
Show Notes
If only we treated the human being in the cockpit with the same care and lifecycle management we give the aircraft...
In this episode, I sit down with Commander Kevin Bernstein, MD, to explore a new approach to human performance across Naval Aviation. Drawing on his experience in sports medicine and Naval Special Warfare, Kevin explains how physical performance, psychology, recovery, and readiness can be brought together to help aviators perform better, stay healthy, and remain operational for longer.
We discuss the Human Performance program being developed across the Navy, what it looks like inside a fighter squadron, the lessons learned from its early implementation, and why preserving experienced aviators may be one of Naval Aviation's most valuable investments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Fighter Pilot Podcast
On October 10, 1997, Bert Garrison piloted the last SR-71 Blackbird flight for the United States Air Force. In this conversation with him, he recounts his time flying one of the most iconic aircraft in aviation history, the SR-71’s brief revival in the 1990s, and the mission that brought its Air Force career to a close. From the expectations of a comeback to the reality of the program’s end, Garrison shares the story of the Blackbird’s final chapter as well as his other experiences in aviation. It's a truly unique experience!
Tucker talks with retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel and TOPGUN graduate, Tim "Monk" Miller. He's the founder and CEO of the Strike Fighter League, the world's first professional air combat digital sport, where elite virtual pilots battle through precision, speed, and gunnery trials before facing off in the Dogfight Bracket Finals. It's a fascinating new angle on combat aviation and a new way people are stepping into the space.
Today, CAPT Jack Ashmore talks through a remarkable combat career spanning Korea and Vietnam, flying the AD Skyraider, A-4 Skyhawk, F-4 Phantom, and A-7 Corsair II. He shares dozens of firsthand stories from the 1968 Tet Offensive, the evolution of naval aviation, carrier operations, and the experience of adapting from piston-powered aircraft to supersonic jets. His perspective on combat aviation is really something special. Enjoy!
Rear Admiral Doug "Woody" Beal came on the show having spent 35 years in Navy strike fighters, 13 on active duty and 22 in the reserves. Flying Intruders and Hornets from Whidbey to China Lake to the skies over Iraq. He has experienced everything from a medical disqualification at USAFA to combat ops over Somalia and Iraq as well as the tense 2019 standoff with Iran as Vice Commander of NAVCENT/5th Fleet. Plus, fresh takeaways on EMALS and AAG from a recent Gerald R. Ford strike group debrief.
Have you ever thought about how you update your F-22? Probably not, but someone has to. Rob Slaughter, former Air Force officer and co-founder of Defense Unicorns, joins the Fighter Pilot Podcast to discuss fixing how the Department of War builds, delivers, and updates software. From the Pentagon to disconnected battlefields. We talk innovation, air-gapped systems, and what it takes to bring modern software to the fight.