Outbound Course
The EA-18G "Growler" is a mythical beast. We've probably all seen her; a Rhino all dressed up in Electronic Attack aircraft clothing, with stubby-looking "missiles" where the wingtip rails would be, a few bumps and bulges where a typical Rhino would be smooth, and of course, usually carrying the oddly-shaped pods-with-propellers made famous by Prowler crews on the under-wing stations.
This EA mission set isn't new, but the aircraft is, and the tactics are always being improved to counter an ever-changing threat. The aircrew who operate these Growlers are understandably quiet about the actual capabilities and systems aboard the Growler; can't give too much away. But they're still aircrew, blasting through the wild blue yonder, and thankfully for all of us, Outbound Course was kind enough to sit down with us for a Podcast chat about his life, enduring the recent Covid cruise aboard the Nimitz, his incredible photography, and of course, the Growler.
He has graciously pulled together a few of his favorite shots from the recent cruise for this gallery here, for you all to enjoy either on your own, or while simultaneously listening to our conversation. Many of these shots we discuss at length; there's brilliance in every one. He's captured some truly remarkable moments, in addition to some meaningful ones: this was the last cruise for the Death Rattlers in their old Hornets, and his beautiful shots of their Legacy jets will likely be some of the last of the type. There's just something magical about looking down the catapult with a Legacy Hornet staring back at you, steam obscuring half of the aircraft while crew members snap signals back and forth.
The Growler also takes center stage, with some truly spellbinding air-to-air shots, often guest starring the Nimitz, and set in sunsets most of us only dream about. The candids aboard the boat while aircrew get ready to go fly also speak volumes, and a human fragility shines through in these photos of hardened air warriors.
We'd like to humbly thank Outbound Course for both his service, his time spent chatting with us, and his unbelievable photography that we all can enjoy. His cruise video (VAQ-139 Cougars Deployment 2020-21 Cruise Video) and these amazing photos serve to honor and uplift each and every member of the Nimitz who spent the better part of the past year at sea, far away from family and friends, doing the hard work that rarely gets seen by the public. From all of us here at Full Disc Aviation, we appreciate you all.
