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Fighter Pilots React - Spanish F/A-18 Dogfight From the Pilot’s Seat!

The Mover and Gonky Show

128,683 views

Spanish Air Force F/A-18 cockpit footage gives an awesome pilot's-eye view of close-range air combat training. Former F/A-18 pilots Mover and Gonky reminisce about their fighter days and weigh in on the fight footage. We need more videos like this!

What do you think? Two bag BFM worth it? Is the camera effecting the perceived ranges? Does this look like the most fun you can have with your clothes on? Let us know in the comments below!

Full Episode Here:
https://youtube.com/live/5CPO0JKUcfs?...

Links To Source:
https://x.com/precisionlabs0/status/2...

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Most Mondays at 8PM ET, Mover (F-16, F/A-18, T-38, 737, 787, helicopter pilot, author, cop, and wanna-be race car driver) and Gonky (F/A-18, T-38, A320, dirt bike racer, author, and awesome dad) discuss everything from aviation to racing to life and anything in between.

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20 Comments

@wearethementv8569 1 month ago

Spanish pilots will always give you a hard time. They don't have the best planes, but they are highly specialized, capable of the unthinkable, and always trying not to push the aircraft unnecessarily.
In the Croatian-Bosnian War, they were the only ones capable of carrying out all the missions with a single aircraft model, the F-18. Furthermore, the leadership of complex NATO missions involving large numbers of aircraft was shared equally with the USA. That was a sign of the respect they commanded within NATO.

@halfonso_0871 1 month ago

Some context here:

That was an F/A-18A Hornet bought second-hand from the USN and USMC in the 80s/90s under the CX program; they are still essentially originall F/A-18A, they can't even use AIM120. They were operated by Ala 46 in the Canary Islands until this year, when they were replaced by Eurofighters, and the Hornets were transferred to Ala 15 at Zaragoza.

Both Ala 15 (Zaragoza) and Ala 12 (Torrejón de Ardoz) operate EF-18Ms (modernized EF18A/B in early 90s and 2000s), which were originally delivered new in the 1980s under the FACA program. There is now another modernization program intended to keep them flying until around 2040. To preserve the airframes with the most remaining flight hours, the F/A-18s from the Canary Islands, including the one seen in the video, are being used mainly for training.

@eticket70 1 month ago

Two old dawgs relive their days as fighter pilots…

@TerramMaremAer 1 month ago

Hello Mover and Gonky, I know the pilot very well, he’s thankful to you for showing the video and the analysis. He would love to discuss with you the techniques used and his story. Let me know if you would like to connect! Best, Jorge

@josedanielnovopouso5118 1 month ago

Former spanish F-18 pilot here. As said in the comments, A models from Canary Islands. Mostly originals as they came back in the day, just some software changes in the mission computers. Normally, when I was over there 10 years ago, defensive or offensive engagements where only part of the Hornet course in Zaragoza. Once in the unit, all engagements where neutral, face to face, and yes, only center tank. But sometimes, you had to take planes with 2 drop tanks and do BFM, i. e. when the BFM is the fallback mission of something else (i.e. BVR 2 vs 2) and there are ground aborts or the other two come from a different base and the weather is bad.
I once had to do this with 3 drop tanks and honestly, It would have been way better to simply land and have a beer at the pilot`s bar. It's like flying a truck.
Good old times.

@Reddimus82 1 month ago

"Let's watch it again😂"

@andresophisma 1 month ago (edited)

This is right up there with the documentary Top Gun Maverick.

@JohnBastin-dg6no 1 month ago

When I was in VX-9, the Navy sold one of our F/A-18A to Spain. I remember doing engine runs before the transfer and "Bitchin' Betty" was already speaking Spanish!🤣😂😅

@aegisinstitute912 1 month ago

Mover and Gonky are both salivating as they watch this dogfight over and over and over... LOL! 😄

@straightsixed 1 month ago

Perhaps they were on their way back from another kind of sortie and decided to use the remaining fuel in some BFM or "enganches" as they call them in our Air Force. Spain got F/A-18As, that's correct, but those in the peninsula got upgraded to EF-18M by Indra, IIRC, and are quite capable. Those in the Canaries were not.

@zeerocool 1 month ago

I love to see you guys get emotional - so obvious you love what you did. Bravo.

@spiff1003 1 month ago

The funny part is that I almost feel like I'am flying there with the spanish pilots.... I lean over here in my gaming chair and move my head accordingly to get a better view, and I think that is something that you two guys are feeling too. It seems to me that you are reliving this! I haven't lived this, but somehow I am reliving it anyway

@aalhard 1 month ago

Seeing you guys half way hop out of your seats watching this was a big grin
It's nice to see y'all having this much fun😊

@codecodderson3607 1 month ago

I've been in the back for some BFM and ACM let me tell you the double jug to single centerline is no joke, right on take off you can feel the difference.

@assamita81 1 month ago

Spanish hornets are very aging EF-18M, which is a modernized F-18A. There's been discussions about replacing them for ages, and their lifespan has been extended several times

@dpointe7467 1 month ago

How many times have I been in this exact situation in Battlefield lol best video you guys have shown in years 👍

@jimmyha1898 1 month ago

This looks like so much fun. If I ever get a second chance at life like in those time jump movies, I am so going to try becoming a fighter pilot :P

@AliasFilter 1 month ago

that looks like so much FUN!!!!!

@doemacmonkey 1 month ago

Well, watched this somewhere else with the MetaGlasses ad attached - so….that explains the visor up and sunglasses - it’s not a GoPro, it’s camera sunglasses that filmed it!