Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired Lt. Col. James Russell 'Rusty' O'Brien, our first guest from the U.S. Air Force.In the third episode about Rusty's career, we talk about his first assignment after Naval Postgraduate School as Chief of the Andean Pol- Mil Division and Director of the Latin American Counterdrug Task Force in SOUTHCOM. About Rusty:James Russell 'Rusty' O’Brien grew up in Long Island, New York and attended Uniondale High School then Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. He was selected to F&M Sports Hall of Fame in Football and Lacrosse.Rusty entered the Air Force with his first operational assignment in the EC-121 with deployments to Iceland and Korat AB Thailand. He flew in Linebacker II, the bombing of Hanoi in Dec. 1972. He transitioned to F-4E and flew air superiority missions at Osan AB Korea and Clark AB in the Philippines, followed by an assignment to the F-111 at RAF Lakenheath, England, serving as chief of squadron weapons and tactics in the 494TFS and flight commander in the 495TFS.Next, Rusty was a weapons and tactics officer and Chief of the Targeting Cell at USCENTAF, developing new tactics for Southwest Asia while keeping currency in the F-111D and flying other US and allied fighters assigned to CENTAF. He attended Naval Postgraduate School with follow on assignment to US Southern Command in Panama where he was Chief of the Andean Pol- Mil Division and was Director of the Latin American Counterdrug Task Force. Rusty returned to the 48 TFW at Lakenheath (Nov 89) as 492TFS Operations Officer, deployed in the first increment to Desert Shield as Chief of 48TFW Combat Planning where he coordinated F-111 tasking and targeting with the Top Secret "Black Hole" in Riyadh. Rusty was then appointed as commander of 495TFS and flew in Desert Storm.After deactivating the 495th in 1992 he became Deputy Director of Operations at 3rd Air Force and served in Turkey as Director of Allied Operations (J-3) for Operation Provide Comfort and the Northern Iraq No Fly Zone His last assignments were in the Pentagon as Chief of the AF Roles and Missions Group and Chief of Air Force Deep Strike Group, retiring in Feb 1998. After active duty continued to support Air Force, Joint Staff and OSD as VP of a defense contractor and then as Senior Advisor to the Director of Missile Defense Agency.He is currently playing for various Lacrosse teams across the country, is captain of his Fredericksburg, Va team, and runs Lacrosse tournaments in Central Va.Rusty also leads an effort to restore lost F-111 history at the 48 TFW in England. About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast.

Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired Lt. Col. James Russell 'Rusty' O'Brien, our first guest from the U.S. Air Force.In the second episode about Rusty's career, we talk about his transition to the F-111 and his work to develop laser targeting tactics that would benefit ground forces and the airborne personnel supporting them.About Rusty:James Russell 'Rusty' O’Brien grew up in Long Island, New York and attended Uniondale High School then Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. He was selected to F&M Sports Hall of Fame in Football and Lacrosse.Rusty entered the Air Force with his first operational assignment in the EC-121 with deployments to Iceland and Korat AB Thailand. He flew in Linebacker II, the bombing of Hanoi in Dec. 1972. He transitioned to F-4E and flew air superiority missions at Osan AB Korea and Clark AB in the Philippines, followed by an assignment to the F-111 at RAF Lakenheath, England, serving as chief of squadron weapons and tactics in the 494TFS and flight commander in the 495TFS.Next, Rusty was a weapons and tactics officer and Chief of the Targeting Cell at USCENTAF, developing new tactics for Southwest Asia while keeping currency in the F-111D and flying other US and allied fighters assigned to CENTAF. He attended Naval Postgraduate School with follow on assignment to US Southern Command in Panama where he was Chief of the Andean Pol- Mil Division and was Director of the Latin American Counterdrug Task Force. Rusty returned to the 48 TFW at Lakenheath (Nov 89) as 492TFS Operations Officer, deployed in the first increment to Desert Shield as Chief of 48TFW Combat Planning where he coordinated F-111 tasking and targeting with the Top Secret "Black Hole" in Riyadh. Rusty was then appointed as commander of 495TFS and flew in Desert Storm.After deactivating the 495th in 1992 he became Deputy Director of Operations at 3rd Air Force and served in Turkey as Director of Allied Operations (J-3) for Operation Provide Comfort and the Northern Iraq No Fly Zone His last assignments were in the Pentagon as Chief of the AF Roles and Missions Group and Chief of Air Force Deep Strike Group, retiring in Feb 1998. After active duty continued to support Air Force, Joint Staff and OSD as VP of a defense contractor and then as Senior Advisor to the Director of Missile Defense Agency.He is currently playing for various Lacrosse teams across the country, is captain of his Fredericksburg, Va team, and runs Lacrosse tournaments in Central Va.Rusty also leads an effort to restore lost F-111 history at the 48 TFW in England. About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast.

Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired Lt. Col. James Russell 'Rusty' O'Brien, our first guest from the U.S. Air Force.

In the first episode about Rusty's career, we talk about his motivation to fly, his first assignment in the EC-121, and the lessons he learned while participating in the Vietnam War, including Linebacker II.

We also talk about Rusty's transition to the F-4, and his deployment at Osan Air Base in Korea.About Rusty:James Russell 'Rusty' O’Brien grew up in Long Island, New York and attended Uniondale High School then Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. He was selected to F&M Sports Hall of Fame in Football and Lacrosse.

Rusty entered the Air Force with his first operational assignment in the EC-121 with deployments to Iceland and Korat AB Thailand. He flew in Linebacker II, the bombing of Hanoi in Dec. 1972. He transitioned to F-4E and flew air superiority missions at Osan AB Korea and Clark AB in the Philippines, followed by an assignment to the F-111 at RAF Lakenheath, England, serving as chief of squadron weapons and tactics in the 494TFS and flight commander in the 495TFS.

Next, Rusty was a weapons and tactics officer and Chief of the Targeting Cell at USCENTAF, developing new tactics for Southwest Asia while keeping currency in the F-111D and flying other US and allied fighters assigned to CENTAF. He attended Naval Postgraduate School with follow on assignment to US Southern Command in Panama where he was Chief of the Andean Pol- Mil Division and was Director of the Latin American Counterdrug Task Force. Returned to the 48 TFW at Lakenheath (Nov 89) as 492TFS Operations Officer, deployed in the first increment to Desert Shield as Chief of 48TFW Combat Planning where he coordinated F-111 tasking and targeting with the Top Secret "Black Hole" in Riyadh. Rusty was then appointed as commander of 495TFS and flew in Desert Storm.After deactivating the 495th in 1992 he became Deputy Director of Operations at 3rd Air Force and served in Turkey as Director of Allied Operations (J-3) for Operation Provide Comfort and the Northern Iraq No Fly Zone His last assignments were in the Pentagon as Chief of the AF Roles and Missions Group and Chief of Air Force Deep Strike Group, retiring in Feb 1998. After active duty continued to support Air Force, Joint Staff and OSD as VP of a defense contractor and then as Senior Advisor to the Director of Missile Defense Agency.He is currently playing for various Lacrosse teams across the country, is captain of his Fredericksburg, Va team, and runs Lacrosse tournaments in Central Va.Rusty also leads an effort to restore lost F-111 history at the 48 TFW in England. About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast.

Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired Commander Chip 'Biff' King, who accumulated over 5,750 tactical jet aircraft flight hours in his career, including 3,500 hours in the F-14 Tomcat, as well as 969 arrested landings. In the fourth and final episode about Biff's naval career, we focus on his final stint at the Pentagon and his decision to transition to a civilian career. Biff recalls many of the great aviators he knew who lost their lives in the jet, and the lessons that his aviation career imparted on his life.About Biff:Commander Chip 'Biff' King is a Washington, D.C. native and a graduate of Randolph Macon College. He received his commission in the U.S. Navy through AOCS and was designated a Naval aviator in January 1984.Commander King had tours with VF-84, VF-45, VF-142, and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9, and served as a Congressional liaison before being XO/CO of VF-213. His decorations and awards include Bronze Star with Combat “V”, three Meritorious Service Medals, Individual Air Medal with Combat “V”, four Strike Flight Air Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals with Combat “V”, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, four Battle Efficiency Awards, numerous Armed Forces and Unit Commendation Medals and various unit, service and campaign awards. About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast.

Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired Commander Chip 'Biff' King, who accumulated over 5,750 tactical jet aircraft flight hours in his career, including 3,500 hours in the F-14 Tomcat, as well as 969 arrested landings. In the third of four episodes about Biff's naval career, we focus on his time at VF-213 as XO and CO, to include his storied ride with Sports Illustrated writer Rick 'Two Bags' Reilly and the 400,000 lbs of ordnance his squadron dropped over Afghanistan to support the ODAs working to push back the Taliban between October and December 2001.Find Rick Reilly's story about his ride with Biff here: https://dickmartin.wordpress.com/pilot-jokes-archive/two-bags/About Biff:Commander Chip 'Biff' King is a Washington, D.C. native and a graduate of Randolph Macon College. He received his commission in the U.S. Navy through AOCS and was designated a Naval aviator in January 1984.Commander King had tours with VF-84, VF-45, VF-142, and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9, and served as a Congressional liaison before being XO/CO of VF-213. His decorations and awards include Bronze Star with Combat “V”, three Meritorious Service Medals, Individual Air Medal with Combat “V”, four Strike Flight Air Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals with Combat “V”, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, four Battle Efficiency Awards, numerous Armed Forces and Unit Commendation Medals and various unit, service and campaign awards. About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast.

Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired Commander Chip 'Biff' King, who accumulated over 5,750 tactical jet aircraft flight hours in his career, including 3,500 hours in the F-14 Tomcat, as well as 969 arrested landings. In the second of four episodes about Biff's naval career, we focus on his return to two-seat fighters with VF-142 after his time in VF-45. We also discuss his brief tour as a Congressional aide.About Biff:Commander Chip 'Biff' King is a Washington, D.C. native and a graduate of Randolph Macon College. He received his commission in the U.S. Navy through AOCS and was designated a Naval aviator in January 1984.Commander King had tours with VF-84, VF-45, VF-142, and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9, and served as a Congressional liaison before being XO/CO of VF-213. His decorations and awards include Bronze Star with Combat “V”, three Meritorious Service Medals, Individual Air Medal with Combat “V”, four Strike Flight Air Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals with Combat “V”, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, four Battle Efficiency Awards, numerous Armed Forces and Unit Commendation Medals and various unit, service and campaign awards. About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast.

Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired Commander Chip 'Biff' King, who accumulated over 5,750 tactical jet aircraft flight hours in his career, including 3,500 hours in the F-14 Tomcat, as well as 969 arrested landings. In the first episode about Biff's naval career, we focus on his training years and tour at VF-84, and his decision to head to VF-45 for instructor duty as an adversary pilot.About Biff:Commander Chip 'Biff' King is a Washington, D.C. native and a graduate of Randolph Macon College. He received his commission in the U.S. Navy through AOCS and was designated a Naval aviator in January 1984.Commander King had tours with VF-84, VF-45, VF-142, and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9, and served as a Congressional liaison before being XO/CO of VF-213. His decorations and awards include Bronze Star with Combat “V”, three Meritorious Service Medals, Individual Air Medal with Combat “V”, four Strike Flight Air Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals with Combat “V”, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, four Battle Efficiency Awards, numerous Armed Forces and Unit Commendation Medals and various unit, service and campaign awards. About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast.

Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired Commander Jim 'Puck' Howe, whose distinguished aviation career included over 3,800 flying hours in the F-14 Tomcat and F-18 Hornet.In the final episodes about his time flying for the Navy, Puck talks about getting selected for command and going to VF-31 as the F-14 Tomcat was being transitioned out of service. We talk about the O-Club's place in fighter culture, and about Puck's love of Hallmark Christmas movies.

About Puck:Commander Howe was born in Grove City, PA. He graduatedfrom the United States Naval Academy in 1989, earning his B.S. in General Engineering. After selecting Tomcats following flight school, CDR Howe flew with VF-32, VF-101, VF-2, SFWSL, and VF/A-31.He is a graduate of the Strike Fighters Tactics Instructor (TOPGUN) course taught at the Naval Strike and Aviation Warfare Center (NSAWC), as well as the Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course taught at Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron ONE (MAWTS-1).About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast.