Royal Navy officer Lieutenant Fraser Nadine, currently on an exchange programme with the U.S. Navy, has provided insights into his experience flying F/A-18 Super Hornets from the deck of the USS Carl Vinson.
As part of the U.S. Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron 192, known as “The Golden Dragons,” Nadine is gaining invaluable experience that will benefit future collaborations between the Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy. His reflections, shared in a recent press release, paint a picture of a demanding yet rewarding role, contrasting with popular perceptions.
Nadine, who completed his basic aviation training in the UK before volunteering for this exchange, is now flying missions over vast and varied terrains, including the challenging environment of Death Valley. “The flying is awesome,” Nadine remarked. “You’re above Death Valley and huge swathes of the country in airspace set aside just for your training, which is amazing.”
Operating from the USS Carl Vinson, Nadine flies the F/A-18E Super Hornet, a powerful single-seat strike fighter capable of reaching speeds up to one and a half times the speed of sound. His missions include bombing runs, maritime strikes, defensive combat air patrols, and air-to-air refuelling exercises. Nadine highlighted the unique experience of catapult launches—a technique not used by the Royal Navy in nearly 50 years. “You tell the Shooter—the catapult officer—what the weight of your jet is, and they will tune in the correct power setting. Then you’ll go from sitting still on the catapult to 200 miles an hour in under two seconds. Then you’re straight into the mission mindset from there,” he explained.
Despite the excitement of flying such advanced aircraft, Nadine pointed out the more daunting aspects of the job, particularly night launches. “It’s pitch black, you can’t see anything other than with the aid of a tiny finger light to check all your switches, just trying to get yourself settled,” he said. “You dim everything and are then shot into pitch darkness. Imagine no moon, it’s just a void, and you’re trusting your instruments because all you see is the waterline symbol, the velocity vector, and the horizon line.”
Nadine’s training has also included participation in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, the largest naval exercise in the Indo-Pacific region. Reflecting on this experience, he noted, “RIMPAC was insane. We conducted dissimilar air combat training with Typhoons, Hawker Hunters, and A-10s [the Americans’ ‘Warthog’ ground attack aircraft], which was pretty interesting, as is the sortie count. We carried out some strike sorties, including sink exercises. We also got a ten-day run ashore in Hawaii.”
As the only British officer in the squadron, Nadine acknowledged that he “stands out like a sore thumb,” but he said that the U.S. Navy has been very welcoming. His experience is not just about flying; it’s about building stronger ties between the Royal Navy and its American counterparts. “Those who come across to the US have a wide variety of experience with the aim of bringing that knowledge back to the UK for the benefit of our own carrier aviation,” Nadine explained.
“The big deck experience is not something which can be replicated with our carriers – the way they conduct their flight operations is vastly different. But when I go back to the UK, any integration with the US will be far easier.”
While the public often glamorizes the life of a fast-jet pilot, especially with influences from Hollywood films like Top Gun, Nadine was quick to clarify that the reality is quite different. “Life on a squadron is very busy during the day and then everyone goes back and watches a movie and goes to bed, rinse, repeat for nine months,” he said, adding that despite the intense routine, the excitement and passion for the job remain high.
Standards are slipping! Shades and that hat whatever next😂
It is called “fitting in”.
I know 👍😂