Best Extremeflightconditions Podcasts (2025)

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Episode #110 – The Drone Swarm Wake-Up Call: Is the US and our Allies Ready? 57:48

7d ago57:48

57:48

🎙️ Episode 110 – The Drone Swarm Wake-Up Call: Is the US and our Allies Ready? Welcome to the 110th episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I’m Mark Hasara, former Air Force KC-135 pilot, Weapons School graduate, and author of Tanker Pilot. For 60 years, aviation has been my world—from flying gas station in the sky to mission planning at the …

1
Episode #109 – From MiG-21s to the A-10 Hawg: The Incredible Journey of Major Joszph “Boarat” Jonas 2:35:14

7d ago2:35:14

2:35:14

🎙️ EPISODE 109 – From MiG-21 to A-10 Hawg: The Incredible Journey of Lt Col Joszph “Boarat” Jonas Welcome back to Lessons from the Cockpit, the show that brings you stories and lessons learned from aviators who've been there, done that, and brought the jet home. I’m Mark Hasara—KC-135 instructor pilot, Air Force Weapons School grad, author of Tanke…

1
Episode #108 – The Tanker World’s in Trouble: ARSAG, Anaconda, and Global Tensions on the Nation’s DIME. 1:44:49

7d ago1:44:49

1:44:49

🎙️ EPISODE #108 – The Tanker World’s in Trouble: ARSAG, Anaconda, and Global Tensions on the Nation’s DIME Strap in and listen up, warriors. Welcome to Episode 108 of the Lessons from the Cockpit Show. I’m Lt Col Mark Hasara, USAF (Ret.)—KC-135 pilot, Weapons School grad, Joint Specialty Officer, and your host for this mission. I just got back from…

1
Episode #107 – Hercules to Hawgs: Flying Both Ends of the Fight with Col. Derek “Woody” Oaks 1:53:10

8d ago1:53:10

1:53:10

🎙️ Episode 107 – Hercules to Hawgs: Flying at Both Ends of the Fight with Col. Derek “Woody” Oaks. Welcome aboard the 107th sortie of the Lessons from the Cockpit Show I’m Lt Col Mark Hasara, USAF (Ret.), KC-135 Weapons Officer and your pilot for today’s mission. I’ve flown jets, built war plans, and stayed hopelessly addicted to aviation for over …

1
Episode #104: Black Jets and Gucci Birds with Retired Lt Col Mike Ethridge 2:02:00

2M ago2:02:00

2:02:00

Welcome to Episode 104 of Lessons from the Cockpit! I’m Mark Hasara, former KC-135 pilot, author of Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit, and a lifelong aviation fanatic. For over 60 years, aviation has been my passion, and this show brings you stories from the cockpit, the mission planning room, and beyond. This week, I sit down with Mike Ethrid…

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Episode #105: Lessons from Marine Corps Aviation with Colonel Byron “Shrek” Sullivan 2:01:56

2M ago2:01:56

2:01:56

EPISODE #105 – Marine Airpower, the Battle of Ramadi, and Flying the Beast: The F-35 and MV-22 Strap in and arm hot, folks—this one’s a burner. Welcome to Episode 105 of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I’m your host Mark Hasara, retired KC-135 pilot, author of Tanker Pilot, and a lifelong aviation nut with over 60 years of airpower obsession. Th…

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Episode #106: Lessons from Marine Corps Aviation with Shrek Sullivan and Glibby Gillette 2:14:57

2M ago2:14:57

2:14:57

🎧 Episode 106 – Rewriting the Rules of Marine Airpower Welcome back to Lessons from the Cockpit! I’m your host, retired Air Force Lt Col Mark “Sluggo” Hasara—KC-135 pilot, Joint Specialty Officer, and full-throttle aviation fanatic for over 60 years. In this episode, we finish a powerful two-part dive into Marine Corps aviation weapons, tactics, te…

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Episode #95: AMC Command Chief Jamie Newman: Security Policeman and Ranger! 1:11:01

6M ago1:11:01

1:11:01

Welcome to the ninety-fifth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit Show! I am your host Mark Hasara, former KC-135 pilot and Airplane Nerd! I’m really excited to bring this episode to you! Air Mobility Command's Command Chief Master Sergeant Jamie Newman and I met at the Airlift Tanker Association convention in Dallas earlier this year. Coming up …

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Episode #94 Painting Legacies with Aviation Artist Wade Meyers 2:12:10

6M ago2:12:10

2:12:10

Welcome to the Lessons from the Cockpit Show and episode number ninety-four! I’m your host retired Air Force KC-135 pilot Lieutenant Colonel Mark Hasara and my passion is everything aviation! This episode is unique! I’ve known this incredible artist for years through LinkedIn and Facebook and thought it would be cool to have him explain how he acco…

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Episode #92 Lessons from the Hercules with Colonel Scooter Golden 1:21:32

7M ago1:21:32

1:21:32

Welcome to Episode #92 of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I’m your host Mark Hasara, retired KC-135 pilot and Weapons Officer. I met Colonel Barrett “Scooter” Golden recently at the 2024 Airlift Tanker Association convention in Dallas. Scooter is a long time C-130 pilot and also a graduate of the C-130 Weapons School. During an off station train…

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Episode #82: Lessons from the Hawg with Colonel Donk Strasburger 2:18:11

9M ago2:18:11

2:18:11

Welcome the eighty-second episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I'm your host Mark Hasara, aviation and conflict history expert. Colonel Ray “Donk” Strasburger began his flying career as a Navigator in the B-52, qualifying for a pilot slot when his initial eye test was determined to be wrong! Donk and his wingman were awarded Silver Stars f…

1
Lessons with MiG Killer John Markle 1:46:13

1y ago1:46:13

1:46:13

Welcome folks to the eighty-third episode of the lessons from the cockpit show! I am your host Mark Hasara, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force and former KC-135 pilot. Captain John Markle was an F-4 Phantom II pilot in the famous 550th Tactical Fighter Squadron in the spring and summer of 1972, some of the most intense peri…

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Lessons with Highest Scoring MiG Ace Chuck DeBellevue 1:56:38

1y ago1:56:38

1:56:38

Welcome to all my listeners out there to the 81st episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast I am your host Mark Hasara and I'm a veteran of four Wars, an initial Cadre member of the kc-135 weapons school, and curriculum director at National Defense University's Joint Combined Warfighter School One of the great experiences of hosting this show…

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Fixed Base Operations with Jamie McCarthy 1:36:29

1y ago1:36:29

1:36:29

Welcome to the 80th episode… eight zero… of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I am your host Mark Hasara and for over 60 years my passion has been all things aviation. This is episode two with the Flight Operations Director Jamie McCarthy of Port City Air on what used to be Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In this episode he's go…

1
Port City Air Fixed Base Operations with Jamie McCarthy 50:15

1y ago50:15

50:15

Welcome to the seventy-ninth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! This one was done on location so get ready for some cool background jet noise! My wife and I recently were guests of Port City Air, a Fixed Base Operations or FBO at my first base of assignment Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Port City Air has an incredibl…

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Busting SAMs by Iron Hand with Captain Bo Smith 53:14

1y ago53:14

53:14

Welcome to the seventy-eighth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I'm your host Mark Hasara, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, KC-135 pilot, and author of the book Tanker Pilot. In the second episode with Navy Captain Bo Smith he explains Iron Hand missions, the methods and weapons the US Navy used to destroy Surface to Air Missile or…

1
Flying the A-4 and A-7 with Navy Captain Bo Smith 1:11:15

1+ y ago1:11:15

1:11:15

Welcome to the seventy-seventh episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show with your host retired Lt Col Mark Hasara, KC-135 pilot and Air Force Weapons School graduate. I was turned on to a great memoir website by my good friend Scott Brown. Navy Captain Bo Smith is responsible for helping create the Navy’s IRON HAND Surface to Air Missile or SAM…

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Lessons Learned with TC Cappelletti 1:48:23

1+ y ago1:48:23

1:48:23

Welcome to the seventy-sixth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I'm your host Mark Hasara. My circle of friends has expanded because of my book Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit. One of those great friends has vast experience in almost every Boeing airliner... 727, 737, 757, 767, and the Lockheed L-1011 I found out during this show.…

1
Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea 1:20:56

1+ y ago1:20:56

1:20:56

Welcome to another episode, the seventy-fifth, of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I am your host Mark Hasara and for over 60 years my passion has been aviation. The situation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Adan has everyone's attention. It's the continuation of the Proxy War between western powers and the Ayatollahs of Iran and their influence with …

1
Guns, MIGs, SAMs, and a Push 48:52

1+ y ago48:52

48:52

Welcome to the seventy-fourth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I'm your host Mark Hasara, retired KC-135 pilot, author, and entrepreneur! We laid to rest another American veteran this week involved in one of the greatest air strikes of Air Force histroy. He left his mark on aviation because of his incredible courage in the face of over…

1
Mole Crickets and Poobah’s Party: Electronic Warfare 1:37:33

1+ y ago1:37:33

1:37:33

Welcome to the seventy-third episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit Show! I am your host Mark Hasara, former KC-135 pilot and air war planner. The US Air Force is replacing the EC-130H Compass Call with the Gulfstream G550 EA-37B, missioinized to perform the same electronic warfare missions and functions. This episode describes what some of those …

1
Airlift Tanker Association 2023 Report 1:16:36

1+ y ago1:16:36

1:16:36

Welcome to the seventy-second episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I'm your host Mark Hasara, former KC-135 pilot and aviation geek! My wife Valerie and I attended Air Mobility Command's Symposium at the Gaylord Texan resort in Grapevine Texas. The A/TA Convention aero and cyberspace Industry Exposition was fantastic and I wanted to mentio…

1
Flying C-17 Globemaster IIIs with Lee Hunt 1:56:36

1+ y ago1:56:36

1:56:36

Welcome to the seventy first episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit Podcast! I'm your host Mark Hasara, retired KC-135 pilot and 24 plus year veteran of the US Air Force. The C-17 is arguably one of the world's best heavy lift aircraft. Lee Hunt flew The Moose as the C-17 is nicknamed during major theater air campaigns and humanitarian missions. L…

1
Stop or Start a War… Flexible Deterrent Options (FDOs) 1:16:35

1+ y ago1:16:35

1:16:35

Welcome to the seventieth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast. This one is going to be a little different. For a long time I've contemplated doing TWO podcasts; the current Lessons from the Cockpit on aviation and another called On the Nation's DIME, looking at current events around the world analysed using The DIME. DIME is an acronymn…

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Tailhook 23 Report 1:22:10

2y ago1:22:10

1:22:10

Welcome to the sixty-ninth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! I'm your host Mark Hasara, former US Air Force KC-135 pilot and author of the book Tanker Pilot, now on the Air Mobility Command Leadership Library reading list of General Mike Minihan! This past weekend I attended the Tailhook Association's 2023 convention at the Nugget Re…

1
Flying Phantoms with Iranian Air Force Colonel Fred Izadseta 1:09:06

2y ago1:09:06

1:09:06

Welcome to the sixty-eighth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast with your host, retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and KC-135 pilot Mark Hasara. Ever since hearing and reading this story, I wanted to have this incredible Iranian Air Force fighter pilot on the show! has commanded at all levels; from Squadron to Wing Commander. He's …

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Shock and Awe Tanker Shortfalls 1:54:32

2y ago1:54:32

1:54:32

Welcome back to the Lessons from the Cockpit and the sixty-seventh episode of the podcast! In preparation for attending the Tailhook 2023 symposium, I felt this was a good time to do an episode on the air refueling shortfalls during the Shock and Awe air campaign in March through April 2003. In my book Tanker Pilot, the chapter Six Weeks in Hell sp…

1
Sluggo's Current Reading List 49:29

2y ago49:29

49:29

Welcome to the sixty-fifth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! I received word this week my book Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit is now on the four-star commander of Air Mobility Command General Mike Minihan's "Leadership Library" reading list under the heading We Are the Maneuver. I'm grateful and humbled General Minihan thinks…

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Battle Management with Colonel Mark "Boner" Waite 1:39:16

2y ago1:39:16

1:39:16

Welcome to the sixty-fourth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! I am your host Mark Hasara, Air Force vet and KC-135 pilot. Colonel Mark Waite took a very interesting route to fill one of the most critical positions in the Air Force as Airborne Battle Manager, surveilling the air over a battlefield and directing fighters and bombers to…

1
Centennial of Air Refueling 48:02

2y ago48:02

48:02

Welcome to the sixty-third episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! I'm your host Mark Hasara, retired KC-135 pilot and veteran of four wars. On Tuesday 27 June 2023, the Air Force celebrated a 100-year anniversary. On 27 June 1923 was an event making aviation history! For the first time, fuel was transferred from one DeHavilland DH-4B Bipl…

1
The Nerve Center of Air Mobility 1:32:38

2y ago1:32:38

1:32:38

Welcome to the sixty-third episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit Podcast! I'm your host Mark Hasara, a retired KC-135 pilot of the United States Air Force. After five fantastic years and the greatest flying assignment of my career at Kadena Air Base on the island of Okinawa Japan, it was time for an assignment change of station or PCS. I took a H…

1
Desert Storm Tanker Lessons Learned 1:10:35

2y ago1:10:35

1:10:35

Welcome to the sixty-second episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast and I'm your host Mark Hasara, a former Air Force KC-135 pilot, flying all over the world passing gas! Recently I had a conversation with a colleague on how far the Air Force tanker community had come since Deseet Stomr and the old Strategic Air Command days of the Single I…

1
DoD Budget and Retiring Aircraft 1:03:14

2y ago1:03:14

1:03:14

Welcome to the sixty-first episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! The Defense Department Budget is out and there are a number of aircraft coming into the inventory and a lot going to the Boneyard at Davis Monthan AFB Arizona. Platforms that I refueled from my KC-135 are going to be gone soon, and I voice my concerns about some of the airc…

1
Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations 58:50

2y ago58:50

58:50

Welcome to the sixtieth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! I've been reluctant to discuss current events but felt this was a good topic since the US Military has accomplished four Non-Combatant Evacuations or NEOs from four US Embassies in the last three years; Afghanistan, Ukraine, Belarus, and as of last week Khartoum Sudan. Instruc…

1
Pentagon Papers 2.0 58:22

2y ago58:22

58:22

Welcome to the fifty-ninth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! I'm your host Mark Hasara, retired Air Force KC-135 pilot and airplane nerd! I've been asked numerous times what my thoughts are on the leaked classified documents from the Department of Defense and Pentagon. I'm still scratching my head about how a 21-year-old Airman had a…

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Ronald Reagan Era SAC Operations 1985 - 1990 1:26:28

2y ago1:26:28

1:26:28

Welcome to the fifty-eighth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast. We are going to talk about nukes since there is so much about a possible WW III in all the media. President Ronald Reagan created the world's best nuclear deterrent capability in Strategic Air Command as he poured money into the military after years of neglect. The timefra…

1
Shock and Awe at 20 Years 1:49:48

2y ago1:49:48

1:49:48

Welcome to the fifty-seventh episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! This episode is an anniversary episode. This past week marked twenty years since the opening of Operation Iraqi Freedom's Shock and Awe air campaign, a term those of us involved never used. To those planning and executing air operations, it was Air Tasking Order Oscar or …

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Low Altitude Air Refueling Operations 1:18:49

2+ y ago1:18:49

1:18:49

Welcome to the fifty-sixth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! I really appreciate all of you tuning in and downloading this and previous episodes of the show. One of the great memories of my KC-135 career was flying at low altitude with a receiver behind us. My first introduction to the planning and execution of low-altitude refueling…

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The World's only Air Refueling Graduate School 1:13:25

2+ y ago1:13:25

1:13:25

Welcome to the fifty-fifth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! Thanks for downloading and listening. A three-inch thick manila folder on my desk in my new assignment to the Air Mobility Command Director of Operations or AMC/DO staff ended up being the worst four years of my career and yet the most rewarding looking back on it. This gra…

1
Busting the Chinese Spy Balloon 1:23:53

2+ y ago1:23:53

1:23:53

Welcome to the fifty-fourth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast. I've waited to post this one because so much aviation history is happening over the US! Over the last weekend in Joint military operations, US Air Force F-22 Raptors and F-16C Vipers shot down the Chinese Spy Balloon and three additional objects, one over Lake Huron with a…

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Strategic Air Command Operations in the Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 1:09:42

2+ y ago1:09:42

1:09:42

Welcome to the fifty-third episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, the second in a series of Strategic Air Command bomber and tanker operations during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October and November of 1962. Strategic Air Command's Cuban Missile Crisis After Action Report was declassified years ago. I did not find it until researching the…

1
Intelligence Ops during the Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 1:23:26

2+ y ago1:23:26

1:23:26

Welcome to the fifty-second episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, this will be one of those extreme aviation moments! My Mom and Dad were very worried when I was just a kid starting school. They watched television a lot a month and a half into my first school year, a guy named Walter Cronkite particularly. The Cuban Missile Crisis of Oct…

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TOPGUN and Tomcat Days with Navy Commander Dave "Bio" Baranek 1:20:40

2+ y ago1:20:40

1:20:40

Welcome to episode fifty-one of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! This is an interview I've wanted to do for a long time! Commander Dave "Bio" Baranek as an F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officer or RIO had a great Naval Aviation career. Leaving college with a passion for flying, Bio got into the Tomcat community shortly after the F-14's introduct…

1
The Kill Chain and Time Sensitive Targets 1:26:39

2+ y ago1:26:39

1:26:39

Welcome to the fiftieth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, a new milestone for our show! All of you have heard of an airstrike or raid on something or someone in hiding who popped up in a valley, a downtown building, or a facility along a river. My Air Refueling Control Team planning and executing operations were involved in some of t…

1
The Doctor's Five Rules of Flying 52:57

2+ y ago52:57

52:57

Welcome to Episode 49 of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! I've wanted to do this one for a while. My USAF Pilot Training experience was pretty rocky. I almost did not make it through. Fortunately, one really good instructor we called "The Doctor" helped me get through. The Doctor could fix just about any student's ailments with his incredible …

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Refueling the Northern Iraq 2003 Air War 1:11:27

2+ y ago1:11:27

1:11:27

Welcome to episode forty-eight of the Lessons from the Cockpit Show! Reading about how the Iraqi Freedom North War was planned and executed in March and April of 2003, I realized there are a lot of mistakes in the narrative out there. As Chief of the Air Refueling Control Team for the 2003 Iraqi Freedom Shock and Awe campaign, I felt it was a great…

1
SH-3 Sea King History with Commander Steve Bates 53:20

2+ y ago53:20

53:20

Welcome to the forty-seventh episode of the Lesson from the Cockpit podcast! This episode continues our conversation with former US Navy Commander Steve Bates and the history of the SH-3 Sea King helicopter. The Navy used the SH-3 for four decades and the Air Force made famous the HH-3 or Jolly Green Giant version, saving hundreds of airmen shot do…

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SH-3 Sea King Operations with Commander Steve Bates 1:22:27

2+ y ago1:22:27

1:22:27

Welcome to the forty-sixth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King was the US Navy's primary rotary-wing aircraft for decades. Steve discusses training and flying the Sea King used for Fleet Logistics bringing beans, bombs, and mail to the fleet and sailors while underway at sea. Steve also tells us about some of…

1
American MiG Pilot with Rob Zettel 1:18:11

2+ y ago1:18:11

1:18:11

Welcome to the forty-fifth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! The Air Force created a super-secret squadron located in the Nellis Air Force Base Range Complex, The 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron called "The Red Eagles." Rob Zettel is one of the world's subject matter experts on adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures from h…

1
B-52 Bomber Missions with Colonel Chris "Chico" Anderson 58:25

2+ y ago58:25

58:25

Welcome to the forty-fourth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! We are fast approaching 15,000 downloads! The may have the distinction of flying and fighting for 100 years. The military continues adding new equipment and missions to a platform created for the nuclear . Colonel Chris "Chico" Anderson joins the Lessons from the Cockpit p…

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