Fighter Pilot Podcast

Brigadier General (Ret.) Israel Baharav is one of Israel's most accomplished fighter pilots, credited with twelve MiG-21 kills during his distinguished career in the Israeli Air Force. Over three decades of military service, he flew on the front lines, commanded a fighter squadron, served as Head of Air Force Intelligence, and led strategic planning efforts for the Israel Defense Forces, helping establish the framework for strategic cooperation between Israel and the United States. Following his military career, General Baharav transitioned into the world of technology and entrepreneurship, founding and leading multiple companies at the forefront of digital printing, 3D manufacturing, and healthcare innovation.

In this episode, Tucker talks with Israel and he shares lessons from a lifetime of leadership in combat, and strategy, offering unique insights into what it takes to succeed in the world's highest-consequence environments.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I sit down with Tim Franta, CEO of Starfighters Space, to discuss the company's mission to transform access to space using high-performance aircraft. We explore the STARLAUNCH air-launch system, how Starfighters operates the world's only commercial fleet of Mach 2+ F-104 Starfighters, and the advantages of launching rockets from the edge of the atmosphere.

Tim also shares insights from his decades of experience in the space industry, including his work shaping Florida's commercial space sector, developing launch infrastructure, and helping bridge the gap between government and private spaceflight. We also talk about the future of commercial launch, what's next for Starfighters Space, and the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He was a national champion tennis player headed for Wimbledon, then COVID and injury ended that dream overnight. Two years later, Louis Skupien was strapped into a jet suit.

Four years after that, he was breaking the sound barrier twice in an F-16D over Edwards Air Force Base, filming a documentary on the 412th Test Wing and the story behind Auto-GCAS — the system that’s saved 13 pilots’ lives.

Louis, host of the Talk4 podcast and creator of the Full Throttle documentary series, joins me to talk tennis-to-aviation reinvention, flying with jet-suit inventor Richard Browning, low-level runs down Sidewinder, pulling 9Gs, and what it took to get a foreign national civilian into the backseat of an Edwards test jet.

Support this podcast at: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot turned Autonodyne CEO Steve Jacobson discusses one of the most important and least understood aspects of future air combat: the human-machine interface.

Jake shares stories from flying and testing the Warthog, explains why he turned down Test Pilot School before ultimately finding his way into flight test anyway, and reflects on how those experiences shaped his approach to designing command-and-control software for autonomous aircraft.

Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/cw/ftrpltpdcst
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

US Air Force Colonel Richard "Dog" Brenneman describes his incredible story of courage and determination.

Shot down over North Vietnam on his 26th combat mission while flying the F-4 Phantom II, Col. Brenneman spent more than 1,900 days as a prisoner of war in the Hanoi Hilton before returning home and was awarded the Silver Star for his extraordinary resilience.

Support this podcast at — https://www.patreon.com/c/ftrpltpdcst
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices