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Leisure

So There I Was

by Chuck Newton and Pete Harmon
Explicit AviationLeisureComedy
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About the show

So There I Was” is a weekly aviation podcast and YouTube show featuring true pilot stories from fighter pilots, airline captains, helicopter pilots, and other military and civilian aviators. “So – There I was.” It’s how ALL great aviation tales begin! Join hosts Fig and Repete as they bring in some great aviation raconteurs to relate the glamorous, hilarious, poignant, tragic, and incredible tales of aviation. Fig and Repete met more than 30 years ago as Marine Attack pilots in Marine Attack Squadron VMA‑223 flying the AV‑8B Harrier II. Both have since gone on to careers in the majors. Realizing that they are around the most accomplished professionals in aviation with amazing stories to tell, they decided these stories are too good to be kept quiet. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll laugh until you cry, but you’ll never be bored!

Latest episodes

  • If You're Gonna Blow Up Episode 232

    October 1, 2026 · 1 hr 53 min

    F-100 pilot Ike flew 195 combat missions with an iron sight and nerves of steel. He takes us from night close air support to a 50-pound-fuel landing to the 1986 Libya raid.

  • Guns Are Where It's At Episode 231

    September 24, 2026 · 1 hr 23 min

    Retired Marine Lt. Col. Tim "Monk" Miller nearly punched out mid-nap over Ramadi, then built the Strike Fighter League, where guns are where it's at.

  • Rope Trick Episode 230

    September 17, 2026 · 1 hr 28 min

    Vietnam-era Huey pilot RoadRunner joins RePete and Kemo for combat missions, near-disasters, and the Rope Trick — a Thailand R&R story he never fully explains.

  • A Thousandth of an Inch of Trouble Episode 229

    September 10, 2026

    A Thousandth of an Inch of Trouble is all that stood between one airline crew and an on-time departure. Actually, it was a worn brake wear pin, measured down to the thousandth, that a mechanic waved off as “technically good to go.” This…

  • Semper Gumby: Remembering Sticks Episode 228

    September 3, 2026 · 1 hr 10 min

    This week's episode honors Coast Guard rescue pilot John "Sticks" Hall with his brother-in-law's eulogy and son Tyler's letter, plus a night-divert tale from Stretch off the USS Midway.

  • I Never Exceeded 5' Episode 227

    August 27, 2026 · 1 hr 37 min

    5 Feet — that’s the altitude Roadrunner held on a self-appointed decoy mission in Vietnam, and it’s the heart of Episode 227. It’s also the reason he walked away with a Bronze Star. This week, RePete and Fig welcome Chuck Howard, callsign…

  • Semper Paratus, Farewell Sticks Episode 226

    August 21, 2026 · 13 min

    Farewell Sticks is the hardest episode we’ve ever had to record. On August 20th, we lost our friend, producer, and co-host John “Sticks” Hall in a small plane crash near Bristol, Maine. His son Tyler was flying with him and survived with…

  • Flight Path: He Who Dies with the Most Laugh Wrinkles Wins Episode 225

    August 20, 2026 · 1 hr 36 min

    Retired C-141 pilot and author Chill-Rob McD joins Fig and RePete for a night of Starlifter chaos: a Dutch roll at 35,000 feet, a mid-air fight with a runaway yaw damper, and a landing that ends in blown tires and a fifty-foot wall of…