Here's one for you military aviators. It was forwarded to me by a Vietnam-era F-4 RIO combat veteran so it's probably a cut above the usual "Top Gun" genre.
Lap Around the Boat
The "camera operator" is a Navy pilot completing his T-45 carrier quals about six months ago, and it's just a six-minute flight from launch to recovery. I've seen all the pieces of Navy aviation many times but this is the first time I've seen them all together in one place from a helmet cam. Speakers or headphones aren't necessary for most of us-- the sound track is all jet engines and no radio chatter. It may mean something to you aviators but to the rest of us it's just noise.
It took me a while to realize that the minute of pre-flight engine/control surface wiggling is being coordinated by a flight-deck supervisor on the starboard side of the aircraft. They're not always visible on camera. After the pilot returns the salute his camera faces forward, pushes back against the seat, and looks straight down the flight deck. You know what's gonna happen next.
After watching the video, the website's comments are funny. The pilot is recently trained, pretty proficient, and probably up on all the latest safety requirements. But that didn't protect him from a bunch of ol' fart curmudgeons harrumphing and berating him for lack of proper gloves. Clearly the Navy has gone to hell since our active-duty days.
If I'd seen a comprehensive video like this 30 years ago then it would have taken me even less time to decide that... I'd really be much happier in the submarine force.
