Kenny T interviews Kris, a pilot from Louisiana who trained at Louisiana Tech, joined the Air Force, and flew C-130s, the M-28 Skytruck, PC-12s, Cessna 208s, and ultimately the U-2 Dragon Lady before retiring and becoming a United Airlines 737 captain. Judge explains how seeing an F-16 poster led him to join ROTC, credits mentor CMSgt Edward Fowler for instilling discipline, and shares why he loves general aviation, including owning a Piper Comanche 250 and building an RV-8. He confirms the earth is round, describes why the U-2 is the toughest airplane to land and the space-suit/oxygen process, and recounts an emergency where a failed bleed-air/environmental system caused severe cockpit cold, memory loss, and near hypothermia before a safe landing. He closes with advice: “maintain aircraft control,” and a mantra about turning dreams into goals and achievements.

00:00 Meet Kenny T and OC
00:48 From Cessnas to U2
02:53 Is the Earth Round
03:41 F16 Poster Spark
07:27 ROTC Mentor Lessons
08:41 Why General Aviation
10:16 Cross Country GA Trip
11:38 U2 Interview and Landing
15:33 Why Choose the U2
17:09 Suiting Up Process
21:12 12 Hour Solo Missions
21:51 U-2 Suit Risks
22:31 Cold Mission Launch
23:58 Systems Fail and Freeze
28:08 Emergency Descent Chaos
29:07 Memory Loss in Clouds
30:42 Landing While Hypothermic
32:59 Hypothermia Debrief Lessons
34:11 Pilot Takeaways and Root Cause
36:47 From U-2 to Airlines
38:47 Representation and Mentoring
42:42 Dreams to Goals Mantra
43:25 Wrap Up and Farewell