So There I Was

• A Little Slice of Hell Episode 189

  In this week’s episode of So There I Was, Ike joins us with stories so wild they make the Quigley, Beirut, and Cherry Point weather sound like minor inconveniences. We open with Ike casually mentioning that he once found himself upside-down over the North Atlantic at night — because of course he did. From growing up under the Nashville approach path to being choked in boot camp for laughing, to nearly “smoking” the British ambassador in Beirut when his door gunner got jumpy, Ike’s journey from farm kid to single-seat attack pilot is a rollercoaster with no safety bar. We hit everything: CH-46 shenanigans, A-4 aileron rolls where drop tanks were definitely still attached, Harrier culture, maintenance-shop misery, and why flying vertical is basically a religion. Add in toilet installations on mountain peaks, British PT instructors who try to kill you, and Marines being Marines… and you’ve got an episode that is equal parts chaos, nostalgia, and aviation gold. Screenshot

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• Frankentanker Episode 188

  B-2 stealth bomber test pilot Sparky joins So There I Was to explain why the world’s sneakiest bomber still can’t go direct to Liberal, Kansas without a paperwork migraine. From “switches up, auto missile, eat a sandwich” bomb runs to 24-hour missions fueled by go-pills, honey buckets, and a hacked-together cot, he walks us through life in a jet built for nuclear armageddon but terrible at simple IFR. Then we follow him to test pilot school at Edwards, where he flies everything from F-16s to flying boats, helps beat up the “Franken-tanker” KC-46, and explains how big airliners survive stalls, rejected takeoffs, and absurd crosswinds. Sparky also tells the sobering story of losing a classmate in a T-38 crash—and the piano-burning tradition that followed—before closing with the truly unbelievable tale of how Wayne Newton kissing his wife on stage earned him his call sign. Burning a Piano B-2 School Mates Last TPS Flight Using the Good Part of the Runway While Craters Get Fixed

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• Switch Up, Auto Missile, Eat a Sandwich Episode 187

  Strap in, because Sparky’s ride from the C-17 to the B-2 is basically the aviation version of “What could possibly go wrong?” — except when everything did go wrong, and somehow nobody died. We open with Sparky nearly spearing aPassenger Airliner 737 at FL280 when the T-38’s pitot-static system decided to take the day off. That set the tone. Next, he walks us through dropping flares directly onto a detainee camp in Kandahar (oops), landing a 585,000-pound C-17 on a 3,000-foot dirt strip, and descending at 25,000 feet per minute because… why not? Then we move to the B-2, where one of the highlights is pressing one button and starting all four engines at once, like a nuclear-hardened Nespresso machine. Sparky’s stories swing from hilarious to jaw-dropping, and many would make an FAA inspector faint. It’s chaos, comedy, combat aviation, and classic So There I Was—all wrapped into two monster episodes… This week and next we are honored to welcome our first B-2 Spirit Pilot

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• Compressor Stalls and Varsity Jets Episode 186

  So There I Was dives into the UPS MD-11 crash, compressor stalls, and why some jets are “varsity airplanes.” Fig kicks things off with a flaming T-45 compressor stall story, then we walk through what we know so far about the UPS MD-11 crash, V1 decision speed, startle factor, and why “no fast hands” can literally save your life. From tail tanks and induced drag to cargo-pilot zombie sleep schedules, you’ll hear how big jets, night freight, and human factors all collide at high speed. Along the way we roast armchair investigators, explain jet engines and compressor stalls with a clever Taco Bell analogy from BadAss! We share some stories that will make every pilot nod and every non-aviator gasp. If you’ve ever wondered what really happens on the flight deck when everything goes sideways at rotation, this episode is your front-row seat. Screenshot

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• Start Here — Six Episodes That Hook Everyone (Audio Intro)

  This quick intro page gives you a feel for the show and points you straight to the episodes people tell us “that’s when I got hooked.” If you love real aviation - the stories you only hear in hangars, cockpits, and ready rooms - this is your way in. These are the episodes that make new listeners think: “Alright… I’m in. What’s next?” Strap in… and check six 🛫

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