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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 Composites President Greg Morris and engineering test pilot Justin Gillen pull back the curtain on this extraordinary organization. They explain how Scaled safely develops and flies so many radically…

Fighter Pilot Podcast

by Tucker "Cinco" Hamilton, Retired U.S. Air Force Fighter Test Pilot · English · Leisure & Travel

The Fighter Pilot Podcast explores the fascinating world of air combat: the aircraft, the weapons systems, the emerging technologies, and most importantly—the people. Most episodes feature a guest who helps explain military aviation topics such from Vietnam shoot down stories to how AI is changing

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  1. 1 Jan 2026 · 3 min

    The 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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. 28 Dec 2025 · 53 min

    End of Year Recap - 2025

    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

  3. 24 Dec 2025 · 8 min

    NORAD Santa Tracker (Rebroadcast)

    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 Corps Sgt. Maj. James Porterfield, the NORAD and NORTHCOM Senior Enlisted Leader. Merry Christmas from all of us here at the Fighter Pilot Podcast. Support this podcast at —…

  4. 8 Dec 2025 · 42 min

    Warbirds, the Whale, and a Life Well Lived

    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 Crusader over North Vietnam, getting the pilot safely back “feet wet.” He was also aboard USS Oriskany during the devastating October 1966 fire that claimed the lives of 44 sailors. Tom captured these…

  5. 24 Nov 2025 · 47 min

    Honoring a Giant: The Life and Legacy of LtGen Richard Carey

    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 9,000 hours in every fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft the Marine Corps flew. Yet what stands out most is his quiet warmth and the timeless wisdom he shared—like sitting down with a beloved grandfather…

  6. E205 · 17 Nov 2025 · 1 hr 14 min

    FPP205 - "Whiskey" at War | Combat Realities in the CH-53E

    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. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. 28 Sep 2026 · 59 min

    FPP226 - A Lifetime in Combat Aviation

    Today, CAPT Jack Ashmore talks through a remarkable combat career spanning Korea and Vietnam, flying the AD Skyraider, A-4 Skyhawk, F-4 Phantom, and A-7 Corsair II. He shares dozens of firsthand stories from the 1968 Tet Offensive, the evolution of naval aviation, carrier operations, and the experience of adapting from piston-powered aircraft to supersonic jets. His perspective on combat aviation is really something special. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  8. 21 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 23 min

    FPP225 - In the Skies Over Iraq

    Rear Admiral Doug "Woody" Beal came on the show having spent 35 years in Navy strike fighters, 13 on active duty and 22 in the reserves. Flying Intruders and Hornets from Whidbey to China Lake to the skies over Iraq. He has experienced everything from a medical disqualification at USAFA to combat ops over Somalia and Iraq as well as the tense 2019 standoff with Iran as Vice Commander of NAVCENT/5th Fleet. Plus, fresh takeaways on EMALS and AAG from a recent Gerald R. Ford strike group debrief. Support the show at: Fighter Pilot Podcast — Creating air combat-related content. | Patreon Learn…

  9. 14 Sep 2026 · 49 min

    FPP224 - The Software Problem

    Have you ever thought about how you update your F-22? Probably not, but someone has to. Rob Slaughter, former Air Force officer and co-founder of Defense Unicorns, joins the Fighter Pilot Podcast to discuss fixing how the Department of War builds, delivers, and updates software. From the Pentagon to disconnected battlefields. We talk innovation, air-gapped systems, and what it takes to bring modern software to the fight. Support the show at: Fighter Pilot Podcast — Creating air combat-related content. | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  10. 7 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 1 min

    FPP223 - The Human Factor

    If only we treated the human being in the cockpit with the same care and lifecycle management we give the aircraft... In this episode, I sit down with Commander Kevin Bernstein, MD, to explore a new approach to human performance across Naval Aviation. Drawing on his experience in sports medicine and Naval Special Warfare, Kevin explains how physical performance, psychology, recovery, and readiness can be brought together to help aviators perform better, stay healthy, and remain operational for longer. We discuss the Human Performance program being developed across the Navy, what it looks…

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