Major Eric “Porky” Scheibe flew more than 2,087 hours in the AV-8B Harrier II. Now he reflects on the aircraft’s final Marine Corps flight and the people who made its missions possible.

In this episode, Host Rick Crandall talks with Scheibe about flying the “jump jet,” supporting Marines on the ground, and helping close the Marine Corps’ last operational Harrier squadron, VMA-223. From his first hover at Cherry Point to night landings aboard amphibious assault ships, Scheibe shares what it took to fly and maintain this unusual aircraft. This one is going to be cool!

What you’ll hear:

• The final Harrier flight: Why Scheibe had to keep his eyes on the lead aircraft as thousands watched the June 2026 sundown ceremony.
• Learning to hover: What it felt like to slow a jet until its wings were no longer providing normal lift.
• Why short takeoffs mattered: How a rolling takeoff let the Harrier carry more fuel and weapons than a vertical launch.
• Close air support in Afghanistan: The mission that became personal when Scheibe met the Marines he had helped from the air.
• Flying from amphibious ships: How wind, aircraft weight, fuel, and deck schedules shaped every launch and recovery.
• Landing at night: The concentration required to bring a Harrier down vertically on a moving ship.
• The people behind every flight: The trust between pilots, maintainers, plane captains, and flight deck crews.
• The Bulldogs’ next chapter: What VMA-223’s Harrier legacy can carry into its planned transition to the F-35B.

Learn More:

• Read about the AV-8B Harrier II+ at Wings Over the Rockies
• Read the Marine Corps account of the Harrier sundown
• Donate to Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
• Explore more Behind the Wings episodes
• Subscribe and leave a review to support the show

From the Marine Corps’ final Harrier squadron to the SR-71 Blackbird, Season 9 of Behind the Wings brings you the people and stories behind extraordinary aircraft.

Join host Rick Crandall for 10 new episodes featuring the most exciting stories from across aerospace. Behind the Wings began in support of Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum’s mission to educate and inspire. More than 80 episodes later, we’re still exploring flight and space through the voices of the people who fly, build, study and preserve them.

New episodes drop every other Monday, starting October 26. Subscribe wherever you listen, and explore the full Behind the Wings library while you wait.

Learn more:

• Explore the podcast archive at wingsmuseum.org/podcast
• Support Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

Go inside Constant Peg, the once-secret Cold War program that gave American fighter pilots the rare opportunity to train against real Soviet MiG aircraft.

In this special bonus episode, get a full-length lecture from former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot John Mann. A veteran of the F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle and Operation Desert Storm, Mann flew MiG-21s and MiG-23s with the Red Eagles during Constant Peg. He shares an extraordinary firsthand account of the aircraft, people and training program that transformed American air combat preparation.

What you'll hear:

• Lessons from Vietnam: Why the U.S. Air Force reexamined its aircraft, weapons and fighter training
• The origins of Constant Peg: How real Soviet aircraft became part of a highly classified adversary program
• Meeting the MiGs: Mann’s first encounter with MiG-17 and MiG-21 aircraft during training
• Flying the MiG-21: Its impressive turning ability, unforgiving handling and unconventional cockpit systems
• Inside the MiG-23: Tremendous speed, variable-sweep wings and dangerous flight characteristics
• Training against the real threat: How Constant Peg taught American pilots to recognize and counter Soviet aircraft
• The maintenance heroes: How crews kept unfamiliar MiGs flying without factory support, technical manuals or standard replacement parts
• Risk and secrecy: The strict security rules, hazardous test flights and sacrifices behind the Red Eagles program
• Preparing for Desert Storm: How realistic adversary training helped give American aircrews a decisive advantage
• See the aircraft: Learn more about the MiG-23 on display at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

Learn More:

• Visit Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum to see the MiG-23
• Donate to Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
• Subscribe and leave a review to support the show

This episode is supported in part by United Airlines.