The pre-flight check and cockpit of a Spanish EF-18BM fighter explained by its pilot

In the 1980s, Spain acquired 72 EF-18 Hornet fighters, a fleet that was eventually expanded to a total of 96 units.

Angel Gaitan shows the complex work of the mechanics of the Spanish EF-18 fighters
A flight of two Spanish EF-18M fighters and a change of habits with Scorpion helmets

The initial fleet of 72 fighters included 60 single-seat EF-18As (C.15, according to the Spanish military designation) and 12 two-seat EF-18Bs (CE.15), used for conversion training, that is, to train pilots who are beginning their integration for the first time in one of the Air Force fighter wings that operate this model (Wing 12 in Torrejón, Wing 15 in Zaragoza and Wing 46 in Gando, in the Canary Islands).

The 12 two-seater EF-18Bs were distributed between the 12th and 15th Wings, which were the first units equipped with this type of fighter. These aircraft continue to serve today. In 1993 these aircraft were upgraded by CASA to the EF-18B+ version, similar to the two-seat F/A-18D version used by the US Navy and Marines. Between 2008 and 2009 they were modernized to the EF-18BM version, in a process called mid-life update (MLU).

Today, Fly By Wire Aviation (a YouTube channel I highly recommend you subscribe to) has published a very interesting video in which Lieutenant Vázquez, from the 121 Squadron of the 12th Wing, shows what a pre-flight check is like (the visual inspection that the pilot carries out before takeoff) and the interior of the cockpit of an EF-18BM two-seater fighter aircraft from that unit (the CE.15-11 / 12-74). The video is in Spanish, you can activate automatic English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player:

I congratulate Fly By Wire Aviation for the excellent videos they are making. I have been reading a lot about the EF-18 and in this video I have learned a few things that I didn't know. You can see some screenshots from the video here.

I start with this image of an EF-18BM with a captive missile in its port wing marginal mount. It is like an AIM-9L Sidewinder missile but without fins, without a warhead and without a booster, and equipped with instruments to simulate firing in training flights.

One of the things that caught my attention the most in this video is what the pilot says about the catapult launch bar on the front landing gear. This bar is used to anchor the plane to one of the steam catapults that US aircraft carriers have on their flight decks to launch their planes. The F/A-18 is a naval fighter by origin, so all planes of this type have this accessory, but it is not used in Spain, so they have made a modification that the pilot explains in the video.

The right turbofan engine nozzle of the EF-18BM, a General Electric F404-GE-402. The pilot explains in the video how the nozzle opening is regulated.

One of the most interesting parts of the video is the one related to the cockpit, which Lieutenant Vázquez explains in detail. Here we see the HUD (Head Up Display) covered with a red protection.