Welcome to the Fighter Pilot Podcast, the internet show that explores the fascinating world of air

combat, the aircraft, the weapon systems, and most importantly, the people.

I am your host, Vincent Aiello, and when I founded the Fighter Pilot Podcast back in 2018,

a team of enthusiasts quickly formed around me to improve the show's quality and reach, as well

as to explore other formats for sharing military aviation themed stories. We nested these projects

under a parent company called BVR Productions. In the summer of 2021, BVR launched a serialized

podcast called The Merge, not to be confused with the subsequent show

of the same name by our friend Mike Benitez.

We simulcasted most episodes of the Merge here on the Fighter Pilot podcast to drive traffic

to the Merge's new channel, but in the end, season one ended up being the only season

of that show. When members of the BVR

productions team spun off to create authentic media, the merge was pulled from the FPP catalog

to the consternation of many of you. Well, good news. The merge is back. For the seven

Tuesdays between mid-July and the end of August 2025, the Fighter Pilot Podcast

will feature the Merge's six main episodes and the bonus after the merge, which reconnected

several of the key characters in the story from years later. As you will hear, the Merge

episodes do not follow the usual fighter pilot podcast format,

but I hope you enjoy the change while still learning about air combat, specifically naval aviation.

And if you are accustomed to skipping around among FPP episodes, well, you'll want to listen to these in the order in which they are released.

So, enjoy the merge, and we'll catch you back here in September 2025 for our usual programming.

Here we go.

Planet Earth is home to 7.5 billion people.

...