The REAL "Only Man to Down 3 Enemy Planes in the last 40 Years"

Explicit content warning

12/13/20 • 68 min

We're taking a break this week and instead replaying portions of our summer 2020 Happy Hour discussion with retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cesar "Rico" Rodriguez, the real "only man to shoot down three enemy planes in the last 40 years" (come on, Ed Harris, pfft.)

The full video discussion can be found on our found Patreon page and be sure to check out Jamie Hunter's article about Rico at The Warzone.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations

The full video discussion can be found on our found Patreon page and be sure to check out Jamie Hunter's article about Rico at The Warzone.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations

Previous Episode

FPP099 - E-2 Hawkeye

Situational awareness is a precious commodity, especially in armed conflict where the 'fog of war' invariably confuses and distracts commanders. Dedicated aerial platforms are vital to collecting the information needed to ensure warfighters have as accurate a sense of the real world as possible. For Naval Aviation, the key enabler in this regard is the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye.

On this episode, former U.S. Navy lieutenant commander and Hawkeye test pilot Jonathan "Gersh" Ulbricht joins us to describe the longest consecutively serving carrier-based airplane in Navy history. And since so much of this platform's mission is based not on the pilots up front but on the flight officers inside, our former Air Intercept Communications episode 31 guest, now-Captain Alan Schiaffino returns to help us understand the Hawkeye from an NFO's perspective.

Listener questions include when we might cover the B-36 Peacemaker, fighter pilot fitness, and why the F-14 Tomcat uses spoilers in lieu of ailerons. If you're into rotary-wing sure to check out The Low Level Hell Podcast.

Bumper music by Jaime Lopez / announcements by Clint Bell. This episode was produced by our friends at the MuscleCar Place Podcast Network.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations

Next Episode

Here Comes Santa Claus!

The Canadian and American forces of NORAD, or the North American Aerospace Defense Command, spend 24/7/365 monitoring the airspace of our two countries--and indeed most of the world--to ensure threats to our two nations are identified and managed.

But not everything that enters our airspace is a "threat." Every year, NORAD ensures the safe and unhindered passage of jolly ol' St. Nick and his precious cargo of Christmas cheer to all the North American children on his 'nice list.'

Learn all about how Santa Claus is detected, tracked, and even escorted on the NORAD Santa Tracker website and this exciting bonus episode, produced by our friends at the MuscleCar Place Podcast Network.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations