Six Marines. One table. Zero chill. This round-robin mayhem starts with a Harrier pilot fishtailing toward a hover pad in Iwakuni, Japan when a yaw reaction-control literally comes loose and starts “helping” at random. From there, we spiral into why conventional landings in a Harrier are a last resort, how “taking the jog” at Cherry Point doesn’t mean going for a run! Then we chat about what happens when your fire light says, “Land. Now.” We talk PMCF flights when you shut your ONLY engine off on purpose (whose idea was that?), nozzle jams, outriggers, brake math with one brake, and a Spanish exchange pilot’s mishap that grounded a fleet. In between: Marines being Marines—bridges, beer, tape, typhoons, and the legendary Zero Hangar. It’s loud, fast, and occasionally naked (don’t ask).
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58:53
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58:53
Radar Inop Episode 184
Jedi’s back—and the brake-check lesson starts before the beers do. An F-4 slides into rainy Pensacola, our hero reports “good braking,” and a brick-built Marine promptly edits his vocabulary: “It’s poor.” Decades later, that same Marine reappears—through Jedi’s son. Aviation is a small world with a loud voice. From there, we ricochet through cockpit lore: a British captain freeing stuck throttles by axe-murdering a radar scope (maintenance note: “radar inop”), a Vampire jet literally pruning the only tree in northern Germany—onto a soldier, and the fine art of CRM when an FO treats a 767 like a single-seat fighter. Jedi also talks writing: Substack confessions, a new thriller, and why the FAA’s “kinder, gentler” era works when crews own their mistakes. It’s hangar talk at altitude—equal parts cautionary tale, comedy, and “don’t try this at home.” Strap in, stow your screwdriver, and remember: if a Marine asks about braking action… you already know the answer.
To read some amazing aviation stories and other life lessons by Jedi check out his substack here!
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1:34:22
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1:34:22
Going to LZ-3 Episode 183
Allyn Hinton, Marine and Army aviator, joins So There I Was for a wild, first-person tour from low-level Huey recons over Da Nang to Blackhawks in Desert Storm. In this Allyn Hinton interview, he relives a smoke-grenade surprise that flushed eight guys from a bunker, a foot chase through a dry rice paddy, and a med-evac detour that out-prioritized a Korean officers’ trip to LZ-3! Then we leap to carrier quals, C-130 world travel, and the only thing harder than hovering: trying not to laugh while catching the “wrong” wire. Along the way, Hinton flies with his son, chauffeurs U.S. senators past oil-well fires, and explains why Marines embraced the “Purple Fox” moniker. It’s fast, funny, and shockingly human—aviation history told at rotor-wash speed. Listen now to feel the jet blast, the rotor thump, and the unmistakable Marine grin.
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1:43:16
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1:43:16
From Box Canyons to Brotherhood Episode 182
Nose pointed at a rock wall, rescue specialist on the skid, rotor wash bouncing off granite, and then—power loss. Abort! Welcome to the world of helicopter rescue with Double D, Arizona Department of Public Safety pilot and systems operator. He’s pulled climbers out of box canyons, rescued the stranded, recovered the fallen, and somehow lived to tell the story with gallows humor intact. Pete and Sticks dive into hoists, short-hauls, taglines, and near-death pucker-factor flying. We get into what it means to “move at the speed of safety,” how to manage canyon winds, and why teamwork matters more than horsepower when you’re hanging 200 feet below a chopper. Add in rotor-wash physics, and Dos Gringos jokes—it’s absurd, intense, and ridiculously good. Come for the rescues; stay for the adrenaline and the laughs.
For an instagram video of the opening rescue sequence on the show, look here
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1:44:57
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1:44:57
My Introduction to Arizona Talcum Episode 181
Helicopter search and rescue takes center stage as DPS pilot Darrell Detty walks us through hair-raising missions, near-misses and small-town chases that feel like action movies with rotor wash. From a 50-foot hovering autorotation, governor failures and a frantic stolen-car pursuit that ends in a live carjacking rescue, to talcum-dust LZs and a barbed-wire fence that almost kissed the skid, this episode blends gritty rotor-head detail with absurd human moments. Expect clear lessons on the dead-man’s curve, manual-throttle saves, crew decision-making, and the weird mentorships that keep pilots sane. Laugh, cringe, and learn as we walk the thin line between heroics and hubris. Strap in, grab the collective, and hold on for rotor-powered storytelling.
And here's a link that will raise your heart rate just sitting on the floor - you'll STILL feel too high up! - TERRIFYING Hoist Rescue!
Join hosts, Fig and Repete, as they bring in some great aviation raconteurs to relate the glamorous, hilarious, poignant, tragic, and incredible tales of aviation. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll laugh ’til you cry, but you’ll never be bored!
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