Other Pilots Didn’t Believe Me—Until the Footage!

These videos are not monetized. DOD service members are not authorized to solicit or accept gifts because of their official position. My "buy me a beer" account is no longer active. The views and opinions presented herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its Components. Appearance of, or reference to, any commercial products or services does not constitute DoD endorsement of those products or services. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute DoD endorsement of the linked websites, or the information, products or services therein. This video shall not be reused, reproduced, or redistributed without written permission from Growler Jams. _______________ A Rough Day Aerial Tanking with a NATO Canadian CC-150 Over Iraq | EA-18G Growler Pilot POV Welcome aboard for an inside look at a challenging day of aerial refueling! In this video, I’m flying the EA-18G Growler and attempting to refuel from a NATO Canadian CC-150 tanker. The jam starts with me in starboard observation, where I’m awaiting clearance from the boom operator to proceed to pre-contact. Once cleared, I make my approach and establish contact, but things don’t go as smoothly as expected. The boom operator informs me that there’s a “low-flow” issue—fuel isn’t flowing to my jet at the normal rate. After being directed to disconnect to give the operator some time to troubleshoot, I try to reengage the drogue on the tanker’s starboard wing for about three minutes. However, the basket keeps moving around, making it very difficult for me to connect to the drogue safely. Frustration builds, but then I notice that the port drogue seems much steadier. I ask the boom operator if I can switch sides, and after receiving approval to pre-contact left, I am able to contact that rouge safely. While the entire evolution took much longer than it should have, I’m glad I didn’t make any risky maneuvers and ultimately got the gas we desperately needed to keep the jet flying. This video captures a real-life aerial refueling evolution, showing the frustrations and challenges pilots face during these critical operations. It’s not always as smooth as you see in the movies, but at the end of the day, it’s all about staying safe and getting the job done. I earned my paycheck today. Fly Navy! _______________ Chapters: 0:00 Starboard Observation 1:29 Pre-Contact 1:41 Contact 2:31 Backing Out 3:39 ROUGH DAY! 6:44 Switching Sides 7:08 Pre-Contact 7:20 MORE ROUGH DAY! 8:50 Contact 11:13 Growler vs Super Hornet 14:18 Helmet Art #ASMR #relaxationmeditation #flightdeckoperations #usnavy #f18 #superhornet #flynavy #avgeek #naswi #flightdeck #navy #growler #theodoreroosevelt #topgun #navalaviation #aviation #aviationworld #aviationlovers #fighterjet #trending #goshawk #cockpitview #navy_motivational_video #cockpitviews #dcs #dcsworld #EA18GGrowler #AerialRefueling #NATO #CC150 #FuelingEvolution #GrowlerPilot #NavalAviation #MilitaryAviation #AirRefuel #FlyNavy #Tankers #PilotLife #FlightOps #Aviation #dcs #dcsworld