378 - Flying the F-18 Classic Hornet

Guests: Jerry Deren (linkedin.com/in/jerry-deren-5212a619), Nick Anderson (twitter.com/oldplot)

Host: Markus Voelter Shownoter: Bastian Hundt

It’s been 377 episodes and we have not yet dedicated one to the F-18. This changes now. In the episode we first talk with Jerry Deren (linkedin.com/in/jerry-deren-5212a619), a former US Navy Hornet pilot who also flew with the Blue Angels (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Angels); we cover both aspects of his career. In part two we chat with Nick Anderson (twitter.com/oldplot), former RAAF F-18 pilot (and co-host of the Airline Pilot Guy (airlinepilotguy.com) podcast). We chat about his experience flying the Hornet Down Under, focussing on quirks and funny stories.

There’s also a nice F-18 walkaround (youtube.com/watch?v=-w7oc0LczBE) on Youtube with Jerry. Check it out!

Introduction of Jerry Deren
00:02:08
US Navy (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy)

Basics of the F/A-18 Hornet
00:03:48
F/A-18 Hornet (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F/A-18…) | F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_F/A-18E/F_Super_H…) | A-6 Intruder (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_A-6_Intruder) | A-7 Corsair II (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTV_A-7_Corsair_II) | F-14 Tomcat (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_F-14_Tomcat) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_YF-17 | F-16 Fighting Falcon (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-16_Fi…) | Aircraft Carrier (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_carrier) | Fly-by-Wire (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly-by-wire) | Flight Controls (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_flight_control_…) | Arresting Gear (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arresting_gear) | Folgind Wing (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folding_wing) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabilator | Angle of Attack (AOA) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angle_of_attack) | Leading-edge extension (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading-edge_extension) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogfight | Basic Fighter Maneuvers (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_fighter_maneuvers) | Episode OT-376 (German) about Air-to-Air Combat (omegataupodcast.net/376-luftkampf) | Falling Leaf (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falling_leaf)

Landing and Handling the F/A-18
00:27:38
Head-up Display (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-up_display) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autothrottle | Aircraft Catapult (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_catapult) | Glide Slope (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrument_landing_syste…) | Optical Landing System (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_landing_system) | Indicated Airspeed (IAS) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indicated_airspeed) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailhook | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trim_tab | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jettison_(aviation) | Aerial Refueling (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_refueling)

Cockpit, Sensors, Avionics
00:56:00
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HOTAS

Operational History
01:00:33
USS Enterprise (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(CVN-65)) | Operational Deployment (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_deployment) | C-2 Greyhound (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_C-2_Greyhound) | S-3 Viking (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_S-3_Viking) | Touch and Go (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch-and-go_landing) | Operation Southern Watch (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Southern_Watch) | Night-Vision-Goggle (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night-vision_device) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO | MIG-29 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-29) | SU-27 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-27) | Operation Desert Fox (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_bombing_of_Iraq) | Landing Signal Officer (LSO) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_signal_officer) | T-45 Goshawk (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_T-45_G…)

Lost-Wing Incident
01:16:13

Flying with the Blue-Angels
01:21:28
Blue Angels (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Angels) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobatics | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force_… | Diamond Formation (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_formation) | g-suit (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-suit) | Traffic Pattern (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airfield_traffic_pattern) | Aerobatic Maneuver (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobatic_maneuver)

Nick Introduction and Exchange Tour
01:55:50
Airline Pilot Guy Podcast (airlinepilotguy.com) | Plane Tales (airlinepilotguy.com/planetales) | Mirage III (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Mirage_III) | RAF Weapons School (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualified_Weapons_Instru…) | Sunderland Flying Boat (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Sunderland) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_names_for_th… | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-16_Fi… | F-18 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F/A-18…) | F-18 in Australia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F/A-18…)

Anecdotes from Australia
02:03:10
AIM-7 M Sparrow (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-7_Sparrow) | P-3 Orion (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_P-3_Orion) | Episode with Maz (omegataupodcast.net/328-flying-the-p-3-orion-a…) | OCU (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_conversion_u…) | Carbon Fiber (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fibers) | Cu Nim (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulonimbus_cloud) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HOTAS | Doll's Eye (encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/doll%27s+eye) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoxia_(medical) | Probe and Drogue (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_refueling) | INS (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inertial_navigation_system) | Laser Ring Gyro (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_laser_gyroscope) | Launch Bar (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_catapult) | Ayres Rock (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru) | Pine Gap (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Gap) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAAF_Base_Williamtown | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111_A… | LEX (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading-edge_extension)

Life after the Hornet
03:32:15
Tornado F.3 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panavia_Tornado_ADV) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurofighter_Typhoon | A-330 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A330) | A-340 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A340)