Cool Whip accelerates from 0 to 160 mph in two seconds.
Legend can reach a top speed exceeding Mach 1.8.
Flapjack has an ejection seat.
Ridin' Solo is helping prevent the outbreak of World War III.
Say what?
It’s all true – it’s just that the PBR bulls being referred to are on the flightline of Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana and recently deployed aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
The Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier had a special group of fighter jets – named after top PBR bulls.
Other F/A-18E Super Hornets atop the carrier are Prime Time, Bodacious, Flyin Wired, Smokestack, Smackdown, Panhandle Slim, and Moonlight Party.
The Ragin’ Bulls of the U.S. Navy’s VFA-37 recently returned home after flying more than 2,700 hours and spending nearly nine months at sea in the Baltic, Eastern Mediterranean and Red Seas, strengthening ties with America’s partners and allies.
Heading into the GovX PBR Hampton Velocity Tour event at Hampton Coliseum, a group from PBR, including riders Andrew Alvidrez and Brandon Chambers, toured NAS Oceana, where the Ragin’ Bulls are stationed.
They got an up-close and unforgettable look at the jets and the deep staff of specialists it takes to maintain and fly the fighter jets.
Alvidrez and Chambers experienced something extraordinarily rare: taking the controls of an F/A-18E Super Hornet in a flight simulator.
Incredibly, both riders, guided by experts in their ears, landed the planes on their first try.
Alvidrez, in particular, was seen as a natural. He’s attempted a four-legged Ridin’ Solo (thrown on his head); maybe it’s time to ride the one with 35,000 pounds of thrust.
“I learned there’s a whole crew behind every plane,” Chambers said. “It’s like bull riding. It’s not just us. There’s an arena crew, a TV crew. It takes a whole village to do it. It’s the same here. It’s not just the pilots. A lot of people get these planes in the air.”
Anyone who’s watched “Top Gun” knows the flight instructors are critical spokes in the wheel.
One of them, Lt. Cmdr. Sam Dulaney, was channel surfing with his 3-year-old son Charlie when the boy was gobsmacked seeing a bull ride.
From that moment, little Charlie was hooked on PBR, memorizing bulls’ names and dressing as a bull rider for Halloween.
It’s a tradition for jets in the military to have nicknames. It was a no-brainer for Dulaney, a flight instructor, to suggest to the skipper, Commanding Officer Michael “MOB” Tremel, emblazoning the names of PBR bulls on the tails of the aircraft.
The idea quickly moved up the chain of command, and everyone loved it. The sailors had fun picking the final names.
Such morale boosters can’t be underestimated.
The U.S. Navy is now involved in the first major fight of the 21st Century, according to Vice Adm. Brad Cooper in an interview from the Red Sea on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” The last time the U.S. Navy engaged in combat was during World War II, he said.
“Our nation needs us to be ready every day,” Tremel told the PBR group touring the base. “For fans out there and for every American citizen, just know that your U.S. Navy is ready to fight and win any war at a moment’s notice. That’s what we prepare for any time they need us.”
Tonight, at Hampton Coliseum, an extraordinary group of men and women on the front lines who were the first to respond at the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel conflict, ensuring freedom of navigation and the high seas was maintained no matter what, will receive PBR’s Be Cowboy honors for their bravery, service, and valor.
The entire squadron has been invited to Hampton Coliseum for PBR’s Hampton Velocity Tour events.
“We couldn’t do what we love and ride bulls if it weren’t for our military,” Alvidrez said. “I’m extremely thankful I get to live this life because of their sacrifices.”
Tonight, all of PBR joins Alvidrez in saying thank you to a very special group of Ragin’ Bulls.
