Curious About F/A-18 Carrier Flybys and Munitions Loading Procedures (original) (raw)

Hi everyone

I have two questions about something that’s been puzzling me for a while.

In many videos (like the Hornet Ball compilations), you often see F/A-18s (and other aircraft) flying at low altitude and high speed — roughly 800–1200 ft and around 350 knots, I’d guess, since the HUD isn’t visible in most of those clips — passing along the port side of the carrier. This doesn’t seem to match any procedure I’m familiar with, whether it’s entering the carrier control zone, Case I/II/III departures or recoveries, or a standard SHB pattern. So I’m wondering: is this some kind of special or less-known procedure, or just a “flyby” done for the video on special occasions?

Also, in the same type of videos, you often see ordnance crew members manually holding and guiding munitions while loading them onto the pylons. Don’t they normally use hoists or lift trucks for that? If such equipment exists, why isn’t it used in those cases?

Thanks in advance for any insight!