End of an Era: 26 Years on the Perimeter with Jack Schonely

Welcome to The Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS , in partnership with Valor Plus . In this special episode, Jack Schonely shifts to the guest seat as Jon Gray sits down with him to reflect on the conclusion of an era: Stepping away from teaching his renowned tactical course, “Apprehending Fleeing Suspects,” after 26 years of instruction. Fresh off delivering his final class at Los Angeles Police Department Air Support Division, Jack opens up about the bittersweet closure of his farewell tour, the emotional weight of debriefing fallen officers, and why the time is right to pass the torch. Drawing on decades of lessons from patrol, K9, and tactical flight operations, he dives into the core mechanics of effective perimeter containment, the danger of complacency and expectancy error, and why search teams must maintain an aggressive, proactive mindset from the street to the FLIR. The conversation looks closely at the real-world impact of tactical education, highlighting suspect apprehensions credited directly to these street-tested principles. Jack also outlines how the curriculum will continue through the Shots Fired Podcast Training Group, reflecting on the mentors and family who supported the mission and issuing a challenge to the next generation of public safety professionals to step forward, share their knowledge, and carry the standard. Thank you to our sponsors Becker Avionics , Metro Aviation and Spectrolab .

End of an Era: 26 Years on the Perimeter with Jack Schonely | Ep 399