After 500+ five star reviews, if you are not listening by now, you should. To assist, I asked Chat GPT to make a “AG appropriate” review: Esteemed listeners, please allow me to proffer a comedic critique of the Opposing Bases podcast, utilizing an elevated lexicon replete with polysyllabic and labyrinthine verbiage. Verily, it is with alacrity and ebullience that I embark upon this task. Firstly, I must proclaim that the Opposing Bases podcast is an exemplar of erudition and elucidation in the realm of aviation. These aviation aficionados verily display a formidable command of the intricacies and nuances of the subject matter, and their effervescent banter serves as a delightfully informative repast for the listeners. However, for those who prefer a more absurdist and whimsical form of entertainment, the Opposing Bases podcast may not suffice. Despite the occasional foray into the absurd, the podcast largely adheres to a serious and grounded tone. While this may be a boon for those who crave a more sober exploration of the topic, it may leave some listeners yearning for a more outrageous and whimsical diversion. In conclusion, for those who seek a more serious and informative approach to aviation, this podcast is a veritable treasure trove of erudition and illumination…

even as a non flying member of the comunity I have learned a LOT about why things happen over my head and when I'm in a plane! Keep up the hilarity and good info... I've lost many penguins due to these guys but my new penguins are very interesting! signed Juliet Alpha Lima adjacent the 100yr old state delta under the Blucifer Bravo!

Been putting this review off for far too long. As a student pilot in the Metroplex Executive south of the Mythical Triad airspace I was told by my PPL CFI of the most informative podcast in Aviation. I passed my PPL checkride in May 2021 and 2 weeks ago passed my Instrument as well. DPE and friend of the show Romeo Hotel got a kick out of me asking if he’d like the book answer or the RH and AG answer when talking about what to do in a lost comms IFR situation. I can say with certainty that without you guys the NAS would be a much scarier place. Thank you guys for all you do. 5 stars to my favorite local celebrities. Hotel Bravo

Looking for a high-flying podcast that will really take your aviation knowledge to new heights? Look no further than Opposing Bases Air Traffic Talk! This show, hosted by the dynamic duo of Alpha Golf and Romeo Hotel, is an absolute blast to listen to. They cover everything from IFR to ATC, and they do it all with a sense of humor that will have you laughing out loud (just make sure you're not flying a plane at the time!). Alpha Golf and Romeo Hotel are the perfect pair - their banter is as smooth as a well-executed landing, and their chemistry is as clear as the skies on a beautiful day. They're clearly passionate about what they do, and their enthusiasm is infectious. One thing I really appreciate about this podcast is that it's not just for pilots. Even if you've never set foot in a cockpit, you'll find the discussions fascinating and informative. And if you're anything like me, you'll be hooked after just one episode. Overall, Opposing Bases Air Traffic Talk is a must-listen for anyone with an interest in flying or air traffic control. So sit back, relax, and let Alpha Golf and Romeo Hotel take you on a journey that will have you soaring through the clouds in no time!

I’ve been listening to RH and AG for a few months, and make sure to catch every week. I’m about to start my IR Training (written already passed) and this is definitely a huge help. My girlfriend, while she thinks the show is astoundingly boring… has come to admit it’s tolerable and sometimes understands what is being mentioned. (Although, penguins and icebergs confuse her..) Filled with humor surely only pilots will even understand, and great advice from current controllers… you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t listen to these guys. Keep it up, excited to see what’s to come. Thanks, - LS

What can I say? RH and AG (or is it RG and AH?) are truly great dudes in make believe and reality. I’ve met them in a person a few times (or have I?) at that great place that is Oshkosh. They are very passionate about what they do and we are lucky to have them pass their expertise down to us! AG… I do have to say though, get PreCheck and your travel experience will be forever changed when you don’t have to resort to plastic belts and shoes! LSL from one of the frozen Dakotas

Just started and am hooked. Have 50 years in the NAS and thought I knew it all…not so… Well produced and done. You are helping scores of pilots and controllers who make the effort to tune in. BO

Want to learn about aviation? Want to laugh and enjoy learning? This is the place to be. RH and AG give you an inside look of air traffic control and the perspective of being the person giving orders to aircraft so they don’t touch. As a student pilot I have learned a lot from these two. For example restoring a car takes FOREVER, and remodeling a bathroom is a lot of work. Beyond real life knowledge, I have learned a ton about aviation, also penguins must have ADD to the point the will jump into shark infested waters out of boredom. Every wannabe and official pilot buys the infamous FAR/AIM. RH and AG make it obvious that the FAR/AIM, even being about 2 inches thick, is not black and white. RH and AG go into the nuances of different situations you may be faced as a pilot and how you may deal with it, what ATC is looking for for, how ATC can assist you, and that ATC wants to help you, not find a way to revoke your pilots certificate. Their experience of being pilots themselves allows them to communicate in a way that other pilots understand. For me the best part is the random appearance of RH’s cat giving a meow in the background. As a fellow cat owner, it gives me a smile every time. From a small airfield South East of the Native Tribe Tripping Delta in small laughs county. Delta Golf Delta

As long as the NOTAM system stays up… “Attention all pilots, why are you not listening to this podcast?” If you are not, I need you to copy down this number…. All kidding aside, I am a long-time private pilot working on my instrument rating and this has been the best podcasts for me. It is interesting, informative, amusing and helps to keep my head in the aviation game between flying and the rest of life! It does sometimes stress out my “Waddle” of penguins, but hey - I’d rather the ice burg be filled with NAS penguins than all those useless ones from high school classes. Into the sea with with them! Five stars all the way, Bravo Gulf - from just under the Burning River Bravo.

Just picture it now...there you are, reliving your airborne adventures to your pilot buddies in the FBO pilot lounge: "So then I asked Sleepy Hollow Approach for MSAW processing, you know, Multifunction V Slew..." Before you can finish your triumphant story, one of the new CFIs points at you and shouts at the top of his lungs, "A WITCH!!!" and you are (metaphorically) burnt at the stake, joining the ranks of Voltaire, Joan of Arc, and many other not-so-living legends. It'll be great! But heresy aside, this show will give you a great insight into the secret penguin sauce that is ATC. Who knew they were people too?!? Maybe the warm glow of the burning stake will attract some of your prodigal penguins back to the roost.

Podcasts can sometimes really drag out with drawn out personal stories, random animal distractions, and commercial breaks that can really take away from the content. Luckily, this podcast doesn’t have commercials, so you’re in for a treat! As a newly minted private pilot and working towards my instrument and commercial ratings, I constantly listen to this podcast while driving or at the gym. I’m flying out of the football Delta where Lucy will pull it away from NFL kickers trying to kick extra points in the playoffs under the Jerry Jones Bravo. The best audio so far has to be the Cougar in the Cockpit audio from OB 217. I got to name our dog Ricky Bobby, but the wife pumped the brakes on naming our boys Walker and Texas Ranger. Truly incredibly helpful information and you guys should be very proud of your following and the help you provide. Thanks so much. JB

I am not an early adopter. I didn’t own any Small Fruit products until I got my PPL in 2011. I didn’t get an autopilot in my elderly airplane until just last year. I had never listened to a podcast until one of my instrument students described penguins sliding off his iceberg a few months ago. Now I make a living flying small airplanes in nearby airspace (Duke, Home of the Wolfpack), and have plenty of drive time to devote daily. I have become a big fan of the show and have been slowly catching up on back episodes. It’s entertaining, educational, and always avoids annoying alliteration. This is honestly the worst podcast I have ever listened to. Sincerely, GSR

Join the heroes of the NAS as they battle such deplorable denizens of the ATC underworld as untagged VFR pilots, Duke controllers, or anyone claiming to “work” at a center. Marvel as they recount their memories of miscellaneous modern conveniences like the cassette tape, phone book, and non-directional beacon. Each week you’ll be transported to a new world where words like splat, bippy and Zippy are as familiar as the airports of legend at coat factory, race track, and cigarette. All are welcome in this anonymous magical realm, even those with atrocious settings, so buckle up and give it a try. This show provides something rarer than a trainee with a plan - deep dives into the dusty corners of aviation knowledge that entertain rather than anesthetize. 6/5 stars. -J.R.T.

Prior to listening to Opposing Bases, flying IFR in the NAS felt a little like being plucked off the stands to join a (mostly) pro basketball team. While you know everyone is working to get the ball in the hoop without fouling the other players, your teammates are obviously operating from a 1,000-page playbook that no one thought to share with you. So you spend a lot of your flying time trying to reverse engineer what and why things are happening. After listening to the show, I feel like I've read, if not the playbook, at least the executive summary. I now now predict ATC calls. Also, the professionalism that results has to lower everyone's blood pressure. This may be especially the case for me, because I fly a SETP and get the feeling controllers are mostly willing to treat pilots of our type like airline pilots, but they seem often to have their fingers crossed doing so -- at least until you demonstrate you're a pro. I strongly encourage you to listen to and to support the show.

I am absolutely addicted to this podcast and cannot wait until the next episode drops. What I can't figure out is WHY? RH and AG must have some kind of voodoo, hypnotic, magic going to have suckered me into listening to (and ultimately enjoying) each episode. The way they laugh at each other's inside jokes makes me wonder which one is Beavis and which one is Butthead. I almost gave up midway through my first episode due to the sophomoric humor and lengthy verbiage about refrigerator repair, garage remodeling, etc. BUT...... if you are an OB noob and are thinking of checking out after the first 10 minutes... DON'T. There are tremendous nuggets of information which are super helpful to VFR and IFR pilots. The more I listen, the more I begin to understand them, and the more great information I garner from the show. It is now one of my favorite aviation podcasts, and will be yours too if you give it a chance. Now if I can just figure out what the heck penguins are... guess I need to keep listening. Thanks RH and AG for keeping me entertained on my daily drive to work. Regards, A.S. from the original Air Capital of the World smack dab in the center of the USA.

As a longtime subscriber of many podcasts, I thought I had a good grasp of what makes an excellent podcast, curating a list of what were, in my eyes, five-star heavyweights. Imagine my surprise, then, hearing these two random ATC-ers as guests on another podcast: “An ATC podcast, seriously?” Having now listened to every episode—and yes, there are more than the six to nine you would think would be sufficient to cover everything anyone would need to know about ATC—I can confirm each and every one is five-star material. Not only that, but AG and RH have reset the bar for what makes a five-star podcast: competent and in-depth discussion of useful topics, entertaining banter and giggling, cookies, code names, and penguins. One unfortunate side-effect: my podcast playlist’s average star rating has now plummeted below five. Thanks a lot. ~Tango Alpha Charlie from under the Golden Dome Charlie

Okay RH and AG you win, I’ll leave a review! As requested 5 stars. This show will help you understand the capabilities and limitations of what the person on the other side of the button click can or can’t do for you. Experts of getting you off the scope as quickly as possible, one well timed IFR cancellation received at a time. Don’t be fooled by the friendly hints and code names, they really don’t care if you want the ILS, GPS, VOR, or LPV approach but for all that is holy say your approach request. Otherwise squawk VFR….goodbye. All jokes aside best podcast, (not just the best AVIATION podcast). Always learn something new or refresh’s my memory on those not so common procedures we don’t always see.

Have you been searching for the best aviation podcast in which the two most eligible ATC bachelors speak to you in sultry tones, luring you to fall into a deep pleasant sleep? Me too. But until we find that, may I introduce you to opposing bases. If you are interested in aviation in any form, their podcast is a great listen! And if you aren’t interested in aviation, I would be willing to bet you will still enjoy learning about flying from these two. The podcast gives me the tools to provide the captains next to me valuable insight. If nothing else, I now have a bucket of interesting factoids to pull out when the captain begins his left seat diatribe. OB is a wonderful listen as we wait for our knights or knightesses of NAS kingdom to bless us with their angelic voices.

This show is funny and awesome and great. This review is funny and awesome and great.

As a new private pilot flying in the middle of no where, I stick to the non-towered airports as I’m pretty intimated talking to ATC. I imagine a grumpy older gentleman sitting in a tower eating peanuts and sipping coffee judging my every move as well as getting impatient with my inaudible mumbling about my location, altitude, and intentions. I guess what I’m getting at is after listening to the show, I’m less intimidated by ATC. I now know that you guys are just like the rest of us, just trying to do as little work as possible until we get to go home for the day! All jokes aside thanks for all that you do. I’m an avid lister now grinding toward my instrument rating.

Love the site when it sticks to the advertised subject matter (ATC). Little disappointed in the amount of personal talk about window repairs, back pain, etc. i think i speak for all GA pilots when I say this is a very valuable insight to what happens on the other side of the call. Thank you!!

Love the show and really enjoy hearing the ATC perspective on daily life in the NAS. As an active CFI and “Acme” 737 captain, I find this show to be informative and entertaining. My three-year-old son refers to AG and RH as “those boring guys” and my goodness does he nap well when listening to this show! “LD”

I am another none pod cast listener who is now religiously listening to Opposing Bases Podcast (@ 1xspeed IOT enjoy it like a fine wine). Although I have tried many and enjoyed a few this is the first podcast (of any genre) that I have stuck with for 50+ episodes. Patron EW introduced me, when I bumped into him at the Taco Truck 200th episode event (I was at the main terminal, not the event, so I am yet to meet the hosts). I have since verbally and via text shared my enjoyment with other R/W and F/W pilots; this is a well overdue 5 star review. Give this podcast a try and you too will 1.Be addicted 2. Childishly giggle along with AG and RH, the hosts. 3. Gain new confidence (regardless of hour level, I am 1700 R/W and newly minted 100hr ASEL+instrument) to tell ATC what is going on in your cockpit and where you wish to be in the future. -JPM from the Golf Golf Southeast of the mythic Triad.

I tried to give this review a 4 star rating but the podcast player would not let me. Maybe they do actually have it set to only allow 5 star ratings. Welcome to the land of the mythical Triad where penguins are shoved off icebergs to get you some cookies if you you can actually manage to push one off. These guys, through all the dad jokes and snarky remarks actually know a thing or two because they’ve seen a thing or two with their combined experience of flying and controlling. I swear I’ve learned more by listening to them than my instructor ever taught me during my Instrument Rating. Thank you for your show, keep up the good work from AD just outside the not a Canadian City Charlie.

Information as vast as a center’s airspace…knowledge as deep as the sleep of a center controller…humor as dry as a Carolina basement…and a vocabulary as…well, as limited as a sixth-grade dropout’s. RH and AG use their experience as controllers and pilots as well as their natural chemistry to answer questions and help us be better citizens of the national airspace system and life in general. Appealing to pilots and non pilots alike, it’s worth listening to a few newer episodes to get into the rhythm, and then you will be hooked. *I don’t think Lindbergh actually had a podcast, but this is literally what I look forward to on a Monday.

Not only do RH & AG provide a great POV from the other side of the mike, they instill some humor into Air Traffic Talk. They touch a lot of topics that are known/unknown to pilots (and non pilots alike!) and provide great insight and clarity without making anyone feel dumb. I love their remarks they have about their colleagues (center controllers, am I right?😂) and the information they provide to us. 10/10 this is a great podcast

From the 5th President Executive underneath the Metroplex Bravo… While there are plenty of great educational aviation podcasters out there, there are no other hosts I know that have the wit and satire to bring hundreds (maybe thousands??) of listeners on the inside of their inside controller-land humor. When I listen in the car with my teenage kids, and I start chuckling at the mention of penguins and icebergs…the kids just shake their heads, groan, and mutter something unintelligible under their breaths. As all of us middle aged fathers know, this is the same reaction we get from a perfectly executed “Dad joke”! Thanks AG and RH for the weekly dose of aviation dad jokes…keep ‘em coming!

My CFI looked at me and said, OK, call up the tower… I’m sure they said more, but my brain had already stopped processing. Stage fright. A completely blank mental script. What do I say? followed quickly be the panic attack of “What if I get it WRONG”? It felt like an hour for my mouth to start blabbering the phrases I’d jotted down on my kneeboard, but I made it through the call: <press transmit button> NoAvGasHere Tower, <pause to find the placard> Cessna N1234 at <pause to find the taxiway sign> Alpha, Ready for departure, <pause glance at the airport diagram> 31R. <pause... Oh, yeah! Release button!> I had no idea what activities those words would trigger, other than that I needed to be ready to scribble down a response that would be fast, scratchy, indistinct and garbled for me, but one that everyone else would somehow understand. Cue this podcast. After only a few episodes I now have a (warped?) mental model of what happens on the other end of that radio call, the flow of activities that I and my airplane fit into, what is normal, what is expected, and what throws a monkey wrench into the gears of smooth operation. To all the RH’s and AG’s out there, I proactively appologize for all those 3-second pauses, that eternity delayed “… with Echo” and forgotten “at altitude”s. Knowing how my words will be consumed, and the actions and decisions that follow really helps me to collect and organize my chaotic thoughts into a concise and structured “say intentions” radio call. In a world of content-free clickbait posts, videos and podcasts, this podcast stands out by being consistently entertaining, engaging and educational. It has aged well - the first episode (from what, 4 years ago?) is just as on-point as the current #250, each one feels like I'm meeting up with a couple of old friends talking about the things that they love. From that unleaded Delta crammed up against the Wannabee a Big City Charlie under the Sourdough Bravo, Thanks to your great podcast, I'm not scared of that radio thing anymore! JP (PPL student)

First off, my bad. I accidentally hit 1 Star at first then amended it to the true vale, 5/5 starts. Thanks for putting together a fun, informative and delightful podcast about aviation. I stumbled upon you by accident and listened to the last couple most recent shows. Slight mistake because of all the referencing to previous conversations. Jumped back 5 shows and then understood the conversations and jokes. Now I’m headed back to the beginning to binge listen from the beginning. You guys make the the 4+ hours of driving i do a day a lot more entertaining.

From the peach state near the big ugly bravo… Thanks for a great podcast that has removed any anxiety about dealing with ATC.. You’ve been a great help in recently achieving my Instrument Rating…Thanks again…

I’ve given these goof balls a good listen for a while now and absolutely enjoy every bit of the podcast! Great information and extremely valuable experiences. This has helped me a ton with instrument flying.

These are the best aviation content producers in the world. I started listening to OB at the end of last summer, and had been recommended their podcast since the summer of 2019. If your podcast streaming provider is trying their hardest to make you listen to this podcast, just give in because it will be one of the greatest decisions you’ll do for your aviation career or the lil aviation bug that bit you. You will always learn something new, or even more on a topic you think you already know about. I never thought I would be waiting for Mondays, especially for a podcast, but here I am. Thanks guys keep up the good work. LGT from the Lobsta Tea Party Bravo

Only subscribe if you want to be swept away to the mystical land of triad, a place where pushing penguins off an iceberg is a fun and enjoyable activity. This is the Click and Clack of aviation. Where else can you be VFR and get scolded for changing altitudes.

From the gal in the FlyingFarmTruck … thanks for unpacking so many of the questions I had about ATC. After 30 years of staying “under the radar” in class G I’m going legit and chasing instrument, commercial, CFI, etc etc. Your podcast has brought fun, purpose, and value into a part of flying that always intimidated me. And… perhaps… in doing so you’ve made life a bit easier for your counterparts at the Smurf Turf Charlie. They owe you one!

After hearing about it on so many other podcast’s, I figured I had to give it a try, and boy do I wish I had sooner. These Cat and Penguin obsessed controller’s explain and demystify the NAS like nobody else, and I just can’t get enough, so much so that I now look forward to mondays instead of dread them! They keep me excellent company on my commute to school underneath the Chicken Wing Charlie, south of the Lots of Water Falling Over a Big Cliff Delta. The Oshkosh episodes were very helpful as a first timer flying in. I’m just upset I missed the live show, but that’s on me. Keep up the great work! -MRB

This podcast mystically transports me to a virtual cockpit when I am on the ground wishing I was in a real one. Even RH’s cat got air sick in 242 the experience was so real. Getting advice from this cat, or your own on how to endure the long wait between episodes is recommended. I have filled this long wait by starting all episodes over for a third time. The content never gets old. I can now understand those fast talking controllers in the air, even though I listen to this podcast at 1/2 speed to get 2 hours of virtual flying while on the ground. The 1.5 speed thing just left me sad and extra time not filled with OB entertainment. JE

Listening to AG and RH is reminiscent of Car Talk with Click and Clack, the tappet brothers. They both knew their stuff so well they were able to interject humor into accurate responses to listeners’ questions and these two do the same. Cameos from Zippy and the infamous cat bring extra hilarity and familiarity. Their extemporaneous witticisms and innumerable stories of when they were flying or when they were controlling traffic exemplify their intelligence and gentlemanly nature. I have learnt a lot from them and some of it even applied when flying and going for my private and instrument ratings! Thanks, guys, and keep up the good work. Contacting tower! MIK

Who knew learning could be so much fun. While driving to one of the major Delta airports in the Big Apple, where I park my Cardinal, AG and RH keep me company. It is fun, and most importantly informative just having these voices during the trip. Keep the penguins on the ice and keep up the great work. SL

Started listening while training for my PPL, found it after Capt. Nick made disparaging remarks on another podcast. I don’t listen to that one anymore, I guess it has something to do with penguins. :) Slowly working on my instrument rating and tailwheel endorsement. The info is presented in helpful and entertaining manner. Finally caught up with all the episodes so now I have to wait each week to listen while walking the dog, though he does look at me funny when I burst out laughing.

While working on my instrument rating in the "espresso Delta", a CFII turned me on to the wonderful Opposing Bases podcast from AG and RH, who live in a mythical land where ATC hands out cookies and pilots always use flight following. I have been listening from episode one to catch up, jumping back to current episodes each Monday, and find each one interesting and informative. I can honestly say that this is the podcast of my dreams, as in my dream last night I was driving around with my partner listening to Opposing Bases, and woke up realizing I needed to finally give them the five-star review they deserve. Now, if only they could help me find a way to make the non-dream version of my partner actually want to listen to OB, but I haven't quite gotten there yet. -DS

I started listening to OB part way through my PPL training after hearing AG and RH interviewed on another aviation podcast (I don’t remember which one). 2 years later My wife and I look forward to a happy Monday each week. Thoroughly informative and delightfully entertaining. My wife won’t let me fly without flight following. This show deserves 6/5 stars. Look forward to another review with that extra star.

This show is the best show I’ve listened to in a long time. It brought me back into the aviation podcasting world. Their perspective and knowledge is really great. Take a listen and you’ll find a funny, fun, and informative show.

Podcasts have never been my thing but Opposing Bases was recommended to me at the start of my private pilot training and I listen every week (and maybe soon watch as new patreon supporter). From the entertaining banter to the educational discusion of so many pertinent topics, RH, AG, and the participating listeners make a captivating show. Their topics always seem timely as well. A controller seemed to imply an implicit bravo clearance had been given…a show topic on that shows up the next week. I wanted to know more about temporary loss of comms during VFR flight following, same thing. These are recent examples only but the list is endless. I’m more comfortable and better prepared flying in the NAS because of this show. -JRW

It’s the best

I have listened to OB since the beginning. As a long dormant pilot, I use this podcast to relive my glory days when I was free to roam the skies without the burden of children and huge monthly bills to bring me flailing back to earth. AG and RH provide an indispensable service to the aviation community and this podcast is a must listen. It is 5-star material each and every week. And to whomever leaves less than 5-star ratings and moronic posts about “the future”, or taking out your frustrations about CPDLC on two controllers who have NO ability to change that…this review hopefully helps to offset your insipid opinion…no one cares.

My husband is a pilot for the Air Force and enjoys regular use of his PPL. He listens to several aviation podcasts. While deployed last year he wrote into one and they featured his answer. In being a supportive partner I listened to it and it was unbearably boring. So as we made our move from what I would call “green chile” or “roadrunner” (he’s informed me you’ve recognized it as Watermelon) to the state east of Windy City and south of western Mitten he asked if we could listen to your podcast. Based on my history I said absolutely not. He convinced me to give y’all a chance and we ended up listening to 2 episodes per day we were on the road! I’m not completely new to aviation lingo but I am by no means an enthusiast, and I can follow along easily with only occasionally having to pause and ask a question. To be able to make a very technical show appealing to both novices and the extremely experienced is quite a talent. Your humor, chemistry, and clear concise explanations really make it great. Keep up the good work! — Kilo Charlie

Had a fever dream about air venture. Five stars

If memories are like penguins and brains like crowded icebergs, this show’s charming penguins have thoroughly colonized my berg and displaced countless deadbeat flightless birds. What I ate for breakfast two days ago? Sleeping with the fishes. My mother’s maiden name? Shark food. Dog’s favorite brand of kibble? I believe that fellow is in the local zoo now. But that’s not to say the iceberg is a sad or quiet place. Indeed, the tuxedoed gentrifiers are both hilarious and informative, and my frozen floating neighborhood is better for their arrival. According to birdfact.com: “The most common collective nouns for a group of penguins are colonies, rookeries or huddles, but swimming penguins are called a raft, and walking penguins are called a waddle.” With this in mind, I look forward each and every week for the young, strapping raft to come and duke it out with the waddle’s weaklings to establish their place in the rookery. On these days, the sea is a churning maelstrom, with voracious orca circling the ice awaiting the tumble of “high school chemistry teacher’s name” or “central plot elements of The Scarlet Letter” or “how to drive manual transmission” and their grizzled ilk. In their places, “order of flight following radio request” and “cancel IFR in the air when able” and “don’t practice maneuvers in the finals corridor” triumphantly join the huddle.

We’re smart about everything except the future.

Opposing Bases is the sort of helpful and relevant program that the FAA should have been producing for years. Except, if the FAA had done it, the show would be butchered to the point of incomprehensibility by the disclaimers and legal double-speak. What RH and AG do here is simply outstanding: practical, relevant, and helpful. We learn things like a LUAW may sound like a Hawaiian party with a roasted pig, but it’s really something much different. And we learn that a LAHSO sounds like something you’ll find at a rodeo, but is again much different. I learn something with every episode, and I’m quite surely everyone listening learns something good about this amazing airspace we operate in. As such, Opposing Bases not only entertains, but actually makes all of us, controllers and pilots alike, better. And for that, we are very thankful. Now, back to that Hawaiian party with the roasted pig….