187 - Sky King: The Story of Richard Russell (feat. Caleb from Western Kabuki)
Added 2025-04-30 06:00:13 +0000 UTCCaleb @BirdRespecter (Western Kabuki, 60 Minute Drill) joins Brian and Josh to tell the story of Richard “Beebo” Russell, a man who walked off his job as a baggage handler at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport one day in 2018 to steal an airplane. Russell and his ill-fated flight quickly became a cause célèbre among some of the darkest corners of the internet, continuing to this day. This episode tries to figure out how and why that happened.
Note: This episode deals with suicide and racist extremism.
Caleb: Bluesky // Twitter // Linktree
Western Kabuki: Formerly the preeminent Nick Cage podcast, this show is now a few friends from Twitter, @Birdrespecter, @AGoldmund, and @JUNlPER discussing what’s going on online. Patreon // Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Bluesky // YouTube
Media referenced this episode:
“The Sky Thief: Beebo Russell’s Last Flight” by Tim Dickinson. Rolling Stone, June 24, 2021.
“I Worked With Richard Russell at Horizon Air, and I Understand Why He Did What He Did” by Todd Bunker. The Stranger, August 17, 2018.
“‘Airplane of opportunity’? Richard Russell raised pilot’s suspicions a year before Sea-Tac plane heist” by Lewis Kamb. The Seattle Times, September 12, 2018.
“Sea-Tac air traffic controller faced ‘one in a million’ scenario with stolen plane” by Daniel Beekman and Michelle Baruchman. The Seattle Times, August 11, 2018.
“FBI: Richard Russell, who stole plane from Sea-Tac, acted alone, crashed on purpose; motive a mystery” by Lewis Kamb. The Seattle Times, November 9, 2018.
“Human remains, flight data recorder found among wreckage of stolen plane on Ketron Island” by Stacia Glenn. The News Tribune, August 13, 2018.
“Airline job was way for man who crashed stolen plane to visit Alaska” by Adam Lynn, Alexis Krell, Sue Kidd, Lauren Smith and Craig Sailor. The News Tribune, August 12, 2018.
“White nationalists and the ‘Sky King’” by Martin McKenzie-Murray. The Saturday Paper, August 18, 2018.
Music used in this episode:
Anticipation by Drill Folly
Lookin’ For That Orca (Beebo’s Song) by Johny Maudlin
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: The first seven pages of “The Hidden Enemy,” written and performed by Josh Boerman
Comments
Regarding the question at ~1:36, "what does any of this have to do with whiteness?" You have to keep in mind that these assholes don't see race as just a combination of, like, phenotypic and cultural traits, but as a sort of physical manifestation of some nebulous concept of destiny. Whiteness, to these chuckleheads, means being one of the protagonists of reality. They've built up this idea that only white people get to have adventures, make discoveries, do impressive things, and go down in history as heroes. When reality inevitably fails to at all match up to this ideal they declare that reality is in the wrong, that the destiny they somehow 'deserve' is being stolen from them by all those nefarious non-whites who villainously insist on being, y'know, people.
Winter Strang
2025-05-24 16:31:22 +0000 UTCThanks for doing this episode. I feel like it's among your most important. Next to the Animal Crossing one, maybe. lol, but darkly
Matt Bornemann
2025-05-07 16:29:01 +0000 UTC
