Best Mark Hasara Podcasts (2024)

1
Fixed Base Operations with Jamie McCarthy 1:36:29

2h ago1:36:29

1:36:29

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

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

8d ago50:15

50:15

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

1
Busting SAMs by Iron Hand with Captain Bo Smith 53:14

28d ago53:14

53:14

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

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

1M ago1:11:15

1:11:15

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

1
Lessons Learned with TC Cappelletti 1:48:23

2M ago1:48:23

1:48:23

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

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

3M ago1:20:56

1:20:56

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

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

4M ago48:52

48:52

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

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

5M ago1:37:33

1:37:33

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

1
Airlift Tanker Association 2023 Report 1:16:36

5M ago1:16:36

1:16:36

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

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

6M ago1:56:36

1:56:36

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

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

7M ago1:16:35

1:16:35

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

1
Tailhook 23 Report 1:22:10

8M ago1:22:10

1:22:10

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

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

8M ago1:09:06

1:09:06

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

1
Shock and Awe Tanker Shortfalls 1:54:32

9M ago1:54:32

1:54:32

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

1
Sluggo's Current Reading List 49:29

9M ago49:29

49:29

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

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

9M ago1:39:16

1:39:16

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

1
Centennial of Air Refueling 48:02

10M ago48:02

48:02

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

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

10M ago1:32:38

1:32:38

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

1
Desert Storm Tanker Lessons Learned 1:10:35

11M ago1:10:35

1:10:35

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

1
DoD Budget and Retiring Aircraft 1:03:14

12M ago1:03:14

1:03:14

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

1
Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations 58:50

12M ago58:50

58:50

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

1
Pentagon Papers 2.0 58:22

1y ago58:22

58:22

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

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

1y ago1:26:28

1:26:28

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

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

1y ago1:49:48

1:49:48

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

1
Low Altitude Air Refueling Operations 1:18:49

1y ago1:18:49

1:18:49

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

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

1y ago1:13:25

1:13:25

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

1
Busting the Chinese Spy Balloon 1:23:53

1y ago1:23:53

1:23:53

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

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

1y ago1:09:42

1:09:42

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

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

1+ y ago1:23:26

1:23:26

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

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

1+ y ago1:20:40

1:20:40

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

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

1+ y ago1:26:39

1:26:39

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

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

1+ y ago52:57

52:57

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

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

1+ y ago1:11:27

1:11:27

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

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

1+ y ago53:20

53:20

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

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

1+ y ago1:22:27

1:22:27

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

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

1+ y ago1:18:11

1:18:11

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

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

1+ y ago58:25

58:25

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

1
"The Battle Flag" and my son Jeffrey 1:03:11

1+ y ago1:03:11

1:03:11

Welcome to the forty-third episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! I have been asked for several years to tell the story of flying an American Flag for someone who became a very dear friend and my son Jeffrey's fourteen-month battle with cancer. Both my good friend and Jeffrey both succumbed to this terrible cancer disease. My wife and I d…

1
The History of Air Refueling 1:31:16

1+ y ago1:31:16

1:31:16

Welcome to the forty-second episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! How did the concept of air refueling get started and how long has it been around? The answer will surprise you... 1921 and a gas can on a man's back! Experimentation with air refueling methods continued with the flight of the Question Mark in 1929 and the first air refueli…

1
Flying Broncos, Smurfs and Eagles with Jeff Fellmeth 1:47:05

1+ y ago1:47:05

1:47:05

Welcome to the forty-first episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast. Jeff Fellmeth, callsign Flounder, was my Boss at Kadena while assigned to 18 Wing Plans. We were busy. Flounder tells his exploits and lessons learned from flying the OV-10 Bronco over Europe to being one of the few people I know to fly the F-15C and F-15E versions of the m…

1
Leadership Lessons with Command Chief Master Sergeant Dave Nordel 1:35:52

1+ y ago1:35:52

1:35:52

Welcome to the fortieth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! Chief Master Sergeant Dave Nordel had the distinction of being the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer for Air Refueling Wings, Numbered Air Forces, and deployed locations overseas. Chief Dave shares his stories of leadership and lessons learned, many written in his International …

1
Leading at Sea with Navy Captain Royce Williams 1:15:35

1+ y ago1:15:35

1:15:35

Welcome to the thirty-ninth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! A week after my first interview with Navy Captain Royce Williams he called me to say "I've thought of more things to talk about!" So this is part two of Captain Royce Williams discussing what it takes to keep the Navy refueled and rearmed at sea. He commanded a Carrier Air…

1
Top Secret Mission with Navy Captain Royce Williams 1:12:03

1+ y ago1:12:03

1:12:03

Welcome to the thirty-eighth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! Military men and women are often sworn to secrecy. Captain Royce Williams was told never to tell anyone about his November 1952. Most air engagements last less than 60 seconds. Royce fought for 35 minutes with seven RUSSSIAN MiG-15 fighter jets over North Korea. He shot d…

1
Phantoms and Strike Eagles with Colonel James "Spanky" Dennis 1:44:53

1+ y ago1:44:53

1:44:53

Welcome to episode thirty-seven of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, part seven of Operation Anaconda and the Battle of Roberts Ridge! Retired Air Force Colonel James "Spanky" Dennis began his flying career as a Weapons System Operator in the F-4E Phantom II. The first WSO to command a Seymour Johnson F-15E Strike Eagle squadron, he'd been the …

1
Leave No One Behind with MH-47 pilot CWO Greg Calvert 1:24:19

1+ y ago1:24:19

1:24:19

Welcome to the sixth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit series on Operation Anaconda and the Battle of Roberts Ridge. Chief Warrant Officer Greg Calvert's MH-47 helicopter crew lifted off as RAZOR 1 with a Quick Reaction Force of Army Rangers in the back. His landing zone was the top of Takur Ghar mountain in an attempt to save Roberts and SEA…

1
Leave No One Behind with RAZOR 3 pilot Al Mack 1:32:26

1+ y ago1:32:26

1:32:26

Welcome to the thirty-fifth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! In the fifth part of our series on the Battle of Roberts Ridge we talk with Warrant Officer Al Mack, the pilot of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment MH-47 Chinook callsign RAZOR 3 delivering SEAL Team MAKO 30 to the top of Takur Ghar mountain at 3:30 am Monday …

1
Leave No One Behind with Mark Hasara 1:33:54

1+ y ago1:33:54

1:33:54

Welcome to another episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast and our series on the Battle of Roberts Ridge and Operation Anaconda. Arriving in Saudi Arabia on my wife's birthday in 2002, I jumped right into running a team of air refueling professionals. In mid-February, all of us in the Prince Sultan Combined Aerospace Operations Center were …

1
Operation Anaconda Air Mobility with Colonel Geno Redmon 1:11:15

1+ y ago1:11:15

1:11:15

Welcome to the thirty-third episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! One of the greatest assets US leadership owns is the ability to move patients, cargo, and relief supplies anywhere on the planet literally in twenty-four hours. It's all done from one place! Colonel Geno Redmon was my KC-135 Squadron Commander in Okinawa Japan during the m…

1
A-10 Ops in Anaconda with Col Scott "Soup" Campbell 1:37:36

2y ago1:37:36

1:37:36

Welcome to this episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, and it's a great one! This is the second of six episodes on Operation Anaconda and the Battle of Roberts Ridge. Colonel Scott "Soup" Campbell has the distinction of being awarded three Distinguished Flying Crosses in four days during the Battle of Roberts Ridge and Operation Anaconda …

1
Roberts Ridge with Col Matt "El Cid" Neuenswander 55:57

2y ago55:57

55:57

Welcome to the first episode of a six-part series of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast on the Battle of Roberts Ridge, episode number 31! At approximately 3 am on Monday 4 March 2002 a 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment or SOAR MH-47 Chinook helicopter approached the top of Takur Ghar mountain, a critical piece of high terrain looking ov…

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