Folgen

  • FPP220 - Launching a Satellite From an F-104

    FPP220 - Launching a Satellite From an F-104
    Aug 3 2026
    In this episode, I sit down with Tim Franta, CEO of Starfighters Space, to discuss the company's mission to transform access to space using high-performance aircraft. We explore the STARLAUNCH air-launch system, how Starfighters operates the world's only commercial fleet of Mach 2+ F-104 Starfighters, and the advantages of launching rockets from the edge of the atmosphere. Tim also shares insights from his decades of experience in the space industry, including his work shaping Florida's commercial space sector, developing launch infrastructure, and helping bridge the gap between government and private spaceflight. We also talk about the future of commercial launch, what's next for Starfighters Space, and the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    47 Min.
  • FPP219 - From Wimbledon to Mach 1.58: Louis Skupien’s Wild Ride into Telling Aviation’s Story

    FPP219 - From Wimbledon to Mach 1.58: Louis Skupien’s Wild Ride into Telling Aviation’s Story
    Jul 20 2026
    He was a national champion tennis player headed for Wimbledon, then COVID and injury ended that dream overnight. Two years later, Louis Skupien was strapped into a jet suit. Four years after that, he was breaking the sound barrier twice in an F-16D over Edwards Air Force Base, filming a documentary on the 412th Test Wing and the story behind Auto-GCAS — the system that’s saved 13 pilots’ lives. Louis, host of the Talk4 podcast and creator of the Full Throttle documentary series, joins me to talk tennis-to-aviation reinvention, flying with jet-suit inventor Richard Browning, low-level runs down Sidewinder, pulling 9Gs, and what it took to get a foreign national civilian into the backseat of an Edwards test jet. Support this podcast at: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    53 Min.
  • FPP218 - The Humans Behind Autonomous Air Combat

    FPP218 - The Humans Behind Autonomous Air Combat
    Jul 13 2026
    Former US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot turned Autonodyne CEO Steve Jacobson discusses one of the most important and least understood aspects of future air combat: the human-machine interface. Jake shares stories from flying and testing the Warthog, explains why he turned down Test Pilot School before ultimately finding his way into flight test anyway, and reflects on how those experiences shaped his approach to designing command-and-control software for autonomous aircraft. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    54 Min.
  • FPP217 - Shot Down, Not Out: Col. Richard "Dog" Brenneman on Service and Survival

    FPP217 - Shot Down, Not Out: Col. Richard "Dog" Brenneman on Service and Survival
    Jun 29 2026
    US Air Force Colonel Richard "Dog" Brenneman describes his incredible story of courage and determination. Shot down over North Vietnam on his 26th combat mission while flying the F-4 Phantom II, Col. Brenneman spent more than 1,900 days as a prisoner of war in the Hanoi Hilton before returning home and was awarded the Silver Star for his extraordinary resilience. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/c/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    1 Std. und 37 Min.
  • FPP216 - 300 Vietnam Missions in the F-4: Combat and the Making of a Leader

    FPP216 - 300 Vietnam Missions in the F-4: Combat and the Making of a Leader
    Jun 15 2026
    Ron "Toes" Cooper grew up silent, insecure, and certain he'd never amount to much. Then four men believed in him — and everything changed. Toes went on to fly the F-4 Phantom in over 300 combat missions in Vietnam, dodge a MiG-21 missile by a split second, participate in the rescue of a downed pilot who survived 23 days alone in hostile territory, and command a squadron. In this episode, Toes brings us into the cockpit and into the chaos of combat — and then draws a straight line from those experiences to the leadership lessons that every team, every organization, and every person who has ever doubted themselves desperately needs to hear. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    1 Std. und 5 Min.
  • FPP215 - U-2s on Aircraft Carriers: A Cold War Gamble

    FPP215 - U-2s on Aircraft Carriers: A Cold War Gamble
    Jun 1 2026
    During the Cold War, the Lockheed U-2 gave the United States the ability to peer deep inside denied territory from altitudes once thought unreachable. But after the Francis Gary Powers shootdown and increasing political pressure on foreign host nations, the CIA faced a growing problem: how do you operate one of the world’s most delicate reconnaissance aircraft when access to overseas bases can disappear overnight? The answer led to one of the strangest and least-known experiments in aviation history—operating CIA U-2s from US Navy aircraft carriers under a top-secret effort known as Project Whale Tail. On this episode, Vincent “Jell-O” Aiello returns to explain how CIA pilots, Navy landing signal officers, and Lockheed Skunk Works engineers transformed the high-flying Article into a carrier-capable spy plane. From dangerous early landing trials aboard USS Ranger to clandestine intelligence missions over the South Pacific, this is the story of an extraordinary Cold War gamble that pushed both naval aviation and aerial reconnaissance into entirely new territory. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    49 Min.
  • FPP214 - Fighting Falcons: VMF-221 and the Soul of Marine Aviation

    FPP214 - Fighting Falcons: VMF-221 and the Soul of Marine Aviation
    May 18 2026
    From Buffalos at Midway to Corsairs off the deck of Bunker Hill, the Marines of VMF-221 fought, bled, and adapted their way through the Pacific War — and their story reveals far more about combat, leadership, and airpower than the history books let on. Retired Marine Lt. Col. and historian Pete Owen joins the show to break down what really happened when Marine aviation was tested at its limits, why Midway was a far darker day than most people know, and what those lessons mean for the fight America may face next. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    1 Std. und 6 Min.
  • FPP213 - Top Gun, Tomcats, and AI Wingmen: "Yank" Cummings on Tomorrow’s War

    FPP213 - Top Gun, Tomcats, and AI Wingmen: "Yank" Cummings on Tomorrow’s War
    May 4 2026
    JJ “Yank” Cummings returns to the Fighter Pilot Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on F-14 Tomcats, carrier aviation, Top Gun: Maverick, and the rapidly approaching age of autonomous air combat. From war stories over Afghanistan to his work with Shield AI, Yank brings a rare blend of cockpit credibility, command experience, and forward-looking insight. This one is about more than airplanes; it’s about trust, technology, leadership, tomorrow’s war, and, somehow… robot cats. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    1 Std. und 21 Min.