In this episode, I sit down with Rick Harper—Air Force cargo pilot, longtime instructor, airline captain, and the founder and namesake of Harper Aviation! Rick shares how a simple problem in the cockpit led him to design the Ultimate Kneeboard®, turning a pilot-built solution into a family-run aviation business passed from one military officer to another. With over 18,000 flight hours and decades of service in the Air Force, Air National Guard, and now at Delta Airlines, Rick reflects on leadership, aviation culture, and building something that lasts—both in the air and beyond it.

Soon-to-be-retired 1SG Steve Leflar talks about building the hoist rescue program in the Colorado Army National Guard. He talks standardization, safety, systems, collaboration, and teamwork in what has become a phenomenal program shaping the US Army's future in hoist rescues.

Resources:

• Documentary featuring Steve: Crestone Needle | Fourteener Hoist Rescue | Making Dangerous Things Look Easy | Blackhawks in Action
• Steve's business: Illuminated Industries
• Colorado Hoist Rescue Team (CHRT)
• International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR)
• The Keep Colorado Wild Pass funds search and rescue
• Jungle penetrator

CW5 (ret.) Thad King has 4500+ hours and 2100+ NVG hours across a career of flying the Black Hawk including 11 years in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. We talk special operations, what makes a good pilot, and Thad's own podcast, Alone and Unafraid, which focuses on military mental health.