Top Gun Reboot

[nwhoopfan]

I get to see some of the E/A-18G Growlers based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (north of Seattle) doing training flights in the Cascade Mountains semi regularly while I'm out hiking. Pretty awesome stuff. Terrain hugging, tight turns in valleys w/ huge walls. Sometimes I'm on a peak or ridge several thousand feet above the aircraft.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I get to see some of the E/A-18G Growlers based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (north of Seattle) doing training flights in the Cascade Mountains semi regularly while I'm out hiking. Pretty awesome stuff. Terrain hugging, tight turns in valleys w/ huge walls. Sometimes I'm on a peak or ridge several thousand feet above the aircraft.

Did you see the dic pic flight?

 

[nwhoopfan]

Ha, no I missed that one Chin Diesel. From the truth is stranger than fiction department.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I couldn't find what I was looking for on you tube but I had this saved somewhere else. Some of the fly boys from Whidbey enjoying the scenery here in Washington. I'm pretty lucky to live here. And damn that looks like fun!

 

[ZooCougar]

I get to see some of the E/A-18G Growlers based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (north of Seattle) doing training flights in the Cascade Mountains semi regularly while I'm out hiking. Pretty awesome stuff. Terrain hugging, tight turns in valleys w/ huge walls. Sometimes I'm on a peak or ridge several thousand feet above the aircraft.

Those things are so loud when they take off. I think they are primarily an electronic warfare platform now with some intel gathering and recon work too.

 

[SubbaBub]

One of movie makings all time great camp scenes. Scored to 'playin with the boys'. Absolute cinematic perfection.

The homoerotica in that scene is legendary. They also stunk at beach volleyball.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I get to see some of the E/A-18G Growlers based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (north of Seattle) doing training flights in the Cascade Mountains semi regularly while I'm out hiking. Pretty awesome stuff. Terrain hugging, tight turns in valleys w/ huge walls. Sometimes I'm on a peak or ridge several thousand feet above the aircraft.

Those things are so loud when they take off. I think they are primarily an electronic warfare platform now with some intel gathering and recon work too.

The Growlers are the electronic warfare version of /A-18F SuperHornet. Growlers replaced the EA-6B which was a version of the A-6 Intruder.

Growlers have the same engines, same avionics, etc of /A-18F. Pilot in the front and ECMO (Electronic CounterMeasures Officer) in the back. They use an externally mounted electronics pod to sniff out radar. Turns out if you can tune a pod to find radar signatures you can tune it to find many other types of electronic signatures as well. Very versatile airframe and electronics aircraft. They'll be flying in to the 2040's.

 

[CL82]

I get to see some of the E/A-18G Growlers based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (north of Seattle) doing training flights in the Cascade Mountains semi regularly while I'm out hiking. Pretty awesome stuff. Terrain hugging, tight turns in valleys w/ huge walls. Sometimes I'm on a peak or ridge several thousand feet above the aircraft.

Hey check this out. Missile launch? It was near Whidbey.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Hey check this out. Missile launch? It was near Whidbey.

Hmm, interesting.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Those things are so loud when they take off.

Some of the local residents are not fans of the aircraft. I don't think the EA-6 planes that used to be based there were nearly as loud.