A look back at 2025 and introduction to 2026's new FPP host in this end-of-year wrap up episode.

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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 different aircraft, why real-world flight test is far more disciplined than Hollywood would have you believe, and what it takes to turn bold ideas into first flights.

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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 stories and many others in his memoir Grandfather’s Journal: A Grandson’s Journey into His Grandfather’s Life, a short and delightful read naval aviation aficionados will enjoy.

Sadly, Tom passed away a year after this Happy Hour originally aired and now rests at Arlington National Cemetery.

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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 who’s seen it all.

General Carey passed away in early 2025 and now rests in the very cemetery he once helped establish. Rest in peace, General Carey. And Semper Fi, Marines.

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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. 

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This Veterans Day, we are rebroadcasting a walk down memory lane first shared in 2024 featuring guests from past Fighter Pilot Podcast episodes.

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To mark the U.S. Marine Corps' 250th birthday on November 10, 2025, we are repurposing a 2023 Patreon Happy Hour featuring Doug Griffith who flew AH-1 Cobras during Operation Desert Storm.

Doug shares great stories and a master class on what it means to be a Marine Aviator.

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November 10, 2025 marks the U.S. Marines' 250th birthday and to celebrate, we are dedicating the entire month to the Corps, beginning with this discussion featuring Jim "Bullet" Markel.

Bullet, who flew the Vought F-8 Crusader, describes flight training, meeting the love of his life, and flying combat operations over Vietnam—including a harrowing mission for which he was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

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The U.S. Navy has one of the largest air forces in the world comprised of a wide variety of aircraft from helicopters to strike fighters to patrol planes. While squadrons, air wings, and type wings have a well-established chain of command, ultimately they all fall under the purview of a single person. Known formally as the Commander, Naval Air Forces, the position is known better as simply, the Air Boss.

On this episode, U.S. Navy Vice Admiral and air boss Dan “Undra” Cheever, joins us to discuss the current state and future of naval aviation. We touch on numerous high-level strategic issues and spend several minutes answering listener questions.

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This week, we pause our monthlong celebration of the U.S. Navy's 250th birthday to check in with FPP friend, Dave "Chip" Berke.

Fighter pilot extraordinaire, battle-proven forward air controller, and esteemed leadership coach, Chip codifies his many hard-won lessons learned into a powerful and concise new book, The Need to Lead.

"Every problem is a leadership problem," Chip asserts—find out why and, more importantly, how to effectively address these problems in this fascinating read available on Amazon and most major bookstores October 21, 2025.

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