Two Marines-turned-airline-pilots go full hangar-talk: first solo flight stories (equal parts terror and triumph), Harrier hover witchcraft, and why unstable approaches demand the magic words “unable” and “go-around.” We compare squadron life to airline ops, decode FOQA, MD-11 bounce-landings, porpoising, and laugh through “death-by-go-around” sim rides. We hit auto-lands, HUD/AOA, guarding the controls, and why seniority rules your calendar—and your soul. We even tiptoe across the third rail: raising pilot retirement age (opinion: individual fitness and cognition should matter more than a blunt number). Come for the aviation stories; stay for the checklist discipline and humor. It’s fast, funny, a little absurd—but always remember – it’s better to die and look good than live and look stupid!