# What It's Really Like Flying Presidents Trump & Obama | Marine One Pilot John Ballinger Tells All

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-flight-club-podcast-6869702/what-it-s-really-like-flying-presidents-trump-obama-marine-one-pilot-john-ballinger-tells-all
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-flight-club-podcast-6869702/what-it-s-really-like-flying-presidents-trump-obama-marine-one-pilot-john-ballinger-tells-all.md
Podcast: [The Flight Club Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-flight-club-podcast-6869702)
Published: 2026-01-23T18:46:39+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/a67eaa90
Audio file: https://2.gum.fm/op3.dev/e/pdcn.co/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/pdst.fm/e/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/a67eaa90/1f9c0b69.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-flight-club-podcast-6869702/episodes/what-it-s-really-like-flying-presidents-trump-obama-marine-one-pilot-john-ballinger-tells-all
Duration seconds: 4107

## Resource

Marine One pilot John “Rico” Ballinger spent over 20 years as a Marine aviator, deploying into combat zones, and leading elite Marine aviation teams, yet the hardest transition of his life came after he left the military. In this powerful episode, John shares his journey from the cockpit to civilian life, the grief of losing his daughter, the near collapse of his marriage, and how he rebuilt his identity from the ground up. Now a private jet broker and co-host of the Second Act podcast, he opens up about resilience, purpose, and why the relationships you invest in today determine your future. This is a story about falling, starting over, and finding meaning in your second act.

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## Transcript

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