The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

1. 1
   Number 1: Snowbirds: The Boss Part 3: Inside the Snowbirds - Maciej "Match" Hatta

   What does it take to lead one of the world's premier military aerobatic teams? In the final chapter of our three-part series, Major Maciej "Match" Hatta takes us inside life as "The Boss", aka Snowbird 1 and Team Lead of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. From the demanding selection process and culture of trust that defines the team to the responsibility of leading eight other pilots in close formation, Match shares what it means to lead the team. We also explore the remarkable people behind the scenes who make every performance possible, the legacy of the CT-114 Tutor, and why the Snowbirds continue to inspire Canadians more than 50 years after their first season. Join us as we conclude the story behind The Boss. Chapters (00:00:58) Introduction and welcome (00:03:34) What led you to the Snowbirds? (00:04:50) Deferring Test Pilot School for the Snowbirds (00:07:01) Why the Snowbirds were turning away jet pilots (00:08:33) Can you become Snowbird 1 as a first-year Snowbird? (00:10:07) Going through Snowbird selection (00:17:23) Snowbirds formation cues (00:23:34) Are you looking at your instruments during formation flying? (00:25:58) What was harder than you expected on the Snowbirds? (00:28:02) Match's mid-air collision (00:37:33) Did they lose trust in you? (00:38:54) Lessons from the first tour that still shape Snowbird 1 (00:40:58) Why return to the Snowbirds? (00:44:42) What did it mean to become Snowbird 1? (00:46:25) Does it feel different to be the boss? (00:51:31) Selecting Snowbird 1 (00:53:19) The three qualities of a successful Snowbird (00:55:14) Why Snowbirds have to be "always on" (00:59:28) The people behind the scenes who make it happen (01:03:55) What makes this season special? (01:05:55) Why preseason flying went so well (01:08:11) What can audiences expect this season? (01:12:19) The canopy-to-canopy roll (01:14:49) The legacy of the CT-114 Tutor (01:17:51) What should Canadians take away from this season? (01:20:20) Thanks and what's next! CONTINUE THE FLIGHT EXPLORE THE LOGBOOK More stories from RCAF and mission aviation pilots. https://podpilotproject.transistor.fm/episodes

   August 18, 2026·1h 24min
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2. 2
   Number 2: Test Pilot: The Boss Part 2: USAF Test Pilot School - Maciej "Match" Hatta

   After flying the CF-18 Hornet in combat and completing his first tour with the Snowbirds, Major Maciej "Match" Hatta set his sights on one of military aviation's most demanding challenges: Experimental Test Pilot School. In Part 2 of this three-part series, Match takes us inside the United States Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base. He explains the mindset that separates test pilots from operational pilots, the relentless pace of the course, and what it takes to evaluate aircraft at the edge of their flight envelopes. From deep stalls in the F-16 Viper and low level flying in the C-17 to testing the CF-18's AESA radar and helping modernize the CT-114 Tutor, this episode offers a rare look into the world of flight testing and the people responsible for pushing aviation forward. Chapters (00:00:58) Introduction and welcome (00:02:06) AETE tryouts (00:08:30) When was it time to go to Test Pilot School? (00:09:39) Was there a specific school you wanted to attend? (00:10:40) Moving to Edwards Air Force Base (00:10:57) Experiencing Test Pilot School as a family (00:12:28) How COVID changed life in California (00:15:31) How difficult is Test Pilot School? (00:18:39) Pilot brain versus engineer brain (00:21:05) Who excelled and who struggled? (00:27:30) The hardest part of Test Pilot School (00:29:25) The mindset shift from operations to test flying (00:32:53) Lake Mead touch and goes in the Albatross (00:38:24) Deep stalls in the F-16 Viper (00:42:12) Flying the F-16 as an extension of your body (00:48:15) The Sidewinder low level route (00:53:11) Singing the praises of the C-17 (00:54:06) Joining AETE (00:58:05) Testing the Hornet's AESA radar (01:01:45) The first live AIM-9X missile shot (01:04:20) Rare moments at AETE (01:09:01) Helping modernize the CT-114 Tutor (01:16:06) Top test flight moments CONTINUE THE FLIGHT EXPLORE THE LOGBOOK More stories from RCAF and mission aviation pilots. https://podpilotproject.transistor.fm/episodes

   August 11, 2026·1h 23min
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3. 3
   Number 3: Fighters: The Boss Part 1: Becoming a Hornet Pilot - Maciej "Match" Hatta

   Before he became Snowbird 1, Major Maciej "Match" Hatta spent years fighting for the chance to fly. In Part 1 of this three-part series, Match shares the story behind his journey from Air Cadets in Milton, Ontario, to the cockpit of the CF-18 Hornet. He reflects on the VHS tape that sparked a lifelong dream, the vision issues that nearly ended his career before it began, the challenges of military flight training, and the determination that carried him through Moose Jaw, Fighter Lead-In Training, and operational service. The conversation also explores flying NORAD missions, deploying on 22 combat sorties over Libya, and the lessons that shaped him long before he would one day lead the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. Join us as we begin the story behind The Boss. Chapters (00:00:58) Introduction and bio (00:03:09) Where did aviation start for you? (00:05:44) When did flying become the dream? (00:06:57) The importance of Air Cadets (00:08:48) Glider and power courses with Air Cadets (00:09:52) From Air Cadets to the Canadian Armed Forces (00:10:32) A charted path or uncertainty? (00:11:16) Vision issues nearly end the dream (00:14:51) How Match earned his pilot medical (00:16:48) Keeping the dream alive (00:19:39) Phase 1 flight training (00:21:26) Arriving in Moose Jaw (00:23:16) What kind of student pilot was Match? (00:24:36) How Match stopped getting airsick (00:25:36) What came naturally and what humbled him (00:28:05) When fighters became realistic (00:33:24) Jumping into FLIT (00:37:34) What comes after FLIT? (00:39:33) Learning the CF-18 Hornet (00:43:53) The flying is not the mission (00:44:23) Surprises of operational fighter life (00:47:52) Flying NORAD missions (00:55:47) Does air-to-air refuelling ever stop being intimidating? (00:57:35) Flying 22 combat sorties over Libya (00:58:37) The first combat mission (01:01:32) Learning from mistakes (01:02:46) How military flying changed his perspective (01:07:02) Thanks and what's next! Check out the video that started it all! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Z1Q1JBnSk CONTINUE THE FLIGHT EXPLORE THE LOGBOOK More stories from RCAF and mission aviation pilots. https://podpilotproject.transistor.fm/episodes

   August 04, 2026·1h 9min
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   Number 4: Long Range Patrol: The Hunter: Long Range Patrol and the CP-140M Aurora - Davis Clark

   Davis Clark joins us to share what it's like to fly the CP-140 Aurora, one of the Royal Canadian Air Force's most versatile aircraft. A longtime Aurora pilot, instructor, and multiple-time Op IMPACT veteran, Davis discusses his path into military aviation, overcoming challenges during flight training, and why he chose the Long Range Patrol community. The conversation explores the Aurora's diverse missions, including anti-submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, search and rescue, counter-narcotics operations, and Arctic sovereignty patrols. Davis also provides an inside look at Aurora training, crew upgrades, deployments over Iraq and Syria, and the realities of operating in a combat environment. Whether you're interested in military aviation, maritime patrol, or RCAF operations, this episode offers a fascinating look inside one of Canada's most important air capabilities. CONTINUE THE FLIGHT Long Range Patrol: The Poseidon SEEDCORN Part 1: RAF Exchange, Flying the P-8 Poseidon and Tracking Russian Submarines - Dylan Gilje-Allan & Matt Chretien https://podpilotproject.transistor.fm/episodes/long-range-patrol-the-poseidon-seedcorn-part-1-dylan-gilje-allan-and-matt-chretien Long Range Patrol: The Poseidon SEEDCORN Part 2: Flying the P-8 Poseidon with the RAF and Building Canada's Future Fleet - Dylan Gilje-Allan and Matt Chretien https://podpilotproject.transistor.fm/episodes/long-range-patrol-the-poseidon-seedcorn-part-2-dylan-gilje-allan-and-matt-chretien MORE LONG RANGE PATROL EPISODES https://podpilotproject.transistor.fm/search?query=Long+Range+Patrol EXPLORE THE LOGBOOK https://podpilotproject.transistor.fm/episodes

   July 18, 2023·1h 4min
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   Number 5: Episode 2: The Teacher: Part 2 - Phase II Flight Training and the CT-156 Harvard II - Lauren

   What does it take to make it through Phase II Flight Training at Moose Jaw? What is it like to fly into Baghdad in a C-17? How do you takeoff in formation and stay safe in the clouds? Lauren has flown all over the world in the RCAF’s largest aircraft, the CC-177 Globemaster (C-17). She has also instructed in Moose Jaw as both a military flight instructor on the Harvard and as a civilian on the simulator. Lauren is intimately familiar with what it takes not just to make it through, but to crush Phase II and to be a great pilot! Lauren talks about the Phase II course and the attitudes that can help you or hold you back in military aviation. She also talks about the advantages military flying can give you if you eventually decide to fly in the airlines! Info on our mission in Iraq Nato Flight Training Centre (NFTC), the training school in Moose Jaw

   December 06, 2022·49min
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