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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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[epic music playing]

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My grandmother said
a long time ago,

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"An idle mind
is the devil's playground.

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You need to have a goal,
you need to have a purpose,

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00:00:25,150 --> 00:00:26,860
and you need
to have a mission."

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[Bob] And, uh,
one of my buddies said,

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"Hey, let's go over
and check it out."

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And really it was just
three guys at that point,

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um, kind of getting together,
fly in formation.

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Having a little fun,
going around,

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see what we could do.

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[Flash] And then started
getting a couple events

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to go fly for.

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The very first flight
and the real Bandit Flight Team

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was the Vince Gill concert
at Pinehurst right over here.

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♪

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You have to get used to flying
close to another airplane.

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And then just
putting your airplane

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where it's supposed to be.

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[plane rumbling]

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When you're up there flying,
you're working.

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[Haroun] It's great
to be a pilot.

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But without the grounds crew
and the support staff,

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this show
doesn't get off the ground.

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[Jeff] <i>Coming up on 45,
mark 45.</i>

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And it's more than just then
these guys just flying over.

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These guys have been
giving back, doing the mission.

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This is a lot of fun,
but we call it serious fun.

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We're real serious
about it.

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[Vince] That total
confidence and brotherhood

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that you develop
with just that ultimate trust,

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you're trusting those guys
with your life.

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[audience applauding]

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[Jim] The Bandit Flight Team

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is the most active
flight team in the country.

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Nobody comes close to doing
what we do.

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50 events a year,
that's a lot,

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00:02:08,420 --> 00:02:10,380
and they don't get paid
for their time.

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So that's a huge dedication
on their part,

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but we have
ground coordinators,

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we have the pilots.

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These are great people,
really dedicated.

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If we didn't have them,

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I-- the Bandits
just would not exist.

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-Bob Ingle.
-I'm Flash Baysden.

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-Stephen Graham.
-Hal Bowman.

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-I'm Andy Stanaski.
-I am Wanda Jackson.

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-David Schlabch.
-My name is Vince Tr yer.

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-My name is Abigail Ingle.
-I'm Cecil Boyd.

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-My name is Greg Vouga.
-My name is Haroun Azizi.

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Jim Kilpatrick.

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We actually got together,

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started flying
in formation in 2009.

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Our first big formal event
flying in formation was 2011.

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[somber music playing]

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When we came back
from Vietnam

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and landed and...

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I had done, like I said,
250 missions,

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and I had as many awards
as anybody else, I guess.

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I had 13 air medals.

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The Distinguished Flying Cross

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is the fourth highest
in the country

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and I had two of those.

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And when I came back to the
United States and we landed,

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we were advised
to take our uniform off.

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"Do not travel
in uniform."

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'Cause a lot of people landed
at Travis Air Force Base

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and they had to go
through San Francisco.

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That was terrible,

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that affected me
for a long time.

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Those Distinguished
Flying Crosses that I had,

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which I was pretty proud of,

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but with the reception I got
back in the States,

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made me very leery
of even bringing them out.

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And I'll be frank
with you,

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those awards
stayed in a cardboard box

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in my attic
for 25 years.

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I couldn't bring them out,

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and that's hard 'cause I was
quite proud of them.

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I think that...

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spending a year in Vietnam
probably changes-- changes.

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I mean, I was just
an 18-year-old kid,

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so I can't tell you how--

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How-- how I feel now
versus how I felt then, but,

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um-- and I was awarded
the Bronze Star,

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and I put all of my stuff,
including that,

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in a box
and I stuck it in the attic

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and I didn't take it out
for a long, long time.

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Finally, my wife said

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"No, let's take them out.
Let's show them."

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So we did, we mounted them
and we put them on the wall.

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Now, I think
our country understands

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that you have to separate
the warrior from the war.

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The warrior's doing
the same thing every war,

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he doesn't make
the policy decisions.

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He's doing what his country
asked for him to do,

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and I certainly don't think
I was a hero

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and I can speak
from my squadron mates.

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They felt the same.

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We just did what the country
asked us to do.

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But that reception-- and I
think the country understands

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it now and I think
we're reading our military men

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much, much better.

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So you can see the--
what drives me

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to have
the Bandit Flight Team

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flying for the flag
and salute our military.

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By flying over
the national anthem,

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we are-- we're--
we're paying our respects

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to all the people
that we've known before,

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all the ones
who didn't come home,

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00:05:29,704 --> 00:05:31,581
all the--
all of our buddies, you know.

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And, um,
it's always the flag.

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You know, for me
today in-- in this airplane,

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I've always got
a flag on.

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[rousing music]

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Well,
I went to a reunion

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with some of my, uh, mates
from Vietnam.

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And one guy
had this Russian yak,

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and-- which I said, "What
in the world is a Russian yak?"

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He said, "Well,
it's a Russian trainer."

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00:05:57,023 --> 00:06:00,360
[Hal] And this is
a Yak 52, uh, Russian trainer.

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It's a 1986 plane.

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Soviet Union
was in operation.

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They built the Yak
with a five-year plan.

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They put out an order,

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the-- the planes were built
in a-- a plant in Romania.

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Because most people say,
"Well, how the hell can you fly

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00:06:14,749 --> 00:06:16,960
a Russian airplane right
over top of a stadium here,

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flying for the flag?"

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And we say, "Well, we won,

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it's our airplane, we took it."

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[laughs]

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So I buy a Russian Yak

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and I come here
to the local airport

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and I find that there's
three others based here.

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Um, there was one other--
at least one other guy here

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and then they became two,

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and then they became three
and so forth,

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00:06:35,979 --> 00:06:39,733
other pilots who had
formation capable airplanes

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and-- and we would
go out and fly.

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Now,
they were not military,

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they were trying to learn
how to fly formation.

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I had a military background.

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So I started working with them
just flying formation,

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having a little fun,
going around,

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see what we could do.

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And really it was just
three guys at that point,

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um, kind of getting together,
flying formation.

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00:07:01,004 --> 00:07:02,714
And so we all got together

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00:07:02,797 --> 00:07:05,467
and started flying
larger formations

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00:07:05,550 --> 00:07:08,094
and then started getting
a couple events to go fly for.

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The very first flight
and the real Bandit Flight Team

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00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:14,476
was the Vince Gill concert
at Pinehurst right over here.

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00:07:14,935 --> 00:07:16,561
So we did
a few things like that

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and then we got more formal,
more intense,

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and then we started
developing strict procedures.

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Everybody got formation, uh,
we call "cards,"

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but licensed
to fly formation.

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And it just developed and re--
we did an operations manual

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and got much more serious.

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And as we developed,
a good friend of NC State

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got me in contact
with NC State,

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and we did
a flyover for them,

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and that was kind of--
we got rolling from there.

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[engine roaring]

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Right,
we want to have a team,

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so we started
putting guys together,

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deciding what our name,
who we are, that type stuff.

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So we got together.

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One of our guys came up
with the name "Bandits."

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The reason
we have the name Bandits

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is from World War ll.

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All the movies,
they identify--

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Unidentified aircraft
are bandits.

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00:08:09,447 --> 00:08:10,907
"Bandits
at 12 o'clock high."

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We probably heard that
in the movies,

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00:08:12,909 --> 00:08:16,246
so we developed that name
because that's us.

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We're out there flying,
you see six airplanes,

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00:08:18,540 --> 00:08:20,083
it's-- you say, "Bandits."

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Wha-- Sure enough,
you're right, it's the Bandits.

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So that's how we came up
with the name.

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And then one of the guys
got the logo.

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We did the red,
white, and blue

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00:08:27,674 --> 00:08:30,093
because obviously
we're saluting our military,

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and that's how
that got formalized.

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[epic music playing]

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00:08:43,648 --> 00:08:46,568
[plane rumbling]

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00:08:47,027 --> 00:08:49,779
You have to get used to flying
close to another airplane,

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00:08:49,863 --> 00:08:53,450
which is,
uh, um, not normal.

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00:08:54,617 --> 00:08:57,579
Our reflexes are,
get away, pull back,

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00:08:57,662 --> 00:08:59,706
don't get too close
to another airplane.

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00:08:59,789 --> 00:09:01,583
It's-- it's pretty challenging
at first,

195
00:09:01,666 --> 00:09:04,127
but once you get used to it,
it becomes a real thrill.

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00:09:05,003 --> 00:09:06,629
When you learn
how to fly formation,

197
00:09:06,713 --> 00:09:08,339
they-- they-- of course you
have some ground school

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00:09:08,423 --> 00:09:09,799
about how to do it.

199
00:09:10,467 --> 00:09:12,552
Um, then you go out

200
00:09:12,635 --> 00:09:15,013
and the instructor shows you
how to do it

201
00:09:15,096 --> 00:09:16,306
and then lets you do it.

202
00:09:16,890 --> 00:09:18,308
It's really not that hard.

203
00:09:18,975 --> 00:09:22,812
It's a matter of seeing
what the references are

204
00:09:22,896 --> 00:09:24,314
for the other airplane

205
00:09:24,397 --> 00:09:25,523
and then just
putting your airplane

206
00:09:25,607 --> 00:09:26,816
where it's supposed to be.

207
00:09:27,275 --> 00:09:32,405
♪

208
00:09:36,326 --> 00:09:38,953
So, um, if you can see
on the airplane here,

209
00:09:39,037 --> 00:09:40,663
we have some,

210
00:09:41,247 --> 00:09:43,208
uh, various things
on the airplane

211
00:09:43,291 --> 00:09:45,919
that we can use
to make a line of position.

212
00:09:46,461 --> 00:09:49,547
And we standardize
that on the Bandit team.

213
00:09:49,631 --> 00:09:51,966
We have our little logo
here on the front.

214
00:09:52,509 --> 00:09:55,303
And we use that with the flap
hinge here in the middle

215
00:09:55,386 --> 00:09:56,805
that defines a line.

216
00:09:57,597 --> 00:09:59,057
So we call
that the bearing line.

217
00:09:59,974 --> 00:10:03,019
And there are other references
on the RV-8 that we use,

218
00:10:03,103 --> 00:10:05,230
like the outer
flap hinge on the prop spinner

219
00:10:05,313 --> 00:10:06,731
is the same bearing line.

220
00:10:07,273 --> 00:10:09,234
And then on the back,
on the tail,

221
00:10:09,317 --> 00:10:10,985
we have, uh, some references,

222
00:10:11,069 --> 00:10:12,445
so you have two lines

223
00:10:13,029 --> 00:10:14,531
and where those two lines
intersect,

224
00:10:14,614 --> 00:10:16,866
that's the proper
position to be.

225
00:10:22,330 --> 00:10:23,832
Up and down-wise,

226
00:10:23,915 --> 00:10:25,333
you want to
split the wing,

227
00:10:25,416 --> 00:10:27,210
so you <i>see</i>
the same amount on the top

228
00:10:27,293 --> 00:10:28,878
as the bottom
of the wing,

229
00:10:28,962 --> 00:10:30,880
and that's the correct
up and down position.

230
00:10:31,131 --> 00:10:37,011
♪

231
00:10:43,726 --> 00:10:46,563
And that puts you
about 38 feet

232
00:10:46,646 --> 00:10:48,857
from fuselage to fuselage,

233
00:10:48,940 --> 00:10:52,360
and it gives you about,
oh, five feet or so

234
00:10:52,443 --> 00:10:55,989
of wing tip,
uh, clearance spacing.

235
00:10:56,072 --> 00:10:57,907
But the other airplane's
behind you,

236
00:10:57,991 --> 00:11:00,910
so it's not like the wingtips
are right next to each other,

237
00:11:00,994 --> 00:11:03,705
it's offset so that
we're behind each other.

238
00:11:04,164 --> 00:11:06,249
And that is
the correct position to be in

239
00:11:06,332 --> 00:11:08,877
when we're in
what we call "fingertip."

240
00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:14,841
♪

241
00:11:20,889 --> 00:11:22,932
There are
other positions we fly.

242
00:11:23,016 --> 00:11:25,518
So we fly a, uh--
or, what we call a root

243
00:11:25,602 --> 00:11:27,061
or in-root position,

244
00:11:27,145 --> 00:11:30,106
and that is spaced out
two to four ship widths,

245
00:11:30,190 --> 00:11:31,816
so that's
a little bit more relaxed.

246
00:11:31,900 --> 00:11:33,693
So when you're just
flying someplace

247
00:11:33,776 --> 00:11:37,238
and we need to, uh, not have
to concentrate the whole time,

248
00:11:37,322 --> 00:11:40,450
we can fly out in that little
bit more relaxed position.

249
00:11:40,533 --> 00:11:43,286
Biggest issue
that young pilots have

250
00:11:43,369 --> 00:11:45,288
when they're first
starting to fly formation

251
00:11:45,371 --> 00:11:46,789
is they're just
over correcting.

252
00:11:47,457 --> 00:11:49,542
They're-- they're grabbing
onto the stick

253
00:11:49,626 --> 00:11:50,960
and they're moving
the airplane

254
00:11:51,044 --> 00:11:52,587
and it's dancing
all over the place

255
00:11:52,670 --> 00:11:54,214
because they're like,
"Oh, a little too high,

256
00:11:54,297 --> 00:11:56,090
oh, little too low,
oh, a little too high."

257
00:11:56,174 --> 00:12:00,136
You have to just calm down,
light touch on the stick,

258
00:12:00,220 --> 00:12:04,474
and just keep moving
the flight controls around.

259
00:12:05,016 --> 00:12:08,144
So when you think about,
"Oh, I'm a little bit low

260
00:12:08,228 --> 00:12:10,438
and I need to move up"
and start moving up,

261
00:12:10,521 --> 00:12:12,065
"Oh, I'mma get
a little too high,"

262
00:12:12,148 --> 00:12:15,777
you're always
a little bit behind movement

263
00:12:15,860 --> 00:12:17,153
where you're supposed to be.

264
00:12:17,237 --> 00:12:18,780
But if you just
keep stirring

265
00:12:18,863 --> 00:12:20,365
the controls around
a little bit,

266
00:12:20,448 --> 00:12:22,492
moving the throttle,
moving the controls,

267
00:12:22,575 --> 00:12:25,828
and not think about moving
them, just stirring them,

268
00:12:26,287 --> 00:12:28,331
then you-- you see
that you're a little bit low

269
00:12:28,414 --> 00:12:29,999
and you just think,
"I need to move up,"

270
00:12:30,083 --> 00:12:32,168
and you just move up
without even thinking

271
00:12:32,252 --> 00:12:34,087
about moving the controls.

272
00:12:34,170 --> 00:12:35,421
It's like driving a car.

273
00:12:36,339 --> 00:12:38,216
So when you first
started driving,

274
00:12:38,299 --> 00:12:40,260
you're like,
"Oh, I gotta turn,"

275
00:12:40,343 --> 00:12:43,680
and you thought about turning
a little bit, moving the wheel,

276
00:12:43,763 --> 00:12:45,598
and, you know, "Oh, I gotta--"

277
00:12:45,682 --> 00:12:48,434
Now you're, like--
you just drive, right?

278
00:12:48,893 --> 00:12:50,311
So it's kind of
the same thing.

279
00:12:50,979 --> 00:12:53,815
When you teach somebody
how to fly,

280
00:12:53,898 --> 00:12:56,234
you show them the techniques,
and after they've learned,

281
00:12:56,317 --> 00:12:58,444
after a while they're-- you're
not even thinking about it.

282
00:12:58,528 --> 00:13:00,989
I-- I'm-- I never think
about what I do

283
00:13:01,072 --> 00:13:02,699
moving the flight
controls anymore.

284
00:13:02,782 --> 00:13:04,993
It's just-- I want to move
the airplane someplace

285
00:13:05,076 --> 00:13:06,661
and it goes there.

286
00:13:10,581 --> 00:13:12,000
I think
military organizations

287
00:13:12,083 --> 00:13:13,501
are one of the highest
standard, uh,

288
00:13:13,584 --> 00:13:14,877
organizations that are around.

289
00:13:14,961 --> 00:13:16,296
Uh, a lot of people think,

290
00:13:16,379 --> 00:13:18,047
"Hey, that guy
must be having fun,"

291
00:13:18,131 --> 00:13:19,924
but really and truly,
when you're up there flying,

292
00:13:20,008 --> 00:13:22,343
you're working, and the same
thing goes on here.

293
00:13:22,427 --> 00:13:25,096
[Spock] And so you're
constantly looking at the cues

294
00:13:25,179 --> 00:13:28,516
that we have on the airplane
to get into position,

295
00:13:28,599 --> 00:13:31,060
and you may be out an inch,
you may be out a foot,

296
00:13:31,144 --> 00:13:33,813
you may be out three feet,
but you're constantly fighting

297
00:13:33,896 --> 00:13:36,065
to get back
in that perfect position.

298
00:13:36,149 --> 00:13:39,193
And so that's really
the focus of the entire flight

299
00:13:39,277 --> 00:13:40,778
if you're one
of the wing men.

300
00:13:40,862 --> 00:13:43,489
It's all of
this depth perception

301
00:13:43,573 --> 00:13:45,074
and rate of speed, rate of--

302
00:13:45,158 --> 00:13:47,368
The rate of closure
on the other airplane.

303
00:13:47,452 --> 00:13:50,371
[planes rumbling]

304
00:13:59,380 --> 00:14:01,090
[Flash] I think
some of the difficulties are,

305
00:14:01,174 --> 00:14:03,343
you are focused on one position
on another airplane,

306
00:14:03,426 --> 00:14:05,762
and outside your peripheral,
you may feel one thing,

307
00:14:05,845 --> 00:14:07,263
but you gotta stay
with your sight line

308
00:14:07,347 --> 00:14:08,848
on that one position
of the airplane

309
00:14:08,931 --> 00:14:10,516
to maintain integrity
in the formation.

310
00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,936
That becomes
somewhat challenging at first,

311
00:14:14,020 --> 00:14:15,438
but once you get over
that peripheral

312
00:14:15,521 --> 00:14:16,898
telling you to do
something else

313
00:14:16,981 --> 00:14:18,441
other than what
that standard point

314
00:14:18,524 --> 00:14:19,817
on the aircraft's
telling you to do,

315
00:14:19,901 --> 00:14:20,943
it becomes a lot easier.

316
00:14:21,527 --> 00:14:24,280
You'll hear this
from all of the-- the Bandits,

317
00:14:24,364 --> 00:14:28,451
the only thing you look at is
the plane you're flying off of.

318
00:14:28,534 --> 00:14:30,536
You don't know where you're
are-- where you are,

319
00:14:30,620 --> 00:14:33,373
theoretically, you don't know
if you're upside down

320
00:14:33,456 --> 00:14:37,460
or, uh, uh,
in a 90-degree bank,

321
00:14:37,543 --> 00:14:39,212
you're just looking
at the airplane

322
00:14:39,295 --> 00:14:42,340
and maintaining your position
on the one airplane.

323
00:14:42,423 --> 00:14:45,134
[Jim] Number four
or number two or number three,

324
00:14:45,218 --> 00:14:47,053
those are a little
more relaxing positions,

325
00:14:47,136 --> 00:14:49,680
all you have to do is
follow the guy in front of you.

326
00:14:49,764 --> 00:14:51,474
But when you're out
on the wing tips,

327
00:14:51,557 --> 00:14:53,476
uh, number five or number six,

328
00:14:53,559 --> 00:14:55,812
usually those guys
have got responsibilities

329
00:14:55,895 --> 00:14:59,148
with comms
or with, uh, um, chase,

330
00:14:59,232 --> 00:15:01,984
um, and it's also
a more challenging position

331
00:15:02,068 --> 00:15:03,486
to fly in the formation.

332
00:15:03,569 --> 00:15:05,863
So we're typically
in a delta formation,

333
00:15:05,947 --> 00:15:07,824
and the further away you are
from the lead,

334
00:15:07,907 --> 00:15:09,951
if you can imagine,
you have lead,

335
00:15:10,034 --> 00:15:12,829
and then you have,
uh, uh, either two or three,

336
00:15:12,912 --> 00:15:14,997
in this case three,
and then out on the wing

337
00:15:15,081 --> 00:15:16,791
you have a-- a little bit more.

338
00:15:16,874 --> 00:15:18,376
So lead'll move,

339
00:15:18,459 --> 00:15:20,086
and then that movement
is a little bit amplified

340
00:15:20,169 --> 00:15:22,422
by number three,
and then this guy's chasing

341
00:15:22,505 --> 00:15:24,507
and so it--
it ends up being a whip.

342
00:15:24,590 --> 00:15:27,218
Um, and so you
really have to work hard

343
00:15:27,301 --> 00:15:29,011
to dampen out
some of that movement

344
00:15:29,095 --> 00:15:30,680
when the formation turns.

345
00:15:31,264 --> 00:15:33,057
It-- it's all about
turn radiuses.

346
00:15:33,141 --> 00:15:35,226
When, uh-- when the planes
are turning,

347
00:15:35,309 --> 00:15:37,353
you have basically
a fixed point

348
00:15:37,437 --> 00:15:40,356
that they're turning around,
an imaginary point in space.

349
00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:42,275
The further away
from that point,

350
00:15:42,358 --> 00:15:45,695
you're gonna actually have,
uh, a larger turn radius.

351
00:15:45,778 --> 00:15:47,822
And so if you're
at a larger turn radius,

352
00:15:47,905 --> 00:15:49,365
you're going
a further distance

353
00:15:49,449 --> 00:15:51,075
and you have to add power
to keep up.

354
00:15:51,159 --> 00:15:53,161
Your speed
has to be, uh, faster.

355
00:15:53,244 --> 00:15:55,705
And conversely, if you're
on the inside of the turn,

356
00:15:55,788 --> 00:15:59,041
you have to slow down as the,
uh, formation has turned.

357
00:15:59,125 --> 00:16:02,003
So it's really important
for lead

358
00:16:02,086 --> 00:16:03,337
to keep
all of that in mind.

359
00:16:03,421 --> 00:16:04,964
If he turns too sharp,

360
00:16:05,047 --> 00:16:08,092
then the guys
may not be able to keep up.

361
00:16:08,176 --> 00:16:09,635
Either the guy
on the outside

362
00:16:09,719 --> 00:16:12,180
may have not enough power
to keep up,

363
00:16:12,263 --> 00:16:14,390
or the guy on the inside
will be at flight idle

364
00:16:14,474 --> 00:16:16,058
and-- and still
moving forward.

365
00:16:16,517 --> 00:16:19,520
And so lead
has a big responsibility

366
00:16:19,604 --> 00:16:21,272
to keep the, uh, flight safe.

367
00:16:21,814 --> 00:16:24,567
Yeah, we-- one of the unusual
things about our team--

368
00:16:24,650 --> 00:16:26,819
Most of these kind of
formation flight teams,

369
00:16:26,903 --> 00:16:28,571
it's all
the same airplane.

370
00:16:28,654 --> 00:16:30,907
So, we have
dissimilar airplanes,

371
00:16:30,990 --> 00:16:33,242
and so therefore
not only the Yak--

372
00:16:33,326 --> 00:16:35,286
The two Yaks
in the-- in the flight,

373
00:16:35,369 --> 00:16:39,999
but the RVs have to adjust
a little bit to deal with us.

374
00:16:40,082 --> 00:16:41,876
And so, for example,
flight lead.

375
00:16:41,959 --> 00:16:44,545
Flight lead would probably go
a little faster in times,

376
00:16:44,629 --> 00:16:46,547
but they purposely go
a little slower

377
00:16:46,631 --> 00:16:48,132
just so the Yaks
can keep up.

378
00:16:48,591 --> 00:16:50,134
[Bob] So to get one
of your formation cards,

379
00:16:50,218 --> 00:16:51,802
you have to study
the manuals,

380
00:16:51,886 --> 00:16:54,722
you have to learn
all of the-- the maneuvers,

381
00:16:54,805 --> 00:16:56,682
and the station keeping,

382
00:16:56,766 --> 00:16:59,936
and everything that goes along
with the formation flying.

383
00:17:00,019 --> 00:17:03,731
Then you need to fly
with other experienced people.

384
00:17:03,814 --> 00:17:07,610
You have to get a check pilot
to actually check you off

385
00:17:07,693 --> 00:17:10,655
and approve you
for the-- the card.

386
00:17:10,738 --> 00:17:12,990
And, uh, those guys
are really brave, you know,

387
00:17:13,074 --> 00:17:16,118
sitting inside-- sitting
in a backseat of an airplane

388
00:17:16,202 --> 00:17:19,038
that's got a rookie, uh,
formation pilot in it

389
00:17:19,121 --> 00:17:21,624
and, uh,
coming in to rejoin,

390
00:17:21,707 --> 00:17:22,792
and there it is.

391
00:17:23,626 --> 00:17:26,379
And so once they give you
your check ride,

392
00:17:26,462 --> 00:17:28,089
it's just like
any other flying.

393
00:17:28,172 --> 00:17:29,924
Everything requires
a check ride.

394
00:17:30,383 --> 00:17:31,842
Formation's no different.

395
00:17:32,718 --> 00:17:34,178
Man, it's just
total trust.

396
00:17:34,804 --> 00:17:37,390
You know, when you're flying
that close to everybody,

397
00:17:37,473 --> 00:17:40,393
uh, you have to know
that they're gonna be

398
00:17:40,476 --> 00:17:42,061
where they're supposed to be.

399
00:17:42,144 --> 00:17:44,480
When-- you know, when you're
flying two or three,

400
00:17:44,564 --> 00:17:46,232
you got planes
all around you.

401
00:17:46,315 --> 00:17:49,569
There's only, uh, one or
two ways out of the formation

402
00:17:49,652 --> 00:17:51,988
and you can't see
everybody else

403
00:17:52,071 --> 00:17:53,698
except the plane
that you're looking at,

404
00:17:53,781 --> 00:17:56,200
so that total
confidence and brotherhood

405
00:17:56,284 --> 00:17:58,578
that you developed
with just the ultimate trust,

406
00:17:58,661 --> 00:18:00,746
you're trusting
those guys with your life.

407
00:18:02,456 --> 00:18:08,045
♪

408
00:18:14,260 --> 00:18:16,804
So the-- uh, the flight lead
is a key position

409
00:18:16,887 --> 00:18:20,141
because the flight lead
is responsible

410
00:18:20,224 --> 00:18:23,102
for everything
that goes on in the flight.

411
00:18:24,270 --> 00:18:25,980
As we talked about before,

412
00:18:26,063 --> 00:18:28,149
everybody else is flying,
you know, on--

413
00:18:28,232 --> 00:18:30,693
On these references
and they're flying in position.

414
00:18:30,776 --> 00:18:31,777
They're looking at you.

415
00:18:32,361 --> 00:18:34,280
They're not looking
where we're going.

416
00:18:34,363 --> 00:18:36,741
They're not looking at,
uh, you know,

417
00:18:36,824 --> 00:18:39,368
stuff that's out there,
for other airplanes, whatnot.

418
00:18:39,452 --> 00:18:42,079
The flight lead's doing
all that for the entire flight,

419
00:18:42,163 --> 00:18:45,207
so it's a very,
very responsive position--

420
00:18:45,291 --> 00:18:46,459
Responsible position.

421
00:18:47,126 --> 00:18:48,878
The flight lead
starts early.

422
00:18:48,961 --> 00:18:50,963
When we get the tasking
a lot of times,

423
00:18:51,047 --> 00:18:53,466
uh, Jim, the chief,
will give us the tasking

424
00:18:53,549 --> 00:18:55,843
and we'll go to Google Earth
and we'll plan it up.

425
00:18:55,926 --> 00:18:57,428
We'll actually get coordinates.

426
00:18:57,511 --> 00:18:59,722
We'll look at the venue,
get the, uh, coordinate,

427
00:18:59,805 --> 00:19:02,058
the run-in line
with the venue,

428
00:19:02,141 --> 00:19:04,310
uh, making sure
that our coordinates match up.

429
00:19:04,393 --> 00:19:05,603
And then we get
all the coordinates

430
00:19:05,686 --> 00:19:07,188
loaded up
in the aircraft.

431
00:19:07,271 --> 00:19:09,398
[Jim] Then you have to
look at your flight

432
00:19:09,482 --> 00:19:12,568
and see
what conflict you have

433
00:19:12,652 --> 00:19:14,070
with air traffic control.

434
00:19:14,153 --> 00:19:15,696
At NC State game,

435
00:19:15,780 --> 00:19:18,157
we're in
the airport traffic area.

436
00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:19,784
We have to get clearance
from them

437
00:19:19,867 --> 00:19:22,411
to get in their area
to fly over NC State.

438
00:19:22,495 --> 00:19:24,121
So we have to
coordinate that.

439
00:19:24,580 --> 00:19:26,666
So that's one of
the big things we have to do.

440
00:19:26,749 --> 00:19:28,459
And then once
you get the plan in

441
00:19:28,542 --> 00:19:30,044
and get the times down,

442
00:19:30,127 --> 00:19:32,505
and then we have
a very detailed briefing card

443
00:19:32,588 --> 00:19:34,632
that we send
all our flight members.

444
00:19:34,715 --> 00:19:36,384
[Andy] So we have a checklist

445
00:19:36,467 --> 00:19:39,303
and we print it out on
what we call a "lineup card."

446
00:19:39,387 --> 00:19:43,015
So one side of the lineup card
has all of the--

447
00:19:43,099 --> 00:19:45,643
Who's flying,
in which position.

448
00:19:45,726 --> 00:19:50,022
It has the-- the frequencies
of the various places

449
00:19:50,106 --> 00:19:51,732
we have to communicate with,

450
00:19:51,816 --> 00:19:54,402
it has
the-- the mission sequence,

451
00:19:54,485 --> 00:19:57,154
the pictures of the formations
we're gonna fly

452
00:19:57,238 --> 00:19:59,073
all the way
from beginning to end.

453
00:19:59,156 --> 00:20:01,784
On the other side,
it has the checklist.

454
00:20:02,368 --> 00:20:04,995
So the checklist,
we start with a-- a time hack,

455
00:20:05,079 --> 00:20:06,831
so everybody's
on the same time.

456
00:20:06,914 --> 00:20:10,000
And we go through
a lot of standard stuff,

457
00:20:10,084 --> 00:20:12,795
like how we're gonna deal
with airplanes,

458
00:20:12,878 --> 00:20:15,172
you know, the--
by getting pre-flight done,

459
00:20:15,256 --> 00:20:17,425
how we're gonna taxi,
and all that kind of stuff.

460
00:20:17,508 --> 00:20:19,301
That's all pretty standard.

461
00:20:19,385 --> 00:20:23,097
Um, just basic stuff
we do every flight.

462
00:20:23,681 --> 00:20:27,560
And then we have a section
about emergencies.

463
00:20:27,643 --> 00:20:29,937
Now, that stuff we're not
going to do on every flight.

464
00:20:30,020 --> 00:20:31,939
We hope
we never have to do it.

465
00:20:32,022 --> 00:20:33,774
But we always
have to cover it

466
00:20:33,858 --> 00:20:37,570
so that if something
were to happen in flight,

467
00:20:37,653 --> 00:20:40,698
then it would be
fresh in your mind

468
00:20:40,781 --> 00:20:42,324
what you need to do,

469
00:20:42,408 --> 00:20:44,827
like, where are the airfields
that we can go to

470
00:20:44,910 --> 00:20:48,664
when we're in our, uh, uh--
during our mission time frame?

471
00:20:49,290 --> 00:20:51,834
And if something happens
to an airplane,

472
00:20:51,917 --> 00:20:53,210
how we're gonna handle it.

473
00:20:53,669 --> 00:20:55,296
So, we-- we have
all that section.

474
00:20:55,379 --> 00:20:58,090
And then we have the meat
of the mission section,

475
00:20:58,174 --> 00:21:01,385
which is to say
what are we doing today,

476
00:21:01,469 --> 00:21:03,179
and how are we
going to conduct that,

477
00:21:03,262 --> 00:21:04,597
and what are we gonna do,

478
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:05,806
and how are we
gonna accomplish it?

479
00:21:06,432 --> 00:21:07,975
And then the other thing
we always have to do,

480
00:21:08,058 --> 00:21:10,686
if it's a big event
over 30,000 people,

481
00:21:10,770 --> 00:21:13,230
which would be
the football games and <i>NASCAR,</i>

482
00:21:13,314 --> 00:21:17,026
they make
a temporary flight restriction.

483
00:21:17,109 --> 00:21:21,238
Aircraft cannot fly over that
event without authorization.

484
00:21:21,781 --> 00:21:24,867
So we have to go to the <i>TSA,</i>
make an application,

485
00:21:24,950 --> 00:21:26,660
I have to show them
every pilot,

486
00:21:26,744 --> 00:21:28,829
where they were born,
their social security number,

487
00:21:28,913 --> 00:21:33,083
uh, an aircraft,
where it's registered.

488
00:21:33,167 --> 00:21:35,878
A lot of data
has to go to them.

489
00:21:35,961 --> 00:21:37,338
They come back
and give us an approval

490
00:21:37,421 --> 00:21:39,048
to go into that area.

491
00:21:39,465 --> 00:21:41,717
So it starts usually
a couple of weeks out

492
00:21:41,801 --> 00:21:43,219
and then the week of,

493
00:21:43,302 --> 00:21:44,929
we have to fill out
our lineup card

494
00:21:45,012 --> 00:21:47,473
to make sure we got
the players in the right spots,

495
00:21:47,556 --> 00:21:49,099
the coordinates
are on the card,

496
00:21:49,183 --> 00:21:52,686
and then, uh, the briefing
is on the card as well.

497
00:21:52,770 --> 00:21:54,188
And then the day of,

498
00:21:54,271 --> 00:21:55,981
we're usually making
the weather call,

499
00:21:56,065 --> 00:21:57,483
uh, with the team chief,

500
00:21:57,566 --> 00:21:59,235
and then we get together
and we brief it up.

501
00:21:59,318 --> 00:22:01,320
We tell everybody
what they're gonna do precisely

502
00:22:01,403 --> 00:22:02,822
in the formation.

503
00:22:02,905 --> 00:22:05,908
Got me in the lead,
um, by myself today,

504
00:22:05,991 --> 00:22:07,409
we've got-- Ben's number two,

505
00:22:07,493 --> 00:22:10,079
making everybody look good
and in position.

506
00:22:10,162 --> 00:22:12,039
Flash, you're gonna match him.

507
00:22:12,122 --> 00:22:13,582
Jim, we've got you
at number four

508
00:22:13,666 --> 00:22:15,918
on the right side
with Dan,

509
00:22:16,001 --> 00:22:19,463
Um, Andy, you're number five
on the left side,

510
00:22:19,547 --> 00:22:21,257
back in the pit
with the backup lead

511
00:22:21,340 --> 00:22:22,842
in the columns, okay?

512
00:22:22,925 --> 00:22:25,511
And here's the thing,
I'm not exactly sure--

513
00:22:25,594 --> 00:22:27,763
I know they're gonna be
on this side of the runway.

514
00:22:27,847 --> 00:22:29,682
We'll come back
perpendicular this way,

515
00:22:29,765 --> 00:22:31,392
circle first time 304,

516
00:22:31,475 --> 00:22:33,477
keep it going,
second time, 040.

517
00:22:33,561 --> 00:22:35,479
Leave fairly tight,

518
00:22:35,563 --> 00:22:37,231
make sure
everybody's exiting the circle,

519
00:22:37,314 --> 00:22:39,733
and I'm going to go
straight down the runway,

520
00:22:39,817 --> 00:22:41,777
uh, on 22 this time.

521
00:22:41,861 --> 00:22:43,696
Offset, just slightly
over the people.

522
00:22:44,530 --> 00:22:45,656
<i>Any</i> questions with that?

523
00:22:47,491 --> 00:22:49,702
And then
the execution part of it

524
00:22:49,785 --> 00:22:51,370
is the difficult part.

525
00:22:51,453 --> 00:22:53,163
Uh, we get up there,
we get into a holding pattern.

526
00:22:53,247 --> 00:22:55,624
We've got a route of flight,
we know our timing,

527
00:22:55,708 --> 00:22:58,752
we're working ground speed
versus winds

528
00:22:58,836 --> 00:23:00,963
and all that other stuff
to be on time.

529
00:23:01,046 --> 00:23:03,382
And then you've got
to get the s-- the formation

530
00:23:03,465 --> 00:23:04,884
in the right formation,

531
00:23:04,967 --> 00:23:07,887
30 seconds prior,
lined up on the venue.

532
00:23:07,970 --> 00:23:09,346
Smoke on.

533
00:23:09,430 --> 00:23:11,181
If you've got
any pyro or colored smoke,

534
00:23:11,265 --> 00:23:12,349
it comes next.

535
00:23:12,892 --> 00:23:15,185
And then if we're doing
a bomb burst in a circle,

536
00:23:15,269 --> 00:23:18,480
you're organizing all of that
and adjusting that,

537
00:23:18,564 --> 00:23:20,816
and then leaving
the venue from the circle

538
00:23:20,900 --> 00:23:22,318
and getting everybody
joined back up

539
00:23:22,401 --> 00:23:24,111
and getting
them home safely.

540
00:23:24,194 --> 00:23:29,408
♪

541
00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:35,015
[host] <i>And look up in the sky
and make some noise.</i>

542
00:24:35,099 --> 00:24:37,059
[host] <i>Let</i>'s <i>hear it
for the Bandit Flight Team</i>

543
00:24:37,142 --> 00:24:38,811
<i>from Raleigh,
North Carolina...</i>

544
00:24:40,813 --> 00:24:42,231
I'm trying to sound calm
on the radio,

545
00:24:42,314 --> 00:24:44,817
I was probably
fooling everybody.

546
00:24:44,900 --> 00:24:46,276
The planes look cool

547
00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:48,237
and I just wanted to know
more about them.

548
00:24:48,654 --> 00:24:51,490
It's this formation team,
they fly over NC State,

549
00:24:51,573 --> 00:24:53,909
and I think
that they would be great

550
00:24:53,993 --> 00:24:57,454
for the opening
of the Lineman Rodeo.

551
00:24:57,538 --> 00:24:59,081
Plus, who doesn't
love formation?

552
00:24:59,665 --> 00:25:01,250
It's great to be a pilot,

553
00:25:01,333 --> 00:25:03,585
but without the grounds crew
and the support staff,

554
00:25:03,669 --> 00:25:06,338
this show
doesn't get off the ground.

555
00:25:06,422 --> 00:25:08,924
[Jim] <i>Mark three minutes
'til flyover.</i>

556
00:25:09,008 --> 00:25:10,259
<i>Copy three minutes.</i>

557
00:25:13,220 --> 00:25:14,763
The Bandits learned early on

558
00:25:14,847 --> 00:25:16,849
that the ground controller
was essential.

559
00:25:17,307 --> 00:25:19,351
Uh, and that
we wouldn't do anything

560
00:25:19,435 --> 00:25:20,769
without a ground controller

561
00:25:20,853 --> 00:25:23,480
to have that interface
with the venue.

562
00:25:23,564 --> 00:25:27,359
So those guys are just critical
to the success of our flyover.

563
00:25:27,443 --> 00:25:30,279
We're trying to hit the mission
within four seconds.

564
00:25:30,362 --> 00:25:31,780
Couldn't do it without them.

565
00:25:31,864 --> 00:25:33,240
The national anthem,

566
00:25:33,323 --> 00:25:35,534
we want to be
right over the field

567
00:25:35,617 --> 00:25:38,120
when they say,
"Home of the brave."

568
00:25:38,203 --> 00:25:41,665
We give ourselves four seconds,
that's our window,

569
00:25:41,749 --> 00:25:44,209
that's the goal line
to midfield.

570
00:25:44,293 --> 00:25:46,378
And we hit it
about every time.

571
00:25:46,462 --> 00:25:48,297
That's how
sophisticated it is.

572
00:25:48,380 --> 00:25:50,132
Yeah, uh, I went
to NC State,

573
00:25:50,215 --> 00:25:51,675
um, so my first event

574
00:25:51,759 --> 00:25:53,886
was actually supposed to be
a football game,

575
00:25:53,969 --> 00:25:55,888
uh, but then
the <i>FAA</i> shut down

576
00:25:55,971 --> 00:25:57,765
all the flyovers
at the time,

577
00:25:57,848 --> 00:26:00,517
actually all the way
to the event.

578
00:26:00,601 --> 00:26:02,853
And so about a year later,

579
00:26:02,936 --> 00:26:06,315
uh, ended up, uh, at
Charlotte Motor Speedway.

580
00:26:06,899 --> 00:26:10,152
It got rained out on Saturday,
they pushed the event to Sunday

581
00:26:10,694 --> 00:26:12,821
so the other coordinator
had to leave.

582
00:26:12,905 --> 00:26:15,824
So I was thrown
into it automatically

583
00:26:15,908 --> 00:26:18,660
and that end up being
my first event coordinating.

584
00:26:18,744 --> 00:26:20,329
I was extremely nervous,

585
00:26:20,412 --> 00:26:23,791
um, because I had only
shadowed a couple of times,

586
00:26:23,874 --> 00:26:25,876
so doing it
at a <i>NASCAR</i> event,

587
00:26:25,959 --> 00:26:29,755
televised, front of
tens of thousands of people.

588
00:26:29,838 --> 00:26:31,381
I'm trying to sound calm
on the radio,

589
00:26:31,465 --> 00:26:33,926
I was probably
fooling everybody.

590
00:26:34,009 --> 00:26:37,221
Um, but it went over
perfectly.

591
00:26:37,304 --> 00:26:39,807
Afterwards, I was like,
"This is nothing."

592
00:26:40,432 --> 00:26:42,684
And it's been history
ever since.

593
00:26:42,768 --> 00:26:44,728
We were at a fly-in in Beaufort

594
00:26:44,812 --> 00:26:47,189
and I saw them taxiing together

595
00:26:47,272 --> 00:26:50,025
and I knew that they were
gonna be flying formation

596
00:26:50,109 --> 00:26:51,860
and I had not seen
that before.

597
00:26:51,944 --> 00:26:53,695
So the planes looked cool

598
00:26:53,779 --> 00:26:55,989
and I just wanted to know
more about them.

599
00:26:56,448 --> 00:26:58,283
Well, my dad has been
part of the team

600
00:26:58,367 --> 00:27:00,119
for about four or five
years now,

601
00:27:00,202 --> 00:27:03,872
and I decided to take up flying
about 2018,

602
00:27:03,956 --> 00:27:05,874
so then I was like,
"Why not?"

603
00:27:07,292 --> 00:27:09,253
Sometimes,
I plan an event,

604
00:27:09,336 --> 00:27:11,380
sometimes
Stephen plans an event.

605
00:27:11,463 --> 00:27:15,008
[Stephen] Yeah, uh, once I know
about where the venues at,

606
00:27:15,092 --> 00:27:16,385
uh, time of day,

607
00:27:16,468 --> 00:27:18,887
um, I kinda actually go
on Google Earth

608
00:27:18,971 --> 00:27:21,056
and look at the event
'cause I need to figure out

609
00:27:21,140 --> 00:27:22,891
where do I want
to be positioned

610
00:27:22,975 --> 00:27:24,476
to get the best
radio signal,

611
00:27:25,018 --> 00:27:27,729
uh, where the performances
are gonna be at,

612
00:27:27,813 --> 00:27:29,273
um, just try to figure out

613
00:27:29,356 --> 00:27:31,316
where to pos-- position
myself physically,

614
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,443
then start working
on the timing,

615
00:27:33,527 --> 00:27:35,571
make sure I know how long
the anthem's gonna be,

616
00:27:35,654 --> 00:27:37,364
and start building up
my time sheet.

617
00:27:37,447 --> 00:27:39,032
We take an active role

618
00:27:39,116 --> 00:27:42,411
in dealing with people
on the ground at the event

619
00:27:42,494 --> 00:27:45,539
to actually come together
with the schedule.

620
00:27:45,622 --> 00:27:47,958
Uh, from that point, obviously,
we need to know the venue,

621
00:27:48,041 --> 00:27:50,794
um, we need to know
the direction of the flyover,

622
00:27:50,878 --> 00:27:51,920
what looks the best,

623
00:27:52,004 --> 00:27:53,463
and we need to know

624
00:27:53,547 --> 00:27:56,842
if there's live music
or if it's recorded.

625
00:27:56,925 --> 00:27:59,595
We need to know
when the music starts, that's--

626
00:27:59,678 --> 00:28:01,763
You know, always starts
with the national anthem,

627
00:28:01,847 --> 00:28:04,600
so if it's a live singer,
or if it's recorded,

628
00:28:04,683 --> 00:28:06,810
it makes
a big difference in timing.

629
00:28:06,894 --> 00:28:10,105
So we ask,
"When is it starting?

630
00:28:10,606 --> 00:28:11,982
How long is it?"

631
00:28:12,065 --> 00:28:14,276
And that tells us
our first target time.

632
00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:17,529
And there's always
a second piece of music.

633
00:28:17,613 --> 00:28:18,989
Uh, sometimes they speak

634
00:28:19,072 --> 00:28:21,283
between the first
and the second pass.

635
00:28:21,366 --> 00:28:23,994
So we have to coordinate
how much time

636
00:28:24,077 --> 00:28:26,371
does the team need
to turn around, for example,

637
00:28:26,455 --> 00:28:29,666
because six planes
flying in formation,

638
00:28:29,750 --> 00:28:31,960
it takes three minutes
and 30 seconds for them

639
00:28:32,044 --> 00:28:34,296
just to turn around
and get back to the same point.

640
00:28:34,796 --> 00:28:37,799
Uh, if they're coming back
from a different direction,

641
00:28:37,883 --> 00:28:39,301
that's a factor.

642
00:28:40,135 --> 00:28:41,887
[Stephen] For my timesheet,
we got, um,

643
00:28:41,970 --> 00:28:43,972
obviously a countdown
starting at about

644
00:28:44,056 --> 00:28:45,974
an hour out for each pass.

645
00:28:46,516 --> 00:28:49,102
Uh, we also have a countdown
for the anthem.

646
00:28:49,603 --> 00:28:51,438
So we know roughly
how long the anthem should be,

647
00:28:51,521 --> 00:28:53,732
when it should be starting,
when it should be ending.

648
00:28:54,233 --> 00:28:56,276
Also, we have a countdown
for the second pass

649
00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:57,653
if there's one.

650
00:28:57,736 --> 00:28:59,821
And, of course,
that can be very fluid.

651
00:29:00,572 --> 00:29:02,866
And also throwing
their radio frequencies

652
00:29:02,950 --> 00:29:04,826
just in case
we ever have to switch over

653
00:29:04,910 --> 00:29:06,161
to another frequency.

654
00:29:06,703 --> 00:29:09,039
I have everybody
in the flight, their positions,

655
00:29:09,122 --> 00:29:10,832
so that way,
if I need to call somebody out,

656
00:29:10,916 --> 00:29:14,169
I know who's in that position
to call them out.

657
00:29:14,753 --> 00:29:18,340
Obviously we have a tripod
which everything attaches to.

658
00:29:18,423 --> 00:29:22,511
We got, uh, poles to boost up
the antenna plate,

659
00:29:22,594 --> 00:29:24,263
which, got an antenna plate

660
00:29:24,346 --> 00:29:26,723
that has
four small antennas on there.

661
00:29:27,224 --> 00:29:30,644
And that also is where our
big main antenna connects to.

662
00:29:30,727 --> 00:29:34,022
And that antenna plate
just helps increase the plane

663
00:29:34,106 --> 00:29:35,232
for the radio frequency.

664
00:29:35,774 --> 00:29:37,943
Uh, we also have
multiple timers,

665
00:29:38,026 --> 00:29:40,529
'cause you always want
to have a backup just in case.

666
00:29:40,612 --> 00:29:44,491
Uh, we have two radios, again,
just in case one goes wrong.

667
00:29:44,992 --> 00:29:48,370
And then we have just
the hookups for your headset,

668
00:29:48,453 --> 00:29:51,707
we-- um, for that extra
batteries for the radio.

669
00:29:52,207 --> 00:29:53,917
There's a lot. [chuckles]

670
00:29:54,001 --> 00:29:56,545
That's about-- that's about
the best way to describe it.

671
00:29:56,628 --> 00:29:58,630
It's-- it's not the same
for every event.

672
00:29:59,548 --> 00:30:02,217
[chuckles] Well,
sometimes some people decide

673
00:30:02,301 --> 00:30:05,637
to start early,
or they extend their music

674
00:30:05,721 --> 00:30:07,264
a little too long
and we have--

675
00:30:07,347 --> 00:30:09,016
Often us ground controllers
have to say, uh,

676
00:30:09,099 --> 00:30:10,892
"You might want to delay,
they're extending,"

677
00:30:10,976 --> 00:30:13,061
or sometimes
they don't start on time.

678
00:30:13,145 --> 00:30:14,771
There's a lot of things
that can go on

679
00:30:14,855 --> 00:30:18,066
that cause quite a bit
of a fuss, I would say.

680
00:30:18,150 --> 00:30:20,485
And then we learned
shortly thereafter

681
00:30:20,569 --> 00:30:23,363
that it was really nice
to have a ground controller

682
00:30:23,447 --> 00:30:26,241
as what we like to call
lead ground controller

683
00:30:26,325 --> 00:30:27,993
in the lead aircraft,

684
00:30:28,076 --> 00:30:30,120
working a separate timing
and helping the flight lead

685
00:30:30,203 --> 00:30:32,622
with timing
and the avionics setup as well.

686
00:30:33,165 --> 00:30:35,959
Um, and so we have
now always assigned

687
00:30:36,043 --> 00:30:38,670
a ground controller
to fly with the flight lead

688
00:30:38,754 --> 00:30:40,714
and help with orchestration

689
00:30:40,797 --> 00:30:43,717
of coordination with the ground
and mainly timing.

690
00:30:45,052 --> 00:30:46,345
It's basically to be

691
00:30:46,428 --> 00:30:48,347
a secondary voice
in the backseat

692
00:30:48,430 --> 00:30:49,931
to make sure
that the lead pilot

693
00:30:50,015 --> 00:30:53,143
has everything they need
to be successful.

694
00:30:53,226 --> 00:30:55,604
[ground controller] <i>Ten seconds
to national anthem start.</i>

695
00:30:55,687 --> 00:30:57,147
<i>Are you</i>-- Is <i>that possible?</i>

696
00:30:57,230 --> 00:30:58,815
[pilot]
<i>Yeah, that</i>'s <i>possible.</i>

697
00:30:58,899 --> 00:31:00,192
<i>[ground controller]
Okay, ten seconds</i>

698
00:31:00,275 --> 00:31:01,026
<i>to national anthem start.</i>

699
00:31:01,735 --> 00:31:03,195
[Abigail]
Typically we're listening

700
00:31:03,278 --> 00:31:04,613
for the controllers
on the ground,

701
00:31:04,696 --> 00:31:06,156
and I help
the flight leader

702
00:31:06,239 --> 00:31:08,784
by telling him his ground speed
and calculating,

703
00:31:08,867 --> 00:31:11,995
"Okay, you need to
push it up or slow it down."

704
00:31:12,079 --> 00:31:14,664
And typically with the time
there is on our scopes,

705
00:31:14,748 --> 00:31:17,834
it tells us,
like, a time of ETE or <i>ETA.</i>

706
00:31:17,918 --> 00:31:19,795
And it tells us
how we try to match

707
00:31:19,878 --> 00:31:21,463
the time with our clocks
that we have

708
00:31:21,546 --> 00:31:22,964
with the ground
controller below.

709
00:31:23,382 --> 00:31:25,634
Yeah, so it's just
a standard timer,

710
00:31:25,717 --> 00:31:27,677
but this one has
three different times

711
00:31:27,761 --> 00:31:30,013
it can keep track of,
which works out great for us.

712
00:31:30,472 --> 00:31:33,934
Because the first one
is set to the initial TOT,

713
00:31:34,017 --> 00:31:36,478
the second one is set
to the national anthem,

714
00:31:36,561 --> 00:31:40,565
and the third one
is set to the second flyover.

715
00:31:41,066 --> 00:31:42,651
And what's so special about

716
00:31:42,734 --> 00:31:44,945
having the national anthem
i-- on there

717
00:31:45,028 --> 00:31:48,031
is that once
the national anthem starts,

718
00:31:48,490 --> 00:31:49,825
nothing else matters.

719
00:31:50,325 --> 00:31:51,785
And we can use that time

720
00:31:51,868 --> 00:31:54,579
to give the guys
the most precise timing

721
00:31:54,663 --> 00:31:58,834
they can get
to be over the stadium on time.

722
00:31:58,917 --> 00:32:01,461
[pilot]
<i>Coming up on 45, mark 45.</i>

723
00:32:03,255 --> 00:32:05,340
Two miles out,
we got a 60-degree turn,

724
00:32:05,424 --> 00:32:07,843
go out four miles
for our start point.

725
00:32:08,301 --> 00:32:10,262
Why do you do
a 60-degree turn?

726
00:32:10,846 --> 00:32:13,056
We do that
because we're not jets.

727
00:32:13,140 --> 00:32:15,183
The jets can push
the power up if they're behind

728
00:32:15,267 --> 00:32:17,102
by ten,
or 15 seconds, or 20.

729
00:32:17,185 --> 00:32:18,645
Let's say
they start early.

730
00:32:18,728 --> 00:32:20,188
Oh, my goodness,
now we're behind.

731
00:32:20,272 --> 00:32:22,858
What do we do?
We can cut the corner,

732
00:32:22,941 --> 00:32:25,193
go 60 degrees,
so we can cut the corner

733
00:32:25,277 --> 00:32:26,361
and make up the time.

734
00:32:26,445 --> 00:32:27,612
On the other hand,

735
00:32:27,696 --> 00:32:29,364
we're coming in,
they start late.

736
00:32:29,448 --> 00:32:31,283
We can go away from the target
and then eat up time.

737
00:32:31,366 --> 00:32:34,286
So we found out that helps
us a lot to adjust our time

738
00:32:34,369 --> 00:32:37,205
at the last minute
to make our flyover time.

739
00:32:37,831 --> 00:32:40,667
[plane engines roaring]

740
00:32:43,003 --> 00:32:44,796
[crowd cheering]

741
00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:46,631
[ground controller]
<i>... standing, coming over</i>

742
00:32:46,715 --> 00:32:48,633
<i>the target now.
Good job, guys.</i>

743
00:32:50,969 --> 00:32:54,097
[plane engine roars]

744
00:32:54,181 --> 00:32:56,516
[adventurous music plays]

745
00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:03,023
[Hal]
Uh, the Russian Air Force,

746
00:33:03,482 --> 00:33:06,067
the Soviet Air Force, uh,
really didn't need

747
00:33:06,151 --> 00:33:08,570
as man-- an-- as many
as they had-- had ordered,

748
00:33:08,653 --> 00:33:10,739
so they'd fly them
500 hours,

749
00:33:11,698 --> 00:33:13,783
park the plane,
and get a brand new one.

750
00:33:14,534 --> 00:33:16,036
So when the wall came down,

751
00:33:16,995 --> 00:33:20,457
there were a lot of
500-hour Yaks sitting around

752
00:33:20,540 --> 00:33:23,919
at, uh, various fields
in the Soviet Union.

753
00:33:24,794 --> 00:33:27,214
And they were sold
all over the world

754
00:33:27,297 --> 00:33:29,424
at fairly inexpensive prices.

755
00:33:29,508 --> 00:33:31,843
The Russians at that time,
they didn't have any money.

756
00:33:31,927 --> 00:33:33,720
So they were selling
these airplanes cheap

757
00:33:33,803 --> 00:33:36,139
and also, uh--

758
00:33:37,015 --> 00:33:38,683
But they weren't flying
them much because they had

759
00:33:38,767 --> 00:33:40,560
no money to buy gas
and fuel and maintenance

760
00:33:40,644 --> 00:33:42,145
and all that
kind of stuff.

761
00:33:42,229 --> 00:33:45,857
They put, uh,
US instruments in the front,

762
00:33:45,941 --> 00:33:47,943
so instead of
meters per second

763
00:33:48,026 --> 00:33:49,903
and, uh,
Russian instruments,

764
00:33:49,986 --> 00:33:52,614
I've got, uh, US instruments
in the front,

765
00:33:52,697 --> 00:33:54,407
They rebuilt
the engines,

766
00:33:54,491 --> 00:33:58,787
so zero time on the engine,
500 hours in the airplane.

767
00:33:59,287 --> 00:34:01,748
The airplane
now has about, uh,

768
00:34:01,831 --> 00:34:03,500
850 hours,

769
00:34:04,292 --> 00:34:07,003
and, uh, the engine,
500 hours less than that.

770
00:34:07,462 --> 00:34:10,048
<i>A</i> Yak's a lot easier to fly
than it looks like.

771
00:34:10,131 --> 00:34:11,258
You know, it's a big,

772
00:34:12,259 --> 00:34:14,469
uh, tall on its
landing gear plane.

773
00:34:14,553 --> 00:34:18,014
It-- it looks, uh, uh,
fairly challenging,

774
00:34:18,098 --> 00:34:20,725
but it's really
a-- a very straightforward

775
00:34:20,809 --> 00:34:22,060
airplane to fly.

776
00:34:22,143 --> 00:34:24,521
It's-- it's not
heavy into controls,

777
00:34:24,604 --> 00:34:26,189
but it's not light either.

778
00:34:26,273 --> 00:34:28,108
And I like that because
it's got a good feel to it.

779
00:34:28,942 --> 00:34:32,112
With the right attitude,
it takes off on its own.

780
00:34:32,195 --> 00:34:34,823
[plane engine roaring]

781
00:34:34,906 --> 00:34:37,784
Uh, you set the speed
correctly on landing,

782
00:34:37,867 --> 00:34:41,997
it will, uh, land
nose up fairly gently.

783
00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,667
You-- you know, on takeoff
and landing, good visibility.

784
00:34:45,750 --> 00:34:47,127
[Hal] Fully aerobatic.

785
00:34:47,210 --> 00:34:49,546
It's stressed
to, uh, seven positive

786
00:34:49,629 --> 00:34:51,047
and four negative G's,

787
00:34:51,506 --> 00:34:53,466
and you can fly it inverted,

788
00:34:54,134 --> 00:34:56,886
uh, negative G's,
for about a minute,

789
00:34:56,970 --> 00:34:58,847
which is
a limitation on the engine.

790
00:34:59,264 --> 00:35:02,183
This airplane has
a-- all of the Yak 52's

791
00:35:02,267 --> 00:35:04,227
and actually the Yak 55's,

792
00:35:04,311 --> 00:35:06,563
M-- what's called an M14P.

793
00:35:07,439 --> 00:35:09,899
It's a Vendeneyev,
it's made by a Russian company,

794
00:35:09,983 --> 00:35:12,277
and the name
of the engine is a Vendeneyev,

795
00:35:12,861 --> 00:35:14,404
and it's 360 horsepower.

796
00:35:15,071 --> 00:35:18,199
Burns about 15, 16 gallons
an hour in regular flight.

797
00:35:18,783 --> 00:35:20,869
And aerobatics, do-- pulling
some hard aerobatics with it,

798
00:35:20,952 --> 00:35:23,580
it's probably burning
more like 25 gallons an hour.

799
00:35:23,663 --> 00:35:26,374
But-- but it's a regular
engine, it has nine cylinders.

800
00:35:26,458 --> 00:35:28,043
That means 18 spark plugs,

801
00:35:28,126 --> 00:35:29,586
so, <i>every</i> year,
when you do

802
00:35:29,669 --> 00:35:31,921
the ins-- maintenance
inspection on it,

803
00:35:32,339 --> 00:35:34,132
18 spark plugs,
they're not cheap.

804
00:35:34,633 --> 00:35:37,385
[Hal] Fortunately,
we've got a good part source

805
00:35:37,469 --> 00:35:39,095
in-- in the United States.

806
00:35:39,179 --> 00:35:42,390
There's a woman who has a--
a shop in, uh, Arizona

807
00:35:43,266 --> 00:35:47,187
and got all the parts,
pieces, rebuilt the engine.

808
00:35:47,812 --> 00:35:49,314
So we've got
good maintenance.

809
00:35:53,777 --> 00:35:55,403
I came home
and told my wife,

810
00:35:55,487 --> 00:35:57,322
"I think I'm gonna build
an airplane" and she said,

811
00:35:57,405 --> 00:35:58,531
"Don't you think
you ought to get

812
00:35:58,615 --> 00:35:59,991
your pilot's license first?"

813
00:36:00,075 --> 00:36:04,746
♪

814
00:36:04,829 --> 00:36:07,165
The plans are really good
with these airplanes

815
00:36:07,248 --> 00:36:09,250
and the--
and the support network

816
00:36:09,334 --> 00:36:10,877
out there is tremendous.

817
00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:12,921
Uh, you can get on the internet
and have an answer

818
00:36:13,004 --> 00:36:14,714
to any question
you have

819
00:36:14,798 --> 00:36:17,300
within minutes,
if not sooner.

820
00:36:17,384 --> 00:36:19,427
Um, and a lot of--
and a lot of cases people say,

821
00:36:19,511 --> 00:36:21,680
"Hey, I'll just run over there
and show you how to do it."

822
00:36:21,763 --> 00:36:23,306
And so they'll run over
and there's just

823
00:36:23,390 --> 00:36:25,183
thousands of people
building these things.

824
00:36:25,684 --> 00:36:29,062
So building the airplane
really isn't that difficult.

825
00:36:29,145 --> 00:36:31,606
I tell most people
that anybody can do it

826
00:36:31,690 --> 00:36:32,857
as long as they have--

827
00:36:33,358 --> 00:36:35,694
As long as they have
some basic handyman skills.

828
00:36:35,777 --> 00:36:36,820
You learn how to rivet.

829
00:36:36,903 --> 00:36:38,113
It takes you a few hours

830
00:36:38,196 --> 00:36:39,531
to learn
how to rivet pretty good

831
00:36:39,614 --> 00:36:41,324
and then
you just do it 12,000 times.

832
00:36:42,367 --> 00:36:46,079
And the airplane I fly
and built, uh, is the RV-8A,

833
00:36:46,162 --> 00:36:47,622
the Van's aircraft.

834
00:36:47,706 --> 00:36:49,541
Um, and it's
the A-model which means

835
00:36:49,624 --> 00:36:51,793
that the nose gear is up front
where it should be.

836
00:36:52,293 --> 00:36:54,045
Uh, the tail guys
may disagree with that,

837
00:36:54,129 --> 00:36:57,298
but, uh, I think the tricycle
gear is the best model.

838
00:36:57,382 --> 00:36:59,175
So I fly the RV-8A.

839
00:36:59,259 --> 00:37:01,553
[Abigail] We helped
with some fiberglass work,

840
00:37:01,636 --> 00:37:02,762
um, a little bit of that.

841
00:37:02,846 --> 00:37:04,681
Mostly try to learn a lot about

842
00:37:04,764 --> 00:37:06,433
what goes on in the engine.

843
00:37:06,516 --> 00:37:09,811
Um, just a-- riveting,
pop riveting,

844
00:37:09,894 --> 00:37:12,939
doing stuff like that, um,
doing-- using the deaver tool

845
00:37:13,022 --> 00:37:14,858
and using that
and just a lot of

846
00:37:14,941 --> 00:37:16,609
different little
eclectic skills.

847
00:37:18,486 --> 00:37:22,323
The RV-4 is like
flying a corvette.

848
00:37:22,407 --> 00:37:25,368
I mean,
it is so responsive, so fast.

849
00:37:25,452 --> 00:37:26,995
It's got
a lot of engines

850
00:37:27,078 --> 00:37:30,123
so the thrust
to weight ratio is-- is great.

851
00:37:30,749 --> 00:37:32,584
That thing
has so much power

852
00:37:32,667 --> 00:37:34,836
for a little airplane
that it's incredible.

853
00:37:34,919 --> 00:37:37,589
It just wants to keep
going up if you point it up.

854
00:37:37,672 --> 00:37:40,258
The stick is
so sensitive that it's just--

855
00:37:40,341 --> 00:37:41,676
It's just
point and shoot.

856
00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:43,303
Wherever you put it,
it's gonna go.

857
00:37:43,386 --> 00:37:45,680
And it's responsive
with the push tubes

858
00:37:45,764 --> 00:37:47,348
that it has in it.

859
00:37:47,432 --> 00:37:49,350
If there's no delay,
no stretch, anything on it,

860
00:37:49,434 --> 00:37:52,020
so it's just--
it's automatically responsive

861
00:37:52,103 --> 00:37:53,396
no matter what
you're doing to it.

862
00:37:54,189 --> 00:37:56,024
For me,
my wife and I have a rule.

863
00:37:56,107 --> 00:37:58,526
I will not fly
in an airplane I built.

864
00:37:59,027 --> 00:38:02,363
So I went to a professional
builder who built this,

865
00:38:02,447 --> 00:38:04,741
it's a-- called RV-14.

866
00:38:04,824 --> 00:38:07,744
It's the latest model.
And that's what I have.

867
00:38:07,827 --> 00:38:10,497
I love it.
It's fully aerobatic.

868
00:38:10,580 --> 00:38:12,207
It'll do loops,
whatever you want to do.

869
00:38:12,290 --> 00:38:14,834
It's got a smoke system
which we use on our events.

870
00:38:14,918 --> 00:38:17,128
And the other thing
that I like about my aircraft

871
00:38:17,212 --> 00:38:18,630
is its
side by side seats.

872
00:38:18,713 --> 00:38:20,548
Only got two seats,
but my wife and I

873
00:38:20,632 --> 00:38:24,177
use it a lot to travel
'cause it cruises 190 mph.

874
00:38:25,220 --> 00:38:27,096
But I still wanted to
scratch that itch a little bit

875
00:38:27,180 --> 00:38:29,641
to where-- to get out and fly
formation and high performance.

876
00:38:29,724 --> 00:38:32,852
Uh, Spock knew a guy who
was selling this airplane here.

877
00:38:32,936 --> 00:38:34,562
And he said, "Hey,
I'll get in touch with him

878
00:38:34,646 --> 00:38:36,231
and see if he really
wants to sell it."

879
00:38:36,314 --> 00:38:37,941
Uh, when he got in touch
with him-- he's a former

880
00:38:38,024 --> 00:38:40,401
F-15 driver,
so, uh, we knew each other

881
00:38:40,485 --> 00:38:42,987
through the association
of just being around base.

882
00:38:43,071 --> 00:38:44,906
And when he loaned
this airplane to me,

883
00:38:44,989 --> 00:38:46,574
I bought it quickly.

884
00:38:46,658 --> 00:38:48,827
Uh, you don't get
a lot of these RV-8A's around

885
00:38:48,910 --> 00:38:50,745
and when I did acquire it,
I'm like-- I knew exactly

886
00:38:50,829 --> 00:38:52,455
what I wanted to do:
join the Bandits.

887
00:38:53,915 --> 00:38:56,918
[plane engines roaring]

888
00:39:02,757 --> 00:39:05,134
Oh, that's a trade secret.
I can't tell you that.

889
00:39:05,218 --> 00:39:07,470
No. No, really,
it's not that complicated.

890
00:39:07,554 --> 00:39:10,557
It's normal
in the, um, air show business

891
00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:13,226
and we have
special oil that's clear

892
00:39:13,309 --> 00:39:15,144
and we buy--
we got tanks of it,

893
00:39:15,228 --> 00:39:16,771
called smoke oil,

894
00:39:16,855 --> 00:39:19,107
and we have tanks inside
the aircraft and we load it up.

895
00:39:19,190 --> 00:39:20,817
I have
about a five-gallon container.

896
00:39:20,900 --> 00:39:25,446
And that smoke oil,
we inject into the exhaust,

897
00:39:26,072 --> 00:39:29,033
and the exhaust
vaporizes it and makes smoke.

898
00:39:29,117 --> 00:39:30,285
And that's
how it's done.

899
00:39:30,910 --> 00:39:32,704
Now, a lot of people say,
"Can you have colored smoke?"

900
00:39:32,787 --> 00:39:35,290
Because some jets can.
Well, the jets have the exhaust

901
00:39:35,373 --> 00:39:37,166
at the end of the airplane
and they inject

902
00:39:37,250 --> 00:39:40,044
their-- their oil out the back
and they put a color in it.

903
00:39:40,128 --> 00:39:42,714
But ours is up front engine
where the exhausts are.

904
00:39:42,797 --> 00:39:45,341
So if we put
a dyed color in there,

905
00:39:45,425 --> 00:39:47,302
it would dye
the airplane that color.

906
00:39:47,385 --> 00:39:49,304
So, naturally,
we can't use color smoke,

907
00:39:49,387 --> 00:39:50,805
we just
use white smoke

908
00:39:50,889 --> 00:39:52,140
which just
comes out of the clear oil.

909
00:39:52,223 --> 00:39:54,976
[plane engine roaring]

910
00:40:00,732 --> 00:40:02,567
And a hawk comes

911
00:40:02,650 --> 00:40:04,068
straight through
the front windshield.

912
00:40:04,152 --> 00:40:05,862
[intense music playing]

913
00:40:10,283 --> 00:40:11,451
We have procedures in case

914
00:40:11,534 --> 00:40:12,994
something happens
to your airplane,

915
00:40:13,077 --> 00:40:14,495
how you pull up and out
of the formation.

916
00:40:14,579 --> 00:40:16,080
Everybody knows
what it is.

917
00:40:16,164 --> 00:40:19,167
So we really do
practice for that

918
00:40:19,250 --> 00:40:23,338
to make sure that it doesn't
turn into something that--

919
00:40:23,421 --> 00:40:25,006
Some catastrophic event.

920
00:40:26,257 --> 00:40:28,509
We also designate
one of the aircraft

921
00:40:28,593 --> 00:40:31,930
to be a chase in case we have
any kind of issues or problem.

922
00:40:32,013 --> 00:40:33,806
They will go
with that aircraft.

923
00:40:33,890 --> 00:40:36,684
We cover any type of emergency
we might have.

924
00:40:36,768 --> 00:40:38,603
We go over
all the airports near us

925
00:40:38,686 --> 00:40:40,355
where you can go
if something happens.

926
00:40:40,438 --> 00:40:43,566
And that training
has to do with going back

927
00:40:43,650 --> 00:40:46,861
and repeating the maneuvers
over a couple of times

928
00:40:46,945 --> 00:40:49,030
to see that everybody's
kind of fresh with it.

929
00:40:49,781 --> 00:40:52,075
And if not, we go
do it some more, you know,

930
00:40:52,158 --> 00:40:55,203
so, uh, safety's
our number one thing, I mean...

931
00:40:55,286 --> 00:40:58,456
This is a lot of fun,
but we call it serious fun.

932
00:40:58,539 --> 00:41:00,124
We're real
serious about it.

933
00:41:01,376 --> 00:41:03,586
We were doing a flyover
over Dorton arena

934
00:41:03,670 --> 00:41:06,965
in, uh, Raleigh,
and, uh, we were coming over

935
00:41:07,048 --> 00:41:09,842
in a six ship formation,
delta formation,

936
00:41:09,926 --> 00:41:12,595
and we were
just about over the target.

937
00:41:12,679 --> 00:41:14,764
Uh, we were
getting ready to turn on smoke

938
00:41:14,847 --> 00:41:18,184
and a hawk comes straight
through the front windshield.

939
00:41:18,267 --> 00:41:20,645
It blew out about
75% of my windshield.

940
00:41:21,145 --> 00:41:24,899
It came between
my head and my son's head,

941
00:41:24,983 --> 00:41:26,401
and my son
was with me that day.

942
00:41:26,484 --> 00:41:28,152
He was
three years old at the time.

943
00:41:28,236 --> 00:41:29,946
And it came
right between us

944
00:41:30,029 --> 00:41:33,074
and ended up in the baggage
compartment of the aircraft.

945
00:41:33,157 --> 00:41:35,535
I immediately
pulled out of the flight

946
00:41:35,618 --> 00:41:39,038
and, since we were
so close to the target area,

947
00:41:39,122 --> 00:41:40,915
I had my finger
on my smoke button,

948
00:41:40,999 --> 00:41:43,918
so I immediately turned on
my smoke just from the flinch.

949
00:41:44,002 --> 00:41:46,629
And, uh-- and so
I was trailing smoke.

950
00:41:46,713 --> 00:41:48,589
We were pretty close
to Raleigh, Durham.

951
00:41:48,673 --> 00:41:51,509
I announced
on the, uh, radio to Raleigh

952
00:41:51,592 --> 00:41:53,428
to clear their runways,
I'm coming in.

953
00:41:53,511 --> 00:41:56,097
Really couldn't hear much,
because the wind was so violent

954
00:41:56,180 --> 00:41:58,891
in the aircraft,
but we landed safely,

955
00:41:59,392 --> 00:42:00,935
and once we got
on the ground

956
00:42:01,019 --> 00:42:03,479
I could talk
to the tower controllers,

957
00:42:03,563 --> 00:42:06,399
and they were telling me,
"Pilot, shut down your engine,

958
00:42:06,482 --> 00:42:07,942
get out of your plane,"
and I was like,

959
00:42:08,026 --> 00:42:09,402
"No, just tell me
where to taxi."

960
00:42:09,485 --> 00:42:10,987
The reason
they were saying that

961
00:42:11,070 --> 00:42:12,947
is because I was
trailing smoke, they thought

962
00:42:13,031 --> 00:42:15,616
I was on fire. And so, uh, they
were rolling the fire trucks.

963
00:42:15,700 --> 00:42:18,411
We landed safely,
um, everything

964
00:42:18,494 --> 00:42:21,080
turned out about as good
as it could possibly turn out.

965
00:42:22,749 --> 00:42:25,835
Yeah, um, it was
an NC state fly-by

966
00:42:25,918 --> 00:42:29,005
and we were holding
right there off of Highway 64

967
00:42:29,088 --> 00:42:30,757
and the intersection of US-1.

968
00:42:31,257 --> 00:42:35,011
And we always coordinate with
Raleigh approach control, uh,

969
00:42:35,094 --> 00:42:36,763
so they have a squawk
and they can see us

970
00:42:36,846 --> 00:42:39,932
and deconflict
with obstacles and aircraft.

971
00:42:40,016 --> 00:42:42,935
And they
called out traffic

972
00:42:43,019 --> 00:42:44,479
that didn't
have a squawk.

973
00:42:45,396 --> 00:42:47,440
So this drone
was large enough

974
00:42:47,523 --> 00:42:48,983
for them to get
a radar ping off of.

975
00:42:49,067 --> 00:42:50,735
That tells you
how big it was.

976
00:42:50,818 --> 00:42:54,322
They said, "You have traffic
one mile co-altitude,"

977
00:42:54,405 --> 00:42:56,949
and I'm looking
and I don't see it.

978
00:42:57,033 --> 00:42:58,701
Again, it's very small,
but it's still

979
00:42:58,785 --> 00:43:00,411
very large
at the same time.

980
00:43:00,495 --> 00:43:02,914
And then when I do
pick it up it goes right by me

981
00:43:02,997 --> 00:43:06,834
in our formation
and near misses three of us

982
00:43:06,918 --> 00:43:08,169
as it goes in
between us.

983
00:43:08,795 --> 00:43:11,214
So we filed a report
with the <i>FAA</i> and Raleigh

984
00:43:11,297 --> 00:43:13,800
right there and, remember,
they're not supposed to be

985
00:43:13,883 --> 00:43:16,302
above 400 feet,
and he was at 1,000.

986
00:43:16,761 --> 00:43:18,721
And we almost had
a near mid-air with a drone.

987
00:43:20,765 --> 00:43:23,643
[plane engine roaring]

988
00:43:23,726 --> 00:43:26,354
[patriotic music]

989
00:43:26,437 --> 00:43:31,484
♪

990
00:43:58,469 --> 00:44:00,221
My grandmother said
a long time ago

991
00:44:00,304 --> 00:44:03,558
the-- you know, "An idle mind
is the devil's playground.

992
00:44:03,641 --> 00:44:06,310
You need to have a goal,
you need to have a purpose,

993
00:44:06,394 --> 00:44:07,728
and you need
to have a mission."

994
00:44:08,688 --> 00:44:12,024
So our organization, uh, does
hands-on community service.

995
00:44:12,108 --> 00:44:13,901
It's basically
food, toys, house.

996
00:44:13,985 --> 00:44:16,654
We build houses if you're
injured in combat operations,

997
00:44:16,737 --> 00:44:19,740
or houses go
to the family of the fallen.

998
00:44:20,491 --> 00:44:22,076
Uh, we're in the Guinness
Book of World Records

999
00:44:22,160 --> 00:44:23,661
for largest toy drive,

1000
00:44:23,744 --> 00:44:24,829
we're in the Guinness
Book of World Records

1001
00:44:24,912 --> 00:44:26,038
for largest food drive.

1002
00:44:26,581 --> 00:44:27,874
In other words,
everything we do

1003
00:44:27,957 --> 00:44:30,710
is hands-on
community service.

1004
00:44:30,793 --> 00:44:32,378
So what happens
is in the past

1005
00:44:32,461 --> 00:44:35,089
we had-- we had been nominated,
our organization,,

1006
00:44:35,173 --> 00:44:37,842
for the US Presidential
Volunteer Service Award

1007
00:44:37,925 --> 00:44:39,385
for missions
that we had done.

1008
00:44:39,468 --> 00:44:40,761
This comes
from the White House.

1009
00:44:41,429 --> 00:44:43,764
And then we noticed
some of the groups around us,

1010
00:44:43,848 --> 00:44:46,267
especially the Bandit
flight team, um,

1011
00:44:46,350 --> 00:44:48,394
that we need
to nominate these guys.

1012
00:44:48,477 --> 00:44:50,271
We'd only known them
for so long, you know,

1013
00:44:50,354 --> 00:44:53,357
only for, you know,
so many years and said,

1014
00:44:53,441 --> 00:44:56,777
these guys have been
giving back, doing the mission,

1015
00:44:56,861 --> 00:44:59,822
uh, flying for the flag
as part of their-- their motto.

1016
00:45:00,364 --> 00:45:03,284
Uh, and not only
have they flown for us,

1017
00:45:03,367 --> 00:45:05,745
we've also put
wounded warriors,

1018
00:45:05,828 --> 00:45:08,080
gold star families,
spouses, you name it,

1019
00:45:08,164 --> 00:45:10,750
and have flown
with this-- with, you know,

1020
00:45:10,833 --> 00:45:13,461
they say ride-alongs,
I guess you would say,

1021
00:45:13,544 --> 00:45:15,171
like the police do.

1022
00:45:15,254 --> 00:45:17,798
They've done these ride-alongs
and-- and these guys,

1023
00:45:17,882 --> 00:45:20,468
um, didn't have to do this,
and realize that these guys

1024
00:45:20,551 --> 00:45:22,220
don't get paid
to do this.

1025
00:45:22,303 --> 00:45:25,640
They're using their
own aircrafts, their own fuel,

1026
00:45:25,723 --> 00:45:28,351
and they want to give back
in some sort of way.

1027
00:45:28,434 --> 00:45:29,769
And it's more
than just--

1028
00:45:29,852 --> 00:45:31,812
Than these guys
just flying over.

1029
00:45:32,271 --> 00:45:34,482
To see the look
on someone's face afterwards

1030
00:45:34,565 --> 00:45:36,484
when they've
gone up with these guys,

1031
00:45:36,567 --> 00:45:38,611
this euphoria
that happens to them,

1032
00:45:38,694 --> 00:45:41,489
and you bring
someone like a-- a fallen wife

1033
00:45:41,572 --> 00:45:44,825
on that aircraft,
or if you fly the ashes

1034
00:45:44,909 --> 00:45:46,577
of someone's relative,

1035
00:45:46,661 --> 00:45:48,120
that's-- that's
important to them.

1036
00:45:49,288 --> 00:45:50,831
And not only
did they get this award

1037
00:45:50,915 --> 00:45:52,959
from the White House,
but also two US Senators

1038
00:45:53,042 --> 00:45:54,669
stepped in
from North Carolina

1039
00:45:54,752 --> 00:45:56,170
and also
gave them recognition.

1040
00:45:56,712 --> 00:45:59,840
So we are very grateful the--
for the Bandit flight team

1041
00:45:59,924 --> 00:46:02,134
that flies
these flights for the flag,

1042
00:46:02,218 --> 00:46:04,136
that flies these missions
for our hero homes

1043
00:46:04,220 --> 00:46:06,514
for Operation Coming Home,
for the fallen,

1044
00:46:06,597 --> 00:46:08,766
and also
for combat-injured troops.

1045
00:46:09,267 --> 00:46:12,645
And we will see these guys
again on December 22nd

1046
00:46:12,728 --> 00:46:15,106
when they're gonna fly
for a gold star family,

1047
00:46:15,189 --> 00:46:17,858
a green beret that was killed
in combat operations,

1048
00:46:17,942 --> 00:46:20,069
and we're giving away the house
to the wife and daughter.

1049
00:46:20,611 --> 00:46:22,905
And the Bandit flight team
not only is gonna fly over,

1050
00:46:22,989 --> 00:46:25,283
they're gonna do
the missing man formation

1051
00:46:25,366 --> 00:46:26,742
with his ashes.

1052
00:46:26,826 --> 00:46:29,245
[ceremonial bagpipe music]

1053
00:46:29,328 --> 00:46:34,417
♪

1054
00:47:07,116 --> 00:47:09,076
And we want to
thank you guys very much.

1055
00:47:09,910 --> 00:47:12,455
We're eternally grateful
for you guys.

1056
00:47:12,538 --> 00:47:14,123
Thank you very much, Andrew.

1057
00:47:14,206 --> 00:47:17,126
We really are very honored
to receive this award.

1058
00:47:17,209 --> 00:47:19,503
It means a lot to us
and it blends right in

1059
00:47:19,587 --> 00:47:22,340
with our motto, which is,
"flying for the flag."

1060
00:47:22,423 --> 00:47:23,716
That's what we do,

1061
00:47:23,799 --> 00:47:25,551
saluting our
military men and women,

1062
00:47:25,634 --> 00:47:28,387
so we are so honored
to receive this award.

1063
00:47:28,846 --> 00:47:31,932
We did not even know
we were nominated.

1064
00:47:32,016 --> 00:47:33,768
We just got a call
that we had been

1065
00:47:33,851 --> 00:47:35,603
presented this award

1066
00:47:35,686 --> 00:47:38,606
and that was from you, Andrew,
you nominated us and put us in.

1067
00:47:38,689 --> 00:47:42,276
We certainly appreciate that.
It came quite unexpectedly.

1068
00:47:42,360 --> 00:47:44,695
We looked forward
to flying with your group,

1069
00:47:44,779 --> 00:47:46,280
saluting our
returning members,

1070
00:47:46,364 --> 00:47:47,948
and you did
such a wonderful job

1071
00:47:48,032 --> 00:47:49,241
of donating houses.

1072
00:47:49,325 --> 00:47:51,077
This will be
house number 24.

1073
00:47:51,619 --> 00:47:52,995
So we're looking
forward to that.

1074
00:47:53,079 --> 00:47:55,081
And like I said,
we are very honored

1075
00:47:55,164 --> 00:47:56,916
and thank you very much.

1076
00:47:56,999 --> 00:47:59,835
[applause]

1077
00:48:08,052 --> 00:48:10,137
[adventurous music]

1078
00:48:10,221 --> 00:48:15,142
♪

1079
00:48:15,226 --> 00:48:17,645
[plane engine roaring]

1080
00:48:30,324 --> 00:48:32,284
<i>National anthem</i>
is <i>about to start.</i>

1081
00:48:33,953 --> 00:48:35,496
So for the ground controllers,

1082
00:48:35,579 --> 00:48:38,541
uh, you don't need
to be a pilot, um,

1083
00:48:39,208 --> 00:48:42,253
for-- obviously, if you're
gonna be on the flying side,

1084
00:48:42,336 --> 00:48:45,256
you need to be a pilot and you
need to have, uh, a plane,

1085
00:48:45,339 --> 00:48:47,133
and we have
requirements on the planes.

1086
00:48:47,216 --> 00:48:50,803
Um, it has to be, uh,
a completely clear

1087
00:48:50,886 --> 00:48:53,764
canopy over--
over top, um,

1088
00:48:53,848 --> 00:48:56,392
generally a low-wing, you know,
type of thing,

1089
00:48:56,475 --> 00:48:58,102
not a high-wing, uh, aircraft.

1090
00:48:58,185 --> 00:49:00,354
Uh, we have
certain engine requirements,

1091
00:49:00,438 --> 00:49:02,273
and then there's
the additional training,

1092
00:49:02,356 --> 00:49:05,359
but we do have
some people that were just

1093
00:49:05,443 --> 00:49:08,154
good civilian pilots
that we brought in

1094
00:49:08,237 --> 00:49:10,573
and we provided them
the formation training

1095
00:49:10,656 --> 00:49:12,324
and the training
of the team

1096
00:49:12,408 --> 00:49:14,452
to be able
to make them formation pilots.

1097
00:49:14,952 --> 00:49:16,871
But if you want to be
a ground controller,

1098
00:49:16,954 --> 00:49:19,165
you don't need
to be a pilot, but...

1099
00:49:20,082 --> 00:49:23,836
enjoying flying
is a definite bonus.

1100
00:49:25,129 --> 00:49:26,964
Two and a half years ago,
I switched over

1101
00:49:27,047 --> 00:49:28,591
to become
a commercial pilot.

1102
00:49:28,674 --> 00:49:31,177
I quit selling
circuit boards for 20 years,

1103
00:49:31,260 --> 00:49:32,970
because this is
really my passion.

1104
00:49:33,053 --> 00:49:34,555
I just love
doing this stuff.

1105
00:49:34,638 --> 00:49:36,515
If you want
to do something

1106
00:49:36,599 --> 00:49:38,893
and you have the passion
to do it, you can do it.

1107
00:49:38,976 --> 00:49:40,394
Stay involved.

1108
00:49:40,478 --> 00:49:42,062
Um, when you're involved,
you'll figure out

1109
00:49:42,146 --> 00:49:43,689
exactly what it is
you're passionate about.

1110
00:49:43,772 --> 00:49:45,524
I-- I'm a lucky guy,
I say it all the time.

1111
00:49:45,608 --> 00:49:47,443
I get to work
inside my passion,

1112
00:49:47,943 --> 00:49:49,737
so when I go to work,
we teach the young members

1113
00:49:49,820 --> 00:49:51,947
of the Air Force
how to employ the Strike Eagle,

1114
00:49:52,031 --> 00:49:53,699
how to train
the Strike Eagle,

1115
00:49:53,782 --> 00:49:56,076
and that's a passionate job
for me and I love it.

1116
00:49:56,911 --> 00:49:59,455
The most important thing
is knowing what you wanna do.

1117
00:49:59,538 --> 00:50:00,873
No one's gonna help you

1118
00:50:00,956 --> 00:50:02,750
do something
you don't want to do.

1119
00:50:02,833 --> 00:50:04,710
When you're passionate about
what it is you do and you try

1120
00:50:04,793 --> 00:50:07,213
to be the best at what you are,
then other people see that

1121
00:50:07,296 --> 00:50:08,923
and they want to
climb on board with you

1122
00:50:09,006 --> 00:50:10,591
and they want to help you
achieve those goals.

1123
00:50:10,674 --> 00:50:11,926
So once you figure out
that you know exactly

1124
00:50:12,009 --> 00:50:13,677
what it is you want to do,

1125
00:50:13,761 --> 00:50:16,138
everything else becomes, uh,
just a goal-getting point.

1126
00:50:16,222 --> 00:50:18,557
Small goals first,
then large goals,

1127
00:50:18,641 --> 00:50:20,059
and they may even
change along the way,

1128
00:50:20,142 --> 00:50:21,727
but hit those small goals,

1129
00:50:21,810 --> 00:50:23,229
build that confidence,
you know what you can do.

1130
00:50:24,480 --> 00:50:26,106
[Greg] You may not
have an airplane,

1131
00:50:26,190 --> 00:50:28,025
but you can go to the airport
and find somebody

1132
00:50:28,108 --> 00:50:30,402
that does have an airplane
that'll take you up and fly.

1133
00:50:30,486 --> 00:50:34,198
Um, Haroun,
Abigail, I mean,

1134
00:50:34,281 --> 00:50:35,950
all of our ground crew,

1135
00:50:36,033 --> 00:50:38,577
a lot of those people
don't have airplanes.

1136
00:50:38,661 --> 00:50:40,579
And so they've come on,

1137
00:50:40,663 --> 00:50:42,289
they've been
able to find a position

1138
00:50:42,373 --> 00:50:43,666
here in the Bandit group.

1139
00:50:43,749 --> 00:50:45,709
We all take
them under our wing,

1140
00:50:45,793 --> 00:50:46,961
we take them up flying.

1141
00:50:47,586 --> 00:50:50,798
Eventually, many of them
will get their own airplane

1142
00:50:50,881 --> 00:50:52,716
and we'll train them up
to fly as Bandits.

1143
00:50:53,300 --> 00:50:56,220
The Bandits have definitely
influenced my decision

1144
00:50:56,303 --> 00:50:58,264
to be a pilot, and as--

1145
00:50:58,347 --> 00:51:00,057
I guess refined it, in a way.

1146
00:51:00,891 --> 00:51:03,519
So I decided
to take a gap year, actually,

1147
00:51:03,602 --> 00:51:06,981
from high school, um,
from that summer of 2018.

1148
00:51:07,064 --> 00:51:09,400
I started flying in May

1149
00:51:09,483 --> 00:51:11,277
and then I went
on a mission trip,

1150
00:51:11,360 --> 00:51:12,820
so I had to take
a two-week break,

1151
00:51:12,903 --> 00:51:15,239
and then I soloed
right afterwards.

1152
00:51:15,322 --> 00:51:17,783
So, in general, it does,

1153
00:51:17,866 --> 00:51:20,411
I would say,
take quite a bit of maturity,

1154
00:51:20,494 --> 00:51:22,871
but also,
it takes a lot of guts.

1155
00:51:22,955 --> 00:51:24,957
I would love to be
a missionary pilot.

1156
00:51:25,040 --> 00:51:27,167
That is something
that I have laid--

1157
00:51:27,251 --> 00:51:29,545
Been laid on my heart
since 2016, actually,

1158
00:51:29,628 --> 00:51:31,755
and I didn't think,
again, I would be a pilot.

1159
00:51:31,839 --> 00:51:34,133
But to get there,
well, I mean,

1160
00:51:34,216 --> 00:51:35,926
I'm looking at
being an airline pilot.

1161
00:51:36,010 --> 00:51:37,928
I'm also looking at
joining the guard unit.

1162
00:51:38,012 --> 00:51:40,598
I have looked
into being a CFI,

1163
00:51:40,681 --> 00:51:44,768
which I hope
to complete again by 2022.

1164
00:51:44,852 --> 00:51:47,271
Um, that is something
that has inspired me,

1165
00:51:47,354 --> 00:51:49,356
but also, again,
the end goal to all this,

1166
00:51:49,440 --> 00:51:51,275
the reason I want
to be a pilot is so that

1167
00:51:51,358 --> 00:51:52,526
I could be a missionary pilot.

1168
00:51:53,611 --> 00:51:55,404
I'm proud to be
a first generation American

1169
00:51:55,487 --> 00:51:57,489
that was invited
to work with this team.

1170
00:51:57,573 --> 00:51:59,450
I think that
this is one of the best, um,

1171
00:51:59,533 --> 00:52:01,744
volunteer jobs
I've ever had in my life.

1172
00:52:02,286 --> 00:52:04,705
And to be honest with you,
being able to see the world

1173
00:52:04,788 --> 00:52:07,583
in a different perspective,
whether it's over an event,

1174
00:52:07,666 --> 00:52:09,209
or just flying to an event,

1175
00:52:09,293 --> 00:52:11,795
is something that I cherish
every single day.

1176
00:52:12,296 --> 00:52:15,049
If you find a team
that is local to your area,

1177
00:52:15,132 --> 00:52:16,925
I would recommend,
uh, reaching out,

1178
00:52:17,009 --> 00:52:18,594
you could
go to their websites,

1179
00:52:18,677 --> 00:52:20,387
they should have
contact information,

1180
00:52:20,471 --> 00:52:22,097
say that
you want to volunteer.

1181
00:52:22,181 --> 00:52:23,766
And then from there they
should be able to provide you

1182
00:52:23,849 --> 00:52:25,684
with some opportunities
that you'll be able to.

1183
00:52:25,768 --> 00:52:27,394
They need people
like ground coordinators

1184
00:52:27,478 --> 00:52:29,730
and other people
who are going to be those

1185
00:52:29,813 --> 00:52:32,566
kind of key personnel
that keeps the wheels going.

1186
00:52:33,317 --> 00:52:35,235
You know, you think about it,
you're talking about

1187
00:52:35,319 --> 00:52:38,614
a time commitment
and a financial commitment,

1188
00:52:38,697 --> 00:52:40,574
and being away
from your family.

1189
00:52:40,658 --> 00:52:43,494
So it's really something that
you have to be committed to

1190
00:52:43,577 --> 00:52:45,704
and-- and really want
to be a part of.

1191
00:52:46,747 --> 00:52:48,499
[Hal] Always comes
to mind is age.

1192
00:52:48,582 --> 00:52:49,792
Age and flying.

1193
00:52:49,875 --> 00:52:51,418
"How much
longer can you do this?

1194
00:52:52,002 --> 00:52:54,588
What business
have you got flying formation

1195
00:52:54,672 --> 00:52:56,131
when you're 86 years old?"

1196
00:52:56,799 --> 00:52:58,425
Uh, I claim to be,

1197
00:52:59,051 --> 00:53:02,846
as far as I know, the oldest
active formation pilot around.

1198
00:53:03,430 --> 00:53:06,934
I can't prove that, but, uh,
it may or may not be.

1199
00:53:07,685 --> 00:53:10,312
Uh, and people
don't ask the question,

1200
00:53:10,396 --> 00:53:13,774
but there's always
this unspoken question about,

1201
00:53:13,857 --> 00:53:14,900
"How long
can you do this?"

1202
00:53:15,484 --> 00:53:17,111
I don't really
worry about it very much.

1203
00:53:17,194 --> 00:53:19,363
I plan for the next month,
the next mission.

1204
00:53:19,446 --> 00:53:20,656
Hopefully the next season.

1205
00:53:21,198 --> 00:53:23,492
I know,
when it comes time to quit,

1206
00:53:24,368 --> 00:53:25,661
hopefully I'll know that.

1207
00:53:25,744 --> 00:53:28,580
But also
I'm flying with nine other guys

1208
00:53:29,123 --> 00:53:31,875
who won't hesitate to tell me
when it's time to quit.

1209
00:53:33,001 --> 00:53:35,003
[Greg] The Bandits are
just a great group to fly with.

1210
00:53:35,087 --> 00:53:38,590
I-- I really enjoy
the guys that I fly with.

1211
00:53:38,674 --> 00:53:40,634
I enjoy doing
the events and it's--

1212
00:53:40,718 --> 00:53:43,429
It's about much more
than just flying the event.

1213
00:53:43,512 --> 00:53:45,139
We just have
a good time together.

1214
00:53:46,014 --> 00:53:49,101
For us,
we enjoy the flying,

1215
00:53:49,184 --> 00:53:52,229
it's a lot of fun,
it's what we call serious fun,

1216
00:53:52,312 --> 00:53:54,481
because it's
a very serious thing.

1217
00:53:54,565 --> 00:53:57,651
We never take it lightly,
we never take it for granted.

1218
00:53:57,735 --> 00:54:00,696
We always keep it serious,

1219
00:54:00,779 --> 00:54:02,698
but it's fun
at the same time.

1220
00:54:03,240 --> 00:54:06,744
Now, some of the events
are super meaningful,

1221
00:54:06,827 --> 00:54:08,912
because they have
so much meaning

1222
00:54:08,996 --> 00:54:10,456
for the people
on the ground.

1223
00:54:10,539 --> 00:54:12,499
For us,
when we do the flyover,

1224
00:54:12,583 --> 00:54:15,335
it's not like business,
it's like fun business,

1225
00:54:15,419 --> 00:54:18,964
if you would, but it's-- it's
always kind of the same for us.

1226
00:54:19,047 --> 00:54:22,468
We're doing the flyover,
we're conducting the mission,

1227
00:54:22,551 --> 00:54:24,511
you know, it's like, uh--

1228
00:54:24,595 --> 00:54:27,389
It's like you have your game
face on, we're doing our thing.

1229
00:54:27,931 --> 00:54:29,767
But for the people
on the ground,

1230
00:54:29,850 --> 00:54:32,144
and-- and if you've been there
for the people on the ground,

1231
00:54:32,227 --> 00:54:34,229
you'll see what a--

1232
00:54:34,313 --> 00:54:36,815
What a really
special thing it is.

1233
00:54:38,692 --> 00:54:41,195
♪ O'<i>er the land</i> ♪

1234
00:54:41,278 --> 00:54:44,656
♪ <i>Of the free</i> ♪

1235
00:54:44,740 --> 00:54:47,242
♪ <i>And the home</i> ♪

1236
00:54:47,326 --> 00:54:52,873
♪ <i>Of the brave</i> ♪

1237
00:54:52,956 --> 00:54:57,002
[applause]

1238
00:54:58,629 --> 00:55:00,047
[adventurous music]

1239
00:55:11,475 --> 00:55:17,439
♪

1240
00:55:50,764 --> 00:55:52,850
[music ends]