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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. Be sure to check out the trailer for Bruce's forthcoming series "Black Sheep Chronicles," about famed Marine squadron VMF-214 during World War II. https://youtu.be/N-o6tNAa6lI And visit Skywarrior Media here on Bruce's webpage: http://www.brucegamble.com Music provided by https://slip.stream/ "Big Dipper" - https://slip.stream/tracks/542739ef-21f4-4621-b906-8a5b45420608 "How Could You" - https://slip.stream/tracks/10b3e6ee-279e-457d-888e-347117904ec6 "Slide Into The South" - https://slip.stream/tracks/06bdecc2-cda2-4962-9c5c-80e27668c1c3 "Tough As Me" - https://slip.stream/tracks/57abf826-013a-4206-b693-bf43a01c14b8 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.