be overhauled and tested. It was a great job!
I was an AMS in the Navy in 1968-72 on A-4s and A-7s. In 1975 I worked for Grumman at Pt. Mugu, Cal. doing modifications in fuel tanks on F-14s. They have very thin bladders inside the tanks easily damaged so that could be a source of leaks but they didn’t leak when we were finished.
Point Mugu in the 1970s was out of control. For their open house, they did freaking live-fire into the ocean away from audience.
@@LRRPFco52 , Not out of control. They do that there. The only air show I know where they do.
Teamwork makes the dream work. Props to every Veteran for their duty to country. We are a great nation because of you. Thank you for your service!
As a veteran USAF F-15 Avionics Specialist, I really appreciate this video. Thanks for recognizing the enlisted aircraft crew chiefs and maintenance specialists.
Ward awesome to show some love to maintainers!
More non comms Ward. These are great.
Roger that!
Seamlessly moving between interviews with Adm. Mullen to one of your early tours maintainers requires a genuineness of intellect and character rarely exhibited by traditional media. Thank you, Mooch. 👍😎
I was on the Kennedy 86-87. VMA - 533, Marine A-6 final checker/troubleshooter. Probably saw you guys up there on the flight deck. Nice to know that all Grumman AC leak.
My 1st shipboard deployment was aboard CVN 75 Harry S. Truman, in 2004, as a member of VAW-126 in CAG-3. I'm pretty sure that was VF-32's last deployment.
That is correct. 2004 was VF-32's last deployment with Tomcats, before they transitioned to the Bug and became a VFA squadron.
Thanks for another great interview Ward!!
I spent almost 30 years in the Vermont Air Guard working F-16's. One year in the 90's we hosted an exercise in Burlington VT where the Navy flew 4 F-14's from Oceana up to our base to "play". We had our Vipers, Tomcats, Canadian CF18's, EA6B Prowlers all parked on our ramp participating in a 2 week exercise. I distinctly remember the Navy guy had these 8 ft long Drip pans that they would put under each engine when the Tomcat was on the ground. I've never seen a jet leak oil, hydraulic fluid and fuel like the Tomcat leaked. I asked one of the Navy guys if this was "Normal" and dude told me the same thing the guy in this video said. When it stops leaking, it's time to service it back up. I just kind of shook my head and went back to my Viper.
On the Tomcat, the hydraulic system was as much a part of the aircraft structure as the rest of the structural assemblies. It had more of a modular structural design.
In flight, she warmed up and everything expanded and she would usually seal those leaks right up. You had to be very consistent on”burping the cat” on starts… bleeding the static air from the system… or it would snap hydraulic line support brackets and angles like nobody’s business.
Tomcats loved flying and hated sitting for more than a day.
I always dreaded the last day coming out of a long port visit and we would have to do start ups/turns on all the planes to make sure they were ready to go for flight ops the next day. It was a$$holes and elbows with toolbox, hydraulic line wrenches, rags, HSU, and a bucket. Good times! - (AM w/16 years F-14 experience)
I was in VF 51 plane captain and power plants 81-84 on the Carl Vinson. I was tad to the chiefs mess
During the 83 cruise. I feel your pain but i always ate good.
This is great content, Mooch. I love it. I wish I could just listen in on a whole explanation about the systems, etc. and how all that worked. Thank you for bringing us into the world of naval aviation. I hope to be at the Oceana Airshow next year with my two boys and shake your hand.
Look forward to seeing you there, Juan!
I would think an F14 maintenance course would be 6 weeks at least; ( per trade) that’s a rather long video!
I saw the Girls Girls Girls tour in Sydney ...possibly 1998, it was freaking loud. For 3 nights afterwards all I could hear as a tried to sleep was the drums.
AMS almost as smart as a AMH. 😁 Good to see you respect those that actually make it happen Ward especially 120 where ingenuity counts.
His comment that if it wasn't leaking it was empty, made me laugh. I was a full time Guardsman at Kingsley Field and every 2 years we'd host a big air to air exercise. We'd get units from active duty AF & Navy, Guard, & Canadians. After the exercise was over, you could always tell where the Navy planes were parked, by the huge stains on the ramp, from fuel, oil, & hyd fluid.
The Carl Vinson relieved the Indie on station IO in 84. I remember seeing her on the horizon
thanx alot for sharing this～
I find this so ironic as I was supposed to check in to their sister squadron, VF14 in late summer of 1984 but instead went to VF31 as A/C division chief, then line, flight deck and maintenance chief.
My father was doing your Tomcat Ordinance on the JFK during that cruise!
no birds without the nerds. Awesome video!
84 85???!!Bunch of "newbies"!!!😁😁😁I had just finished my first tour in 84' on the other side of the country at NORIS. Was an AME on S-3's and did a WEST-PAC on the Big E in 82'-83'. In 3 years I got a pretty deep dive into NAVAIR doing pretty much what this maintainer mentioned....TAD for 90 days mess crankin, Line division then finally to my shop. Worked the flight deck on nights. Right out of H.S. at 17 years of age, and so glad I did it.
Retired in 08' as an 0-5 with a pair of Naval Aviator wings.
BZ!
Good chat. 🇺🇸⚓️
I'd rather hear the stories of these guys then the pilots. Thanks
At 0:28 third from the right, in the back with the red shirt, is that Joe Scholl (AT)???
Was on that cruise VA176 Go TBOLTS
Intruder squadron out of NAS Oceana ! I was in VA-42 as a plane captain from 1973 to Aug. 15,1975. Got to the squadron April 20, 1972. Went to FRAMP school for power plane (jet engine) (ADJ) soon after, then to barracks to clean for 3 months. Then plane captain school, then to line shack to qualify for plane captain. My orders were to stay to Dec. 1973 but were changed to the end of my enlistment. My enlistment was over 10/17/1975 but I requested an early out to go to VoTech school. I had to be accepted to the school before I could request an early out. My classes started Aug. 25,1975. They gave me 10 days before that to get home and get squared away for school. Enjoyed my work in the squadron but not the watches. Never did the chow hall duty anytime while in the USN. I lived off base with my wife and daughter. I became an E-4 a year and seven months after my enlistment began. Didn’t take the test for 2nd class, didn’t want an 8 hr. desk watch. There’s my USN store. ADJ-3 Dennis Hayes.
I currently work on Buno 161426 at the Deland Naval Air Station Museum which would have been board number 102 during the 98-99 med cruise. I'd love to find out if Kory or Yourself worked on or in our aircraft. To be frank, I'm in the process of tracking the aircraft from it's delivery to the Navy in 82 to its final flight in 05, primarily identifying and recognizing the people who flew and kept her alive. She's the second jet to ever be converted to A+ and one of the first 6 to receive FLIR. Any help from y'all is greatly appreciated.
According to Home of M.A.T.S, this aircraft arrived to VF-32 long after I left. On the other hand, If you obtained a nose landing gear brace from the F-14 Tomcat Association I designed and fabricated it. 🙂
A-gang snipe making O2N2 (liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen) for aviation support. We hated have the leaky F-14s outside of our spaces in the hanger bay while we were handling liquid oxygen.
You guys were great!
So on your tour on the JFK did your have a Commader Brubaker in VF- 32 which i belive he took part in shooting up of Libian Mig 23 when you with VF -32
SEMPER FIDELIS ******* LAUNCH THEE ALERT 5 !!!!!
you have all of this view and you do alot of motorcycle riding and ive heard you want to work on tomcats again so... hey feel free ill be waiting😂
Hey Mooch, quick question, what’s the difference between the F-14B and F-14B (upgrade)?
Takes a college grad to fly her, but a high school grad to fix her! ;)
(Yes, I know that's not strictly true.)
Now how will anyone make another top gun movie without any tomcats?
Has Justin Bronk abandoned this channel?
He was just on a few weeks ago. We'll have him back before too long.
@@WardCarrollI would love for you to pick his brains on what kind of extras the f-16A MLU will get. In the context of munitions and other add ons like an Asq213 HARM targeting pod for its SEAD/DEAD role in Ukraine. Will we equip their vipers to be able to carry out that task? Also, a big question. They now have a search while track functionality and a fox 3 missile in AMRAAM. Will they get something better than the C7?
Would be good to know when analysing it against both surface to air and fighter threats it could face.
@@FancyPantsOnFire Okay. Focus, brother. Focus.
@@WardCarroll Was that intended for the other gentleman? Or are you referring to ‘staying tuned’ into your channel to find out? Your riddles went over my head, sir.
@@WardCarroll Thank you Ward, you, Justin and Ben Hodges are my main informants regarding the Ukraine war
Funny how many Iranian Air Force maintainers have tuned into this broadcast. hmmmm.....
I was working those years as a young structural design engineer at Grumman on the f-14 program. Many of Kory’s structural repairs originated from our area, and i know i made a lot of changes to honeycomb core types over a couple of years to improve corrosion resistance. We were all proud of the program and people who used the equipment.
Yes I remember the delam inside the engine air intakes
@@ron.7105 I was supposed to fly out on a c12 for the repair on ship but that was scuttled, at least for me, for some reason. That would have been a trip.
Cmdr Carrol, thanks for bringing recognition to the enlisted ranks, and what they contribute. FMR PC VF-201
Hey I was vf-201 tar program NAS Dallas 87-91.
It was very gratifying to see you giving some much overdo recognition to the ground crews. I know I have mentioned this before, but I was in VAQ-33 ( ECM) from 71-75 and was a Plane Captain for our ERA-3B Skywarriors. And yes...I took my job very seriously.
Thanks for that!
Is a Plane Captain, what the USAF calls a crew chief? (Brit here.)
@@johnnunn8688 I'm commenting on your comment because I want to know too, never heard "plane captain" before
Navy flight crews and the plane Captain take ownership of that aircraft. The plane Captain works only on his aircraft. Thus, his name is also on the aircraft. And why plane Captains speak so honorably about their aircraft.
Go Navy ⚾️ 🏈 🏀
@@johnnunn8688 ....Hi, and yes, a Navy Plane Captain is similar to the Air Force Crew Chief. I was sent to the Navy aircraft electrician school but after I got to my squadron, I decided that I wanted to become a Plane Captain. My duties were daily inspections of my type of plane, refueling, check & refill oil if needed, pre-flight inspection, post flight inspection, assisting the shops whenever needed, packing the big drag chute, directing the start-up and launching of plane with hand signals to the pilot and ground crew ( Air Force had headsets to communicate with the pilot and others, we did not.) Also towing aircraft in & out of the hangar when needed. Directing planes to proper parking spots after returning from flight. Talking with pilots before & after flights about any concerns with the plane. And other jobs that I probably forgot...this was in 1971-75...a long time ago...!!
Pilots without maintainers are just pedestrians with sunglasses and a cool jacket.
Yep.
As a maintainer, I'd love it if you could get more maintainers on the show from time to time. As a maintainer in todays Air Force, it's always interesting to learn about other air frames from the past, especially the F-14, as complex as it was.
Took the words right out of my mouth, more maintainers!
I was F-14a, electrician but were all involved in everything. Like engine changes the forward fixed cowling was a intense ordeal! Yes I disconnected the electrical connectors and bagged the ends, removed the generator but usually helped with whatever needed to be done. We all had the paperwork such as assist maf's and miar machines unlike today's digital sign-offs
Plane Captain was the most trusted member of the plane crew. Good on you Kory!
Total Team Situation is Spot-On. Kory's reflections echo the feelings of many of us who were Roof Rats.
More enlisted interviews please!
Great interview. Thank you Sir for recognizing the enlisted. Very cool.
I was smiling like an idiot during that interview.
Pretty cool to see a maintainer and a pilot reunite and catch up. Good stuff.
This maintainer has a great attitude. Not hard to see him as a young man serving his country, fixing F-14s and building his future.
Thanks for doing this Ward, I would love to see a 45-60 min long m, structured interview like those with Hozer and Nasty for Tomcat ground Maintenance and Operations.
Love hearing from the maintainers, the real heroes
The Maintainers make the Tomcat fly!
It is now time for The SUPER TOMCAT!
Former airframe troubleshooter for an F/A-18c squadron. Every Tomcat leaked something on the way to the cat. I’m glad the tomcat maintainers are getting some love. The pride, determination and sheer will those guys had to keep those jets mission capable largely in the shadows is commendable. The Hornets were significantly less labor intensive by comparison. Shame such an icon is gone. It was absolutely awe inspiring to be on the catapult when an F14 was in tension. You could feel the power in your chest. It was down right intimidating for the uninitiated. Twice saw F-14 break the sound barrier during at sea air power demonstrations. They shook the whole ship. There will never be another. Glad I had the opportunity to experience two naval legends in the A-6 and F-14. NGL also glad I was a Hornet Handler and never had to maintain them. 😂
Hey, I was an AMS too.
Former RCAF aviator here. Maintainers are outstanding - no matter the service, we trust them with our lives. Thanks for highlighting the great work done by these pros.
Please do a follow up interview with him so he can get into more detail.....thanks!!
I was an MR in the navy from 76-84. I wanted so much to be in carrier aviation. Even tried to switch rates to air traffic controller when I reenlisted but no joy, they wouldn't let me. So my flying is as a private pilot in my Vans Aircraft. Still fun but I get my naval aviation/carrier fix here on this channel. Thanks Ward!
MR?
A MR is a Machinery Repairman; an enlisted engineering rating. They are the ones who run the machine shop with the lathes and milling machines. I was a MM, Machinist Mate. MR's and MM's are in Auxiliaries Division (A-Gang), Engineering Department, Ship's Company. An A-gang MM maintains the Air conditioning units, Emergency diesels, and in direct support of Aviation on an Aircraft Carrier, the aircraft evelvators (my job) and the Oxygen/Nitrogen production plant. MR's are the ones who back us all up with precision metal fabrication on the ship. I was on the USS NIMITZ 1986-1990.@@johnnunn8688
Hi John. An "MR" is what is a "Machinery Repairman." Actually a machinist working in machine shops. Running metal lathes and milling machines doing repairs or manufacturing new parts.
@@paulschannel3046 , thanks, Paul.
Oddly enough, my late father worked for Grumman on the F14. I was an MR3 84-88 and really wish I would have chose the aviation field myself.
The best part of serving in the Navy was the relationships that were made.
"The friends we made along the way."
Those were the days.
Machine gun problems in the turtle backs, 4-way valve leaks on a hot go, outboard spoiler mod changes, combined and flight reservoir leaks on a go, stab pack leaks ( foamy ear plugs do wonders), mode-4 and JTIDS upload issues, flap-slat lock-outs, overstress inspections on the last recovery Friday night with an off weekend….I could go on and on.
Those were the best days of my life. I’m one of the few privileged to have had the honor to spend time with the F-14 A/B/D. Anytime baby.
I love your channel Mooch. Thank you for all you do and especially for recognizing the backbone of the aviation fleet…the maintainers. Without them, there’s no flying, and without the pilots, RIOs, and WSOs, the work that maintenance puts in is null and void, and the bad guys win.🫡
RIP Shaker…the best C.O. any sailor could ever hope for.
Shaker was a great man.
@@WardCarroll thank you for your comment. May he rest with Davy Jones with fair winds and following seas.
I loved working with our enlisted troops. They were the absolute best. When I'd finally made it through Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT), Naval Aviation Transition (TA-4F Skyhawks) in VMT-203 at NKT, (CHERRY POINT), and A6 Intruder checkout in VMAT (AW) 202, also at NKT, I finally got to my first "gun squadron", VMA(AW) 224, again at NKT. When as a young first lieutenant I reported in to the Skipper, LtCol "Duke" Brandon, USMC, he asked me what I wanted for my first collateral (i.e. ground) duty, and I said, "Give me some Marines, sir". He laughed and said, "Great! I've got just the job for you, line division officer!" I had no idea what the line division was. He explained that I would be in the maintenance department, reporting to the aviation maintenance officer. I would be responsible for the plane captain's who prepared the jets for each flight, refueling them, checking out all the on-board systems, cleaning the bugs off the wind screens, checking tire pressures, changing tires when necessary, riding brakes in the cockpits when the aircraft were being towed from one position on the parking ramp to another, and chocking and chaining them securely to the tarmac when unattended, etc. I would also be in charge of the ground equipment troops who drove and maintained the "Garwoods", the tow tractors, aircraft maintenance stands, and jacks. The skipper said the line troops were an unruly wild bunch who needed a highly motivated hard charging lieutenant like me to keep them in line and smoothly functioning in their critical and sometimes dangerous jobs. I would have two experienced staff NCOs to help me, and keep things in hand when I was off flying or attending to my administrative and paperwork duties. I loved that job and my young, mostly teenaged Marines who made things hapoen on the flightline. It was a great leadership building experience. I had them teach me every aspect of their demanding jobs. I learned how to drive the tractors and tow the ungainly but expensive A-6s around the ramp, how to use hand signals to guide other pilots accurately to their parking spots, and how to preflight inspect them before each launch, and postflight them when they returned. I had two really professional career staff NCOs to teach me the ropes, and I gained tremendous respect for my brown shirt troops and the hazardous work they performed. I salute them all for the essential role they played in accomplishing the daily flight schedule. It was the best duty I ever had in my 13 years as a Marine. Semper Fidelis!
These off the cuff interviews are great. Peoples' stories deserve to be shared. There are so many non job related details. I've worked in the gym in West Ft. Hood (now Ft. Cavazos), driven a WW2 code breaker around Ft. Huachuca, even spent a year on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
Hello shipmates,so cool to see you on UT. I'm proud to say I was there too. I would be interested in joining a future reunion,let's get me on the list. Thanks for the memories VF-32,CV-62;CV-67.
PR3 Ron Gutenberger.
“if it wasn’t leaking, it was empty.”
Great quote.
I am a retired SWO and I served on 2 aircraft carriers. I always admired the comraderie between the Aviators and their Enlisted men. I was glad to be part of those 2 carriers. It was a total team effort, and Aviators are team players. The SWO community would benefit from developing these attributes instead of "eating their young". Thanks for the great videos.
I was on the COD crew from VR-24 sig that stayed deployed on the JFK for a few weeks. Must have been right around 84. I must say, it was the best I have ever been treated. Except when we had a darken ship and a sand storm. Putting on the intake covers at night, in the dark wasn't fun :-) But, Love the JFK! I also ran the hush house in San Diego and used to push the F-14 engine, I could and did, re-wire an F-14 and a C2's engine by memory.
Awesome.
The better thing of USA is Harley Davidson....🇧🇷👍🏼😎👏🏼😂
Airframers rock. If you can fix a Tomcat, everything else is cake!
Began my 1st enlistment (spell check tried to make it enlightenment which is also true) in VF-101 in ’85! Made Plane Captain, went to Phase shop, then to Airframes. Left in 1989 to go to VA-105/ VFA-105. Came back around to VF-101
again in ‘93-‘96 before becoming a Jolly Roger for six years and finally retiring as an instructor in ‘05.
Just remember nothing meant more to us enlisted than to have the O’s come down and hang out with us. That one act went a long way to help us understand that we really were a team. Just having that personal relationship really makes you care more about the guys driving and really makes it worth going the extra mile to give them the best aircraft to strap on.
So thank you to all the officers who made/make the effort to come and hang out and share a part of themselves with us on and below the flight deck, or outside the ready rooms.
Thanks for having an AMS on the show! I was AMS with RVAW-110 73-77...haha ya the delamination's! fingers going through that stuff...had no cruise, just some shore dets and 5 quals on ships (coralsea,kittyhawk,connie,ranger,forestal- checking E-2s)..best/coolest thing ever....you guys are amazing landing in dead black of night in driving rains...over and over again...getting those traps and takeoffs.....absolutely amazing....many funny stories too!.....but again thank you and all the crews (ship and air) for the incredible teamwork...!!!
Mooch, thank you very much for letting an unsung hero sing!
Maintenance makes the squadron! 🙂
The aircrew don't go flying without the maintainers doing their jobs. The same thing can be said about the ships.
So true!
@@WardCarroll Love your channel Mooch (Former F-16 ACC)
Teamwork is what keeps the navy operating. The bond between pilots and enlisted squadron personnel is so unique. Great episode!
Sounds like if you flew the tomcat you had to have complete trust in your mechanics.
Yep.
Gypsy Brother you are the man. Cheers and Best Wishes.
Definitely need more context from the maintenance side,great channel!
Ward!get more like this one!
Old school Navy:
AMS - Aviation Structural Mechanic Airframes
AMH - Aviation Structural Mechanic Hydraulics
What they really meant:
AMS = Supervisor
AMH = Helper.
Fixing hydraulic leaks with 9/16th's rags and trichlorofluoromethane.
F-it, It's within limits, shoot it!
Troubleshooters and everyone else!
Thanks Ward, Thanks Kory, great video!
I was a former AMH I took lots of baths in MIL-H-83282. I'll never forget that Mil spec #. ;)
Aircrew doesn’t get the their fun time without someone fixing what they broke. Maintenance bubbas rock!!!
This man looks like he belongs in the WWE
Holy $hit, Ward! When this video started I thought you were interviewing/getting ready to jam with Michael Anthony of Van Halen!!! Great interview!
Hey Mooch,
If it didn't leak it was empty sounds like the SR-71, only full of fuel when the skin got hot enough to expand and close the holes and then it hit the tanker!
Cheers from Downunder
Andrew
My first time at sea USS America CV66, where I had my first real job in the Navy.
I was part of the air wing in a helicopter squadron and I was going to do some time TAD.
Most guys get compartment cleaning, the mess deck, or some other dreadful thing.
I worked as/with the liaison between the air wing and the air department.
I was the guy writing backward on the clear marking board in flight deck control, on the flight deck. I worked for an E8 chief, and with the aircraft handling officer, . .And all of those yellow shirt guys you see on television moving the airplanes around on the flight deck they would be in and out of there.
I would show the status of all of the airplanes, 80+ on the carrier marked on that clear board so everybody knew which planes could fly and which ones were full system capable.
I'd be standing there with sound powered phones and I would tell people where airplanes needed to move like which F-14 needed to be on the elevator bring it up from the hanger, and on a telephone and I would talk to the various ready rooms and maintenance offices of the squadrons, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
the funny part is, since I was telling people, words like "Hanger Flight, Light Off L2", *this means: get the aircraft elevator so it is ready to move airplanes. Hanger Flight, Get 602 on L2 after 102 comes up. Everyone called me Chief Tucker, on the sound-powered phones, I was pretty much the guy who said where the Air Department was to move an airplane..., once they are on the flight deck they were not my responsibility, I would only tell them where we wanted airplanes after flight ops. An F14 needs a high-power tie-down for jet engine testing.
Former VF-41 Black Aces AMH/ Troubleshooter out of Oceana/ USS Nimitz 84-88 here.
Yes!
Old enuff as well to have seen motley crüe live, nothing like Tommy lee’s revolving drum set😀
This is a great Video. Thank you for recognizing the enlisted that maintain the equipment.
Well if it's not leaking it must be empty, true words from a mechanic 😊
Ward, that is again a fantastic interview. I am lucky enough to have friends that are retired Navy. This weekend we are at a “Fly In” up in South Carolina. The mix of officers and enlisted men having drinks together, sitting around singing and playing music is a great window into the camaraderie of the shipmates. Your interviews along with Bio and Cruches F-14 Tomcast series further demonstrates this. Thank you again for your service and a look into the world of Naval Aviation.
I generally know the reason for the F14 A cat launch in full burner but others may not be aware of the idiosyncrasies of those PW engines...They had a bad habit of flaming out. Might make for a good episode if you have not already covered it, Ward. The Phoenix missile, now retired, which the F14 was designed to carry, and the only plane that could carry that monster would also be an interesting story. Surely, parts of its capability are still classified but plenty can be said about it without causing an issue.
Pretty sure thats Michael Anthony from VH
Ward. As an
Enlisted
Marine I
cant tell
you how
awesome
this
is.
Much respect. I can only imagine the amount of work, sweat, contortion, bloody knuckles, et al involved in keeping those airframes air worthy.
this kind of interview is REALLY interestin! more more!
Fantastic interview and stories. THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR SERVICE, YOU HAVE MY GRATITUDE.
Heyyy, Indy, served on there in VF-21 - nice to see other Indy people
Ward, I’d love to see you do some interviews with guys from VF-84. They were the wing that my uncle worked with as a yellow shirt on Nimitz back when they filmed the Final Countdown. Keep up the great work!!
Was never a Jolly Roger.
That's so cool you have one of your former team mates that worked on the aircraft's you flew. With that said you must be a mind reader. I was thinking you have a lot of your former pilot buddies on and I was thinking on asking you to bring some of the maintainers on the show and talk about the maintenance side of it. The problems with Airframes, Structure, Engines and Avionics. I was an AT1 working on EA-6A & EA-6B's, FA-18A/B's, H3's and worked in IM3 and AIMD COM/NAV W/C 610 also the corrosion shop. I was the primary radio technician for HF, VHF & UHF radios and RAD/ALT's. APN-194's, ARC-542's on the EA-6B's, ARC-105, ARC-159's ADF, the OLD Sea Doppler Radars AN/APN-153's and TACAN AN/ARN-52 & 84's. Some of you AT's may remember the old programmable MIARs tape reading machines when they tried to go paperless, or the old MicroFiche readers on all the benches with the pubs on micro film slides in boxes. Man that brings back some memories. Those old ARC-542 radios were fun to repair and even more fun to tune those open air capacitors driven by gears in the bottom and the old mini vacuum tubes. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya AT1 USN/USNR-TAR Retired
Great and interesting insight of what you and crew did!