Finding Faith in the Depths of Hell. The host for this show is Dan ‘Fig’ Leaf. The guest is Guy Gruters. Guy Gruters had already completed over 400 combat missions in the O-1 Birddog, only to be shot down as a Misty Fast Forward Air Controller during the war in Viet Nam. After recovering from […]
Imagine the Original Social Media (Figments: The Power of Imagination)
Fighter Squadron ‘Doofer Books’. The host for this show is Dan ‘Fig’ Leaf. The guest is Bruce ‘Spike’ Benyshek. Long before Facebook (Meta), Twitter and Instagram, fighter squadrons used ledger books to share stories, humor, and commentary in a similar paradigm. Doofer Books were havens of free expression with rules. Pilots required a callsign to […]
Imagine You’re Gonna Die in Your F-15 (Figments: The Power of Imagination)
Fig’s Nearest-death Experience. The host for this show is Dan ‘Fig’ Leaf. Retired Air Force fighter pilot and three-star general ‘Fig’ Leaf recalls the events of August 15, 1988 and his nearest death experience. After landing his F-15A at Luke AFB, Arizona, things went wrong – very wrong – in a most unexpected way. This […]
Imagine Being in a Flat Spin (Figments: The Power of Imagination)
Headed Straight Down Not Out to Sea. The host for this show is Dan ‘Fig’ Leaf. The guest is Mike ‘Mickey T’ Tallent. The famous line from the original Top Gun, ‘Mav’s in trouble; he’s in a flat spin, headed out to sea!’ makes a fighter pilot roll his or her eyes. In such a […]
Imagine You Were Ordered to Bomb Hawaii (Figments: The Power of Imagination)
An Artist at Heart Attacks Hawaii. The host for this show is Dan ‘Fig’ Leaf. The guest is Bob ‘Keeneye’ Keeney. Your country is at war – and needs your services as a fighter pilot. While he was an artist at heart, Fig’s guest volunteered, and served in combat..then he was ordered to bomb Hawaii. […]
Countering Collective Nuclear Blackmail (Military In Hawaii)
Time for New Thinking and Capability. The host for this show is Jay Fidell. The guests are Dan ‘Fig’ Leaf and Howard ‘Dallas’ Thompson. Two retired Air Force generals, Dan “Fig” Leaf and Howard “Dallas” Thompson, discuss what they see as a fundamental shift in nuclear thinking. They describe the emergence of a new norm […]
Imagine the Ghost of Kyiv (Figments: The Power of Imagination)
Flying the Su-27 Flanker. The host for this show is Dan ‘Fig’ Leaf. The guest is Howard ‘Dallas’ Thompson. Su-27 Flanker and MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters have done battle for both sides over Ukraine since the Russian invasion. Wonder what is like to fly one of the warplanes? Tune in as Fig hosts Maj Gen (Ret) […]
Fighter Pilot Review of Top Gun: Maverick (Figments: The Power of Imagination)
An Inside Look at the Blockbusting Sequel. The host for this show is Dan ‘Fig’ Leaf. The guest is Howard ‘Dallas’ Thompson. Retired Air Force generals and fighter pilots “Fig” Leaf (F-4, F-15, F-16) and “Dallas” Thompson (F-15, F-14, F/A-18, F-16) give an in-depth review of Top Gun: Maverick. Known to themselves as two of […]
U.S. Military Academies – West Point (Military In Hawaii)
The Pathway to a Commissioned Officer. The host for this show is Dan ‘Fig’ Leaf. The guest is Bruce Fink. Every year, the MAC recognizes Hawaii students selected into U.S. Military Academies. Thousands of students apply each year and only an exceptional few are selected. Hawaii high school students can apply to the various Military […]
Imagine a Nation of Underlying Conditions (Figments: The Power of Imagination)
The Pandemic Reaches the Hermit Kingdom. The host for this show is Dan ‘Fig’ Leaf. The guest is Ed ‘Hawk’ Hawkins. This episode features host “Fig” Leaf and guest Ed Hawkins, retired senior USAF officers who have studied North Korea for decades. They answer key questions on the sudden admission by Kim Jong-un and his […]