RCAF CF-18 Training Course Documentary Series - "Jetstream"

[RAFEngO74to09]

"Jetstream" was a 2008 Canadian Discovery Channel reality series following a course of students undergoing the CF-18 OCU on 410 TFOTS at CFB Cold Lake. For those that haven't seen it, it is well worth a view. You might want to watch sooner rather than later as it got taken off You Tube last time it was put up.

Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96DhFQQFzZ8

Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ_NkTLaKLs

Episode 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtwiPLDIi4I

Episode 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecWzu2zdRbQ

Episode 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWg7xe8vwO0

Episode 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icyfLlhVfJc

Episode 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbONG3i_BQk

Episode 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbONG3i_BQk

[Skeleton]

Agreed, get it whilst its hot, it was up under a different name and was promptly removed!

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Ep 8. Tanking, first contacts.

Mou (Instructor): "Sweet. You got it!"
Riel (female student): "OMG!"
Mou: "Once it's in, it's not over"
Riel:"You need to tell a lot of guys that"

It's wonderfully understated commentary throughout the series; very good!.

[strake]

Thank you very much for posting those links. I have now watched the series and was very impressed. Impressed with the documentary, which could teach a few lessons to some British FOTW makers but really struck by the Canadian Air Force personnel who appeared in the program. The right level of aggression but with intelligence and humility added.

[typerated]

I would have thought they would have had more than one low level ride.


I remember ten Canadian Hornets working Otterburn on a Mallet blow and not just getting down to 100ft but also manoeuvring harder than our fighter bombers of the time were capable of. Very impressive.


The series also gave the impression the first bomb dropped by the studes was a real one.

[Bob Viking]

The RCAF is no longer a low level Air Force. Apart from their 6 monthly Low Level Awareness Training (LLAT) sorties they no longer practice low level operations. Money is tight and something had to give. Low level was one of many cut backs made.
Frankly I think it's insane that twice a year they go and hurl themselves at the ground in a manner that would be deemed illegal by RAF pilots who are far more qualified and current.
As a former Jaguar pilot and 19 and IV Sqn QFI and currently teaching LLAT on a Canadian Sqn I know a fair amount about low level Ops and this, in my opinion, is not how it should be done.
BV

[typerated]

The series gave the impression it was straight into 300ft with no stepping down.


Certainly seemed a bit sporty and did show the instructors being nervous - admittedly this was on the OCU.


I do find it surprising that the USAF in the UK seems to have found low level in the last few years. What's more, If I remember correctly they used to be pretty much limited to 500ft, now 250ft seems to be the norm.


I assume when F-35 comes on stream LL will be needed less. And perhaps with the exception of the RAF will be deemed a luxury that is too expensive to train for at all.

[Bob Viking]

They're right to be nervous. I'll happily letterbox below a low cloud base through valleys and watch while a student does the same. However, start allowing them to throw the jet upside down close to the ground and my hands drift much closer to the controls.
LLAT had its place but sadly that time has gone. Either do low level properly or not at all. Just my opinion of course.
As for the F35. I'll be amazed if anyone will risk letting a bird make a mess of the expensive exterior. I predict that photos of F35s flying through the Mach loop will be a rare commodity indeed.
BV

[Evalu8ter]

BV,
I totally agree with you. What's the point in spending all that money and accepting several design compromises on F-35 to then use it at LL? The reason for LL ops is to delay or prevent RF or visual acquisition through terrain masking / radar LoS denial - bit pointless for a LO design.....

Doing something inherently risky for fun simply will not cut it. Mind you, all this talk of 250ft is giving me a nosebleed!:E

Back on topic, briefly, I really enjoyed the series - the LAX landaway looked fun!

[Bob Viking]

The Canadian instrument rating rules are great. We have to do a cross country IFR sortie every quarter. Since our engineers are all civilian we can't go to military bases. There's something pretty funky in flying into major internationals (I haven't done LAX but I have done San Fran, Vegas and Chicago to name a few) in a small fast jet.
BV

[fleigle]

BV
I wondered why that sortie to LAX. Talk about a contrast, Cold Lake to LAX airspace.... firehose!!!!
:ok:
f

[Dominator2]

BV,

With your experience, would you agree that Fast Jet pilots in the RAF should do Land Aways to busy civilian airports. I'm not talking about Heathrow or Gatwick (even if you could get a slot) but there are many airports in Europe that would accept and provide valuable training to justify that Procedural Rating. There are even Joint User airfields where you can get the training without incurring large costs.
Is the average RAF FJ pilot well prepare to operate in Class A Airspace into busy airports throughout the world?
Maybe it is/could be done in the Sim, but only if the staff are totally up to date with present procedures!

[Bob Viking]

Dominator.
I sense an agenda so I shall choose my words carefully. I'm not accusing you of being malicious though.
As an RAF FJ guy I found the procedural nature of IFR flying in Canada/USA strange to say the least. In the UK we are spoilt in that we can climb up anywhere, speak to a military controller and get pretty much direct vectors to home base at a moments notice. That is not the case in N America where you are treated just like everyone else. It's not a problem in the Midwest and the cold North but once you get to areas such as central California you cannot expect to get everything your own way.
Once you get used to the system here it actually prepares you much better for civil flying though because you have to be far more clued in to the rules and procedures.
I think it would be of great use to operate into busy civvy bases in Europe with multiple runways for the added experience it offers. However, light/medium approach category aircraft cause headaches for ATC when mixed in with heavy traffic and when you're not RNAV equipped you mostly end up with vectored ILS's or visual straight ins anyway. Still, when it does happen, flying a full STAR and a procedural approach with single pilot ops and nothing but radio aids, backed up by a good INS of course ;), is definitely a challenge. Especially when the controllers don't understand the Queens English.
BV

[Dominator2]

BV,

I only made the comment to try and stimulate some thought on whether RAF FJ pilots should still use "British Officer Coming Through" as their answer for a lack of knowledge. I did a USAF Exchange which was very illuminating! One thing that I benefited from was improving my RAFG learnt knowledge of Procedural Flying. I hate to admit that even after 30 years of FJ flying I was not totally at home with operating anywhere in the world. Exercises such as Golden Eagle, flying into Singapore, Hawaii and Penang highlighted how little we knew.
When I flew the Dominie I made it my mission to learn how to do it properly. With the time and right people to ask it was not too difficult. Even the vagaries of Oceanic Flying were not beyond comprehension. I ended up wishing that I had possessed all that knowledge whilst stumbling around Europe in my F4 or trying to fly an approach to LAS in my F3.
My only point is that the RAF operates throughout the world. The days of follow the "Big White Bird" are long gone. Often, FJ pilots are expected to take ac to far away places with little or no support. I was just wondering if we prepare for that event as well as the Canadians?

[freespeed2]

RAFEngO74to09

Thanks for posting the links.

I hadn't seen or heard of this series before. I thought it was very well done. The 410 Sqn staff seem to have struck a really good balance between gung-ho and sensible. They are turning out fighter pilots with a strong sense of commitment and belonging, without turning them into the type that have an ego the size of the Grand Canyon. It's great to see such an emphasis on safety and professional flying standards over being simply a 'good handler'. I found myself rooting for all the students from the first episode while also being impressed by the quality of instructors there.

I found it unusual that the Course Director was Australian and the Commander was British. However it appeared to work very well and brought an interesting dynamic to the interactions.

I really enjoyed it. Well worth watching.

Cheers

[Jwscud]

Thanks - fascinating series. Confirmed a long-held impression in my mind that although I could probably pole a fast jet around a circuit without killing myself, I wouldn't have made it flying them for a living! Brenda (or her doctors) never gave me a chance mind.

I'll stick to airliners and corporate, and my respect for those who do/have done it has gone up a notch having seen quite how high the workload is :ok: