MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — Former Thunderbirds pilot Ryan Bodenheimer says video of the mid-air EA-18G Growler collision is difficult to comprehend, even for someone who spent years flying in close formation.
"It's just so wild seeing that footage and the fact that it's not AI, 'cause it looks like AI footage, because the jets are stacked on top of each other," Bodenheimer said.
The Growler is a Navy electronic warfare aircraft built on the F/A-18 Super Hornet platform.
WATCH | Retired pilots discuss Sunday's mid-air collision—
Retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Ed Kaufer flew F-18s for 26 years. He watched the video closely and said the lower jet's crew needed just enough separation from the aircraft above them to eject safely.
"As they roll, you'll see that the two noses part. They pull away from each other, giving both canopies, you know, an avenue to eject, get the canopy off, and have the two guys in each jet come out." Kaufer explained.
In the Growler, either person in the cockpit can trigger both ejection seats.
"If either pilot or the guy in the back seat pulls the handle, both seats go," Kaufer added.
Kaufer said the timing of the separation between the two aircraft likely saved the crews in the lower jet.
"The little bit of time that it took for those two airplanes to move themselves apart gave everybody the opportunity to get out of the airplane safely," Kaufer said.
Just two days before the crash, Neighborhood Reporter Keith Burrell asked Lt. Kevin Lynch with the EA-18G Growler team if weather could be a factor in their stunts.
"We are an all-weather jet, so we really don't have any limitations," Lynch said.
Martin-Baker, the company that makes the ejection seats used in the Growler, says its seats have saved more than 7,800 lives worldwide.
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