Fighter Pilot Podcast

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 i...

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...

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...

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...

On Future War is a 12-part series exploring the evolving landscape of military strategy and defense technologies with a focus on the Indo-Pacific.This tenth episode explores the vulnerability of compu...

'On Future War' is a 12-part series exploring the evolving landscape of military strategy and defense technologies with a focus on the Indo-Pacific.On this episode, longtime FPP friend Brian &...

We finally did it.The Fighter Pilot Podcast is going pilotless...er, well, remotely piloted (but is such an operator really a "pilot?")On this episode, Dan "Killjoy" Martin, former U.S...

Former Royal Navy Sea Harrier pilot Paul "Tremors" Tremelling makes his debut as a Fighter Pilot Podcast guest host interviewing his friend John "JP" Parker.As a career Royal Air Force...

Most people can readily explain what a pilot is and does, but what about a Radar Intercept Officer, Bombardier / Navigator, or Tactical Coordinator?On this episode, FPP friend and occasional cohost Ma...

Retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General John "Dragon" Teichert knows leadership.As an F-15E Strike Eagle and F-22 Raptor pilot early on, Dragon went on to multiple command tours before conclu...

Retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Jim "Boone" Jamison describes being a Presidential Command Pilot with HMX-1 during the Reagan and Bush 1 presidencies.Support this podcast at — https://redcir...

Art Palmer is a child of the dust bowl and self-admitted "hobo" who joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and piloted B-24 Liberators during World War II. Art's plane was shot down on his 50th mi...

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...

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...

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 ...

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 fix...

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 conver...

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, amon...

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.Su...

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 ...

Scott Chafian and Brian "Sunshine" Sinclair return to introduce Authentic Media, a game-changing subscription service providing exclusive military aviation content and community.Authentic Medi...

A discussion on how advancements in autonomy, automation, artificial intelligence, and other technological advancements are influencing warfare. Guest host Matt Arny interviews retired U.S. Army Colon...

November 23rd marks the release of the second great Naval Aviation movie of 2022, Devotion, except unlike the previous--this one is based on actual events. Korean War F4U Corsair pilots Jesse Brown an...

The Benefield Anechoic Chamber located at Edwards AFB, CA, is the world's largest anechoic test facility capable of supporting and handling virtually all DoD aircraft. The facility and its hard wo...

Rapid response. Difficult conditions. A deadly adversary. Aerial employment in close proximity to friendly ground forces. Clearance needed to drop... Sound like a close air support mission in support ...

Skynet. Cyborgs... When you think of advanced technology in military applications, odds are Hollywood has you convinced it is to our species' peril. Never mind entertainment, what is artificial in...

Designed to defeat any adversary for the next 30 years, the Saab Gripen E is made for forward-thinking air forces, incorporating cutting-edge technologies and the latest systems, sensor, weapons, and ...

Short Takeoff / Vertical Landings like an AV-8 Harrier or traditional catapults and arresting gear a la F/A-18 Super Hornet--which do you think is more difficult?'U.K. Month' wraps up with thi...

'Flight surgeon'—that must be a specially-trained medical doctor who performs surgery on a specially-adapted aircraft, right? Not exactly.On this episode, U.S. Air Force Reserve lieutenant col...

We took a well-deserved break over the holiday season, so our first episode of 2022 is this replay of a 'Happy Hour' discussion from our Patreon page. It's a harrowing story with one of on...

Show hosts Jell-O and Boat take a look back at this tumultuous year and clear out the mailbag before offering a sneak peek at the year to come.(Contains some mild language in one part.)Support this po...

Here on the Fighter Pilot Podcast it’s once again Bomber Month!First up this year is the General Dynamics FB-111A supersonic swing-wing strategic bomber. Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Bill Moran join...

As the storm clouds of war once again formed in the late 1930's, the Japanese Imperial Navy requested proposals for a new aircraft carrier-based fighter that would dominate all competitors in aeri...

According to Ernest Hemmingway, a man has only one virginity to lose in fighters, and if it is a lovely plane he loses it to, there his heart will ever be. Evidently this is not just true for fighters...

In 1933, English aircraft designer Sydney Camm proposed a radical design for the future of British fighter aviation: a monoplane. Two-and-a-half years later the Hawker Hurricane took to the skies and ...

Weasels are small, active predators with long, slender bodies and short legs. As a verb, 'weasel' means to achieve something by cunning or deceit. Replace "legs" with "wings" a...

Here on the FPP, most aircraft series episodes featuring U.S.-designed warplanes have two-part titles comprised of the aircraft's designation and name, like the recent F-106 Delta Dart or forthcom...

Fighter Pilot Podcast founder and host Vincent "Jell-O" Aiello was recently a guest on the Memories of a Moonbird podcast, hosted by Daniel Scherl.For those who remark that we learn plenty abo...

Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Steve "Smokey" Ladd stops by the show via Zoom to discuss his memoir, From F-4 Phantoms to A-10 Warthogs.Enter to win a free copy of this book here.Support this ...

It is said that warfare is simply diplomacy by other means. As such, nation-states agree to various customs and laws to govern warfare in an effort to minimize destruction, avoid targeting non-combata...

Author Brad Elward shares details of his latest book, TOPGUN, The Navy Fighter Weapons School: Fifty Years of Excellence, which offers a unique illustrated history of this iconic institution and is a ...

What does a world-renowned, award-winning aviation photographer do when COVID decimates his aviation photography travel company? He reimagines his business and turns to the web to help other photograp...

The 'Century Series' nears the end but not before an in-depth look at the Republic F-105 Thunderchief. Cohost Trevor 'Boat' Boswell takes the lead on this episode, joined by retired U....

Since there was no F-103 to speak of and we spent episode 100 congratulating ourselves, the 'Century Series' continues this week with a discussion on the North American F-100 Super Sabre. Reti...

It was a busy holiday season and we want to introduce everyone to former USAF fighter pilot Bruce Gordon since he'll be back to help with the coming Century Series episodes. So enjoy this audio re...

Bomber Month concludes with the North American B-25 Mitchell.This week, Larry Kelley discusses the World War II bomber that was the first to strike the Japanese homeland in the infamous Doolittle Raid...

Here on the Fighter Pilot Podcast it’s once again Bomber Month!First up this year is the venerable Boeing B-29 Superfortress and joining us is Allen Benzing of the Commemorative Air Force B-29 / B-24 ...

Few aircraft elicit such reverence and respect as those that can be counted on to respond at a moment's notice when a downed aviator or embattled ground unit cried for help. In the Vietnam conflic...

'Army Aviation Month' continues with a look at U.S. Army flight school--including the syllabus, aircraft, and training locations--with CWO2 Nicholas Allen. As a recent Army flight school gradu...

The excellent book 'Harnessing the Sky' chronicles the life and adventures of aviation pioneer and early test pilot Fredrick "Trap" Trapnell during the tumultuous years leading up to W...