A-3 Skywarrior mission USS Carl Vinson 1985

RIDE ALONG is the first video produced by author and historian Bruce Gamble for his new channel, Skywarrior Media. Originally filmed by Bruce in the mid-1980s (using a bulky VHS camcorder), the video documents a reconnaissance mission over the Gulf of Oman by an EA-3B Skywarrior crew from the USS Carl Vinson. Viewers get a "dashcam" look at flight operations, a catapult launch, aerial refueling, and an arrested landing. Several Cold War era planes appear, including F-14s, A-7s, A-6s, and E-2Cs.

And visit Skywarrior Media here on Bruce's webpage: https://brucegamble.com/

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0:00 Introduction
1:10 We begin by briefing the mission in the squadron ready room.
1:16 Then we head to the Paraloft to get our flight gear and survival equipment
1:46 The EA-3B Skywarrior is huge for a carrier-based aircraft, with a mission crew of 7.
2:03 We start the J-57 engines, then hold on the flight deck while the launch cycle proceeds.
2:36 In the meantime, we have a ringside seat for the dynamic activity on the flight deck.
2:53 The 4.5 acre flight deck is awash with heat, noise, and steam, and the air is heavy with the smell of jet exhaust.
3:53 The plane director guides us toward the edge of the flight deck.
4:31 We're going to launch from Catapult 4, on the port side of the angled deck.
4:41 We hold for a Grumman F-14 launching from Cat 3.
5:04 We're hooked up to the catapult and go to full power.
6:21 We join on a Grumman KA-6, which unreels its fueling drogue.
8:12 For the next few hours we conduct reconnaissance off the coast of Iran.
8:20 It's a desolate place. Windblown sand creates a thick layer of haze for many miles out to sea.
8:31 The pilot and navigator work together to constantly monitor aircraft systems and position
8:45 The guys in back work their black boxes, scanning for electronic intel from Iranian and Soviet sources.
9:05 The navigator plots high-value positions the old-fashioned way, on an aerial chart.
9:25 A Tomcat slides in for an impromptu photo op...
10:10 It's time to head back to the ship for the recovery cycle.
10:49 When it's our turn to enter the landing pattern, we fly down the starboard side at 800 feet.
11:13 We slow to approach speed and go through the landing checklist on the downwind leg.
12:32 We clear the landing area, and chalk up another safe, successful mission.