So There I Was

This aviation podcast episode explores real pilot stories, flight safety lessons, and ATC coordination. We dive into the extreme demands of flying high-performance military aircraft like the SR-71 Blackbird.  

SR-71 pilot stories don’t get much better than this. On this episode of So There I Was, we sit down with BC Thomas. As the highest-time SR-71 Blackbird pilot in history, BC discusses Mach-3 flying and flight test insanity. He shares the kind of aviation decision-making that only happens at 80,000 feet while moving faster than a rifle round.  

From WWII Inspiration to the Cold War Ready Room

BC’s journey began with early inspiration during WWII. His career spanned flying the KC-135, C-130, and F-104 before he eventually strapped into the legendary Blackbird. This episode offers a front-row seat to Cold War aviation history. We tell these SR-71 Blackbird test pilot stories the way they sounded in the ready room: honest, irreverent, and occasionally unbelievable.  

BC explains what it takes to earn a seat in the Blackbird. The process requires months of systems training and intense blindfold cockpit checks. He describes a safety culture where experts dissect mistakes with surgical precision.  

Surviving Mach-3 Unstarts and Hangar Mishaps

In this interview, you’ll hear about Mach-3 unstarts that try to swap ends with the airplane. BC also recounts his F-104 “zoom rocket” adventures and the intense pressure of test pilot school. These SR-71 Blackbird test pilot stories even cover why flying the world’s fastest jet can leave you mildly disappointed when nobody shoots at you.  

Surprisingly, BC’s closest call didn’t happen at high altitude. It happened while he was sliding sideways across a hangar floor at a walking pace. He found himself pointed directly at a blast fence in a multi-million dollar jet.  

Why You Should Listen to This Aviation Podcast

If you enjoy SR-71 Blackbird test pilot stories, this episode is packed with aviation storytelling and pilot lessons. It delivers the kind of safety wisdom that only comes from flying the most demanding aircraft ever built. Listen in to hear how BC survived these high-stakes missions long enough to laugh about them.

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#SR71 #blackbird #aviation

Discover gripping F-106 pilot stories, test pilot emergencies, and aviation safety lessons from a career pushing airplanes—and luck—to the brink.

Buckle up for Da Benj’s wild ride from F-106 ice-breaking sonic booms over frozen Lake Superior to praying “Please God, don’t let me F-up” in the cockpit of the Douglas Aircraft ‘Bird of Prey’—because who straps an Air Force test pilot into a company-funded tech demo that flies like a drunk penguin? This aviation legend spills absurd tales of trapped fuel emergencies, French test pilot school spins that nearly pancaked a Casa 212, and why the 777 feels like it reads your mind better than your spouse. Dive into pilot stories that make you question every career choice while laughing your ass off at near-death absurdities only a true sky god survives.

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#aviation #pilot #avgeek #testpilotstories #pilotstories #aviationsafety #militaryaviation #airforcetestpilot #fighterpilotstories #airlinepilotstories #flightinstructor #aviationpodcast #SoThereIWas #NeverRelax

In 1967, legendary author John Steinbeck climbed into a Huey helicopter over Vietnam—and what he wrote afterward was so raw, so strange, and so brutally honest that it still messes with pilots and historians today. This episode dives into the Vietnam War helicopter experience through Steinbeck’s eyes: the sound, the fear, the weird calm, and the “ecstasy” of combat aviation that only those who’ve strapped into a military aircraft truly understand.

We unpack what happens when a world-class writer meets rotary-wing warfare head-on, why Huey pilots in Vietnam lived on a knife edge between poetry and panic, and how Steinbeck captured the psychology of flight, risk, and survival better than most official war histories ever did. It’s part aviation storytelling, part Vietnam War history, and part “what did I just read?”—told the only way pilots can: with irreverence, curiosity, and a healthy respect for anyone who willingly steps into a machine designed to hover over a jungle full of people shooting at it.

If you’ve ever wondered what flying a Huey in Vietnam felt like, how war correspondents experienced combat aviation, or why pilots sometimes describe danger in oddly beautiful terms… buckle up. This one’s a ride.From Vietnam War Huey helicopter missions to pilot safety, ATC coordination, and the strange psychology of combat aviation storytelling, this episode explores how flying in war changes everyone who touches the sky.

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#VietnamWar #HueyHelicopter #MilitaryAviation #VietnamWarHistory #HelicopterPilot #CombatAviation #WarStories #AviationPodcast #PilotStories #JohnSteinbeck #VietnamHelicopter #AviationHistory #TrueWarStories #USMilitaryHistory #SoThereIWasPodcast

Welcome to a sobering and powerful episode of So There I Was. This week, we explore incredible Hanoi Hilton survival stories with retired Navy Captain Mike “Masher” McGrath. Beyond the technical skill of flying an A-4 Skyhawk, Masher details the sheer mental grit required to survive six years of brutal captivity in North Vietnam.

2,102 Days of Endurance and Torture

On June 30, 1967, Masher’s world changed in a heartbeat during a bomb run south of Hanoi. After a violent mid-air ejection that shattered his arm and back, he was captured and thrust into a nightmare. For the next 2,102 days, he lived through the horrific reality of the Vietnamese “rope trick” and constant interrogation. His captors used methods designed to dislocate shoulders and break the human spirit. However, the North Vietnamese could not destroy the bond between the American prisoners. These Hanoi Hilton survival stories are not just about pain; they are about the unbreakable will of aviators who refused to surrender their honor.

The Tap Code: A Lifeline Through Stone Walls

The “Hanoi Hilton” was designed to isolate men, yet the prisoners found a way to stay connected. They developed a sophisticated “tap code” to communicate through the thick walls of their cells. Because they could not speak, they used rhythmic taps to share information and maintain a military chain of command. Masher describes how this secret language allowed them to teach each other Spanish, discuss philosophy, and even share jokes to keep morale high. This connection was vital because it transformed solitary confinement into a shared mission of resistance. Consequently, the brotherhood forged in those dark cells remains one of the greatest legacies of the Vietnam War.

So There I Was: Ready Room Moments

This episode places you directly in the ready room to hear the raw truth of naval aviation and sacrifice. We discuss the “banana navigation” in the back of an A-4 and the terrifying reality of landing on a pitching carrier deck at night. Masher recalls the “ecstasy” of the B-52 strikes over Hanoi, which signaled that the end of their long captivity was finally near. The atmosphere is heavy with respect as the hosts listen to tales of the “Hanoi University” and the “Operation Homecoming” release in 1973. Because Masher returned with his honor intact, his story serves as a masterclass in resilience for every pilot and patriot..

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#VietnamWar

#POW

#HanoiHilton

#NavalAviation

#MilitaryHistory

#AviationPodcast

#SoThereIWas

#CombatStories

#WarStories

#USNavy

#A4Skyhawk

#A7Corsair

#Leadership

#Resilience

#TrueStories

So there I was… five miles from the runway at Stansted, flaps moving from 35 to 50 on an MD-11, when the airplane abruptly rolled to nearly 60 degrees of bank on short final. That’s not a metaphor. That actually happened.

In this episode of So There I Was, Fig and RePete sit down with Chubbs, a Guard fighter pilot turned FedEx check airman, for a master-class in aviation storytelling, decision-making, and pure “how did we survive that?” moments. From a flap literally departing the aircraft and landing between cars at a pub, to CRM failures so bad they ended careers, to Guard shenanigans involving stolen cars, helicopters, and a flattened Crown Vic — this one covers it all.

Along the way, we dive into MD-11 systems quirks, high-stakes line checks, cargo ops into combat zones, fatigue, judgment calls on short final, and why sometimes the smartest move is to undo the last thing you did and land the airplane. Equal parts hilarious, terrifying, and educational — exactly how aviation stories should be told.

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#AirlinePilotLifestyle #WhatIsIOEForPilots #AviationHumor