FPP206 - Delivering the Future: Aviation Acquisition

About this episode

This episode discusses the aviation acquisition process and its impact on airpower with insights from U.S. Air Force Colonel Tim “Ivy” Spaulding.

The future of airpower is not decided in the cockpit—it’s decided by the acquisition process. In this episode, U.S. Air Force Colonel Tim “Ivy” Spaulding joins new FPP host Tucker “Cinco” Hamilton to break down modern aviation acquisition from a fighter pilot’s perspective. They explore why innovation so often struggles to reach the flight line, how risk and incentives become misaligned, and what it really takes to deliver capability at speed. This candid conversation dives into trust, culture, and people—why acquisition works when operators, engineers, and decision-makers are aligned, and why it fails when they’re not. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations

People in this episode

Host: Tucker “Cinco” Hamilton

Guest: Tim “Ivy” Spaulding

Topics covered

• aviation acquisition
• airpower
• innovation
• risk management
• trust and culture
• military operations

Keywords

• aviation
• acquisition
• airpower
• innovation
• military
• risk
• trust
• culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. Air Force, Fighter Pilot Podcast

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