Fighter Pilot Podcast

Welcome to the Fighter Pilot Podcast! This trailer describes who this show is from, who it's for, and what it's all about. Be sure to check out our website and for exclusive content, subscribe to our Patreon Page. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X. To connect with us, email: questions@fighterpilotpodcast.com. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about y...

A look back at 2025 and introduction to 2026's new FPP host in this end-of-year wrap up episode. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Near the end of each year, we feature the hard working men and women of NORAD who tirelessly monitor threats all year long and then, on December 24th, add the mission of tracking Santa. Enjoy this 2022 rebroadcast on the NORAD Santa Tracker program featuring then-U.S. Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, the Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, and U.S. Marine Co...

Few companies in aviation history can claim an average of one new aircraft flown every year for four decades. Enter Scaled Composites. Founded in 1982 by legendary designer Burt Rutan, Scaled Composites specializes in designing, building, and flight-testing proof-of-concept, prototype, and milestone-achieving aircraft—often pushing the edge of what’s thought possible. On this episode, Scaled Compo...

We’re opening the vault for another Happy Hour—this one from 2021 with retired U.S. Navy Captain Matthew “Tom” Maxwell. Tom flew numerous World War II– and Korean War–era aircraft from carriers around the world before eventually finding his way into his favorite platform: the Douglas A-3 Skywarrior. In the “Whale,” he famously saved a fuel-starved F-8 by breaking the rules and refueling the Crusad...

We close out our month-long tribute to the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday with a special replay of a 2021 Happy Hour conversation featuring Lieutenant General Richard E. Carey. Across nearly four decades in uniform, General Carey rose from enlisted grunt to three-star general, serving everywhere from the Inchon landings and Chosin Reservoir to the skies over Vietnam. He went on to amass more than 9,...

Our monthlong celebration of the US Marine Corps' 250th birthday continues this week with retired Lieutenant Colonel Isaac "Whiskey" Lee who spent a 20-year career flying CH-53E Super Stallions. Veteran of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Weapons & Tactics instructor...Whiskey chronicles hard-fought lessons learned and personal vulnerabilities in his book, Hangar 4: A Combat Aviator's Memoir...

This Veterans Day, we are rebroadcasting a walk down memory lane first shared in 2024 featuring guests from past Fighter Pilot Podcast episodes. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To mark the U.S. Marine Corps' 250th birthday on November 10, 2025, we are repurposing a 2023 Patreon Happy Hour featuring Doug Griffith who flew AH-1 Cobras during Operation Desert Storm. Doug shares great stories and a master class on what it means to be a Marine Aviator. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

November 10, 2025 marks the U.S. Marines' 250th birthday and to celebrate, we are dedicating the entire month to the Corps, beginning with this discussion featuring Jim "Bullet" Markel. Bullet, who flew the Vought F-8 Crusader, describes flight training, meeting the love of his life, and flying combat operations over Vietnam—including a harrowing mission for which he was later awarded the Distingu...

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...

This week, we pause our monthlong celebration of the U.S. Navy's 250th birthday to check in with FPP friend, Dave "Chip" Berke. Fighter pilot extraordinaire, battle-proven forward air controller, and esteemed leadership coach, Chip codifies his many hard-won lessons learned into a powerful and concise new book, The Need to Lead. "Every problem is a leadership problem," Chip asserts—find out why an...

Torpedoes vs missiles, tomahawks vs smart bombs, fluid mechanics, missions ranging from direct combat to attack to surveillance... turns out, submarines and military aviation have much in common! On this episode marking the U.S. Navy's 250th anniversary, former submarine commander Tony Grayson explains submarines for dummies, invoking aviation concepts and comparisons. If your knowledge of subs is...

October 2025 marks 250 years of the U.S. Navy and we begin our monthlong celebration with retired Rear Admiral Jeremy "Bear" Taylor, who considers himself the luckiest man alive. Commissioned in 1957, Bear would accumulate more than 6,000 flight hours in fighters and trainers and over 1,000 carrier landings during his 35+ years of service. He was assigned to 13 different aircraft carriers and flew...

Some aircraft have specialized roles most applicable to certain types of warfare—and thus only appear in certain conflicts around the globe. And then there are the workhorses that show up everywhere. On this episode, former Royal Air Force navigator-turned-pilot Elliott "Jellers" Jardine explains how the Boeing CH-47 Chinook is one of those aircraft. From Vietnam to the Falkland Islands to Sierra...

Colonel James "Fangs" Valpiani knows a thing or two about flight test because he's seen a thing or two: first an Air Force Academy graduate, then a combat-tested F-15E Strike Eagle pilot, a graduate of the French Test Pilot School, and most recently Commodore of the USAF TPS. On this episode, Fangs shares his expertise on the various schools he has attended or led and the aircraft they test, inclu...

Per their website, the "Thunderbirds perform for people all around the world to display the pride, precision and professionalism the U.S. Air Force represents." Awesome, but what does that mean for the men and women comprising the team? How do they join, and what is a typical week like during show season? On this episode, former USAF Thunderbird solo pilot Michelle "MACE" Curran explains her rocky...

A 2008 mid-air collision between an F/A-18 Hornet and F-5F Tiger II near Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada left one pilot dead, two aircraft destroyed, and dozens of squadron mates, family, and friends changed forever. This bonus episode of The Merge reunites the two surviving F-5 aircrew, exploring how the mishap has affected their lives in the years since. Brought to you by BVR Productions. Suppo...

A 2008 mid-air collision between an F/A-18 Hornet and F-5F Tiger II near Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada left one pilot dead, two aircraft destroyed, and dozens of squadron mates, family, and friends changed forever. This concluding episode of The Merge features the widow of the lost pilot, Jeremy "Suge" Wise. Brought to you by BVR Productions. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw...

A 2008 mid-air collision between an F/A-18 Hornet and F-5F Tiger II near Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada left one pilot dead, two aircraft destroyed, and dozens of squadron mates, family, and friends changed forever. This fifth episode of The Merge explores the collision from other aviators airborne that tragic day. Brought to you by BVR Productions. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon....

A 2008 mid-air collision between an F/A-18 Hornet and F-5F Tiger II near Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada left one pilot dead, two aircraft destroyed, and dozens of squadron mates, family, and friends changed forever. This fourth episode of The Merge explores the unbreakable bond between flight lead and wingman, particularly on that fateful day. Brought to you by BVR Productions. Support this podc...

A 2008 mid-air collision between an F/A-18 Hornet and F-5F Tiger II near Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada left one pilot dead, two aircraft destroyed, and dozens of squadron mates, family, and friends changed forever. This third episode of The Merge explores the fateful flight of June 13, 2008 from the brief up to moment of impact. Brought to you by BVR Productions. Support this podcast at — https...

A 2008 mid-air collision between an F/A-18 Hornet and F-5F Tiger II near Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada left one pilot dead, two aircraft destroyed, and dozens of squadron mates, family, and friends changed forever. This second episode of The Merge explores NAS Fallon and why squadrons detach there, and introduces this mini-series' main characters. The Merge is brought to you by BVR Productions....

A 2008 mid-air collision between an F/A-18 Hornet and F-5F Tiger II near Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada left one pilot dead, two aircraft destroyed, and dozens of squadron mates, family, and friends changed forever. This first episode of The Merge introduces this mini-series with a description of Naval Aviation in 2008. Brought to you by BVR Productions. Support this podcast at — https://www.pat...

In the early 2000s, Tesla upended the automotive industry with its ground-breaking electric vehicles and recharging network. Twenty years later, Boom Supersonic is attempting to do the same in the airline industry—will it work? On this episode, Tristan Brandenberg and Nick Sheryka join guest host Ken Katz to discuss Boom Supersonic's ambitious initiative to return supersonic airline travel, includ...