Former U.S. Air Force Pilot Arrested for Providing Defens...

Former U.S. Air Force officer and pilot Gerald Eddie Brown, Jr., also known by the call sign “Runner,” 65, a U.S. citizen, was arrested today in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Brown was charged by criminal

Romantic tryst led to Mexican cartel leader's capture, death | Reuters

Who are we kidding? I think we've all paid a price in our lives at some point because we thought with a certain body part to the exclusion of all else.

Sometimes the price can be pretty steep.

Dude flew at my airline, got fired. Evidently NOBODY had a good thing to say about him,, lots of issues.

Edited Thursday at 09:41 PM3 days by Vito

2 hours ago, Vito said:

Dude flew at my airline, got fired. Evidently NOBODY had a good thing to say about him,, lots of issues.

Story time!

His crews said he liked to drink and start fights…..seemed a common thread in most stories..

Edited Friday at 12:47 PM2 days by Vito

I copied something I wrote on another site and occurred in the 92-93 timeframe.

As a Flt CC,I took 6 A-10s from Shaw to Little Rock to support the Army doing Army things at Ft. Chaffee near Ft. Smith. Runner brings a jet back with a broken windscreen. No worries, that front panel would occasionally Crack from the window heat. Well, that wasn't it. He had hit the grounding wire on some high tension power lines. No call. No controllability/ damage check. He argues he did nothing wrong. The front windscreen on the Hawg is 7 layers of laminate that will stop a 23mm cannon round. That windscreen is supported by a very stout I- beam looking frame. The grounding wire hit on top of the AAR door, slid over the windscreen cracking the glass and shearing off windscreen attachment bolts before scratching the top of the canopy. The wire completely missed the engine nacelles and rudders. Any other jet and he would have been sliced in two and he thinks he did nothing wrong. Arkansas Power and Light was replacing that wire and sent us the piece with gray paint on it and said it was 292 feet off the ground which was below his cleared altitude. His excuse was rising terrain despite that handy, dandy radar altimeter warning which was not used.

He also almost put a Vark in the dirt during Desert Shield after screwing up a LGB toss. You might have seen the video updating your altitude chamber.

I think he was a F-4 WSO, then UPT, then F-111, then A-10, passed over for Major, hired by the Reserve A-10 unit in New Orleans, hired on at United but invited to leave during training (lying on his application?), invited to leave at New Orleans for flying violations and personnel conflicts, tried to get hired at Columbus Reserves but blocked by the NOLA A-10 folks, hired at UPS and fired after a conflict on a Asia flight with the other two pilots that resulted in them locking Runner out of the cockpit. After that, it is a mystery that I'm sure we will learn more about. Quite the resume, if you ask me. Maybe he was a plant to screw up the Chinese PLAAF.

Edited Friday at 03:50 PM2 days by TreeA10

I heard he was in the Epstein files, too.

7 hours ago, Vito said:

His crews said he liked to drink and start fights…..seemed a common thread in most stories..

So he was a Loadmaster? Now I'm confused.

10 hours ago, TreeA10 said:

I think he was a F-4 WSO, then UPT, then F-111, then A-10, passed over for Major, hired by the Reserve A-10 unit in New Orleans, hired on at United but invited to leave during training (lying on his application?), invited to leave at New Orleans for flying violations and personnel conflicts, tried to get hired at Columbus Reserves but blocked by the NOLA A-10 folks, hired at UPS and fired after a conflict on a Asia flight with the other two pilots that resulted in them locking Runner out of the cockpit. After that, it is a mystery that I'm sure we will learn more about. Quite the resume, if you ask me. Maybe he was a plant to screw up the Chinese PLAAF.

how the fuck did his resume pass background check to get hired as a sim instructor and still keep a security clearance?

14 hours ago, stract said:

how the fuck did his resume pass background check to get hired as a sim instructor and still keep a security clearance?

I was wondering the same thing. From what I'm hearing from dudes that knew him at my airline, there's no way he had a TS after how he departed our company. Alcohol, physical altercations, and denial of all of it.

15 hours ago, stract said:

how the fuck did his resume pass background check to get hired as a sim instructor and still keep a security clearance?

Probably claimed he was a lady during the Biden DEI hiring boom.

15 hours ago, stract said:

how the fuck did his resume pass background check to get hired as a sim instructor and still keep a security clearance?

You’d be pretty surprised at some of the stuff contracting companies will look past if they have a position that needs to be filled.

10 minutes ago, DirkDiggler said:

You’d be pretty surprised at some of the stuff contracting companies will look past if they have a position that needs to be filled.

Passing a background check is one thing; maintaining a security clearance as a contractor is another thing.

17 minutes ago, Sua Sponte said:

Passing a background check is one thing; maintaining a security clearance as a contractor is another thing.

I’m currently a contractor and know the difference between a background check and security clearance. I’ll say it again, you’d be surprised at at how some things get overlooked if the company needs a billet filled.

33 minutes ago, DirkDiggler said:

I’m currently a contractor and know the difference between a background check and security clearance. I’ll say it again, you’d be surprised at at how some things get overlooked if the company needs a billet filled.

Cool, so am I, and I do as well. I've also seen where the company really wanted someone in a critical need billet, and the adjunction authority said "tough shit" and denied the clearance, thus denying that person in that billet.

54 minutes ago, DirkDiggler said:

I’m currently a contractor and know the difference between a background check and security clearance. I’ll say it again, you’d be surprised at at how some things get overlooked if the company needs a billet filled.

17 minutes ago, Sua Sponte said:

Cool, so am I, and I do as well. I've also seen where the company really wanted someone in a critical need billet, and the adjunction authority said "tough shit" and denied the clearance, thus denying that person in that billet.

A lot of that depends on the investigator.

1 hour ago, Sua Sponte said:

Cool, so am I, and I do as well. I've also seen where the company really wanted someone in a critical need billet, and the adjunction authority said "tough shit" and denied the clearance, thus denying that person in that billet.

Cool, good to know. Now that we’ve established each other’s background and penis lengths, I’ll stand by my statement. Several of the guys I work with have shit on their records or are currently dealing with legalese that I’d have thought (at least when I was on AD) would be a clean kill/revocation or denial of clearance. Yet they’re still working in the cubicles near me. It’s almost like two things can be true at the same time……

Back in 95, 8th SOS, I'm getting my clearance refreshed. I had to go see a shrink at Eglin twice. Thought that was weird. Investigator visited me three times. At the end of the last visit he said "Okay, I can make something out of this". I'm still naive about the whole thing. Next thing I know I have some super mysterious clearance. Some mistake somewhere put me in for that. The investigator made it happen. I know, AD vs contractor, but like I said.

On 2/27/2026 at 9:49 AM, TreeA10 said:

I think he was a F-4 WSO, then UPT, then F-111, then A-10,

DOJ press release also includes the F-15 and F-16, but it's unclear if he was pilot or sim instructor in those.

Looks like he went to China in Dec 2023, and returned Feb 2026, after which he was arrested. Seems like a pro tip would be, if you're going to go play these stupid games, plan on never coming back to the US.

ETA: Press release mentions conversations with a "co-conspirator." Would seem to make sense this guy wasn't the only former US serviceman over there. Have to think the rest of them have taken notice, and plan on not coming back.

Edited 7 hours ago7 hr by Blue

I believe the co-conspirator was a Marine pilot.

Throughout these communications, Brown consistently stated his intent to train PRC military pilots in combat aircraft operations. In the resumé he prepared for his application, Brown wrote his “objective” as “Instructor Fighter Pilot.” A co-conspirator told Brown that he hoped Brown would be assigned to “my base, but otherwise you’ll go where is the local equivalent as the [U.S. Air Force] Weapon School.” Later, he stated to a co-conspirator that, upon his arrival in China, “Now…. I have the chance to fly and instruct fighter pilots again!”

In December 2023, Brown traveled to China to begin his work training PRC military pilots. After his arrival, Brown answered question for three hours about the U.S. Air Force on his first day in the PRC and then, on his second day, prepared and presented a brief about himself for the PLAAF. Brown remained in China until he traveled to the United States in early February 2026.

The charges against Brown follow similar charges filed against former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan in the District of Columbia in September 2017. Duggan was charged with providing and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization in violation of the Arms Export Control Act, as well as for conspiring to engage in international money laundering. Like Brown, Duggan received significant training during his career as a pilot in the U.S. military, then used that training for the benefit of the Chinese military. In particular, Duggan is alleged to have trained Chinese military pilots on the tactics, techniques, and procedures associated with takeoff from and landing on an aircraft carrier. Duggan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 and is currently pending extradition to the United States.

Edited 5 hours ago5 hr by Vito

I dunno, they call out Duggan (the former Marine) by name in the press release as someone with "similar charges," but they leave Brown's co-conspirator unnamed.

Have to assume there are more than just Duggan and Brown who fell into this line of work. Wonder how many have gone down this path...........

23 hours ago, DirkDiggler said:

Cool, good to know. Now that we’ve established each other’s background and penis lengths, I’ll stand by my statement. Several of the guys I work with have shit on their records or are currently dealing with legalese that I’d have thought (at least when I was on AD) would be a clean kill/revocation or denial of clearance. Yet they’re still working in the cubicles near me. It’s almost like two things can be true at the same time……

Since we're measuring, I've been a contractor with those fun clearances for 20 years now, and while I've seen my fair share of shenanigans, the vast majority of companies realize it's not in their best interest to put candidates with known issues before the customer.

Not saying it doesn't happen, but the smart ones will avoid it!

However, most don't contact references or double check claims on resumes, which has bit many on the ass more times than I care to remember!