Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired Commander Alex 'Rattler' Rucker, who flew the F-8 Crusader in Vietnam and brought his skills as a gunner and tactician to Topgun as an instructor before transitioning to the F-14 Tomcat.In the second of two episodes about his career in naval aviation, Rattler talks about the lessons he learned flying the F-14 Tomcat, the incredible aviators who inspired him, and the tail art he designed for VF-142.Rattler also talks about how he got his callsign and how he maintained his 61-year marriage during his career. We close with a discussion about his contribution to an enduring commemoration of both the Tomcat and the aviators who flew it through the Tomcat MonumentAbout Rattler: Alex ‘Rattler’ Rucker entered the U.S. Navy in 1965 through the U.S. Naval School of Preflight, and was selected to fly the F-8 Crusader in 1967. Following three deployments to Vietnam, Rattler was assigned to Topgun as a gunnery and tactics instructor in 1974. He transitioned to flying the F-14 Tomcat in 1977.Rattler’s Tomcat career included tours with VF-142 and VF-14. He was named Fighter Pilot of the Year for Fighter Wing One in 1979, and served as the F-14 demo pilot for Fighter Wing One in 1980. Rattler retired in 1985 as a Commander and flew commercially, retiring from American Airlines as a Captain in 2003. About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on X: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today’s guest is retired Commander Alex 'Rattler' Rucker, who flew the F-8 Crusader in Vietnam and brought his skills as a gunner and tactician to Topgun as an instructor before transitioning to the F-14 Tomcat.In one of two episodes about his career in naval aviation, Rattler talks about flying the F-8 during three Vietnam deployments and discusses an incredible maneuver by legendary aviator Joe 'Hoser' Satrapa.Rattler talks about Topgun, and about his eventual transition to the big fighter, where he first flew with a RIO in the backseat. About Rattler: Alex ‘Rattler’ Rucker entered the U.S. Navy in 1965 through the U.S. Naval School of Preflight, and was selected to fly the F-8 Crusader in 1967. Following three deployments to Vietnam, Rattler was assigned to Topgun as a gunnery and tactics instructor in 1974. He transitioned to flying the F-14 Tomcat in 1977.Rattler’s Tomcat career included tours with VF-142 and VF-14. He was named Fighter Pilot of the Year for Fighter Wing One in 1979, and served as the F-14 demo pilot for Fighter Wing One in 1980. Rattler retired in 1985 as a Commander and flew commercially, retiring from American Airlines as a Captain in 2003. About the hosts:Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier has 16 years of experience with the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Weapons System Operator (WSO). He has a longstanding love of aviation and history that he brings to the podcast.Beth Bailey was raised by F-14 Radar Intercept Officer Glen 'Wheels' Wheless and grew up around aviators and their unique brand of storytelling for most of her childhood. Beth worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on X: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to the Fighter Pilots’ Guide to Living. Today, I'm so excited to introduce my co-host and the great thinker behind this podcast, Mitch 'TACO' Parmentier.

Mitch has 16 years of experience in the Super Hornet, and comes to the podcast with an enduring love of history and aviation.

If you've ever been involved with fighter aircraft, we want to host you. Please reach out to bwbailey85@gmail.comAbout the host:

Beth Bailey was raised by an F-14 RIO, which shaped the course of her life in a massive way. She worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner, and host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on X: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/