Fighter Pilot Podcast

Meatball – lineup – angle of attack.

Nothing matters more to a fixed-wing naval pilot during the final 17 seconds of a landing on an aircraft carrier than those three parameters. But what is a “meatball”? Why is lineup so important and why does it require continuous corrections to maintain? What happens if the landing aircraft’s angle of attack is too far off one way or the other?

On this episode, U.S. Navy Commander Jack “Farva” Curtis returns to answer these questions and much more while wrapping up our discussion on daytime carrier landings begun in episode 13 (and in fact, if you have not listened to that episode you will certainly want to do so prior to enjoying this one).

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Landing a high-performance jet aircraft on an aircraft carrier is the most difficult and challenging task any pilot will ever face, and is what distinguishes naval aviators from all other military aircrew. In what effectively amounts to a “controlled crash” onto the flight deck, a 44,000-pound aircraft traveling 140 mph engages a 1.5-inch steel cable and is brought to a halt in less than 200 feet. The feat requires the combined efforts of hundreds of sailors above and below decks, and the assistance of fellow pilots to ensure the pilot landing does so safely.

The fact that they do—hundreds of times a day somewhere around the world—is a testament to their skill and professionalism.

On this episode, U.S. Navy Commander Jack “Farva” Curtis, EA-18G pilot and former air wing landing signal officer, begins a two-part discussion on the procedures and equipment involved in daytime carrier landings. We discuss the “Case 1 stack” and aircraft arrival procedures, as well as the arresting gear cables and equipment involved in bringing an aircraft to a (relatively) uneventful stop.

The listener question segment this week is a replay of a recent Facebook Live session with episode 1 guest Brian “Sunshine” Sinclair, who returns to help explain what a ‘VX’ squadron is, why the US Air Force is dealing with pilot shortages, and whether “compartmentalization” is a trained skill.

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This week we continue where we left off the previous episode with U.S. Navy Captain Eric "Pappy" Anduze: discussing what the various flight deck jersey colors mean and then how a catapult launch works–including the hardware that makes it possible and what happens in the event of an emergency.

If you missed part 1, definitely go back and listen to episode 11 before listening to part 2. Next week we will talk about daytime landings on these massive floating cities. Stay tuned!

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The nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier is the largest, most lethal warship to ever sail the high seas and the U.S. has 11 of them, each equipped with a myriad of advanced combat aircraft. Together they can cover two-thirds of the earth’s surface and strike most of the remaining third, all in the name of enforcing freedom of navigation on the world’s seas and implementing America’s resolve anywhere needed.

On this first installment of a two-part series exploring aircraft carriers and air operations on them, former USS Carl Vinson ‘Big XO’ Captain Eric, “Pappy” Anduze, U.S. Navy, joins us to explain just how big these carriers are, how fast they go, and how operations safely take place in the hangar bay and on the flight deck.

In the announcements section we touch briefly on the recent spate of fatal mishaps in the U.S. and introduce our new Patreon page, which offers exclusive content to this show’s cherished supporters. During the Q&A segment we discuss whether a passion for aviation is required to be a fighter pilot, the different visors aircrew wear, more callsign questions, and how aircrew (male, specifically) “take care of business” in flight.

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We've been at it pretty steadily since launching on January 1st and the kids have been on spring break this past week--so we're taking a little pause from our normal programming routine. However, we didn't want to go completely dark so here are highlights from the two Facebook Live sessions that took place earlier this month. If you already caught those then there's nothing new here, although they are lightly edited for content and relevance.

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When observing military aircraft in flight–be it at an airshow or during the flyover of a sporting event–most of us, most of the time, think nothing of the immense costs and effort required to get those aircraft flying. From routine servicing and upkeep to the repair or replacement of major aircraft components, the required resources can often reach dozens of man-hours and tens of thousands of dollars per flight hour, especially as technologically-advanced military aircraft age.

On this episode, Major Dave “Chucky” Chown of the Royal Canadian Air Force shares details on the RCAF and some of its missions before diving into a thorough discussion on aircraft maintenance, with the F/A-18 Hornet as the main reference. Prepare to be amazed at the resources you never knew were required, and forever change the way you observe military aircraft in flight.

During the listener question segment, we discuss the difference between parachutes used in skydiving and ejection seats, the handling differences between the Hornet and Super Hornet, why aircrew change squadrons, what “All Weather” means, and more.

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On May 10, 1972, U.S. Navy lieutenants Randy “Duke” Cunningham and Bill “Willy D” Driscoll launched from the aircraft carrier Constellation in an F-4 Phantom II, callsign Showtime 100, on a “routine” flak suppression mission over North Vietnam. The strike force was met by dozens of enemy fighters and in the ensuing melee Duke and Willy D downed their third, fourth, and fifth enemy MiGs, becoming the Navy’s only aces of the conflict. But the eventful mission was far from over as Showtime 100 never made it back to the “Connie….”

Hear the rest of Willy D’s captivating story and the lifelong lessons he drew both from his combat experiences and subsequent interviews with dozens of other air combat aces around the world. Then find out how he turned those lessons into riveting presentations designed to improve the performance of a variety of audiences from TOPGUN classes to Fortune 500 executives. His experiences and lessons are articulated in his critically acclaimed book Peak Performance, How to Achieve Extraordinary Results Under Difficult Circumstances (Triple Nickel Press, 2012). Visit Willy D’s website to learn more about this true American hero.

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Ever notice that a B-52 Stratofortress is a bomber, an F-14 Tomcat is a fighter, and a T-45 Goshawk is a trainer? What a coincidence! …well, not really. And it’s also no coincidence that we in the West call the Chinese J-8 fighter and Russian Tu-160 bomber the FINBACK and BLACKJACK, respectively.

On this episode, retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Josh “Popeye” Larson explains the alphanumeric naming conventions used to describe U.S., European, Russian, and Chinese warplanes. Be sure to stick around until the end of the episode, after the flyby, to learn the designation of the airplane we all know as Air Force 1.

During the Q&A segment, listener Wolfgang from Germany asks whether anyone has ever stolen a military jet for a short trip. Click here to read about the time a young U.S. Marine decided to take an A-4 Skyhawk out for a joyride–at night!

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TOPGUN – aka the Navy Fighter Weapons School. An institution that develops and provides graduate-level strike-fighter tactics.

Top Gun – A 1986 American romantic military action drama motion picture starring Tom Cruise.

Although they may sound the same and the latter is loosely based on the former, the fact is TOPGUN the school and Top Gun the movie otherwise have very little in common. But that’s okay–a movie based too closely on how things really are would be mind-numbingly boring!

On this episode, U.S. Navy Commander Andy “Grand” Mariner, the TOPGUN commanding officer, joins us to describe how the school came to be, how it operates today, and what it’s like there for both students and instructors. Spoiler alert: it's nothing like the movie.

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