Flying the F-4G, Part 1: Starbaby Pietrucha

[@bigglestintin6875]

I was getting withdrawal symptoms

[@notsocapedcrusader6293]

Steve, some of the best military aviation content and most importantly the best aviator interview podcast hands down on the Net. Thank you for making it available to all of us in the gracious way as you do. I am/we are truly grateful. Dude you've got the best baritone voice for a podcast; Boss dude. Boss. Many thanks again from across the pond Mate.

[@MattCycling]

Steve and Mike are the best podcast double act. It’s such a pleasure to listen to something so natural and uncontrived !

[@wastedapathy22]

Yes! A new Starbaby interview! *clicks thumbs-up

[@dutchholland6928]

Old retired AF Pilot here. Dude this guy is THE stereotypical, quintessential backseater. Love listening to this guy, he takes me back. I can tell he would’ve been a great guy to fly with. What a hoot!

[@apexclip3458]

That’s exactly what I was going to say as I stumbled onto this! He is the quintessential nav/wso. And he’s wrong, almost EVERY USAF pilot I flew with or know didn’t have any doubt or unsure what they wanted to do in the Air Force.

[@pjotrtje0NL]

I’m going to have to stay up late today to watch Starbaby again. He’s always good for insightful knowledge, and for laughs!

[@redsierra8631]

I never thought I would get soo excited to see the name starbaby thank you both for the wonderful content

[@Aspen51]

Just logged in after a 26hr flight from hell.... Scotch in hand, clicked the Tube & Voila! Thank you both from a retired "Ground Pounder"........

[@Lochaby]

Please keep talking to starbaby until he gets bored of even himself. ❤ this guy, thanks!

[@sunhawk61]

Starbaby I knew it, Pappy Boyington and the F4 Corsair, outstanding aircraft. So you ended up in later years in the seat of the F4 Phantom, a direct decedent of the Corsair. The F4 Corsair is my favorite WWII aircraft. The F4 Phantom was my favorite jet aircraft of the 70's. I remember the Thunderbirds were flying F4 Phantoms when I went to my first airshow in the early 70's at the old Richards Gebauer AFB in Missouri. It was either right before or after my brother was drafted for Viet Nam. It was a rainy day and the Phantoms were limited, but it was a great show.

[@soulmanm12954]

Love the background pic! Have the original in my hero pictures in storage! Remember helping to train this young man!!!! Thanks for the memories, Soulman 😉

[@jdliefting8926]

12:00 EA-6B is the closest i guess. Not a fighter but still a 4 seater that shoots missiles 😂

[@alexandernparker]

Another great Starbaby episode! It was fun to hear about your early years before and after we crossed paths in Lost Almost. I have a super clear Jr High School recollection from during the Iran hostage crisis when you were SURE that you had the mission plan worked out for the rescue operation. This was in some social studies class we had together as I recall. But I know that I also did that aviation merit badge in Boy Scouts, and that’s making me think that I remember you in a scout uniform too. Because there had to have been only one scout troop in Los Alamos - Troop 122, right? At any rate, keep the stories coming - it’s great fun to vicariously experience a more adventurous life than I ended up living!

[@terraoftime]

I was watching this while reading the DCS F-4E manual so when you guys got to the radar part it was cool to be able to understand somewhat what was going on. Great interview it's always nice hearing Starbaby's storries.

[@karlhowett9308]

Glad little old New Zealand could host Starbaby! Still upset we lost our strike force :(

[@StephenBogdan-nv3iu]

I remember Col/ Brake and the VW Bug on the dirt track.

[@shd4618]

Thank you Steve. The channel is brilliant.

[@singlesprocket]

Thanks for the stories gents 👍🏼 Looking forward to parts 3… and 4?!

[@elderforest617]

Another great storytime with Starbaby. I always get EWOs and EWO-ks confused. One is more cute and fluffy than the other 😋

[@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions]

But we’ve both been known to sport silly bandannas from time to time

[@jeremyhaynes108]

Thank you for doing this. Very cool to get this level of access and info. Great job.

[@dutchbrotherfan1284]

Grew up in Sacramento Ca home to Mather AFB the fun thing was to learn when navigation class gets to see multiple airframe days. I would sign in claiming to visit Silver Wings museum but go park ner base ops and walk around acting like I belonged and got access to B-52 B-1 P-3 F-111 and F4’s even watching departing aircraft was a kick . Marine RF-4 did a roll and full burner . The good old days

[@Ian-Saxon]

More Starbaby. Yes. Cheers for the upload lads. Another compelling interview. One thing....when are we gonna get the commentary on the "X wing death star attack"?

[@jasondsimpson]

Finally! Been looking forward to this for weeks!

[@LinuxLea]

Hi Starbaby and Steve! So good to have you wtith me again! ( No parasocial implications there, promise!)

[@laMoort]

Yet another wonderful episode, thanks alot for the laughs.❤

[@graemewilson1400]

Steve and Michael great to see you both back. I would just like to thank you both for doing this series. I have zero flight experience although my father learnt to fly in Canada during WWII and had a lifetime of flying after the war. This stuff is just great dad never spoke about his experiences so to listen to you two, for me is just wonderful. Thanks guys.🇦🇺

[@carlfasbinder5746]

Listening to this and thinking of an F4-G test pilot and later squadron commander at Spangdahlem, Lt Col Jerry Linn. Died in crash of 69-0252 on 08-NOV-1982.

[@mlcochran78]

Can't wait for Part 2

[@amplify1802]

This is Great I grew up in Saudi Aramco Dhaharan I was was there for the war Exiting Goodtimes! But you could get Ham on the black market

[@biggus3348]

Awesome to watch!

[@IkeThe9th]

More Starbaby? Hell yeah!

[@bcthomas2h90]

I don't understand it all, but this is a great interview!! Good stories!

[@sedlo]

:-) I bet there are some interesting food-related stories on Okinawa that you might have, BC!

[@bcthomas2h90]

@@sedlo I stayed pretty close to the O'Club and selected restaurants off-base. Very selected.

[@sedlo]

@@bcthomas2h90 my dad was a Marine there in the ‘60’s. He told me some stories of interesting meals. ;)

[@pugloverg6671]

Saw the radar guys peaking and tweaking those radars looking at stuff reflecting off the open canopy while standing on a toolbox …..fun times for shre

[@sageg58]

Starbaby best guest

[@will80913]

I sent this video to “Santa” after you talked about him. Great stories.

[@michaeldwyer3466]

What, a book. YESSSSSSSSS, start writing.

[@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions]

I've done so. Starting is easy. It's finishing...

[@michaeldwyer3466]

@@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions I noticed you didn't really finish that sentence, very telling.

[@pjotrtje0NL]

So, aiming for 950 pages, ​@@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions?

[@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions]

@@pjotrtje0NL Whatever it takes

[@nickforster748]

I laughed so hard driving home from LHR in the Friday pm traffic that the journey seemed to pass in the blink of an eye! Starbaby is such a great raconteur & his tales of USAFE in the early 90s make me miss that time although I was only in training at the time. Sadly, I feel that the unacceptable behaviour at the notorious Tailhook & the knee jerk response from the hierarchy stifled good natured high jinks subsequently. To give one pilot's perspective on the relationship between front & back seaters I would say this. In the late 90s, when I joined the Tornado GR1 Force at times information was available to the nav/WSO that wasn't to the pilot so as to ensure a dependency from back to front. The was a concern you might "go rogue". It was operated like the Buccaneer! As weapons became more complex & the workload became unsustainable in the back cockpit, more information was shared allowing better sharing of SA IMHO. Agree with Starbaby that a crew working well saw the team as greater than the sum of it's parts. The converse, definitely not!!!

[@ji3194]

Outstanding to hear Starbaby spent time in New Mexico as a kid. (I am a Native New Mexican)

[@amplify1802]

Went to the rear fed the troops had them over Thanksgiving and the like. Khobar. Towers that was bad

[@Nghilifa]

1:51:35 So it was an overzealous Eagle driver with an itchy trigger finger who lobbed a Sparrow up the B-52s ass then! 😂😂

[@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions]

Why would you come to that conclusion?

[@ghostdog688]

thanks for showing the radar footage. can we see any more radar footage with the radar in full working order?

[@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions]

I don't know if I have any. I'm lucky to have that tape.

[@ghostdog688]

@@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions I totally understand. Perhaps we can cast the net a bit further, but I appreciate whatever we can get :)

[@r.gilman4261]

FYI Starbaby, VMF-214 was a real thing, not just a TV show in the 1970s ( Crayons not included)

[@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions]

Of course. The Black Sheep, commanded by Maj. Greg “Pappy” Boyington until he was shot down and captured. He was a Medal of Honor winner.

[@petekaragiannis1716]

Baa Baa Black Sheep intro kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaHZq3RsYtmGp6c

[@colocopper8464]

I was at George AFB during the mid-late 70's when the Thuds were there and during the transfer of the Weasel mission to the F-4G. Worked part of my time up the Cuddeback range. Great mission, great aircraft and loved working up at the Cudd. Have some photos from up there but don't know how to post them here.

[@petekaragiannis1716]

Is it too late for the Star Wars “brevity comms” episode? This would make a great into reel kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3WphXWqra5_es0

[@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions]

@@petekaragiannis1716 Not too late

[@amplify1802]

The Merridian!!!!!AHHHHH

[@MrMonkeyTrousers]

So, no shit, there I was just waiting for a new Starbaby chat to drop……..

[@toxickilljoy9037]

Me: Take me to the star, baby. Her: Dont you mean stars? Me: I dont think its gonna work out...

[@davidgoddard594]

Good thing Starbaby had his name or Fishass might have worked, probably not acceptable. Live bait instead.😀😀😉

[@5EyesIsntWatching]

DCS and Heatblur should use Starbaby instead of Jester

[@MattCycling]

Mike has been truly (10%) Anglicised “There was always the danger he was gonna be a bit of a Wanker about it!” 🤣

[@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions]

I can also still use "ratbag" in a sentence. So maybe Commonwealthized.

[@MattCycling]

That’s really interesting. My English grandfather used to use the phrase “ratbag” I didn’t realise that it was an Australian term until today. He served in Burma in WWII so possibly picked up the term from the ANZACS there. It’s certainly not in common use here in England My thanks to you and Steve for these thoroughly entertaining shows 👍

[@petebravo7180]

As a former 15 crew chief I can confirm more issues dealing with pilots then WSOs

[@viksaini]

Awesome! John Holmes and Erik Everhard return.

[@j.w.perkins6004]

The WSO's guidence (literally) kept my ass outta the grease more than once. Ya better bond, or the relationship is busted. You'll never sync. That discourse, can get deadly......

[@juliussokolowski4293]

Just what the doctor ordered....

[@ricardokowalski1579]

one hour and four minutes when they give you mast height, you know it got real 😝

[@stuartb9194]

When I was 10 I saw myself in Kate Bush

[@jmp.t28b99]

STINSON STATION WAGON

[@robertreynolds1302]

What’s the 2nd rule of 10% True. Anyway - worst 14hrs of my life served. Didn’t even know until I opened KZbin. Sweet - star baby Aussie connection, used to love those comics as a youngun.

[@anirudhverma9508]

This guy really thought VF-214 and Greg Boyington are fictional hahahahahahahaha

[@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions]

Not so much. The show was fictional, and it was only loosely connected to VMF-214's history. That becomes very clear when you read Boyington's book. It might have been clearer if I'd said "fictionalized".