Podcasts about Air Mobility Command

Leadership isn't about perfection — it's about accountability, especially when things don't go as planned. SUMMARY From lessons learned as a cadet to leading her teams through complex challenges, Col. (Ret.) Erin Staine-Pyne '98 reflects on how transparency, empathy and trust define strong leadership in uncertain moments.   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   ERIN STAINE-PYNE'S TOP LEADERSHIP LESSONS AND TAKEAWAYS  Own your mistakes quickly and fully. Col. Staine-Pyne's cadet party incident shows the power of taking responsibility and using failure as a positive turning point. Forgive fast — others and yourself. Col. Staine-Pyne highlights forgiving herself and the freshman who reported the incident as essential to moving forward productively instead of getting stuck in blame or resentment. Lead with transparency, especially in crisis. Both as a cadet and as a wing commander during COVID, she emphasized open communication. Be visibly human and vulnerable. Sharing personal context built trust and showed airmen she understood their fears, not just the mission. Practice empathy as a core leadership “superpower.” Col. Staine-Pyne stresses learning to truly understand people's perspectives and lives — not just knowing their names and roles — and then leading with that understanding in mind. Use your team; leadership is not a solo sport. From wing commander “tiger teams” to USAF Weapons School class dynamics, Col. Staine-Pyne consistently relied on senior enlisted leaders, peers, planners and classmates instead of trying to solve everything alone. Balance mission and people with nuance, not slogans. During COVID and high-tempo ops, she wrestled with protecting a “no-fail” mission while also protecting health and morale and adjusting policies and workloads rather than defaulting to one extreme. Don't self-limit; say yes to stretch opportunities. Col. Staine-Pyne nearly ruled herself out of Weapons School but trusted her leaders' belief in her and stepped into being the first woman in the school's C‑130 program — and graduated at the top of her class. Her advice: Apply and let others say no. Integrate work and family intentionally at critical career peaks. Instead of chasing perfect “balance,” Col. Staine-Pyne treats career and family as waves: Lean into work during when needed but consciously bring along family and use leave to truly refresh. See failure as a leadership classroom, not a verdict. From the cadet party incident to the week‑to‑week swings in Weapons School performance, Col. Staine-Pyne views setbacks as information and training for better leadership, not as permanent labels.   CHAPTERS 00:00:02 – Introducing Col. Erin Staine-Pyne  00:00:49 – Cadet Party Incident: A Costly Mistake  00:02:59 – Owning Failure & Learning to Forgive  00:04:49 – Transparency, Reputation and the Cadet Wing  00:06:59 – Early Aspirations & Family Influences  00:08:25 – Becoming a Wing Commander Right Before COVID  00:10:13 – Leading Through a Pandemic & Tough, Unpopular Decisions  00:15:02 – Personal Impact of Command During COVID  00:17:01 – Mentors, Humility & Weapons School Opportunity  00:20:59 – Inside Weapons School: Pressure, Teamwork & Distinction  00:25:44 – Empathy, Tempo and the People‑Mission Balance  00:29:10 – Work–Life Waves, Legacy and Advice to Young Leaders ABOUT COL. ERIN STAINE-PYNE '98 BIO Col. Erin Staine-Pyne, U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 1998, is a career mobility aviator and proven senior leader with more than 3,500 flight hours in C-17 and C-130 aircraft, former wing commander, and now general manager of mobility at Merlin Labs. Inspired early by a love of aviation and a father who graduated from West Point, she pursued her dream of flying through the Academy and went on to become an aircraft commander, instructor and, ultimately, the first woman to graduate from the C-130 division of the Air Force Weapons School, where she distinguished herself as the top graduate in her class. Her leadership journey includes commanding a 2,400-person C-17 wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord through the onset of the COVID pandemic, where she balanced a no-fail nuclear mission, the health and welfare of her airmen and their families, and her own complex family responsibilities with transparency, empathy and a deeply human approach. Known for her team-first mindset, humility and emphasis on learning from failure — as illustrated by formative experiences as a cadet and throughout her operational career — Col. Staine-Pyne now channels her leadership, operational expertise and passion for developing others into bridging military-grade mobility experience with cutting-edge aviation technology in industry, while prioritizing her role as a fully present mom.   CONNECT WITH ERIN LINKEDIN   CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org   Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE AT USAFA.ORG/LONGBLUELEADERSHIP AND ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     FULL TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS: Guest, Erin Staine-Pyne '98  |  Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:00 Well, Erin, thank you so much for joining us here on Long Blue Leadership. Erin Staine-Pyne, Class of '98. We are so excited for this conversation, because, you know, you've had such an amazing career. You know, 3,500 hours in the C-17 and C-130 cockpits to wing commander — and now you're general manager of mobility at Merlin Labs. Just incredible.   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 0:26 Thank you. Such a pleasure to be with you, too, Naviere. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:34 Well, you know, we like to jump right in. And there's actually something that is probably unknown, because you have done so many amazing things, and part of that comes with a story that's not always, you know, rainbows and butterflies. And so back when you were a cadet, if you don't mind sharing this with us, I know you were wearing your supt's pin. You were captain of the soccer team, and you found yourself marching some tours. Do you mind sharing that story with us? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 0:55 Yeah, no, I don't mind at all, because it turned out to be a great leadership lesson in my life. So yeah, I was kind of at the top of my game, I felt like in my senior year at the Academy, we had a short break going in our soccer season, we had a weekend off, which was pretty rare, and the other captain and I were like, Hey, let's get the girls together, right? We deserve to have a little bit of fun. Take a little break. Like, what could we do to make that happen? And we decided, hey, let's rent a hotel room. We'll throw a little party. We'll have some friends over. What cadets haven't done that exactly. We'll be super responsible. We'll get the hotel room so nobody drives. Yeah, we thought about taking care of each other, but as it turned out, we had a great night, fun time, no harm, no foul. But later that week, we found out that one of the freshmen on our team turned us in for underage drinking. And that was a big, shocking moment in my senior year. So it turned into most of the team being restricted, marching tours, you know, really having their reputation tarnished a bit. And even worse for us, maybe than that, was the season took a huge nosedive. You know, we were in a really good place from a from a sport perspective, and we just couldn't get it back together after that happened. And for me, you know, as I looked back on that event, I'm so thankful that it happened at the Academy and not sometime later in my career, when I was in charge of young airmen, but I'm glad it happened at the Academy and I took a couple of really great lessons out of it.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 2:44 That is quite a lesson. I mean, I'm just thinking about someone who is a high achiever doing really well, has this reputation of that's, like you said, untarnished. Let's just take a moment in that space, because there are experiences that all leaders have, I think that are challenging in some way, that maybe is reputational. How do you navigate that? How did you carry yourself through that, when it probably felt dark?   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 3:11 Yeah it was a little bit bleak. I mean, my family knew about it. But to answer the question, I found myself taking ownership, like, “Ooh, we made a really big mistake. I made a really big mistake as a leader. I took the team the wrong direction.” And so I apologized — like I apologized to the commandant, I apologized to my coaches, I apologized to my teammates, I apologized to some of their parents too, right, that we saw later in the season. And so I think the biggest thing that you can do in that moment is go, “I've really screwed up, and I'll take stock of that and change in the future.” And then the other thing is, you have to learn to forgive fast, like forgive yourself. I made a mistake. This isn't forever, right? It'll be something that I learned along the journey. But then also, for example, the freshmen that turned us in — that was a really emotional moment for the rest of the team.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 4:17 And you all stayed on the team together? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 4:18 We did for a while. She did end up leaving the Academy eventually, which I'm disappointed about. Like, I kind of feel like that's a little bit of another leadership failure there. But I just think the thing I learned out of it later was you have to forgive quickly. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 4:33 Wow. I mean, it seems so interesting that you had that kind of lesson so early. But I think one of the best things about the academy is really as a leadership lab we talk about, you know, being able to grow from learning lessons. How would you say your other cadets outside of the bubble? Right? The bubble being those who are in it with you. Because I think in life in general, when things happen, you kind of have this other perspective of people who don't know what's going on, and so then they come up with their own perceptions and thoughts on that. How did you navigate that as a cadet in the Cadet Wing? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 5:09 Yeah, I think it was trying at my first attempts at transparency, yeah, you know, like, “Hey, this is what's going on.” Like, people would ask us, “How much trouble are you guys in?” And at first we'd be like, “Well, we don't really know.” You know? “We don't know what this is going to turn out to look like,” and then once we kind of got our punishment, six months of restriction, 100 tours, 100 confinements, but with the potential, at least for the seniors to still graduate, we tried to share that with people too, like as if the leadership at the Academy still had some faith in us and thought we might still be able to graduate and be lieutenants someday. So, yeah, I would just say we tried some transparency. And, you know, there was also this kind of feeling of, I can't believe that your teammate did that. And we tried to address that too, you know, so it wouldn't come back, especially specifically on her right, as, you know, she was the one at fault here, right, like we were all at fault, you know, not doing the right thing. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 6:14 What a way to rise above. And I think really, what a beautiful story. Because I think some lessons in there, transparency, making sure that it, you know, it was responsibility that everyone took on, and it wasn't starting to point fingers. Because I think it certainly is easy to try and push things away from ourselves, isn't it?   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 6:30 Yeah, absolutely,   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 6:31 Oh, my goodness, thank you for sharing that. I'm sure that was quite a lesson. So you went on to graduate. Yes, yes. And so did you always know you wanted to be a pilot?   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 6:43 I did. Yeah, since I was really young, I knew I wanted to fly airplanes. My parents sent me to Space Academy when I was somewhere around 11 or 12, and I thought, “Oh, I could be an astronaut. Someday, I want to fly the shuttle.” And so that just sparked the interest. And my dad's a West Point grad, and so when I went to him and asked him, “How do you become a pilot?” He said, “Well, you go to the Air Force Academy,” as if there was no other choice out there.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 7:10 So did you not even apply to West Point?   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 7:11 I didn't. Much to his — I mean, I think that hurt his heart, but I didn't. He took me up there for a visit.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 7:19 Just in case you want to just see. Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 7:20 Yeah, the Army has lots of pilots. Yes, no, the Air Force Academy was my destination. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 7:25 That is fascinating. So growing up, were you always someone that was a go-getter? Was this kind of ingrained in you because of your dad the way he raised you? Your mom, like, let's talk about your family dynamic. Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 7:35 And yeah, sure, yeah. My dad an army officer. My mom, super hard worker. Worked in the Senate for a long time as a press secretary, and they just — yeah, they were they were wonderful, and I feel so lucky at the dynamic I had growing up. But yeah, I loved being a leader early, like I loved being in charge early. I could sense that about myself, like I wanted to be the person who helped others get to wherever they were going to. So I sensed that early.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 8:08 Oh, gosh, that's fascinating. So you went to the Air Force Academy, you came out, you got to go and you got to fly, and you're living your dream. I'd like to jump fast forward a bit, because in your leadership role, obviously, you know, as a pilot, you were doing some amazing things, and we can certainly talk about that. But there was a period of time in which you were a wing commander.   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 8:28 Oh, sure.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 8:30 And I think you know, being a wing commander already is an amazing feat, but you were a wing commander during a time that I think was unprecedented in our country, COVID.   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 8:40 Yeah, yeah, it was. It was an interesting time. I took the flag for Joint Base Lewis-McChord in early January 2020 and literally a month later, I was dealing with the first cases of COVID in Seattle, in the Seattle area. And so it went from being like, “This is everything I've worked really hard for and I am so excited to lead this amazing organization” to “I have never done anything like this before. No one has, and no one really has a whole lot of advice on what we're going to do next, and we're going to have to figure this out.”   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 9:22 So can you put it in perspective a little bit, just for us to understand? You know, when you're a wing commander, like, how large is this wing and kind of, what are the responsibilities that you were having to oversee while you're navigating a medical crisis? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 9:34 Yeah, so the wing is about 2,400 airmen. It's a C-17 wing, and so mobility operations never stop, right? Twenty-four hours a day, we're flying airplanes. I also had a clinic at the time, and then an airfield to run. Yeah, so a few things.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 9:53 Yes, just a couple. Oh, my goodness. OK, so maybe let's, let's talk about what that was like. Because I imagine, as a wing commander, while you do have a network in the way of working with your ,you know, those that are supporting you and all the experts, it still can be, probably be a little bit lonely. How do you navigate that? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 10:13 Yeah, well, I think a lot of people say that right, leadership is lonely, and I think it is in the context that at the end of the day, you're the person who has to make those final, tough decisions, no one else can make them for you, right? But the truth is, you have the most amazing a team around you, right? I had, during my time as a wing commander, two of the most amazing seniorenlisted leaders, two chiefs. My group commanders, also colonels, were really, really incredible and experienced. And then the wing commander network is actually pretty powerful too. So you have peers that you've grown up with as squadron commanders who are now in charge of other wings dealing with similar things. And so you lean into that too.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 11:00 Well, we talk about networks in general mean, I think networks are so powerful, not even just in uniform, but outside of uniform. What was it like really trying to I think, when I think about the airmen that you were, you know, leading, they had their families and their own concerns as well. What was a challenging moment as a leader that you had to navigate, maybe where you weren't popular or did you feel like you actually navigated a space where everyone loved you? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 11:24 No. I mean, unfortunately, at the end of the day, you do have to make some of those really tough decisions. And so for us at McChord, we were in the middle of the biggest movement of nuclear weapons in history, and so an incredibly important no fail mission, right? And so my main focus was, how do I keep, specifically my crews that are trained to carry nuclear weapons, how do I keep them healthy? We don't have a lot of them, so if a couple of them get sick or something happens, then the mission really is at risk. So I really was focused on how to keep them healthy, but I also was just broadly worried about my older civilians who might be more susceptible to either getting COVID or having a real impact from it. I was worried about my airmen who had family members who might be immune compromised. I was worried about airmen who might go home and take it to their parents or grandparents. So it wasn't quite as simple as, “Well, our airmen are young and healthy.” You know, it's a much more challenging problem than that. And so when COVID was really bad, kind of the fall going into Christmas of 2020, one of the things I had to do was decide, am I going to let my airmen travel? The Air Force would eventually take care of that decision for me. But when the airmen are here, can they get together and celebrate the holidays? Are they going to have to spend Thanksgiving alone? You know, what kind of tough decisions am I going to have to make here? And so, yeah, I probably made some pretty unpopular decisions, thinking at the time that I was protecting the mission, and the way I handled it was it kind of goes back to one of those lessons I learned earlier, was transparency. Yes, we started doing things like Facebook Live, we let people ask as many questions as they wanted to or were brave enough to. And tried to do our best to answer them. And we also tried to convey that we know we're not making perfect decisions right now, like we're learning to right now. And just tried to be very human about it.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 13:42 What an amazing approach, a human approach. And I think what's so great about the way you did that was most people only see the struggle from their lens, yeah. And as a leader, you're having to look at the if I make this decision, what's the second, third and fourth, you know, effect that comes from that decision on a much broader scale. And so I think when you talked about the transparency, that is really powerful.   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 14:04 And it was a great way to get feedback too. You know, I, like some of my young airmen were struggling at the time, but actually it was some of my single officers, even who, you know, didn't quite have that family network around them where they were. And so we realized we had to pay attention to some other groups too, as we tried to think of ways to make sure we were taking care of the individual, but also the mission.    Col. Naviere Walkewicz 14:33 My goodness. I mean, I just think about it, the standpoint of the weight that you carried in that space. How did it impact you on the home front, right? So you're leading up a wing, but you also have a family as well. What did that look like that?   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 14:45 It was a challenging time. I had a 2-year-old at home, right? And at certainly, at the beginning of COVID, we didn't know what the impact kids was going to be, and so I was worried that she might be really vulnerable at that time. And my husband, who was also an Academy grad, his parents were living with us at the time, helping with the baby, and his dad had cancer. And so we were incredibly concerned about even me going to work every day, and the possibility of bringing something back to the house was a huge challenge. There was a time where I would enter through the garage and, like, strip down, put new clothes on, or go straight to a shower.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 15:31 Like a hazmat.   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 15:32 Yeah. I mean, it was a really interesting time at the beginning. So many unknowns. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 15:37 Oh, my goodness. Well, I think most people can understand when I said hazmat, like hazardous materials and clearing yourself from it. But in a way, that's kind of what, how COVID did impact us. Wow. When you were talking in those moments as almost looks like a human and vulnerable leader in that approach, did you share, like, “Look, I understand these things as well, because I, too, have a family.” Did you — were those the ways you were… Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 15:58 Yes, absolutely. So anytime I got a chance to talk to airmen face to face, I would talk to them about how I'm my focus is certainly accomplishing our mission, but my focus is on their health, their family's health, and this is how I'm thinking about it, right? I'm thinking about my own family and the different dynamics we have going on, and how it might apply to them too. And I love the fact that before that, you would never have seen a wing commander doing something like a Facebook Live. But that just became such an incredible tool for that exact reason. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 16:33 Yes, so just thinking about the way you handled that, was there someone in your life, a mentor, or someone that you saw kind of display those traits that you emulated, or were they just something that you innately had in you? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 16:44 No, I'm sure I picked up on traits from multiple leaders that I had throughout my career. Col. John Murkowski is probably one of my favorite mentors. He was a DO in my first squadron…   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 17:00 Director of operations.   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 17:02 Thank you; in my first squadron. And later I would work and work for him as a staff officer at Air Mobility Command. And I watched him lead, just with so much humility, very caring leadership style and certainly a good communicator. And you know, somebody like that is somebody you want to emulate in the future. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 17:25 Absolutely. And if I recall correctly, he's the one I think that might have turned your eye open to this concept of Air Force Weapons School, right? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 17:33 It's true. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 17:35 Let's talk about that a little bit. Because so for those listening and watching, you know, I was not an aviator, I was a logistics officer. And so I think even the thought of Weapons School, to me, is very much a pilot and aviation focused opportunity. Can we just talk a little bit about that in general, just so that we all can learn more about Weapons School? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 17:54 Yeah, I mean, certainly the history of the weapons school is focused on fighter operations. Right? The fighter pilot employing weapons being a tactical expert leading operations. That's how it started. But I think one of the best things the Air Force ever did was realize that in order to be successful in modern combat, you have to have a force that's integrated. So you need your intel officers to understand and provide information to the entire the entire force. You need space officers who can employ space effects at the right time. You need more than just the person in the flight deck or cockpit who's employing the weapons. So they somewhere in the '90s, right? We branched out. It started, certainly Intel officers were part of it for a long time, but it branched out into the mobility communities, and then later you would see it branch out into the space communities too. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 18:53 So it was early and not very long before this opportunity was presented to you. Let's talk about that. Because had you, I know you had your site set on being a pilot. Were your site set on Weapons School? Erin Staine-Pyne 19:04 Never, never. No, I think — I felt, at least at that point, I felt really young in my career, still, right? I was an aircraft commander at the time. I wasn't an instructor in my weapons system yet. I wasn't an evaluator in my weapons system yet. And my director of operations came to me and said, “We want you to apply to weapons school.” And I was like, “I'm pretty young for that,   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 19:30 And it's very competitive, right?   Erin Staine-Pyne 19:31 It's very competitive. And the weapons officers in my squadron were like, they like, walked on water. Seemed like. They're so knowledgeable. So I hadn't really thought about it mostly in terms of time, like what it didn't seem like the right time for me.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 19:50 So what made you say yes to apply?   Erin Staine-Pyne 19:53 Yeah, I think, I think it was really two things. One was clearly my leadership believed in me, and that was hugely powerful, right? Somebody comes to you and says, “No, we think you are ready for this.” That was hugely powerful. And then the other thing is, they also said to me, “You would be the first woman to go through the C-130 program. We've never had a female graduate.” And I said, “Well, that's ridiculous.” Like, why is that still a barrier right now? And so I thought, “Well, if not me, then who?” Like, who's going to be the next woman who might be interested in that opportunity? And so I kind of threw a little caution to the wind I feel like, and said, “OK, let's do this.” Col. Naviere Walkewicz 20:43 What is that experience like? Because I know what it's like to apply to apply to the Air Force Academy. You know, you have this, the program you're going through when you're getting, you know, your weapon system up that you're going to get in pilot training. What is it like, this application process for Weapons School? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 20:57 Yeah, so I remember you have to fill out a bunch of forms.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 21:00 OK, so that's pretty similar. Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 21:03 Yeah, annotated paperwork. You have to fill out a bunch of forms, but on the forms, you have to talk about your flying experience and all the things you know. You have to have certain boxes checked, if you will. And so I remember filling out the form. They're like, “You have to have 100 hours as an instructor pilot.” And I'm like, “I don't have that, you know, but we'll plan to have accomplished prior to Weapons School starting,” Um, so yeah, I remember filling out the form and just being like, “OK, this kind of confirms I'm not sure I'm ready for this.” Col. Naviere Walkewicz 21:35 But obviously yes. So how many people are — maybe the word is accepted — into Weapons School class, and then how many typically graduate? Like, what's the attrition rate? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 21:45 Yeah, so each platform is different on how many students they take. Typically in a C-130 class, you would have somewhere around eight or nine students and you're probably going to lose perhaps one per class. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 22:03 OK, the numbers are small to begin with; that's kind of significant.   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 22:04 Significant, yeah. If the class isn't making it through, every once in a while, you'll lose two and that's a challenge. It's a challenge to run the program without enough students, too. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 22:15 OK, so how long is that? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 22:16 It's a six-month program, OK, or maybe five and a half months approximately. So it's a pretty big chunk of your flying life to go to training for that long too.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 22:27 So let's talk about that, because there was probably some growth in yourself as a leader. One feeling like you weren't actually ready, then you were accepted. So then you're clearly ready, but you know, you're navigating it, and almost enough in a first kind of capacity. What was it like from growing as a leader in Weapons School? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 22:43 Yeah, it was. It was just the perfect example of how obstacles can be opportunities, you know? And like, I talked to some of my younger airmen now and I tell them, “Don't ever turn down an opportunity, because you never know when that opportunity is going to be the thing that that really propels your career or changes what you're interested in, or leads you down a really interesting path.” And so I walked in the door, and I certainly was a little bit nervous, and perhaps had a chip on my shoulder about being the first woman to go through the program.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 23:18 Tell me what you mean by that. Chip on your shoulder. Chip on — you're like, “Why hasn't it happened yet?” Or chip on — like, “I have something to prove.”   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 23:24 Yeah, maybe I have something to prove, you know, like that, “I'm good enough to be here.” And what I learned, though, is, as soon as the program started, and I actually met the instructors and the people, you know, my classmates, the people that I'd be going through the program with, is it was completely unnecessary. They wanted nothing more than me to be, you know, wildly successful in the program. And so it just turned out to be such an opportunity and such a great experience.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 23:56 And I'm going to mention this because I'm sure that you won't, you end up being the top graduate from your Weapons School class. What did that look like through the program? You know? How did you earn that? And was it from different things you demonstrated as a leader? Like, what brought that forth? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 24:14 Yeah, I think, certainly it's especially in the Air Force flying communities, like you have to do the work yourself, right? It's hard work. You have to study. There's a lot of academics, but I think at the end of the day, what's really important is that you understand that the team dynamics. You know you're going through the weapon school with eight or another eight or nine other people. Are you the person who sits down and helps somebody out when you're good at something and they're not? Are you the person who recognizes what the other teammates are really good at and take advantage of that? It's really about learning those individuals and building the team dynamics up that makes you successful in a program like that. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 25:00 Erin, I'm just thinking back on all the things that you've shared with me, just in the way that you are such a team minded person. You know at the Academy, you were the team captain. You know at weapons school, you're, you know, the distinguished graduate. That what they call graduate, yes, and so wing commander. I mean, I think there's this theme. What would you say is probably that most important characteristic that you carry then as a leader?   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 25:28 Yeah, it's, I feel like maybe this is a broken record with some other leaders, but I think it's empathy. I really do. I think one of the things I think about back to my Air Force Academy experience, is, you know, I had freshmen I was responsible for as a sophomore, or I had teammates I was responsible for as a team captain, and did I really get to know them? Like I knew them. But did I really get to know them? Could I really walk in their shoes for a little bit and practice empathy for them? And so it took me a long time to learn, like, what a skill it is to be able to see something from somebody else's perspective, and how you can use that when you're leading. But I'd say it now: It's a superpower. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 26:14 When have you found in your career that that could be really challenging, like the knowing that's such an important fabric in your being a leader but also having to balance the mission right? Can you share a story or anything? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 26:29 Yeah, I really can. So one of the things that was challenging at McChord was our tempo, right? We were really busy, especially in certain mission areas, and so I could see the strain on some of my airmen. And the question is, how far can you push right like, how far can you push before it's too far and they really get unhealthy? And so I found myself — because I certainly feel empathetic towards them, I've been the person on the road all the time — I felt myself wanting to go to my MAJCOM and say, “You guys have to slow down for us, like you have to give us a little bit less mission.” And yet, at the time, they needed us to do more, you know. And so really trying to get into the details about how much workload can we sustain? How can we find different ways to share the workload across the wing that maybe we haven't thought of before? I found myself trying to find alternate ways to balance those two things that were really ahead with each other. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 27:41 Was that something that you had the opportunity to talk through or work through with someone, or is this something that you really kind of just had to dig in internally and figure out?   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 27:52 Yeah, no, it's a perfect example of digging into the team, right? Bringing the team back together. I had a great ops group commander who really understood the challenge. I had a planner who was the person who would really plan out the sortie pace, who really understood the challenge, and had great contacts at Air Mobility Command, like, No, I mean, we would bring a tiger team together to try to figure this out. And my job at that time was to give direction, remove obstacles out of the way, but then really let them at their expert level, dig in and try to come up with some solutions. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 28:29 That's fantastic. The team effort, everyone just kind of rallying around. So I'm curious on —because of the tempo of the roles you've had to be in and lead and experiences you've had, how has that impacted you? Your ability to be present with your family? How do you navigate that as a leader? Because I think that's something that leaders struggle with, like, how far do I go myself, and where am I willing to, you know, let things kind of go to the back burner. Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 28:54 Yeah, I think it's one of the hardest challenges out there, right? People talk about work-life balance. I'm probably of the ilk that I don't really think there's a such a thing, right? I think it's more of a like a sine wave curve, where you pay attention to your career at those really critical times that you need to and then when there's an opportunity to kind of, you know, pull the throttles back, you do it. And if you learn that early in your career, that there are those peaks and valleys, you can build a healthy career over time. So I would find that certainly, anytime you're in a leadership position, right, squadron commander, flight commander, wing commander, those are going to be the times when you're right at the top and right, you've got to find ways to incorporate your family into the job. Yes, what I would tell you, and then the other times you can focus more on what they want to do. But yeah, when I was a commander, I would — my husband was fully involved in the squadron. When I was a wing commander, I had a Pack n' Play in my office right for my little one, because I wanted to make sure I got plenty of time with her too, and I would find ways to incorporate that too, right?   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 30:08 And you actually showed that human side in leadership.   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 30:11 Yeah. And I wanted my airmen to see it, to see that, you know, I wasn't all the time Air Force blue. We gotta go, go, go. No, I've got to find ways to make both of those things work Col. Naviere Walkewicz 30:25 In all those times when you were leading others, and, you know, working in a partnership with Frank, your husband and your family, when did you find time to take care of you? Like, what did that look like for you? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 30:36 It was hard, it was hard, but I think what I did was I tried to find the things that gave me the most pleasure and prioritize those. So for me, it was, for example, I'm a soccer player, right? Anytime we were assigned to D.C., I joined my indoor soccer team and played soccer on the weekends, you know, or sometimes it was just curling up and reading a good book that had nothing to do with military. Like, finding some pleasure in the small things I do think we scheduled. Like, I never gave leave back. I think that's really important. That is such an importan — I always took advantage of my leave. And I would plan big things for it too, like, we're gonna go to Hawaii, or we're going to go to Europe, you know, we're going to do things and experience something else. So we have some of those really fun things to look back on. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 31:33 And when you took that leave, I'm curious, how did you navigate that space? As I'm a leader, am I reachable? Or what does that look like when you're on vacation? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 31:41 Yeah, I think you have to be reachable. Yes. I mean, unfortunately, sometimes there are just things that happen that you have to be reachable. But I think you also try to set an expectation that the person running your squadron or your wing or your, you know, whatever organization it is, that they understand when those moments are like, “You're not calling me for the small things. You're calling me because something big has happened and it requires my attention.” Col. Naviere Walkewicz 32:11 No, that's perfect. So I'm as I'm thinking about your career, what is probably had been the most maybe rewarding, I'll give you an option, either, like, the most rewarding experience you've had as a leader, or maybe the most challenging, because I think, like, those kind of, you know, two ends of the spectrum really kind of forge us as leaders at times. Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 32:30 Yeah, well, I'll tell you what the most rewarding is, because it's really fun. It's actually, it actually still happens now is, like, the other day, I got a note from one of one of my he was a staff sergeant when he was in my squadron, and he reaches out to me, he says, he's retiring, and could I come to his retirement? And, “Hey, you were the best squadron commander I ever had in my 20-year career.” You know, something like a piece of feedback like that, like I could sustain on that for a really long time, that that and that you made an impact in somebody's life, right? And they remember maybe some of the leadership traits you exemplified and used them themselves in their career. I just think that's like the full professional, complete loop.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 33:15 Wow, what a perfect way to take us here. Because one of the things I like to ask all of my guests on Long Blue Leadership is, What is something you are doing every day to be better? I mean, you talked about, you know, how you kind of lean into, you know, those moments and really celebrate them and be reachable, etc. But I'm curious, what are you doing every day? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 33:32 Yeah, I love this question, actually. So it made me reflect, “Am I doing something every day that will actually continue my own self-improvement?” And I think the answer is yes, but to be honest, right now, it's really focused somewhat inward on my family. Yeah. So I'm at that point in my career where I've spent a lot of time giving to the military, to the service, to whatever objective it was, and so today I am trying to be the best mom that I possibly can every single day. So I'll read a blog, a book, I'll talk to other moms, collaborate with her teachers. I'm really focused on trying to make sure I'm fully present as a mother, since I have the opportunity, because I was a little late to motherhood.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 34:22 Well, I mean, it sounds like a beautiful way to fill your own cup, right? Oh, I love that. Well, the other question we like to ask is, if you could turn back time and talk to your young self, or maybe just if you're thinking about cadets, and those who you know cadet hopeful is coming up and in, in today's day and age, what's something you would tell them to do now in the space they're in so they'll be better set up down the road? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 34:45 Yeah, I would tell them not to self-limit. Like, don't — if you think about something that you want to do in your career, or if you think about an idea that is possible, but maybe you think right now, you know nobody would support it or whatever. Don't self-limit. Like, go after it and be willing to take risks in that career space too. So there's so much that a single airman can do in this service, and there are senior leaders who want airmen who are kind of bold and willing to take risk and really reach their full potential. So yeah, don't self-limit.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 35:26 What does that look like? Like, what does — I mean the idea of saying to myself, “OK, like, I'm just going to be really open to things.” Or, how do you put that into practice?   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 35:33 I think it means, if you want to apply for a program and you're like, “I'm not sure I'm going to get that.” Apply, right? Apply. If you are worried about going to pilot training and washing out, don't be like — go through it again. The system is designed now to really help you get through those programs and those experiences. So don't just, don't rule anything out in your own mind beforeyou know, let somebody else do the ruling out for you. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 36:04 Thank you for, I think, just expanding on that, because, you know, I think we can always look back, we know we're wiser and older now, right? And understand that. But I think actually, you made it so practical, and actually how you really do live that way. Yeah, thank you for that.   Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 36:17 Yeah, absolutely.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 36:18 Oh gosh. Erin, I mean, this has been incredible. Has there been anything in your leadership journey that we haven't talked about that you would really love to share? Because I want to make want to make sure we have that time with you. Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 36:27 Yeah, I mean, you really hit some of the highlights, for sure. I just I've been so lucky to be part of so many great teams along the journey, and it's so interesting to see where you learn the biggest leadership lessons from, my opinion, is it hasn't necessarily been from some of those big successes. It's definitely been from the failures along the way. And so I just, I think seeing failure is that opportunity is really important.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 36:57 We talked about your cadet failure. Was there any other one in your, you know, in your professional career, post-graduation, that you did see? Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 37:04 I mean, I'm sure there were, yeah. I mean, Weapons School itself is a lesson in failing on a you know? One week you're completely failing, the instructors tell you how terrible you're doing, and the next week you're like, crushing it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 37:19 Sounds like basic training a little bit. Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 37:22 A little bit, right? It's definitely emotional. And so, yeah, I just, I think there are lots of examples of “I know I didn't get it exactly right this time, and I'm just going to build on that for next time.”   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 37:36 Oh, gosh. Well, thank you. I one of my favorite things about this time with you, Erin, is how you've navigated your career, but you've done it just even being in this room, like your smile is just effervescent. I have loved being in this room with you. Some of the lessons that I've taken away throughout this entire conversation: being transparent, being human. Just, I've seen it in just the work that we do together here at the Association & Foundation. I'm looking forward to seeing it in, you know, in this role that you're now with, with Merlin Lab, but I know you're going to be successful and the people that will get to work with you will just be thrilled, and will grow from that too. Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 38:10 Yeah, thanks, Naviere. I love what you're doing with the Long Blue Leadership podcast, with all the Association events. I really think you're helping to connect future leaders and current leaders, and I just think that's so important for what we're doing today. So thank you for what you're doing too. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 38:29 Thank you. Well, I just taken it from some of the lessons you were talking about. Meet them where they are, right? So that's what we're doing. Well, I want to thank you all for joining us today on Long Blue Leadership. You know, Erin Staine-Pyne, Class of '98 — she trained me, so you know I'm going to be good — But you know, the lessons permeate no matter where you are in your leadership career. Be human, be transparent, be present and then remember that your career, I think how you said it kind of on these waves. And so, you know, do what you need to do in the moment. You need to do them. And I think as long as you take care of yourself and take care of your people, you're going to be successful. So thank you again for joining us. Col. Erin Staine-Pyne 39:05 Thank you. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 39:06 And thank you for joining us on Long Blue Leadership. Until next time, I'm Naviere Walkewicz.   KEYWORDS Air Force leadership, military leadership lessons, leadership failure, overcoming failure, accountability in leadership, transparency in leadership, empathy in leadership, leading through crisis, leadership during pandemic, mission versus people balance, building strong teams, mentoring airmen, women military leaders, professional development, resilience in leadership.     The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation      

Mobility is the backbone behind any successful military operation, both in peacetime and war. Whether talking about cargo aircraft, aerial refueling tankers,  or the airmen who empower the logistics enterprise, the Air Force provides fundamental elements of this capability to the nation.  Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, Deputy Commander of Air Mobility Command, joins us for a conversation to learn more about current operations and future plans for this critical mission.

What makes a leader worth following? In this episode, retired General Mike Minihan, former commander of Air Mobility Command, shares the leadership philosophy that shaped his 35-year Air Force career, centered on "OLA": Ownership, Leadership, and Attitude.From his early days as a lieutenant to leading 110,000 airmen, General Minihan returns to one powerful truth: credibility starts with doing your job—and doing it well. He also reflects on the 2023 memo that made headlines, how it shaped perceptions, and what it revealed about his leadership style. Through it all, his clarity of purpose and commitment to readiness shine through.Perhaps most striking is his view on "worthiness"—a question he asked himself often: Do I deserve this level of trust? That mindset drove him to lead with both conviction and care.If you're in any kind of leadership role, this conversation is a must-listen. And don't miss part two next week, where we dig into mental health, legacy, and the human side of command.Let's keep the conversation going—connect with me on Instagram and LinkedIn, subscribe to my Sunday newsletter, or reach out at sara@leadintoitco. Excited to be back with you!

Retired General Mike Minihan, former commander of Air Mobility Command and deputy commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, joins Jim and Ray to talk about how America's alarming shortfall in military airlift could affect deterrence and readiness in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.General Minihan describes logistics as "the offensive line of a [American] football team"--rarely getting the glory but essential to success. He emphasizes that mobility is "the most relied upon force in the history of warfare" and particularly crucial in the Indo-Pacific region, where vast distances and water create unique challenges compared to Europe's more accessible infrastructure."Mobility is the meaningful maneuver that can cross the tyranny of distance and the tyranny of water," Minihan explains, highlighting how air mobility enables the joint force to reach positions of advantage in meaningful timeframes.The conversation turns to Minihan's famous 2022 memo warning that the U.S. was "not ready to fight and win inside the first island chain" and needed to prepare for potential conflict by 2025. Despite the controversy it generated, Minihan stands by his assessment, explaining it was intended to drive urgent action and focus his command on Pacific readiness."I don't regret it," Minihan states, though he acknowledges the turbulence it caused. "I learned I was right."Minihan identifies several critical areas requiring immediate attention:Communication Systems: Over 90% of the air mobility fleet lacks adequate secure beyond-line-of-sight communications. Commercial airliners often have better connectivity than military aircraft.Next-Generation Systems: The Air Force needs to conceptualize air refueling and airlift as systems rather than individual platforms, potentially including stealth-like tankers for forward operations and diversified airlift capabilities.Procurement Reform: The current acquisition system is fundamentally broken. "Our major producers of American capabilities can no longer deliver on time, at cost," Minihan asserts.Minihan calls for "bold, unapologetic, urgent action" rather than more studies or reorganizations. He advocates for:Clear, precise language about deterring and defeating China, rather than vague terms like "great power competition"Robust planning focused on immediate readinessStreamlining the acquisition process to work with innovative companies beyond traditional prime contractorsEnsuring the warfighter's voice is the "loudest in the room""We should never put the president in a position where they are constrained by not having a military that's ready to decisively defeat," Minihan emphasizes.To allies in the Indo-Pacific, Minihan offers reassurance that military-to-military relationships remain strong and stable despite political fluctuations. While acknowledging improvements in readiness, integration, and agility, Minihan stresses the need to "continue to expand the advantage" through rigorous exercises and close cooperation with partners and allies.Follow us on X @IndoPacPodcast, LinkedIn, BlueSkySponsored by BowerGroupAsia

The U.S. military has a vested interest in the security of the nation's critical transportation infrastructure. During a conflict, America's adversaries are likely to attack U.S. critical infrastructure in an attempt to constrain Washington's policy options, including its capacity to mobilize the armed forces. Over the past year, the intelligence community has revealed how deeply Chinese hackers known as Volt Typhoon penetrated U.S. transportation, energy, and water systems. Meanwhile, other Chinese Communist Party (CCP) malicious cyber operations, including Flax Typhoon, hijacked cameras and routers. Salt Typhoon burrowed deep into U.S. telecommunications networks; Silk Typhoon compromised U.S. Treasury networks.These hacks have uncovered a dangerous truth: the cybersecurity of the critical air, rail, and maritime infrastructure that underpins U.S. military mobility is insufficient. In addition to enabling disruption, compromising critical infrastructure would allow U.S. adversaries to amass information about the movement of goods and military equipment – and impede America's ability to deploy, supply, and sustain large forces.To explore these themes and more, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies hosts Gen. (Ret.) Mike Minihan, former commander, Air Mobility Command; RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director, FDD's Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation; and Annie Fixler, director and research fellow, FDD's Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. The conversation is moderated by Bradley Bowman, senior director, FDD's Center on Military and Political Power.For more, check out: https://www.fdd.org/events/2025/04/17/persistent-access-persistent-threat-ensuring-military-mobility-against-malicious-cyber-actors/

Sometimes the simplest solutions produce the most significant results. And the U.S. Air Force is close to implementing a very basic feature that could end up saving millions.The C-17 Globemaster III is a flexible aircraft used to carry troops and all types of cargo from point A to point B. It's also a massive plane and not particularly fuel efficient. But a small 3D-printed device could help with that. The Air Force Operational Energy and Air Mobility Command said it's in the final phase of testing for Microvane drag reduction technology, which is a thin blade measuring about 4 x 16 inches, or roughly the size of two Costco hot dogs.When about a dozen Microvanes are glued to the rear of the C-17's exterior, it results in a 1% reduction in drag compared to a C-17 with no Microvanes.

Today's Story: Fuel-Saving Technology

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 through the Air Force Security Police ranks, Command Chief Newman was not only selected to become an elite Air Force Phoenix Raven, but go through the Army's grueling Ranger School returning later as an instructor at Fort Benning! Command Chief Newman shares with us his leadership lessons at the cutting edge of battle from the land, sea, or air. A note of gratitude to all of you as the ‪@MarkHasara‬ YouTube page passed 201k subscribers last night and views of my podcast and shorts are now over 145 million views since we started on 2 February 2024!  Support the Lessons from the Cockpit show by subscribing to the @markhasara YouTube channel or better yet, join my Patreon group at the All Ranks Club. Membership ranges from free to $50 a month. Those of you joining at the Designated Driver ($15) and By The Bar ($50) tiers enjoy virtual Bar Night Live and Q&A sessions via Zoom, your questions go to the top of the list, and each month receive one of ten seven inch stickers, a profile drawing of a famous aircraft you can peel off and stick to any flat surface like a water bottle or laptop. The link to join the All Ranks Club on Patreon is: https://www.patreon.com/lessonsfromthecockpit/gift You can see all ten stickers on the All Ranks Club Discord channel, my daily journal on aviation at: https://discord.com/channels/1285369634329202840/1288163956246057071 If you want to financially support the Lessons from the Cockpit show by just contributing to help keep us going the PayPal link is: https://paypal.me/MRHSolutionsLLC?locale.x=en_US Or on Venmo at https://account.venmo.com/u/Mark-Hasara Thank you for making this channel what it is! I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  

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 through the Air Force Security Police ranks, Command Chief Newman was not only selected to become an elite Air Force Phoenix Raven, but go through the Army's grueling Ranger School returning later as an instructor at Fort Benning! Command Chief Newman shares with us his leadership lessons at the cutting edge of battle from the land, sea, or air. A note of gratitude to all of you as the ‪@MarkHasara‬ YouTube page passed 201k subscribers last night and views of my podcast and shorts are now over 145 million views since we started on 2 February 2024!  Support the Lessons from the Cockpit show by subscribing to the @markhasara YouTube channel or better yet, join my Patreon group at the All Ranks Club. Membership ranges from free to $50 a month. Those of you joining at the Designated Driver ($15) and By The Bar ($50) tiers enjoy virtual Bar Night Live and Q&A sessions via Zoom, your questions go to the top of the list, and each month receive one of ten seven inch stickers, a profile drawing of a famous aircraft you can peel off and stick to any flat surface like a water bottle or laptop. The link to join the All Ranks Club on Patreon is: https://www.patreon.com/lessonsfromthecockpit/gift You can see all ten stickers on the All Ranks Club Discord channel, my daily journal on aviation at: https://discord.com/channels/1285369634329202840/1288163956246057071 If you want to financially support the Lessons from the Cockpit show by just contributing to help keep us going the PayPal link is: https://paypal.me/MRHSolutionsLLC?locale.x=en_US Or on Venmo at https://account.venmo.com/u/Mark-Hasara Thank you for making this channel what it is! I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  

On this edition of the Tinker Talks Podcast, we're joined by the leadership team for Tinker's own 507th Air Refueling Wing, Col. Matthew Ghormley, 507th ARW commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Darren Wiseman, 507th ARW command chief. They spoke about the 507th's mission, vision, priorities, and what it means to be an Okie. The 507th will soon launch their own podcast, be sure to visit their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) to cast your vote for the future name. Voting closes Nov. 8, 2024. The 507th Air Refueling Wing is the largest Air Force Reserve Command flying unit in the state of Oklahoma. The 507th ARW reports to Fourth Air Force and performs daily missions both locally and around the world in support of Air Mobility Command and U.S. Strategic Command's national emergency war order requirements, operating out of Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

Today's Story: Maneuver Battle Management

General Minihan is the Commander of Air Mobility Command. General Minihan is responsible for leading over 100,000 active duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Airmen, and civilians to ensure execution of the air mobility mission for the joint force, allies, and partners.---Scrub Your Info from Data Brokers & Protect Yourself | https://aura.com/afterburn 14-day free trial - No "Gotchas" - Cancel AnytimeRecorded on Riverside.fm https://www.riverside.fm/?via=afterburn----Support The Afterburn Podcast for on Patreon and gain early access and AD Free episodes. Plus access to “There I was…” stories. https://www.patreon.com/theafterburnpodcastJoin our free newsletter for insights into aviation, defense, and geo-politics https://bit.ly/AfterburnNewsletter----Please leave us a review on Apple/Spotify Podcasts:Apple - https://apple.co/3dLradTSpotify - https://spoti.fi/3SAeSUr----Afterburn Podcast Links:Website – https://www.theafterburnpodcast.comPatreon - https://www.patreon.com/theafterburnpodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/rainwaters27/?hl=enOur Sponsors:* Check out Policygenius: www.policygenius.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-afterburn-podcast/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

PREVIEW: PRC: WAR-WARNING: Colleague General Blaine Holt, USAF (ret.) comments on the peril of the deteriorating economy in the PRC, despotic toward its own people and its neighbors. (General Mike Minihan, USAF, Air Mobility Command, has marked 2025 as possible war start). More tonight. 1956 B-36

ROLL CALL A 126TH AIR REFUELING WING PODCAST OF THE ILLINOIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD AT SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE. ROLL CALL …THE PODCAST FOCUSED ON PEOPLE, MISSION, AND COMMUNITY. The 126th Operations Group commander, Col. Jenn Moore, speaks with Master Sgt. Brian Ellison to discuss her journey to the 126th ARW, her time in the Air Mobility Command, and fond memories during her missions. (U.S. Air National Guard podcast episode by Staff Sgt. Aaron Rodriguez and Master Sgt. Brian Ellison) 126 Air Refueling Wing Link Tree https://linktr.ee/126arw Military One Source Tax Prep: https://dvidshub.net/r/dew2al 126th Military Family Readiness NewsLetter: 126arw.afr.mailbox@us.af.mil 126th Air Refueling Wing linktr.ee/126arw Military Family Readiness Newsletter sign up: 126arw.afr.mailbox@us.af.mil Illinois Governor's Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and their Families https://bit.ly/457ZINj 126th Air Refueling Wing linktr.ee/126arw Roll Call Email 126rollcall@gmail.com IF YOU ARE HAVING THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE OR KNOW SOMEONE IN CRISIS CALL The MILITARY CRISIS LINE 988 THAT 988 PRESS 1 …

Today's Story: All-Electric Cargo Flight

Today's Story: Maximum Endurance Operation

Today's Story: Commitment to Air Mobility

General Mike Minihan is the new boss at Air Mobility Command, managing the Department of Defense's global reach at a time of global turmoil. We ask him about AMC's warfighting culture, keeping up with demand, the future of its platforms, and more. And the week's headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!

Join us for another episode of the LNO Fireside Chat, featuring Lt Col Kevin Walton from the 52nd Maintenance Squadron. Stationed in the scenic Eifel region of Germany, Kevin discusses his role as a leader and his efforts to enhance the capabilities of the Air Force while improving the quality of life and effectiveness of our airmen. From his early days working on F-16s to leading strategic innovations at Air Mobility Command, Col Walton's journey highlights the critical impact of embracing change and fostering a culture where every airman's voice can lead to transformative improvements. This episode showcases the importance of innovation in today's unprecedented times.

Defense One's Audrey Decker interviews Gen. David Allvin and Air Mobility Command's Gen. Mike Minihan (at the 32:42 mark). You can also catch all of our 2024 State of Defense interviews on Defense One's YouTube page, here.

Iran's intentions, the implications for other global conflicts, and the necessity of a strategic and supportive American response. In this special episode of The Bulletin, hosts Mike Cosper and editor in chief Russell Moore talk with former Congressman Adam Kinzinger about Iran's missile attack on Israel over the past weekend. Today's Guest: Adam Kinzinger served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Kinzinger originally represented Illinois's 11th congressional district and later Illinois's 16th congressional district. After President Donald Trump was defeated in the 2020 presidential election, Kinzinger became known for his vocal opposition to Trump's claims of voter fraud and attempts to overturn the results. Kinzinger served in the U.S. Air Force, flying missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America, and Guam. He has served in the Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command, and Wisconsin Air National Guard. He is presently a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard and founder of CountryFirst. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Producer: Clarissa Moll and Matt Stevens Associate Producer: McKenzie Hill and Raed Gilliam Editing and Mix: TJ Hester Music: Dan Phelps Show Design: Bryan Todd Graphic Design: Amy Jones Social Media: Kate Lucky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's Story: Accelerating Mobility connectivity

Today's Story: Accelerating Mobility Connectivity

Seth Smith is a retired Army Signal Warrant Officer who served 24 years. The majority of my career was spent at Fort Liberty but there were multiple overseas tours and deployments. Seth married his Command Sergeant Major's daughter almost 30 years ago, and have 4 children and enjoy calling North Carolina home. Jonathan Shores, Ph.D. has spent over half of his life working in higher education and has experience helping over 200 collegiate institutions reach record levels of enrollment, working both with and directly at numerous colleges.  He currently serves as the Chief Enrollment Officer and Executive Vice President at the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky.   Dr. Shores is a proud veteran of the United States Air Force, where he still serves in a reserve component as a Chief Master Sergeant.  In the Air Force he serves as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Air Mobility Command 4-star General at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.  He has been to over 40 countries and has deployed and/or assisted in support of Operation Enduring & Iraqi Freedom, Joint Forge, and Coronet Oak. Wisdom Imparted by Seth Smith --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vets2pm/support

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 overwhelming enemy odds, innovative technique to save two commrades, and airmanship in pulling off a feat which almost got him court martialed. Twenty-two years later an evaluation board awarded him the Silver Star for his efforts to save lives. On this March afternoon, his target was the most heavily defended piece of real estate in enemy territory. This was the first time a large strike package was allowed to bomb this lucrative target. And the enemy knew he and buddies flying in a twenty-seven aircraft US Air Force strike package were coming. This episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show is supported by the book Tanker Pilot, found in all four formats on Amazon. Tanker Pilot is now listed on General Mike Minihan, Commander of Air Mobility Command, Leadership Library reading list. Thirty-two pictures are included in the book, many taken during the events described in the chapters. The hardback, Kindle and Audible versionn havve th epictures in color, the softback in black and white. The Lessons from the Cockpit show is also sponsored by Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. You can choose from 136 Ready-to-Print four, six, and eight foot long graphics prinrted on vinyl you can peel off and stick to any flat surface. Wall Pilot can create your favorite aircraft with your name, tail number and codes, and favorite weapons load by filling out a custom request form. These are very detailed and exhaustively researched aircraft profile graphics which you can read the stenciling on the aircraft and weapons. Go to www.wallpilot.com and order one or two profiles for your home, office, or hanger. This F-4E Phantom II was part of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing based out of Takhli Royal Thai Air base during the Vietnam War and is armed for a Surface-to-Air Missile or SAM suppression mission carry CBU-52 cluster bombs dropped on SAM sites to destroy the missiles and launchers. The F-4Es flew in formation with the F-105F/G Wild Weasels which would locate the SAM radars and control vans. The Rupublic F-105F two seat Thunderchief accomplished many missions during the Vietnam War. One special mission was flying night time air strikes in a role called Ryan Raiders. This aircraft was assigned to the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron and painted in the distinctive Ryan Raider wrap around paint scheme. The paint schem was created by Major Ralph Kuster, Thud Pilot extraordinare and MiG-17 Killer. Russian Mikoyian and Gurevich (MiG) fighter aircraft defended the Thai Nguyen Steel Mill on 10 March 1967. The North Vietnamese Air Force flew early model MiG-21 Fishbed fighters like this example assigned to the famous US Air Force Red Eagle squadron based out of Area 51 near Tonapah Nevada. Thanks for downloading this and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit show found on my website at www.markhasara.com under the Podcast pull-down box. I really do appreciate all of you swinging by and downloading a show or two. We are over 23,000 downloads of the show now! All episode can be downloaded from my website. The Lessons from the Cockpit show will soon be moving to its own home and website after the Christmas Holidays. My family and I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. There will be one more show, maybe two before the end of the year.

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 overwhelming enemy odds, innovative technique to save two commrades, and airmanship in pulling off a feat which almost got him court martialed. Twenty-two years later an evaluation board awarded him the Silver Star for his efforts to save lives. On this March afternoon, his target was the most heavily defended piece of real estate in enemy territory. This was the first time a large strike package was allowed to bomb this lucrative target. And the enemy knew he and buddies flying in a twenty-seven aircraft US Air Force strike package were coming. This episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show is supported by the book Tanker Pilot, found in all four formats on Amazon. Tanker Pilot is now listed on General Mike Minihan, Commander of Air Mobility Command, Leadership Library reading list. Thirty-two pictures are included in the book, many taken during the events described in the chapters. The hardback, Kindle and Audible versionn havve th epictures in color, the softback in black and white. The Lessons from the Cockpit show is also sponsored by Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. You can choose from 136 Ready-to-Print four, six, and eight foot long graphics prinrted on vinyl you can peel off and stick to any flat surface. Wall Pilot can create your favorite aircraft with your name, tail number and codes, and favorite weapons load by filling out a custom request form. These are very detailed and exhaustively researched aircraft profile graphics which you can read the stenciling on the aircraft and weapons. Go to www.wallpilot.com and order one or two profiles for your home, office, or hanger. This F-4E Phantom II was part of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing based out of Takhli Royal Thai Air base during the Vietnam War and is armed for a Surface-to-Air Missile or SAM suppression mission carry CBU-52 cluster bombs dropped on SAM sites to destroy the missiles and launchers. The F-4Es flew in formation with the F-105F/G Wild Weasels which would locate the SAM radars and control vans. The Rupublic F-105F two seat Thunderchief accomplished many missions during the Vietnam War. One special mission was flying night time air strikes in a role called Ryan Raiders. This aircraft was assigned to the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron and painted in the distinctive Ryan Raider wrap around paint scheme. The paint schem was created by Major Ralph Kuster, Thud Pilot extraordinare and MiG-17 Killer. Russian Mikoyian and Gurevich (MiG) fighter aircraft defended the Thai Nguyen Steel Mill on 10 March 1967. The North Vietnamese Air Force flew early model MiG-21 Fishbed fighters like this example assigned to the famous US Air Force Red Eagle squadron based out of Area 51 near Tonapah Nevada. Thanks for downloading this and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit show found on my website at www.markhasara.com under the Podcast pull-down box. I really do appreciate all of you swinging by and downloading a show or two. We are over 23,000 downloads of the show now! All episode can be downloaded from my website. The Lessons from the Cockpit show will soon be moving to its own home and website after the Christmas Holidays. My family and I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. There will be one more show, maybe two before the end of the year.

Join us for Part 2 of "Marine One"  with Robert Darling, a retired US Marine Corps officer. He shares his insights on life, leadership, and service, drawing from his experiences as a Marine One Pilot, including training, handling a Cobra helicopter, and working in the Air Mobility Command. Bob also offers lessons on leadership and the influence of his military career. Join us for his powerful stories and reflections.Support the showemail us at- bluegrit@tmpa.org

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 Airlift Tanker Association 2023 Symposium at the Gaylord Texan resort in Grapevine Texas. The A/TA Convention aero and cyberspace Industry Exposition was fantastic and I wanted to mention a few things I experienced while walking the Industry Floor... like the Remote Vision System 2.0 now being retrofitted in the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tanker. General Mike Minihan, commander of Air Moility Command gavve an incredile speech on the status of the Mobility Air Forces or MAF. Did you know airlifters now have the capaility to become strike aircraft with new palletized weapons systems? The Lessons from the Cockpit show is supported by the ook Tanker Pilot, now on Genneral Mike Minihan's Leadership Library reading list. Tanker Pilot gives you a behind the scenes look at the planning and execution of air refueling operations during four wars and numerous other global evvents. Thirty-two pictures taken are included, taken during the events descibed in the book. Our show is also supported by Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. There are 138 Ready-to-Print extremely detailed and exhaustively researched aircraft profiles of famous aircraft from World War II to modern fifth generation fighters and bombers. Wall Pilot creates custom aircraft profile drawings of your favorite aircraft with your name, tail number, flying unit, and weapons load in four, six, and eight foot long vinyl prints you can peel off and stick on any flat purpose. One of the aircraft profiles auctioned off for the A/TA Scholarship fund was this 60th Air Mobility Wing KC-10A Extender from Travis Air Force Base. Aircrews, maintainers, and loaders signed a copy of this print for auction which was sold to a collector of custom aviation art. The other aircraft profile auctioned off for the A/TA Scholarship fund was the 437th Airlift Wing C-17A Globemaster III named "Spirit of the Candy Bomber" in memorial of Colonel Gail Halvorsen, the Berlin Candy Bomber who passed away at the age of 101 last year. General Mike Minihan attended the memorial service for Colonel Halvorsen last summer to rename C-17A tail 87-7178 "Spirit of the Candy Bomber". General Mike Minihan was the previous commander of the 19th Airlift Wing located at Little Rock Air Force Base Arkansas. This C-130J is assigned to the Air Force Reserve Component based at Little Rock AFB. The best assignement of my Air Force career was flying with the 909th Air Refueling Squadron out of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Japan. The 909th flew both KC-135A and -135R Models while I was assigned to the unit for five years in 1990 through 1995. Attending Tailhook 23 this past August I brought this F-14D Tomcat print of BANDWAGON 101, the VF-31 Squadron Skipper Commander Paul Haas personal jet he flew during Operation Iraqi Freedom's Shock and Awe air campaign. My very good friend Captain Steve "Moose" Laukaitis was the Deputy Carrier Air Wing Commander of CAG Eight during the Shock and Awe air campaign and this was the VFA-87 War Party F-18C+ Hornet in his Air Wing on USS Theodore Roosevelt. Thanks for downloading and listening to this and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit show, found on my webbsite at www.markhasara.com

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 Airlift Tanker Association 2023 Symposium at the Gaylord Texan resort in Grapevine Texas. The A/TA Convention aero and cyberspace Industry Exposition was fantastic and I wanted to mention a few things I experienced while walking the Industry Floor... like the Remote Vision System 2.0 now being retrofitted in the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tanker. General Mike Minihan, commander of Air Moility Command gavve an incredile speech on the status of the Mobility Air Forces or MAF. Did you know airlifters now have the capaility to become strike aircraft with new palletized weapons systems? The Lessons from the Cockpit show is supported by the ook Tanker Pilot, now on Genneral Mike Minihan's Leadership Library reading list. Tanker Pilot gives you a behind the scenes look at the planning and execution of air refueling operations during four wars and numerous other global evvents. Thirty-two pictures taken are included, taken during the events descibed in the book. Our show is also supported by Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. There are 138 Ready-to-Print extremely detailed and exhaustively researched aircraft profiles of famous aircraft from World War II to modern fifth generation fighters and bombers. Wall Pilot creates custom aircraft profile drawings of your favorite aircraft with your name, tail number, flying unit, and weapons load in four, six, and eight foot long vinyl prints you can peel off and stick on any flat purpose. One of the aircraft profiles auctioned off for the A/TA Scholarship fund was this 60th Air Mobility Wing KC-10A Extender from Travis Air Force Base. Aircrews, maintainers, and loaders signed a copy of this print for auction which was sold to a collector of custom aviation art. The other aircraft profile auctioned off for the A/TA Scholarship fund was the 437th Airlift Wing C-17A Globemaster III named "Spirit of the Candy Bomber" in memorial of Colonel Gail Halvorsen, the Berlin Candy Bomber who passed away at the age of 101 last year. General Mike Minihan attended the memorial service for Colonel Halvorsen last summer to rename C-17A tail 87-7178 "Spirit of the Candy Bomber". General Mike Minihan was the previous commander of the 19th Airlift Wing located at Little Rock Air Force Base Arkansas. This C-130J is assigned to the Air Force Reserve Component based at Little Rock AFB. The best assignement of my Air Force career was flying with the 909th Air Refueling Squadron out of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Japan. The 909th flew both KC-135A and -135R Models while I was assigned to the unit for five years in 1990 through 1995. Attending Tailhook 23 this past August I brought this F-14D Tomcat print of BANDWAGON 101, the VF-31 Squadron Skipper Commander Paul Haas personal jet he flew during Operation Iraqi Freedom's Shock and Awe air campaign. My very good friend Captain Steve "Moose" Laukaitis was the Deputy Carrier Air Wing Commander of CAG Eight during the Shock and Awe air campaign and this was the VFA-87 War Party F-18C+ Hornet in his Air Wing on USS Theodore Roosevelt. Thanks for downloading and listening to this and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit show, found on my webbsite at www.markhasara.com

Join us on an inspiring journey with Robert Darling, a retired US Marine Corps officer. He shares his insights on life, leadership, and service, drawing from his experiences as a Marine One Pilot, including training, handling a Cobra helicopter, and working in the Air Mobility Command. Bob also offers lessons on leadership and the influence of his military career. Join us for his powerful stories and reflections.Restorers: A Water Street PodcastOver these short episodes, we will be introducing you to the heroes who are working in...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showemail us at- bluegrit@tmpa.org

Explore the pivotal role of aviation in the Vietnam War alongside former USAF Chief of Staff General Ron R. Fogleman (Ret).Join us as we talk with Ron Fogleman, who takes us along his personal journey to becoming Chief of Staff and helps us uncover the strategic importance of aircraft during the Vietnam War. Ron has over 8,500 hours of flight time, including 315 combat missions where he logged 806 hours. During one of those missions, he was shot down while flying the F-100 Super Sabre and was rescued by clinging to the side of an AH-1 Cobra. Ron retired as Chief of Staff in 1997, after 34 years in the Air Force. He shares with us his pathway to becoming Chief of Staff, lessons he's learned from the cockpit, and insight about aviation during the Vietnam War. THIS is going to be cool!Key Takeaways: General Ron Fogleman served for 34 years before retirement, holding positions such as Fighter Pilot, Commander of the Air Mobility Command, Deputy Commander in Chief, Chief of Staff, and more. Ron graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1963, and later became the first graduate to advance to Air Force Chief of Staff. Ron flew the F-100 Super Sabre in Vietnam as a Misty Forward Air Controller (FAC). Forward Air Controllers during the war acted as close air support for troops on the ground, helping with aerial defense, rescues, patrols, and more. Vietnam was the first war where helicopters played a pivotal role. The AH-1 Cobra was invented during this time, and was one of the first gunships to be used in Vietnam. Other helicopters acted as troop transport, medical evacuation, and more. Ron was shot down while flying a mission in his F-100. He was rescued by an AH-1 Cobra by clinging to the side of the helicopter. At the time, the Cobra was prohibited from landing anywhere in enemy territory. Luckily, the pilots did not face any disciplinary action for their heroism. As Chief of Staff in 1995, Ron created the Air Force Core Values, “Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do.” These values are still in use today. From 1974-1975, Ron was stationed at Lowry Air Force base. The same hangar our museum uses today! Resources: Ron Fogleman | National Air and Space Museum  Ron Fogleman Air Force Bio  Ron Fogleman Wiki  Forward Air Controllers (FAC) 

Today's Story: Mobility Guardian Kicksoff

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 Biplane to another DH-4B Biplane flown by Captain Lowell Smith and 1Lt John Richter over Rockwell Field on North Island near San Diego California. 1Lt Virgil Hine and 1Lt Frank Siefert flew the DH-4B tanker which John Richter had reconfigured with a 40-foot hose. Air Mobility Command celebrated the centennial of air refueling with Operation Centennial Contact, KC-10, KC-46, and KC-135 tankers flying over all fifty states passing gas to receivers. This episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast is supported by Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. Over one hundred sixty extremely detailed Ready-to-Print aircraft profiles are available in four, six, and eight-foot-long graphics, reproduced on vinyl you can peel off and stick t any flat surface. Wall Pilot will also create your favorite airplanes in custom profiles with your name, unit, tail codes, and weapons load. Wall Pilot even did a thirty-footer for one customer. Go to www.wallpilot.com and purchase one or two of these incredible prints. The KB-50 tanker was Tactical Air Command's front-line tanker for many years. A 420th Air Refueling Squadron KB-50J stationed in the United Kingdom. The 909th Air Refueling Squadron has been stationed on the island of Okinawa for decades, flying the KC-135A and upgraded in 1991 to the KC-135R Model. The Young Tiger Tanker Task Force flew missions supporting air operations over North Vietnam. KC-10A Extender has flown with the 60th Air Mobility Wing from Travis Air Force Base since the mid-1980s after moving from March Field in southern California. This KC-10A was assigned to the 9th Air Refueling Squadron and is available in the Ready-to-Print section of Wall Pilot's website. The United Kingdom's Royal Air Force purchased the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport as has many other nations. This A330 Voyager MRTT flies with the RAF's 10 Squadron out of RAF Brize-Norton airfield. Thanks for downloading and listening to this and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, which can be found on my website at www.markhasara.com under the PODCAST pull-down menu.  

Today's Story: 100 Years of Excellence

Air Mobility Command, or AMC, is the United States Air Force's logistical and tactical backbone. AMC's mission is to provide the nation's warfighting forces the ability and capability to be anywhere in the world on a moment's notice.General Mike Minihan, a C-130 pilot by trade, sits down with Peaches to talks about the most important things he focuses on from his perspective as the Commander. Gen Minihan shows he cares about the Airmen under his command, from his dedication to mental health and his Warrior Heart project to the future fight. Thank you to Gen Minihan for his willingness to sit down with us and help us all learn about AMC and the astounding feats they've accomplished under his leadership! 00:00 Peaches looking GREAT on the intro00:55 Gen Minihans background and "nobody is harder on me than I am"06:30 Warrior Heart14:30 High-performing teams and training for the future fight 30:15 Accelerating the Legacy and the Historically Black Colleges and University Tour34:10 Advice Collabs:18A Fitness - Promo Code: 1ReadyAlpha Brew Coffee Company - Promo Code: ONESREADYATAC Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY10CardoMax - Promo Code: ONESREADYEberlestock - Promo Code: OR10Hoist - Promo Code: ONESREADYStrike Force Energy - Promo Code: ONESREADYTrench Coffee Company - Promo Code: ONESREADYGrey Man Gear - Promo Code: ONESREADY The content provided is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The host, guests, and affiliated entities do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided. The use of this podcast does not create an attorney-client relationship, and the podcast is not liable for any damages resulting from its use. Any mention of products or individuals does not constitute an endorsement. All content is protected by intellectual property laws. By accessing or using this you agree to these terms and conditions.

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 Headquarters assignment to a location all of us in the Young Tiger Tanker Squadron laughed at because they had absolute control over all air mobility operations around the world except us at the 909th! This assignment became one of those tremendous learning experiences of my Air Force career. I left this assignment feeling bulletproof in my knowledge and capabilities. This assignment gave me additional experience and expertise needed to help in my next assignment working with a great team creating and standing up the KC-135 Weapons School in the fall of 1997.  The Lessons from the Cockpit podcast is supported and financed by the book Tanker Pilot found in all four formats, hardback, softback, Kindle, and Audible on Amazon. Tanker Pilot gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at air refueling operations in four wars and numerous air operations. Thirty-two pictures taken during the operations discussed in the book are included. All pictures in the softback version are in black and white, and color in the other three. Lessons from the Cockpit is also financed by Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. Profile graphics of aircraft printed four, six, and eight feet long on vinyl can be peeled off and stuck on any flat surface. There are 129 Ready-to-Print aircraft profiles extensively researched and very detailed available on the website. Wall Pilot can create your name, tail codes and numbers, and weapons load on your favorite aircraft/ Take a look at some of the custom profiles Wall Pioot has done for customer hangers, one thirty feet long! Please go to www.wallpilot.com and purchase one or two of these incredible graphics for your walls. For over twenty-four years I flew the KC-135 Stratotanker available as a Ready-to-Print graphic. A 909th Young Tiger Tanker Task Force KC-135R Model in the old SHAMU scheme or current Air Mobility Command Grey can be found at these links. The KC-10 Extender acts as both a tanker and airlifter flying support missions all over the world. KC-10A Extender profiles from Travis AFB and McGuire AFB are available at these links. In the summer of 2022, Air Mobility Command christened a Charleston AFB South Carolina C-17A Globemaster III "Spirit of the Candy Bomber" in memorium to Colonel Gail Halvorsen, the famous Beling Airlift Candy Bomber. Little Rock AFB is the Center of Excellence for Air Mobility Commands Tactical Airlift fleet. A C-130J or Arkansas Air Nationa Guard C-130H from Little Rock AFB is available in Wall Pilot's Ready-to-Print section.  Thanks for downloading and listening to this episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! This and previous episodes of the podcast can be found on my website at markhasara.com. If you have an hour or so during a morning or afternoon commute while stuck in traffic, the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast has some great stories and lessons learned for you to listen to!  

This edition features stories about Air Mobility Command bases incorporating new aircraft-engine wash systems that are better for aircraft and the environment, a new decoy system designed to help save pilots lives, a winter sports clinic held to give injured veterans more hope, changes to the Rotator Flight that flies service members from Japan to the U.S., and a nurse-training program designed to improve health care by producing more nurses in Afghanistan. Hosted by Tech Sgt. Lee Hoover.

This edition features stories on the new Air Mobility Command commander, expanding Afghan medical care, Thanksgiving nutrition. Hosted by Senior Airman Brad Sisson.

Join Carlos, Matt, Armando and Nick Codling for this week's episode. In this week's show we have more unruly behaviour in the skies and Carlos breaks down the REAL costs of learning to fly in the UK.   Armando brings us some sad news about the Reno Air Races.  In the military, the new AC-130 Gunship unleashes hell on a Korean island and the US Air Force's mobility and transport fleet go incognito!  Don't forget you can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +44 757 22 491 66 Email podcast@planetalkinguk.com or comment in our chatroom on YouTube. Here are some of the links to the stories we featured this week : COMMERCIAL New budget airline coming soon to Glasgow International Airport https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/23369354.new-budget-airline-coming-soon-glasgow-international-airport/ Chaos erupts on airline flight after passenger tries to open door midflight https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2023/03/chaos-erupts-on-airline-flight-after-passenger-tries-to-open-door-midflight.html Airline introduces paper plates in premium class and passengers are absolutely livid https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/asia-middle-east/airline-introduces-paper-plates-premium-29415062 London City Airport is scrapping the 100ml liquids rule in time for the Easter holidays https://www.cntraveller.com/article/london-city-airport-scraps-100ml-liquids-rule Loganair pilot Rachel Gilmour flying flag for female pilots https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/23370156.loganair-pilot-rachel-gilmour-flying-flag-female-pilots/ Lufthansa indicates the Airbus A380 has no long-term future at the airline https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/lufthansa-indicates-the-airbus-a380-has-no-long-term-future-at-the-airline How much it really costs to learn to fly aeroplanes https://flyer.co.uk/feature/how-much-does-a-private-pilots-licence-cost/ Best long haul flight essentials, from neck pillows to earplugs https://www.standard.co.uk/shopping/esbest/gadgets-tech/gadgets-accessories/best-long-haul-flight-essentials-b1065332.html MILITARY AC-130J Gunship Unleashes Hell On South Korean Island https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ac-130-ghostrider-gunship-unleashes-hell-on-south-korean-island Air Mobility Command's Fleet Of Tankers, Cargo Planes Go Incognito https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/air-mobility-commands-fleet-of-tankers-cargo-planes-go-incognito

Continued talk on a war with China prediction.  Four-star U.S. Air Force General Mike Minihan said in a memo that his gut told him the United States would fight China in the next two years, comments that Pentagon officials said were not consistent with American military assessments. "I hope I am wrong," General Minihan, who heads the Air Mobility Command, wrote to the leadership of its roughly 110,000 members. "My gut tells me will fight in 2025." As Congress prepares to vote on a nationwide TikTok ban next month, it looks like that ban may already be doomed to fail. The biggest hurdle likely won't be mustering enough votes, but drafting a ban that doesn't conflict with measures passed in the 1980s to protect the flow of ideas from hostile foreign nations during the Cold War.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of the DefAero Report Daily Podcast, sponsored by Bell, Chris Servello, our producer who is a retired Navy public affairs officer and co-founder of the Provision Advisors PR firm, discusses lessons in the wake of the controversy caused by a draft email by Gen. Mike Minihan, the commander of the Air Mobility Command, urging his force to improve its warfighting focus, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses discusses the latest on Russia's war on Ukraine including new Marker UGV as well as Israel's drone attacks on Iran; Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm firm Capital Alpha Partners with a look at the week ahead; and Laura Winter, the host of The Downlink, our space podcast, discusses the global great power game on ground stations with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

Gen. Mike Minihan will be the first to tell you: The United States loses a staggering number of veterans or servicemembers to suicide every month. Indeed, a 2021 report pegged the number at 30,177 suicides among military personnel and veterans since 9/11. That's about 127 a month. And it's more than have died in military operations in that time—by a lot.As Minihan put it, traditional approaches tend not to “crack the code” on the problem. One day at a leadership workshop, a retired chief master sergeant approached Minihan, commander of the US Air Force's Air Mobility Command, issued a challenge to the general. If you want to make a difference, make a mental health appointment. Put it on your calendar.Minihan was in the Pentagon on 9/11. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He's ridden in military Humvees carrying human remains, watched body bags being loaded into planes, comforted grieving servicemen and women, and commanded airmen in combat zones.But when he made that appointment, when he put it on his calendar, when he shared a picture of that calendar entry on Twitter, “It started the most terrifying three days for me.” How would it be received? Would it make a difference? “I'd rather fly into Baghdad.”“Warrior heart,” the tweet read. “No stigma.”In this episode, we look at the place well-being, mindfulness and mental health play in the workplace and what one leader did in one of the most traditionally hard-boiled institutions in the country, the US military. Minihan has no illusions that his statement will revolutionize attitudes, only that it's a step toward normalizing attitudes about mental health.RELATED LINKSSuicide Prevention Lifeline. In the United States, simply call 988. More information. Visit here for international resources.CHADS Coalition. Communities Healing Adolescent Depression and SuicideMilitary Crisis Line. Free, confidential resource for service members and veterans.Gen. Minihan's tweet. "Warrior heart, no stigma"USO story. "Military Suicide Rates Are at an All-Time High; Here's How We're Trying to Help"Military suicide research. Paper by scholars from Brown University and Boston UniversityTask & Purpose coverage. Publication covering military issues tells Minihan's storyMinihan bio. On the US Air Force websiteErik Dane. His background and access to his CVCREDITSThis podcast is a production of Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. Contributors include:Katie Wools, Cathy Myrick, Judy Milanovits and Lesley Liesman, creative assistanceJill Young Miller, fact checking and creative assistanceHayden Molinarolo, original music and sound designMike Martin Media, editingSophia Passantino, social mediaLexie O'Brien and Erik Buschardt, website supportPaula Crews, creative vision and strategic supportSpecial thanks to Ray Irving and his team at WashU Olin's Center for Digital Education, including our audio engineer, Austin Alred.

Today's Story: Combat without a Copilot

In this episode, Jobie Turner and Matt take a deep dive into the history of military logistics. Jobie is the author of Feeding Victory, Innovative Military Logistics from Lake George to Khe Sanh. Jobie Turner is a retired Colonel who served in the United States Air Force from 1996 to 2020. He received his commission and Bachelor of Science as a distinguished graduate from the United States Air Force Academy in 1996. He has served in a variety of operational and staff assignments at Air Mobility Command, United States Air Forces in Europe, United States Transportation Command, and the Headquarters United States Air Force at the Pentagon. These tours included participation in Operations NOBLE EAGLE, JOINT FORGE, IRAQI FREEDOM, ATLANTIC RESOLVE, and UNITED ASSISTANCE. ‍ He served as the commander of the 37th Airlift Squadron and the 314th Operations Group, leading those C-130 flying units to numerous awards including a finalist selection for the best flying unit in the United States Air Force.

Today's Story: Ready for the World

Colonel Jason J. Glynn is the commander of the 375th Mission Support Group, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., leading five squadrons totaling over 1,500 personnel. The group provides base support services to an installation workforce of over 13,000 personnel and 36 tenant units, including United States Transportation Command, Air Mobility Command, Military Surface Deployment and... The post Jason Glynn's Definition of Success Comes From His Military Experience “Success is Accomplishing the Goal” appeared first on The Circuit of Success with Brett Gilliland.

Today's Story: Refueling the Joint Force

Today's Story: Spirit of the Candy Bomber

Today's Story: A Record Setting Flight

Today's Story: Space-A Travel is Back