logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2021
55m 31s

FPP117 - C-17 Globemaster III

E. Vincent "Jell-O" Aiello, Retired U.S. Navy Fighter Pilot
About this episode

Not every aircraft can be (or should be) an attention-grabbing 9G fighter or Mach 3 spy plane. Scores of unheralded support planes play vital military roles including the movement of critical supply. Without timely and sufficient beans, bullets, and bandages provided by cargo planes like the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, no military campaign gets far.

On this episode, U.S. Air Force Major Courtney "Voodoo" Vidt joins us to discuss the "Moose" as the C-17 is affectionately known. A weapons school graduate and demonstration pilot, Voodoo knows the ins and outs of this aircraft and the way it is employed in humanitarian and military roles all over the world, even from austere dirt airfields.

Listener questions answered on this episode include a what happens when a higher-ranking non-pilot officer gives a direct order which conflicts with the pilot's actions or decisions, and how crashes of sensitive aircraft are handled to ensure tech secrets do not end up in the wrong hands.

Episode artwork by Janek Krause. Bumper music by Jaime Lopez / announcements by Clint Bell.



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations
Up next
Oct 6
From Vietnam to F/A-18s with "Bear"
October 2025 marks 250 years of the U.S. Navy and we begin our monthlong celebration with retired Rear Admiral Jeremy "Bear" Taylor, who considers himself the luckiest man alive.Commissioned in 1957, Bear would accumulate more than 6,000 flight hours in fighters and trainers and ... Show More
45m 7s
Sep 28
The CH-47 Chinook with "Jellers"
Some aircraft have specialized roles most applicable to certain types of warfare—and thus only appear in certain conflicts around the globe.And then there are the workhorses that show up everywhere.On this episode, former Royal Air Force navigator-turned-pilot Elliott "Jellers" J ... Show More
1h 37m
Sep 18
"Fangs" Talks Flight Test
Colonel James "Fangs" Valpiani knows a thing or two about flight test because he's seen a thing or two: first an Air Force Academy graduate, then a combat-tested F-15E Strike Eagle pilot, a graduate of the French Test Pilot School, and most recently Commodore of the USAF TPS.On t ... Show More
55m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
The Flying Artilleryman
Dropping bombs from planes was unheard of until 1st November 1911, when Italian Lieutenant Giulio Gavotti embarked on an aerial mission over Libya. With a handful of lightweight grenades resting in his lap, he headed to Ain Zara, a village near Tripoli, and chucked them overboard ... Show More
11m 25s
Jan 2024
A Boeing Wonderland, Part One: A Magician Tries to Camouflage Entire Airfields
In the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, paranoia reigned across the western US -- and the country entirely. From California to Washington, civilians and the military alike were terrified that another attack was imminent. The country's aircraft manufacturers were promi ... Show More
51m 21s
Jun 2022
The Unlikely Fate of the Wright Brothers
On a winter day in 1903, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Wright Brothers changed history when they took the world's first engine-powered flight. It didn't take long for countries around the world to realise that the Wright flying machine had the potential to revolutioni ... Show More
26m 54s
Feb 2024
A Magnificent Woman And Her Flying Machines - Ep156: Bonny Simi
Bryony returns with Bonny Simi, President of Operations at Jobs Aviation, where she's working on bringing to market a new civilian electric VTOL (eVTOL) aircraft. Prior to joining the team at Joby, Bonny held several operational and strategic roles at JetBlue Most notably, she fo ... Show More
55m 36s
Dec 2021
Avions de chasse (Jet fighters)
Texte: La Croatie a signé un accord pour acheter 12 avions de chasse français Rafale qui vont, selon les officiels, considérablement renforcer son aviation militaire. Traduction: Croatia signed a deal to buy 12 French Rafale fighter jets that officials said will considerably stre ... Show More
3m 49s
Feb 2023
In Machines We Trust: AI enters the dogfight
Late last year the US Department of Defense successfully ran a dozen flight tests in which AI agents piloted an experimental fighter jet. We explore the program that got it there and what this milestone means. We Meet: Chase Kohler, Edwards Air Force Base Sue Halpern, The New Yor ... Show More
19m 36s
May 2022
The Unseen Trauma of America’s Drone Pilots
This episode contains descriptions of suicide. Over the past five years, a series of investigations by The Times has revealed the terror and tragedy that America’s air wars, despite being promoted as the most precise in history, have brought to civilians on the ground.The program ... Show More
33m 38s
Jan 2022
“O avião é seu" - com Ari Aguiar
Já imaginou a emoção de estar dentro de um cockpit? Neste episódio, o Comandante Lito recebe o locutor esportivo Ari Aguiar. Os dois fizeram seu primeiro voo solo em 2021 e relatam os caminhos para obter a licença de Piloto Privado - do fantasma da prova da ANAC até o batismo de ... Show More
57m 29s