Highway Through the Danger Zone

I spent last weekend flying F-18s out in Oxnard.  It took a couple hours to get the hang of, but once you figure out the take-off and landing, it's really pretty easy.*

One of the photos below is just of the front landing gear, which seems ordinary until it's explained how specialized it is for Navy planes.  It's much more heavy-duty on Navy aircraft, a necessity for use on aircraft carriers.  You can see the anchor for the catapult on the front.  I know all you Top Gun fans know this, but that's used to accelerate the plane during take off from a carrier.  What you probably didn't know was that it takes the plane from 0-160mph in two seconds.  Yes, 2 seconds!  Awesome.

The other thing I geeked out on was the earplug dispenser in the hanger.  No, this is not a candy machine they filled with earplugs, it was created solely for this purpose.  Just in case you didn't believe them when they said it was REALLY loud, they have a machine specifically designed to dispense ear protection right outside the hanger door.  

I have some pretty cool video of it taxiing and taking off, but I'll spare you.

*This statement is false almost in it's entirety. Other than "Oxnard" and "F18" it's a complete fabrication.  I mean it's a $60MM state-of-the-art weapon.  Really I shouldn't have been allowed to stand near it.