Fite History

by Brian Burke and Mark Silvers

Fighter pilots Brass and Mr. Chow profile incredible fighter pilots from World War 1 to Modern day.

History
Aviation
Listen on ...

Podcast episodes

  • Season 1

  • 12. World War 1 Wrap-up (for now)

    12. World War 1 Wrap-up (for now)

    S01 E12
    Jan 13, 2025
    52:09

    Join Brass and Mr. Chow as they put a bow on their coverage of WWI fighter pilots, comparing and contrasting the personalities, strengths, and weaknesses of each pilot, and discuss the various attributes that bind them together.

  • 11. Eddie Rickenbacker: A Life of Many Acts

    11. Eddie Rickenbacker: A Life of Many Acts

    S01 E11
    Dec 4, 2024
    01:08:32

    F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote "There are no second acts in American lives." He'd obviously never met Eddie Rickenbacker. Join Brass and Mr. Chow as they discuss the multi-faceted life of America's Ace of Aces of WWI as well as methods for making friends on transatlantic cruises and ways to make your name sound "less German."

  • 10. Albert Ball: The Lone Wolf

    10. Albert Ball: The Lone Wolf

    S01 E10
    Sep 15, 2024
    01:08:55

    Lanoe Hawker was returning from a patrol over the lines when he spotted a Nieuport of No. 11 Squadron returning to base. Deciding to show this newcomer what dog-fighting was all about, Hawker pounced on the tail of the Nieuport just to give him a scare. Hawker, however, was the one surprised when the Nieuport pilot saw the move, quickly reversed the position, and a mock dog-fight broke out in earnest. After a couple of minutes, during which neither pilot could best the other, the two British pilots waved off the friendly engagement and broke off for their respective airfields. Hawker didn't know that he had just tested a man that would become one of the most daring British aces of WWI: Albert Ball. Join Brass and Mr. Chow as they discuss the Ball's courageous and often reckless life in the skies over Europe.

  • 9. The Lafayette Escadrille: A Menagerie of American Fighter Pilots

    9. The Lafayette Escadrille: A Menagerie of American Fighter Pilots

    S01 E09
    Aug 16, 2024
    01:03:57

    In June of 1916, Oswald Boelcke was taking a brief respite from fighting over the skies of Verdun when a German pilot came running with urgent news: "The Devil's loose at the front." He said. "There are six Americans up aloft. I distinctly saw the American flag on their fuselages. They're damned impudent fellows; they came right up to the lines and crossed them." Boecke replied, "Well, let us go say 'how do you do?', it's the least that they can expect, and courtesy requires it of us. Join Brass and Mr. Chow as they discuss the first American fighter pilots, a motley crew of Ivy Leaguers with a sprinkling of card-sharks and soldiers-of-fortune.

  • 8. Richthofen Part 2: The Red Baron

    8. Richthofen Part 2: The Red Baron

    S01 E08
    May 24, 2024
    01:01:43

    "Fly on and fight on, to the last drop of blood, the last drop of blood, to the last beat of the heart." -Manfred Von Richthofen, "The Red Baron." In this episode, Brass and Mr. Chow discuss Richthofen's transformation from glory-seeking hunter to tormented hero.