Fighter Pilot Podcast

Hal Sundt author of Warplane, How the Military Reformers Birthed the A-10 Warthog describes the origination story of the close air support aircraft the U.S. Air Force never wanted but pilots and ground troops came to love. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Situational awareness. Confidence. Teachability and ability to teach. ...wait, helpful? Ever stop and think about the traits that make a 'good' member of your industry? This week, host Vincent Aiello continues the "audio musing" show format with the narration of a 2019 musing on the Fighter Pilot Podcast blog inspired by a question posed during a live YouTube session. Support this podcast at — htt...

More than 81,000 American service members remain listed as 'missing in action' from conflicts dating back to World War 2.  This week, retired U.S. Marine Derek Abbey, PhD, explains how Project Recover enlists 21st century science and technology to find and repatriate those missing in order to provide recognition and closure for families and the nation.  As a podcast listener, enjoy a $300 savings...

“December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy...” are among the most famous words spoken by a United States President and have reverberated every year on this day for more than eight decades. On this special bonus from 2021, author Bert Kinzey of Detail and Scale Aviation Publications explains the significance of the attack and what took place on that fateful Sunday morning. Having conduct...

People are often quick to comment on the Fighter Pilot Podcast's various social media channels that the Navy does not fly F-16s. Wrong. This week, host Vincent Aiello shares another article from the Fighter Pilot Podcast blog, this one from 2019 describing how we can all do a better job of avoiding being wrong and reacting when we inevitably are. Find the original musing here. Support this podcast...

Retired U.S. Navy F/A-18 pilot Jack "Farley" Stewart explains who "adversary" pilots are, what they do, how TOPGUN trains them, and why it is vital to have professional adversaries (or "aggressors," as the U.S. Air Force calls them).  Be sure to check out Farley's exciting first novel, Unknown Rider. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more abo...

Hollywood portrays fighter pilots as devil-may-care risk takers and rule breakers intolerant to authority. Is that true in the real world? This week, host Vincent Aiello shares another article from the Fighter Pilot Podcast blog, this time identifying the top 10 myths about military aviators and why they are wrong. Find the original 2021 musing here. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com...

You've heard of audio books, what about audio blogs? This week, host Vincent Aiello introduces a new show format where he narrates one of the articles on the Fighter Pilot Podcast blog. This first edition is from a December 2022 musing titled, How to Succeed in Flight School? Don't Ask Me! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about your ad...

The Fighter Pilot Podcast would not be possible without the support of the hundreds of veterans who served both in uniform and, in this case, in the studio. To those who have served: happy Veterans Day and thank you, from a grateful nation. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this 2020 'Happy Hour,' Yonel "Yogi" Dorelis describes a career in aviation that spanned all four branches: Marines, Navy, Army, and lastly Air Force where he spent the majority of his service as a combat search and rescue helicopter pilot. (The Space Force did not yet exist when Yogi served.) Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about y...

This week, guest cohost Ken 'Primetime' Katz turns the tables on our usual host Vincent 'Jell-O' Aiello, asking him to explain his role at the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest and what it is like to fly a post-maintenance check flight in F/A-18 Hornets. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U.S. Navy F/A-18 pilot Joe "Jamboy" Kirksey, a career LSO currently serving as "Force Paddles" at the Chief of Naval Air Forces in San Diego, explains the history of LSOs assisting fixed-wing aircraft on aircraft carriers, how LSOs are trained and whether they and their grading methods are still necessary with the advent of Precision Landing Mode. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/th...

Retired U.S. Navy Captain J.J. "Yank" Cummings joins FPP cohost Matt "Flounder" Arny to talk Tomcats, flight school, surface warfare, nuclear power, Top Gun: Maverick, and above all, how to lead when in charge of the first ship in a new class of aircraft carriers that has had its share of bad press. Visit jjcummingsleadership.com to learn more about Yank and his exploits since leaving uniform serv...

Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Evan "Ivan" Thomas joins cohost Ken "Primetime" Katz to discuss the Stratolaunch Roc—the world's largest aircraft initially designed to haul space vehicles into the upper atmosphere that instead found purpose providing commercial "access to the hypersonic" environment. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more abou...

MCAS Miramar-based Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 101 closes its doors after 50+ years of teaching U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators first in the F-4 Phantom and then the F/A-18 Hornet.  On this episode, the final VMFAT-101 Commander, LtCol Ryan "Yoshi" Franzen and the -101 Operations Officer Maj Erik "Tucker" Rheinhart share the Sharpshooter history and legacy, and what's next for USMC F/A-18 t...

On this repurposed 2021 'Happy Hour' discussion, retired U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Larry "Racehorse" Rannals describes his career beginning as a Naval Flight Officer before converting to pilot via Air Force flight training and flying the RF-4 in Vietnam--in both seats!  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Robert Dosé was a World War 2 fighter pilot who downed an Imperial Japanese aircraft. Thirty years later, his son Curtis downed a Vietnamese MiG-21, making them the only father-son duo to each achieve aerial victories in combat. "Dozo," as Curt is known, joins us this week to describe the May 10, 1972 engagement and reconciliation with his former enemy 40+ years later. A TOPGUN graduate and test p...

Nelson "Ed" Cobleigh is a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and Vietnam veteran-turned author who flew the A-4 Skyhawk, F-4 Phantom, Jaguar, F-104 Starfighter, and F-16 Fighting Falcon, among others. This episode is adapted from a 2022 'Happy Hour' discussion over Zoom. Visit Ed's website here. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about y...

Retired US Navy Captain Jim "Guido" Dimatteo is a polymath: the son of a WW2 fighter pilot, a former A-4, F-14, F-16N, F/A-18 pilot (and still the F-5), the former purveyor of a successful San Diego bar & restaurant, a rugby veteran, former Director of the Red Bull Air Races, Director of the Breitling Jet Team North American tour, and so much more as you will learn on this intriguing episode. Lear...

FPP friend and occasional cohost, Ken Katz, welcomes back to the show Dr. Eileen Bjorkman to discuss her new book, Fly Girls Revolt: The Story of the Women Who Kicked Open the Door to Fly in Combat. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rogers E. Smith is a Canadian-American pilot who served in the RCAF, U.S. Marines, and U.S. Air National Guard and spent a long career testing nearly every American fighter (and several Russian ones), despite never attending a formal test pilot school! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Retired U.S. Marine Corps Brigadier General Mike Aguilar explains how the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum is moving from MCAS Miramar in San Diego to the Great Park in Irvine, near the former MCAS El Toro., California. Visit the FLAM website here. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Retired Italian Air Force General and former Tornado pilot Gianmarco Bellini joins guest host Craig "Crunch" Snyder to discuss his terrifying low-altitude, high-speed ejection in the opening hours of Operation Desert Storm. Watch the Gianmarco Bellini: Gulf War POW (2023) Official Trailer here. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations Learn more about you...

Retired U.S. Navy Captain Brett "Chopper" Crozier describes his career from flying SH-60B Seahawks to returning to flight school to learn the F/A-18 Hornet to nuclear power school and eventually command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, including his very public firing at the beginning of COVID. Order Chopper's book, Surf When You Can, from Amazon here. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com...

Phillip Frawley is not only a retired Royal Australian Air Force fighter pilot, he is a Guinness World Record holder for being the oldest and longest-serving fighter pilot in the world. With a half-century of service and nearly 500 flight students taught, "Frawls" has seen it all. This Zoom interview was originally recorded during a late 2020 happy hour session for FPP Patreon supporters. Support...