All Episodes

June 2, 2025 38 mins

Retired Pilot Lt. Col. Josh Cadice shares his story of going to the edge of space in one of the most iconic spy planes ever built.


In this episode, Josh discusses flying the KC-135, wearing the pressure suit, piloting the mysterious U-2 at 70,000 feet, and its aerial reconnaissance capabilities. From Cold War origins to modern missions, this aircraft’s legacy is as fascinating as it is classified. This one is going to be cool!

Resources:

Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Intro
  • (01:14) - Flying the U-2 Overview
  • (03:10) - Aviation Beginnings and the USAFA
  • (04:18) - The Civil Air Patrol
  • (04:39) - U-2 History
  • (06:00) - Flying the KC-135
  • (07:19) - Stratotanker Upgrades
  • (08:05) - Aerial Refueling
  • (10:16) - Becoming a U-2 Pilot
  • (11:42) - Dragon Lady Training
  • (13:24) - First Solo
  • (14:30) - Mission Training
  • (15:00) - The Pressure Suit
  • (19:18) - U-2 Takeoffs and Landings
  • (20:35) - The Chase Car
  • (22:03) - Landing Close Call
  • (23:01) - Flying Missions at 70,000 Feet
  • (26:07) - Operational Differences
  • (27:49) - Aerial Reconnaissance
  • (29:49) - What It Takes to be a U-2 Pilot
  • (30:48) - Landing the Dragon Lady
  • (33:24) - The Future of Spy Planes
  • (34:51) - Flying for United
  • (35:41) - Josh's Advice
  • (36:56) - Outro

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.