So There I Was

Author: Chuck Newton and Pete Harmon

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. Its 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 VMA223 flying the AV8B 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. Youll laugh, youll cry, youll laugh until you cry, but youll never be bored!
Be a guest on this podcast

Language: en-us

Genres: Aviation, Comedy, Comedy Interviews, Leisure

Contact email: Get it

Feed URL: Get it

iTunes ID: Get it

Get all podcast data

Listen Now...

I Never Exceeded 5' Episode 227
Episode 227
Thursday, 27 August, 2026

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 Roadrunner. He flew with the 175th Assault Helicopter Company, earning two Bronze Stars and 25 Air Medals for valor. Roadrunner’s path started on a Jersey City hammock, watching jets land at Newark. Actually, he almost became a commercial artist before the Army got him first. He walks us through flight school and a co-pilot who froze on short final. Then there’s the Cessna climb to twelve thousand feet that ate an entire afternoon. Consequently, we get one of the funniest bike-to-the-airport stories in show history. [Set the following as an actual Heading 2 block, not bold text:] I Never Exceeded 5 Feet: The Decoy Mission The Bronze Star story is the centerpiece. Roadrunner grew tired of rules of engagement that only let him fire after getting shot at first. So he built his own workaround. He stripped down a demilitarized Huey and lit it up like a Christmas tree. Then he flew it straight at the tree line at night. He hovered along the perimeter at an altitude he never exceeded, five feet, daring Charlie to take the bait. However, the story doesn’t stop there. Roadrunner later flew Port Authority helicopters and was first on scene for Sully’s Hudson River landing. He also worked the water recovery after TWA 800, marking wreckage while FBI agents jumped aboard his aircraft mid-hover. Furthermore, he shares two separate tail rotor failures. In one, he saved a multi-million dollar helicopter by nursing it into a drainage ditch. His book, Tales from the Cockpit, covers even more of this. This episode is also brought to you by DC Artworks. The veteran-owned laser-cut steel shop is keeping gift-buyers out of the doghouse this season. Vinh Long Airfield Huey Gunship in the River Huey Gunship in the River Spraying Agent Orange Link Flight Trainer Chuck Howard in Vietnam Newark Airport Stay Connected Got a So There I Was story of your own? We want to hear it. Follow the show, leave a review, and tell your hangar buddies. … #SoThereIWas #AviationPodcast #VietnamVeteran #HueyPilot #BronzeStar #AirMedal #USArmyAviation #PortAuthority #SullyHudsonLanding #TWA800 #TailRotorFailure #WarStories #MilitaryAviation #HelicopterPilot #VeteranStories