I only had one flight in the Hornet, and I don't remember the interlocks, but in the Tomcat the speedbrakes automatically retracted at the military power stop on either throttle. I would assume the F-18 is the same, so I don't understand how he could (and why would he?) take off with speed brake extended like that. It did retract as soon as he went weight off wheels. Strange.
Regards,
Gus