From the Horses Mouth

I made my annual pilgrimage to the MCAS Miramar airshow this weekend, checklist in hand (well, on my phone) and a mental folder full of simmering questions I’ve been collecting for months. For me, this wasn’t just about seeing my trusty F/A-18c Hornet in person (while I still can)—I was on a mission to find some actual pilots and get some direct answers.

The weather? Pretty much ideal for spectators. Cool breeze, partly cloudy skies. That said, the low cloud ceiling made me wonder how the pilots were feeling about it—not exactly perfect conditions for their side of the show. You could tell some of the high-altitude demo maneuvers were trimmed down a bit. Still, the flybys and the noise alone makes it worthwhile for me.

I managed to do what I came to do: talk to the real deal. Specifically, two U.S. Marine Corps pilots (VMFA-323 Death Rattlers & VMFA-232 Red Devils) currently flying the F/A-18 legacy Hornets. Mostly C and D models, as you'd expect. It was like finding a goldmine of first-hand information, and they were generous enough to indulge a flight sim nerd like me.

Now, if you’re like me and you spend hours in the virtual cockpit trying to fly “as real as it gets,” you know the internet is full of well-meaning advice, pseudo-expert tutorials, and the classic “I heard from a guy who flew with a guy” posts. But nothing beats going straight to the source.

For example: “Do you fly with the INS switch in NAV or IFA?”

Answer: Once ground aligned, they both fly in IFA almost always.

“Does the BALT hold not function if INS is not aligned?”

Answer: Never had this occur, since always doing ground alignment prior to takeoff.

I also learned a few subtle things you just don’t pick up from online guides. Like how certain switches are rarely touched in normal ops, or how some habits are more about squadron SOP than what’s written in NATOPS. These guys were professional, sharp, and still clearly passionate about the Hornet, even still.

There’s something incredibly rewarding about connecting the dots between your sim world and the real one. It adds a layer of authenticity to every sortie you fly at home, and a deep respect for the complexity and skill involved in real-world military aviation.

I walked away from the show with the smell of jet fuel in my nose, a few new notes in my sim logbook, and the quiet satisfaction of having ticked off a few more items on my ever-growing list.

I’ll be back next year, no doubt with new questions in hand and the same childlike excitement to chase the sound of thunder overhead. Until then, I’ve got some flight sim settings to tweak. And yes, my INS switch is now exactly where it should be.

Chief