NBD, just a Rear Admiral with 3000 hours in the Tomcat flying it in DCS. Holy moly.

Ward, you should organize a charity fundraiser where you, CW Lemoine, his friend Gonky (both F-16 pilots) and a few other Navy / Air Force Veteran-KZfaqrs spend several hours some weekend dogfighting with, and against other DCS KZfaqrs & and their KZfaq/Twitch subscribers while the Vets are sharing anecdotes and talking about their experiences. Donations, Superchats, etc. towards a good cause, be it a veterans/families Org, Food bank, etc. The KZfaqrs could stream it on YT, the Twitch guys on their channels. As others have commented, Growling Sidewinder has a large DCS following, and would be a great addition.

holy crap!!! I was in HS-6 On the Nimitz when he was CO of the Nimitz. When he walked around the boat his smile was infectious! He was a perfect CO! One of the best memories I have was his 1000th or 1200th trap whatever it was, but the look on his face jumping out the 18 was pure joy. I don't think I have ever seen someone so happy to fly an airplane. He was and probably still is a true class act!!!!

This is the F-14 Masterclass - because now we know how it should be done correctly, as taught by one of the great experts in the Tomcat. Hugely appreciated, and thank you !

It's not the fancy maneuvers, it's the sheer effortlessness that marks a real professional. He might have we'll have been going for a relaxing bike ride.

Love watching "Nasty" fly. He was my XO on CVN-70. I woulda marched into hell behind that man. What a great man to serve under. I don't have enough good words to say about "Nasty". So glad he's enjoying his retirement.

I am a former officer (non-pilot) of the Italian Air Force, I am 54 years old, and I follow this beautiful channel with interest. When I heard the enormous operational life of Rear Admiral Mike "Nasty" Manazir, I was left to reflect on the thickness and quality of certain men, like this pilot, and the fact that this channel is followed by many guys, will represent ' for them a fantastic example of passion for flying, and love for military life. Excuse my English. Greetings from Rome.

What a professional. The Admiral made this look simple and his explanation is great. Thank you for a great lesson.

I've owned the DCS Tomcat for a little over a year & a half and I have never trusted trimming the airplane to be hands-off while onspeed until seeing what nasty did with it. I tried it out earlier and made the smoothest approach I've ever done onto the ship Loved the episode, I'm really enjoying the DCS / tomcat stuff, keep it up !

My father who just passed last week, Cmdr. John H. Uelses aka "Hammer" was an RIO in F-4s and then F-14 in the VF-1 Wolfpack at NAS Miramar among many other squadrons. I really wish he could have seen this channel! He would have enjoyed these videos very much. Thanks and keep up the good work!

This is invaluable insight! Walking through achieving an equilibrium state in an on speed glide path and cockpit scan conversation was particularly interesting! Lots more stuff to unpack here. Thank you 👍

Nasty is a legend. Was my Strike Group Admiral when I cruised on the Ike as a Prowler Pilot. For those who don’t know he was the CAG paddles who waved that A-6 aboard with the partially ejected BN. Calm cool, and collected the entire time.

Him walking us through the carrier takeoff was absolutely awesome. 🦅

Man the recall he had was awesome, like he never left the seat. Hes going to want one now lol.

Man regardless of experience, I'm confident it's been a few years he's had to think about any of this. His checklist recall was WILD.

So from a real F-14 pilot view point controls are a little to responsive (can be adjusted in game) and bad lighting/bad resolution but other than that "Very Realistic!" That's a fantastic compliment to ED and HeatBlur for the Sim and Module and great news for DCS Tomcat pilots that they are flying a very realistic F-14 simulator. Great Vid Mooch and Nasty. I'd love to have more vids from you and Nasty on F-14 SOP and tactics.

I rarely comment on KZfaq videos. There’s something so cool about watching professionals do their thing. Love your content, Ward - keep it up!

I met an F-14 pilot that made me laugh and still makes me laugh to this day. I was an air traffic controller stationed at Lakehurst New Jersey. We were doing F-14 carrier landing and launching at the test runway that was set up to mock a carrier deck. The F 14 pilot did numerous cat shots and arrested landings. On one taxi past the small ground level control tower the aircraft stopped and the pilot turned and stared at me. I radioed him and asked if he was experiencing difficulty? He didn’t reply. One of the test engineers inside the control tower told me to ask him again. I asked the pilot if he was experiencing any difficulty he still didn’t answer, but he started to move. Finally up from the cockpit window comes a little Howdy Doody hand puppet, and over the radio I heard in a squeaky voice “No Everything Is Fine “. I laughed so hard and so did the engineers. I think it was just all the high tech multi million dollar equipment and stress but when this pilot came up with a hand puppet. You couldn’t help but laugh and the long day and stress disappeared. Too funny.

Very cool! Put him in VR!

Its really neat to see how accurate DCS is. Even though it cannot fully simulate the real Tomcat I'm sure going through the procedures gives you a real sense of nostalgia. Another great video Mooch! I'd like to see Nasty engage in a dogfight...with you. Cheers! - Hammer

The F-14 Tomcat holds a special place in my heart. My dad was Director of Flight Testing for the F-14 at Grumman. I got to meet Test Pilots, most notably Joe Burke.

I’m thinking this is a unique opportunity. Here we have a top Rio and a top pilot. Please do a flight I dcs together, like you would have in the plane, and record every single detail. A unique opportunity to see a Tomcat crew in action. You gotta make a part 2, please!

You guys need to get VR. DCS in VR is a whole different world. From my perspective as a non-aviator, ex-submarine guy, I found flying at the boat to be a lot easier in VR than using a flat screen. You have depth perception, and seeing the boat is easier. You should also try rotor wing in VR. Very cool experience. One of the guys in the crew I fly with online is a current Naval Aviator helicopter pilot, and he got a bunch of us up to speed on rotor ops. Very fun stuff.

A big shoutout to Nasty for giving us all the most authentic basic maneuvring tutorial, you could really notice how he got back into his old workplace, hopefully we'll see more of you both having a go at DCS and the Tomcat! Cheers, that was really cool.

Was that really his first carrier trap in the DCS? If so, impressive at how well he did for a retired pilot.

Wow, was that a honest-to-goodness treat to watch Nasty Manazir back in the virtual cockpit and see how a seasoned professional handles the stick and throttle. Even if he has been out of the cockpit for decades, the ol Tomcat muscle memory kicks right back in and he's flying the DCS Tomcat, just like the real Tomcat. Such great hand-to-eye coordination...it never does get rusty! Nasty's commentary as he was flying, was "golden" as we get to hear what a 3060-hourTomcat pilot really thinks about, when flying the Tomcat..."tucking the wake under his left arm", "walking the throttles", and other assorted phrases gives us in the audience insight as to a Navy pilot's workload. And Mooch...the excellent RIO that he is, falls back into his muscle memory as well, giving the front-seater, calm, and correct information on how to fly this "virtual Tomcat". In this video we get to witness how a good pilot-RIO team work together to get the mission at hand, completed.👍😊 Mooch, how does it feel to be "back in the Tomcat" with an excellent pilot? I know this is too much to ask of you Mooch, but is there anyway you could influence a retired, rear admiral to fly some DCS missions with you? It would be a treat to see how some of our nation's finest work together as a team in DCS, and show how the great training you received decades ago, still works today.😉🙏🙏🙏 Excellent video!

Great show. Respect to the Admiral for still hitting the 3 wire.

It's so nice seeing a pilot get in tune with his aircraft... Watching him search for equilibrium, finding it, and letting the aircraft do what it "wants to do" so to speak.

You can tell Nasty was a great RAG Instructor. I could imagine learning to fly the Tomcat with him in the rear seat breaking it all down. His story telling (He and Slammer on the FlipFlop Hop) made my day when I watched "Tomcat Tales"

I like seeing a real pilot who is actually also good at DCS. This is excellent content. I think you should do more with him.

I love this episode! Looks like Nasty was a great Tomcat pilot! 👌

This is pure gold. Thank you for flying DCS and give us useful tips (i´m not a Tomcat driver although i have the module in DCS, i´m a Hornet guy :) ). Keep up and be safe Mr. Ward.

Very cool nice to watch the professionals

Nasty just proved to us he's not a so-called "HUD cripple" at all. Amazing effort for a first attempt at DCS

What a pair of legends. You guys were the hero's of my childhood in the late 80's early 90's!

FC2 Bridge, CIWS Tech. retired. I served with you aboard the GW. The Tomcat is, and always will be, my favorite Aircraft. Loved watching you guys fly. Always dreamed about a ride along. I remember Ghostriders where there. Spent allot of time videotaping. I was even allowed to tape on deck during night ops. Lots of memories. Big storm, Mogas Fire, and a supersonic flyby just feet over my head when testing our radar just to name a few. Gave my blood, sweat, and tears on that ship.

Best one yet! Having an F-14 pilot validate how realistic the sim is made my day. I fly this plane a lot in DCS. Not a licensed pilot though I've flown a bit. I'll be putting his thoughts on the case 1 landings to good use 😊 Thanks!

The moment he spoke, I was like what a commanding man. It's a pity these guys have to retire, we need them.

Hey! Manazir was my XO while I was on the USS Carl Vinson for my first deployment, which ended up turning into Operation Enduring Freedom after the attack on 9/11. I was just a little FC3 at the time, but I remembered him being a fair, professional, and altogether great XO, which the entire crew looked up to. I also remember him riding a bucket between ships during an UNREP. Must have missed being in a seat in the air lol.

Thanks for the master class! That was incredible to watch.

Brilliant, nothing like this I'm the early AM with my first cup of coffee with chow!

Flying it like it was yesterday. THANKS “NASTY”.

NATOPS/SOPs are there for life, great to see Nasty pounding the deck like he never left. Capable and professional and doing the IP chatter all the way through....I felt like i was back on DQs

I remember my main issue with sims was the extremely sensitive flight controls, hearing an actual pilot say "Yea, this isn't as sensitive and quick in reality" makes me feel better about myself lol.

"Maverick, you're at 3/4 mile; call the ball"

Cool vid Ward! It was neat to get an actual Tomcat pilot's perspective on DCS. Loved how Nasty's muscle memory kicked in. Thanks for the great content!

When DCS gets the Super Tomcat setup you can ask Nasty to replicate his legendary supersonic pass on the Lincoln. ;-)

Awesome vid! Nasty is a natural…lol. Mooch, you have to give VR a go…you’ll never look back!

This guy is a wealth of knowledge and great at explaining things. Can definitely tell he loves the plane.

Wow, thank you for your Service Admiral Nasty. From a Submariner!

VR would blow that dudes mind.

Just the other day I was thinking how cool it would be to have Ward run back seat in DCS with one of his pilot friends in the front.

that second carrier landing blew my mind. having a hard time seeing where he was and still managed _that?_ awesome!

Now you need a second cockpit setup Mooch so you can be his RIO while he is actually flying. I've had the chance to be the pilot for a person playing RIO in the same plane, and it is pretty fun!!!

Oh yeah. Admiral "Nasty" would be the real Maverick. Thank you both Nasty and Mooch!

Amazing video. As an armchair pilot I'm glad to see I'm not totally crap when it's hard to spot the centerline and the ball (flying in VR) when I'm thinking IRL it should be easier to see but how would I know? Now I know! :)

Mr. Ward i forgot to tell you, there is a texture liverie for a less glossy deck (it helps when the sun is shinning in the deck and deck markings/centerline get difficult to see) in DCS user files, and i use another liverie for a darker deck and whiter runway markings (simulates the clean carrier deck at beginning of a deployment). If you wish i could share my google drive with 2 textures for your carrier deck, just say where i can share the link so you can download and use it. If you want i can share a couple of pics so you can see what i´m talking about. Thanks.

I’ve heard a lot of Tomcat guys talk about Nasty. He must have been an amazing driver

Great video guys it's amazing to me that even in the sim you could tell the man was one hell of a pilot

The Admiral was XO while I was ships company on The USS Carl Vinson. I vividly remember installing a shower head in his state room with my LPO at the time. I also had the pleasure of chatting with him walking to the ship one summer morning in Bremerton as a young 3rd class MM. I often wonder what became of him. I guess for some reason those two encounters were memorable due to the fact that he seemed to be a down to Earth guy who seemed to care. MM1 (SW/AW) 2001 - 2005

I clicked and as soon as I saw Admiral Mike's face I had to pause and make another Americano! Thank you for this CDR!

Nice job, you're a pro in DCS now!

"It's the curse of the gifted to make the difficult look easy and the impossible merely difficult.". I was reminded of that quote watching this amazing skill!

Great video Ward! Nasty was my favorite CO back on cvn68. Good to see you again, Nasty, and way to make it look easy.... still a rockstar

You guys should still fly today.... You share a mountain of knowledge....

Was hoping you'd put some VR goggles on Nasty. Another good episode

Literally just came over from your video describing your responsibilities as a RIO, which included directing the pilot, and here you are as a veteran RIO doing exactly this - directing the veteran (Menage a) Nasty as a pilot in DCS. It doesn't get more iconic or meta than this. :) Superb video, thank you so much - I just bought the module and I'll be in the back seat with a mate in front.

that was awesome. I don't even play DCS, but I do like to flight sim, and I was still learning stuff.

It’s very cool that you two actual fleet aviators enjoy this DCS! Greta video

I love to see you guys having fun. The gleaming eyes, smiling like children when you enjoy remembering the good old times. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

You can tell he loved his airplane. Just from from the hints of subtlety in how he gives the plane the inputs. He was not rough on the plane. Something he no doubt honed over many hours of flying the F-14. He makes it look effortless. Fascinating to know that he approves of the sim. Which is really mind boggling that we live in a world where anyone can experience what it's like to learn and fly a fighter jet from their home. Even if only through the sim.

Honestly, this video is like an early Christmas present! Thank you so so much to both of you wonderful gentlemen for doing this and sharing your knowledge. Isnt it great that we live in am age when former tomcat pilots can share their tips on how to fly the cat?! For many of us DCS and the f14 module really are dream come true

I pray to one day be even half as good at putting the cat down on the deck as this. He made it kook effortless considering it was his first time on the sim, all those hours in the real beast paid off! Great video!

Love to see you fly with Growling Sidewinder

Thanks for the demonstration. Thanks for the your service. Thanks for being on the ball in everything you tackle. It takes team work all the way through. Having not had the experience that you have, it's great to be able to visualize what it takes to do what is needed to operate the heavy metal safely.

Fantastic to see Nasty doing his thing, 3060 hours in one of those machines, that’s incredible, keep em coming Ward👍

Ward, we REALLY want to see you and Nasty flying as a crew in DCS against Growling Sidewinder or Longshot or someone like that.

Nasty is such a legend. Really cool to have him on doing anything, and for us simulator guys, awesome to have him fly DCS. Thanks Mooch and big thanks Nasty!

Listening to you guys working together gave me chills! Thanks Mooch and Nasty. Well done!

Always wholesome to see ex-drivers of jets come back and take their past jets out for a spin. Soon when the F-4 Phantom comes out in DCS, we would hopefully be getting some ex-Phantom drivers out and share their stories too.

We need Nasty and Mooch running a mission as a pilot/RIO team. Or just crushing casuals on a PvP server.

That’s a really good video. One of you guys needs to fly the mid 90’s Tomcat demo. Watched that one a few times at Miramar. Impressive.

Thank you so much, Sir, for being here with us mere mortals! The point of view of somebody with such experience and... attributes, is just priceless.

Man, this was awesome, thanks for sharing it with us!! The recall and the proficiency, smoothness he flew is amazing!!

man what an experience to watch this! Only thing that could make it better is if Mooch was in the backseat haha!

A lot of fun. Glad to see DCS accurately portrays the Tomcat.

I see DCS bringing a lot of joy into the later years of the aging fighter pilot...! Its a wonderful thing!

Thank you both for your service.

Absolutely incredible the way he just nails everything first time out. That's 3k hours of experience on display, holy moly. Love the channel, and you always have such stellar guests, like Rear Admiral "Nasty" -- hope he's back to fly with you again soon! Thanks for the great content Ward 👍

That was a real treat thanks Ward for making that happen and Nasty for the masterclass.

Great Job Nasty! Nasty was my classmate at USNA 1981. Spike Rounds here VA-83 Saratoga. '81 second to none!

SO calm.. my bpm just watching was upticking. stone cold pro whilst flying & pure human sunshine in his smile once the wheels are on the deck.

That was SO cool! Thanks for sharing this! This is actually blowing my mind.

Great video! I love the authenticity of two Tomcat veterans explaining the intricacies of this aircraft and procedures as they do it. Keep these coming please! Maybe a video like this in the attack - air to air or bombing.

Wow, the knowledge from Nasty is pretty incredible. makes it look so easy.

Always a pleasure watching the Admiral on the show. His smile is infectuous

Love this video! Please make some more with Nasty!

One of the coolest videos I have ever seen. Please keep making those type of videos! I think many of us who fly DCS would really like to learn real life procedures and tips from you and nasty!

Call sign “Nasty”; that’s awesome. 😎

OMG. Best video ever. Just so much knowledge and experience wrapped up in 20 minutes. Thank you for sharing!!!