Fighter Pilot Podcast

Tucker "Cinco" Hamilton, Retired U.S. Air Force Fighter Test Pilot
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  • Every two weeks

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!

  1. 11 hr ago

    FPP217 - Shot Down, Not Out: Col. Richard "Dog" Brenneman on Service and Survival

    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

    1hr 35min
  2. FPP216 - 300 Vietnam Missions in the F-4: Combat and the Making of a Leader

    15 Jun

    FPP216 - 300 Vietnam Missions in the F-4: Combat and the Making of a Leader

    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

    1hr 3min
  3. FPP215 - U-2s on Aircraft Carriers: A Cold War Gamble

    1 Jun

    FPP215 - U-2s on Aircraft Carriers: A Cold War Gamble

    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

    47 min
  4. FPP214 - Fighting Falcons: VMF-221 and the Soul of Marine Aviation

    18 May

    FPP214 - Fighting Falcons: VMF-221 and the Soul of Marine Aviation

    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

    1hr 4min
  5. FPP213 - Top Gun, Tomcats, and AI Wingmen: "Yank" Cummings on Tomorrow’s War

    4 May

    FPP213 - Top Gun, Tomcats, and AI Wingmen: "Yank" Cummings on Tomorrow’s War

    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

    1hr 19min
  6. FPP212 - Four Stars, One Secretary, Zero Ego - Gen. Goldfein & Sec. Wilson on Servant Leadership

    20 Apr

    FPP212 - Four Stars, One Secretary, Zero Ego - Gen. Goldfein & Sec. Wilson on Servant Leadership

    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 United States Air Force, and Dr. Heather Wilson, former Secretary of the Air Force and current President of UTEP — Air Force Academy classmates who reunited at the Pentagon 35 years after their cadet days to write Get Back Up: Lessons in Servant Leadership. From Goldfein's F-16 shoot-down over Serbia to Wilson's battles on Capitol Hill and in the halls of the Pentagon, they have lived the kind of leadership not taught in classrooms — the kind forged in adversity, shaped by humility, and proven under pressure. In this conversation, they unpack what servant leadership actually looks like when the cost is real, why the most powerful leaders are the ones who put others first, and what the next generation of leaders needs to hear right now. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst

    56 min
  7. FPP211 - The Last Harrier: Inside the Final AV-8B Squadron

    6 Apr

    FPP211 - The Last Harrier: Inside the Final AV-8B Squadron

    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 (Traper) and executive officer (Porky) of the last AV-8B Harrier squadron to talk about the jet, the mission, the culture, and what it means to write the final chapter of an extraordinary community. This is a conversation about legacy, leadership, and the kind of airplane that shaped the aviators who flew it. Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst

    1hr 14min
  8. Artemis II: Back to the Moon! (Rebroadcast)

    1 Apr

    Artemis II: Back to the Moon! (Rebroadcast)

    With the successful launch of Artemis II and NASA's return to the moon six decades later, we thought this a good time to dust off episode 189 from April 2024 featuring Reid "Tonto" Wiseman, mission commander. Godspeed, astronauts! Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst

    48 min
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Hosts & Guests

About

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!

Information

  • Creator
    Tucker "Cinco" Hamilton, Retired U.S. Air Force Fighter Test Pilot
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    340
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © E. Vincent Aiello, 2018
  • Show Website
    Fighter Pilot Podcast

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