Logbook: First 100 Part 1: The Climb - The Making of Military Aviators

2026-06-23

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New listener? Start here!For 100 episodes, The Pilot Project Podcast has explored the world of military and mission aviation through the people who have lived it.In Part 1 of our retrospective series, The Climb, we look back at the making of military aviators.From the first moments that sparked the dream, to the grind of training, the edge of high-performance flying, and the toll service can take even in peacetime, this episode traces the journey behind the wings.These are the moments that shaped them,...

New listener? Start here!

For 100 episodes, The Pilot Project Podcast has explored the world of military and mission aviation through the people who have lived it.

In Part 1 of our retrospective series, The Climb, we look back at the making of military aviators.

From the first moments that sparked the dream, to the grind of training, the edge of high-performance flying, and the toll service can take even in peacetime, this episode traces the journey behind the wings.

These are the moments that shaped them, and the reasons they kept going.

CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro/Cold open
(00:01:31) Act 1: The Spark - Dan McWilliams - First Fighter Flight
(00:03:09) Bob Wade - The Wonder of the Golden Hawks
(00:03:46) Mike Houle - Hercs Over the Lake
(00:05:05) Vince C-Benoit - Wheat Fields in Afghanistan
(00:05:57) Rock Veilleux - Gliding with Air Cadets
(00:08:44) Act 2: The Grind - Mike Houle - The Firehose
(00:09:58) Dan Conway - First Real Doubts
(00:10:11) Brian Kilroy - The Pressure Cooker
(00:13:38) Pete Musters - P is for Pilot
(00:14:17) Dan McWilliams - Owning Mistakes
(00:14:45) Jeff Foreman - Scale Change
(00:15:09) Dan McWilliams - Fighter Dreams Derailed
(00:17:57) Dan Conway - 98% Awesome
(00:18:55) Act 3: The Edge - Skye Simpson - The Imposter
(00:20:10) Bryan Morrison - The Culture Shock
(00:20:54) Ian Wookey - Realizing You're Terrible at Flying Helicopters
(00:22:26) Rock Veilleux - Flying the Hawk
(00:24:40) Brian Kilroy - The Edge of Capability
(00:28:52) Skye Simpson - A Stick of Gum
(00:30:39) Rock Veilleux - The Ejection
(00:39:16) Act 4: The Toll - Dan McWilliams - Twisted Bits of Aluminum
(00:40:17) Duncan MacIsaac - How Many Lives Did They Save?
(00:41:48) Dan McWilliams - BAM! It Was Over.
(00:43:25) Bob Wade - The Weight of Instructing
(00:44:16) Rock Veilleux - The Road to Recovery
(00:48:34) CFMAP Information
(00:48:59) Act 5: Why We Fly - Blake McNaughton - Brothers and Sisters
(00:49:56) Rich MacDougall - Most Memorable Flight
(00:50:52) Jeff Foreman - This Is Your Captain Speaking
(00:51:28) Rich MacDougall - 25 Years Ago, That Was Me
(00:52:03) Blake McNaughton - A Gig Like Nothing Else