Fighter Pilot Podcast

What do astronaut Alan Shepard, actor Clark Gable, aviatrix Amelia Earhart, and president George H. W. Bush all have in common? Each distinguished him- or herself by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. Each acted in the face of danger, well above those actions performed by others engaged in similar flight operations, with results so exceptional as to render t...

No matter how well designed a military aircraft may be, it will always require extensive testing and evaluation to ensure it performs as intended. And even when it does, sometimes unforeseen complications arise—such as when weapons catastrophically collide with the aircraft after release. This too requires extensive testing. But who performs this testing? Why, test pilots, of course. On this episo...

Few pilots ever have an opportunity to meet an enemy aircraft in aerial battle. Fewer yet come out victorious. And even fewer still—in fact, only one—then go on to be involved in arguably the most influential pop culture aviation film of all time. That man is retired US Navy Rear Admiral Pete “Viper” Pettigrew (R.I.P.). Climb aboard this week’s episode and hear the harrowing tale of Viper’s shootd...

Military aviators are generally hard-working, improvement-seeking, self-motivated individuals accustomed to working well under pressure, on tight deadlines, and with limited budgets. It’s no wonder they typically find follow on success after leaving the service. On this episode, retired U.S. Navy Captain Kevin “Hozer” Miller offers his post-military experiences to our discussion on what many aviat...

Today’s combat aviator enjoys a wide variety of munitions from which to choose when attacking surface targets. From free fall general purpose bombs, to laser- and GPS-guided weapons, to glide and forward firing rockets, missiles, and guns—the extensive arsenal is full of complex, yet highly effective ordnance. On this episode, U.S. Navy Commander Colin “Farva” Price explains how pilots choose whic...

Just as a viper relies on its venomous fangs and a hornet its stinger to deliver a lethal attack on adversaries, so too do modern combat fighter aircraft depend on guided missiles and cannon fire to engage aerial foes. But what guidance methods do missiles use? How difficult is it to effectively employ the gun on a non-cooperative target? And how far, exactly, can the AIM-120C AMRAAM be employed a...

We’ve all heard that ‘war is hell,’ but this week we hear it from a different perspective: that of a young pilot, new to the fleet and the F/A-18 Hornet, who finds himself fighting far from home in the fog of war, on the heels of the death of a beloved squadron mate. On this episode, retired U.S. Navy Captain Nick “Mongo” Mongillo tells the harrowing story of his downing an Iraqi MiG-21 on day one...

A replay of the June 5, 2018 Facebook Live listener question session with episode 5 guest Fitz "Dud" Lee. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Navy has one of the largest air forces in the world comprised of a wide variety of aircraft from helicopters to strike fighters to patrol planes. While squadrons, air wings, and type wings have a well-established chain of command, ultimately they all fall under the purview of a single person. Known formally as the Commander, Naval Air Forces, the position is known better as simply, the Ai...

While landing a high-performance jet aircraft on an aircraft carrier may be the most challenging task any naval aviator will ever face, truth is, after a hundred or two of them--most pilots get passably good at it and almost come to enjoy carrier landings. In the daytime. Turn out the lights, add an overcast and suddenly it's another story. How dark does it get in the middle of the ocean? Really d...

Meatball – lineup – angle of attack. Nothing matters more to a fixed-wing naval pilot during the final 17 seconds of a landing on an aircraft carrier than those three parameters. But what is a “meatball”? Why is lineup so important and why does it require continuous corrections to maintain? What happens if the landing aircraft’s angle of attack is too far off one way or the other? On this episode,...

Landing a high-performance jet aircraft on an aircraft carrier is the most difficult and challenging task any pilot will ever face, and is what distinguishes naval aviators from all other military aircrew. In what effectively amounts to a “controlled crash” onto the flight deck, a 44,000-pound aircraft traveling 140 mph engages a 1.5-inch steel cable and is brought to a halt in less than 200 feet....

This week we continue where we left off the previous episode with U.S. Navy Captain Eric "Pappy" Anduze: discussing what the various flight deck jersey colors mean and then how a catapult launch works–including the hardware that makes it possible and what happens in the event of an emergency. If you missed part 1, definitely go back and listen to episode 11 before listening to part 2. Next week we...

The nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier is the largest, most lethal warship to ever sail the high seas and the U.S. has 11 of them, each equipped with a myriad of advanced combat aircraft. Together they can cover two-thirds of the earth’s surface and strike most of the remaining third, all in the name of enforcing freedom of navigation on the world’s seas and implementing America’s resolve a...

We've been at it pretty steadily since launching on January 1st and the kids have been on spring break this past week--so we're taking a little pause from our normal programming routine. However, we didn't want to go completely dark so here are highlights from the two Facebook Live sessions that took place earlier this month. If you already caught those then there's nothing new here, although they...

When observing military aircraft in flight–be it at an airshow or during the flyover of a sporting event–most of us, most of the time, think nothing of the immense costs and effort required to get those aircraft flying. From routine servicing and upkeep to the repair or replacement of major aircraft components, the required resources can often reach dozens of man-hours and tens of thousands of dol...

On May 10, 1972, U.S. Navy lieutenants Randy “Duke” Cunningham and Bill “Willy D” Driscoll launched from the aircraft carrier Constellation in an F-4 Phantom II, callsign Showtime 100, on a “routine” flak suppression mission over North Vietnam. The strike force was met by dozens of enemy fighters and in the ensuing melee Duke and Willy D downed their third, fourth, and fifth enemy MiGs, becoming t...

Ever notice that a B-52 Stratofortress is a bomber, an F-14 Tomcat is a fighter, and a T-45 Goshawk is a trainer? What a coincidence! …well, not really. And it’s also no coincidence that we in the West call the Chinese J-8 fighter and Russian Tu-160 bomber the FINBACK and BLACKJACK, respectively. On this episode, retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Josh “Popeye” Larson explains the alphanumeric...

TOPGUN – aka the Navy Fighter Weapons School. An institution that develops and provides graduate-level strike-fighter tactics. Top Gun – A 1986 American romantic military action drama motion picture starring Tom Cruise. Although they may sound the same and the latter is loosely based on the former, the fact is TOPGUN the school and Top Gun the movie otherwise have very little in common. But that’s...

On this episode, U.S. Navy aerospace operational physiologist Commander Susan "Cyclone" Jay explains how flying high-performance jet aircraft takes a toll on the human body. We discuss pulling Gs, air sickness, decompression sickness, trapped gas, and spatial disorientation. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Passing gas is nothing to be ashamed of--in fact, it is a vital skill required of most military aviators. There are different ways to do it, and there are many occasions when passing gas is not only appropriate but necessary. On this episode, U.S. Navy Captain Fitz “Dud” Lee explains how and why military aircraft refuel in flight, as well as which aircraft are capable of doing so. We also exchange...

Ever wonder how ejection seats work or how it might feel to ride one? On this episode, U.S. Navy Commander Rafe “Bloach” Wysham offers a brief history on ejection seats, how they work, how aircrew inspect them before flight, and why–in multi-place aircraft–it is important to have the ‘Eject Select’ switch in the proper position as demonstrated by the non-aviator backseater who ejected himself out...

People who work in dangerous professions are generally outfitted with protective equipment to minimize the chance of injury in the event of a mishap. Military pilots require not only such special gear but also survival and evasion articles in the event they have extended waits for rescue and must evade the enemy in the process. On this episode, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Aaron "Vern" Vernallis...

Only in the movies do fighter pilots enjoy cool nicknames like “Viper”, “Iceman”, or “Maverick.” In the real world, callsigns are generally plays on names (e.g. “Notso” Sharp), reflective of a pilot’s physical resemblance to some well-known character (“Shrek” Olsen), or the result of a mistake the pilot made at some point in his or her career (“Skids” Pennington). Admittedly, they are at times der...

If a soldier is a military combatant that fights on land, and a sailor is one that fights on sea, then what is a 'fighter pilot'? On this inaugural episode, U.S. Navy Commander Brian “Sunshine” Sinclair visits the show to discuss what a fighter pilot is, some characteristics typical of most fighter pilots, and the various paths to become one. We also debunk cliché Hollywood stereotypes while discu...