Anglais
Fighter Pilot Podcast
par Tucker "Cinco" Hamilton, Retired U.S. Air Force Fighter Test Pilot
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 air combat. If you love the roar of a high-speed flyby or are enamored by the poise and confidence of the brave men and women who fly, fix, and fight these amazing aircraft, then this show is for you!
Épisodes
FPP230 - Ploesti and the Power of Tidal Wave
2 nov. 2026 · 1 h 18
Adam Makos, the New York Times bestselling author of A Higher Call, Spearhead, and Devotion, joins the podcast to talk about his new book, Tidal Wave. They start with the low-level B-24 raid on Ploesti, then follow what came after, when an American pilot, a Romanian princess, and an enemy ace…
FPP229 - The Red Eagles
26 oct. 2026 · 1 h 46
This week, Tucker sits down with Rob "Z-Man" Zettel to talk about flying Soviet MiG-21s and MiG-23s as part of the highly classified Red Eagles under Constant Peg. The program helped prepare American fighter pilots to face and defeat their adversaries by training against real Soviet aircraft. They…
FPP228 - Returning to the SR-71
19 oct. 2026 · 1 h 16
On October 10, 1997, Bert Garrison piloted the last SR-71 Blackbird flight for the United States Air Force. In this conversation with him, he recounts his time flying one of the most iconic aircraft in aviation history, the SR-71’s brief revival in the 1990s, and the mission that brought its Air…
FPP227 - Dogfighting Goes Digital
12 oct. 2026 · 1 h 02
Tucker talks with retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel and TOPGUN graduate, Tim "Monk" Miller. He's the founder and CEO of the Strike Fighter League, the world's first professional air combat digital sport, where elite virtual pilots battle through precision, speed, and gunnery trials before…
FPP226 - A Lifetime in Combat Aviation
28 sept. 2026 · 59 min
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…
FPP225 - In the Skies Over Iraq
21 sept. 2026 · 1 h 23
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…
FPP224 - The Software Problem
14 sept. 2026 · 49 min
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…
FPP223 - The Human Factor
7 sept. 2026 · 1 h 01
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…
FPP222 - Afghanistan: America's Longest War
31 août 2026 · 50 min
On October 7, 2001, a US Air Force B-2 Spirit crossed into Afghan airspace as part of the opening campaign of Operation Enduring Freedom. Nearly twenty years later, a C-17 Globemaster carrying the final American soldiers lifted off from Kabul as the Taliban returned to power. Between those two…
FPP221 - The Israeli Ace with 12 MiG Kills
17 août 2026 · 50 min
Brigadier General (Ret.) Israel Baharav is one of Israel's most accomplished fighter pilots, credited with twelve MiG-21 kills during his distinguished career in the Israeli Air Force. Over three decades of military service, he flew on the front lines, commanded a fighter squadron, served as Head…
FPP220 - Launching Satellites from F-104s
3 août 2026 · 47 min
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…
FPP219 - From Wimbledon to Mach 1.58: Louis Skupien’s Wild Ride into Telling Aviation’s Story
20 juil. 2026 · 54 min
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…
FPP218 - The Humans Behind Autonomous Air Combat
13 juil. 2026 · 55 min
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…
FPP217 - Shot Down, Not Out: Col. Richard "Dog" Brenneman on Service and Survival
29 juin 2026 · 1 h 36
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…
FPP216 - 300 Vietnam Missions in the F-4: Combat and the Making of a Leader
15 juin 2026 · 1 h 06
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…
FPP215 - U-2s on Aircraft Carriers: A Cold War Gamble
1 juin 2026 · 50 min
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…
FPP214 - Fighting Falcons: VMF-221 and the Soul of Marine Aviation
18 mai 2026 · 1 h 07
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…
FPP213 - Top Gun, Tomcats, and AI Wingmen: "Yank" Cummings on Tomorrow’s War
4 mai 2026 · 1 h 22
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…
FPP212 - Four Stars, One Secretary, Zero Ego - Gen. Goldfein & Sec. Wilson on Servant Leadership
20 avr. 2026 · 59 min
What does it take to lead when the mission is hard, the stakes are life-and-death, and nobody is watching? In this extraordinary episode, Tucker Hamilton sits down with two of the most consequential figures in modern Air Force history — General (Ret.) David Goldfein, former Chief of Staff of the…
FPP211 - The Last Harrier: Inside the Final AV-8B Squadron
6 avr. 2026 · 1 h 17
The AV-8B Harrier is one of the most demanding, iconic, and battle-proven aircraft in military aviation history. Now, as the Harrier era draws to a close, one squadron remains to carry the torch: VMA-223, the Great American Bulldogs. In this episode, Cinco sits down with the commanding officer…