What's up, guys? Leslie Robbins here, coming to you from Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California. And all I have to say is that young Hollywood has the need, the need for speed.

What's up, guys? Leslie Robbins here, coming to you from Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California. And all I have to say is that young Hollywood has the need, the need for speed.

Okay, sir, I'm getting Top Gun vibes from you. Uh it's it's unmistakable. What is your call sign, is it Maverick?

It is not. Call sign is Raz, and we also have two other F-22 pilots with us, call sign Zero and Gringo.

That's kind of amazing. Now, for this interview and this shoot on the base, which is quite epic. I brought a little toy. Now, did you play with these growing up? Uh what inspired you to get behind the wheel? Absolutely. Uh, of one of these monsters. It's unbelievable.

Oh, I had many toy F-22s growing up. I was inspired to do this job, attending air shows at a young age, so essentially, as soon as I had a conscious thought, I wanted to be a pilot. And meeting pilots at air shows is what inspired me to pursue a career in military aviation. So I I owe everything I get to do today to air shows. So we're thrilled to see such a an amazing and massive air show here in Huntington Beach.

Talk about the amazingness that we're going to see on the ground in the sky, you name it.

Absolutely. One of the most uh amazing lineups you'll see at an air show anywhere in the world. Seems like everyone is here. Uh for our demo, specifically, uh you'll see the world's first fifth-gen fighter. Uh we're the only fighter in the US inventory with thrust vectoring, uh and super maneuverability. Also, the most powerful jet in the US inventory with 70,000 pounds of thrust. So you're going to see this aircraft Uh do a controlled flat spin, uh backflips, cartwheels, as well as uh tail slide where we actually slide backwards, uh in excess of about 80 knots in reverse. And all while we're doing that, we're going to be uh dispensing flares out of the jet, uh to hopefully make the best show possible. So we're real excited to be here.

Listen, you had me at 80 knots. I think you said flips. I I missed a few. It was all a blur. What's going through your mind when you're sitting in the cockpit of one of these bad boys? Because uh are you thinking or don't think, just do as as Maverick says in Top Gun, Maverick.

It's busy, especially flying this jet. Uh it's very capable, uh has a ton of power, so you're you're really focused, hyperfocused on uh just flying a safe routine. It's all all rehearsed. Uh so not a lot of time to look around and think up there, but anytime uh I get done with a demo, I just think about how fortunate I am to get to do this job. Uh and what an amazing amazing uh fortune I've had getting to do it.

And when you're in the skies and there is a moment of calm, what are you thinking about?

Same thing, how lucky I am and uh how young me would be really happy right now to see old me doing this.

Well, we're standing in front of two F-22s, but in front of us, we have a row of Thunderbirds. They're going to put on a show as well.

Absolutely. Uh Thunderbirds premier US Air Force uh air demonstration squadron. Uh they put on an amazing show. It's uh it's incredible. And even after doing uh mini shows with the Thunderbirds this year, our whole team loves to stick around and watch them fly, because it is it is an epic show.

So There has to be a lot of training behind the scenes. A to look like that, but also to get in the cockpit. So what's the training behind the scenes that no one gets to see?

So we go through years of training, uh Air Force pilot training, and then uh years of training in the F-22. Uh in order to fly the demonstration, you have to be an instructor pilot. So that's about four years of flying the F-22 prior to being an instructor pilot. And then just for this demo alone, uh about 21 flights, three separate certifications for all different levels of leadership. Uh so it's it's been uh reviewed well prior to us ever hitting the road on the air show circuit.

That's amazing. Now, take me back. I want you to name the movie that inspired you. I can I can name mine. I've been quoting it every every five words. I hear the engines. What's your movie?

Growing up, huge Top Gun fan. I yeah, I won't lie to you. I ended up an Air Force pilot, but who doesn't love Top Gun?

So, sir, it's not every day on a shoot I get to say, which plane did you fly behind me? So which plane, which F-22 did you fly, sir?

Yeah, it's an incredible thing. I know, I actually got to fly that one, but it's also not every day that I get to say I get to fly my jet to my hometown. So this is uh this is amazing for me to be able to be back home and and show what I've been doing for the last couple of years.

Okay, we're going to get to your hometown in one second, but I got to ask your call sign. It's not Maverick, it's not Goose. Uh I met Raz, who's amazing. So, um uh Top Gun, what's your call sign, sir?

Yeah, so my call sign is Gringo. Uh-huh. And that hits home, uh down here in Southern California. I know it very well, but uh I'm actually uh half Mexican. So growing up down here, the irony is real and uh a hard-earned uh great story that I'll have to save for another day.

Can you walk me through how one gets their call sign? Like you said, you got to pick it yourself, but how does that happen?

Yeah, absolutely. It takes years, honestly. And uh when you go through the whole process of becoming a fighter pilot, it it takes a long time, a lot of dedicated effort to get skills and to get certified and to grow up. And through that time, uh you know, you tend to do a couple of things. And uh sometimes they're funny, sometimes they're uh they're uh dangerous, sometimes they're they're not. And uh either way, uh it makes a story that only you get to tell and everybody uh decides that for you. So it's a big big process for us to earn a call sign uh once we actually earn our wings.

Your hometown, Huntington Beach, California, you got a little air show coming to town. That's right.

It's amazing. I was spread all around Orange County, Huntington, Newport, all the way to Brea, California. Proud graduate of Brea Olinda High School, which is really really special for me. So to bring this home and show my friends, my family what this Air Force does for them without them knowing is is incredibly beautiful. So uh it it is it is an amazing day for me, truly, to be able to fly this jet in here, meet my family, introduce them to what I've been doing for the last decade, a couple of decades plus. And yeah, could not be more proud. This is really exciting.

So this is build as the greatest show. Absolutely. Tons of spectators, the most in the world. What can fans expect when they come?

Loud, fast, amazing. It's incredible. It'll truly blow your mind, quite honestly. And seeing it from the sky today, the setup on the beach is incredible. Great vantage points to see. Huntington is just rolled out the red carpet. This this is going to be an incredible show. The acts are just off the charts. Biggest biggest show I've ever seen and I've been doing this for a minute, but

Okay, you as the pilot in that cockpit, what's going through your mind? What's the feeling? Like just walk me through all of that because uh all I have is Top Gun and Top Gun Maverick, and I'm I'm on the edge of my seat. So as a pilot, walk me through it.

Well, I'll tell you what, as a fan, those movies showed America what it really is like in there. I'll tell you what, in the next couple of days at the air show, is an actual demonstration of what this aircraft does in combat situations. It's not just a uh, you know, a show for people to enjoy, although I'm sure they will. This is to show you what an incredible technology like the F-22 Raptor can actually bring to a combat environment. So I I hope you enjoy it, but don't get lost. It's pretty, but it's lethal.

Uh uh what do you do with the fear that comes up? Or is that given? Where's it go? You swallow that gap.

No, I'll tell you what, you zip it up in a flight suit and that that that is not there's no time for that where you're up there. It's moving fast.

Wow. Yeah, it takes a lot of practice, but yeah. And talk about that practice, talk about the workout routine, talk about everything behind the scenes that the spectators and people like me don't get to see, because this is all like pretty glamorous to me and exciting. I'm like fan girling out right now. But behind the scenes, talk about what it takes to put that suit on and get in the cockpit.

Yeah. 10,000 hours, 10,000 hands. It takes all of those things to put a pilot in a jet like this, launch it up with all the weapons it needs to employ, and reliably secure the borders of this country. It's it's a truly amazing thing, but I'll tell you, uh the whole situation is is an optimized machine.

And we we talk about the warfighter as the actual human that operates this incredible technology. Uh and so everything it takes, you know, a healthy approach to life, working out constantly, so you are not the limiting factor as far as the performance goes. Because this jet will put a hurt on you if you're not ready for it. So uh it takes a lot of effort, but all well-designed and I'll tell you what, you see it tomorrow, there'll be no surprise.

Okay, and baseball players have their walkout song. Tom Cruise has, you know, Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins. What's your tune when you on that runway, taking off? Yeah. What's your what's your go-to song for that?

Well, I'll tell you what, I'm an old school man. But to get out to the runway, it's Beastie Boys Sabotage. No doubt about it. Okay. But as soon as I'm airborne and it's time to do the job, it's Bob Marley, One Love. That's it.

What?

I you know, It puts me in the right state of mind to be cool, calm, and collected under pressure and just get it done.

Wait.

I know, right? Yeah. Bob Marley. That's it. One Love. Yeah. That's it. That's what it's all about. What we do is incredibly violent, but it's for a beautiful intent. And that is peace and love for this world. There's no doubt about it. I hope that's what we can offer to our kids and everybody here enjoying the show this weekend. Yeah, man. That's it.