10 Percent True - Tales from the Cockpit

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10PCT EP88 – Dave “Khan” Carr | F-15 Eagle, F-16 Viper, Weapons School & Aggressors

Dave “Khan” Carr joins 10 Percent True to discuss an extraordinary fighter career flying both the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Viper.

From Cold War intercepts over Alaska and Iceland to the pressure cooker of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, Red Flag, and Aggressor duty, Khan offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at elite fighter aviation.

This episode explores how the USAF prepared to fight the Soviet Union, how air combat tactics evolved through the Cold War and beyond, and what it really took to become a top-tier fighter pilot.

Along the way, Khan shares stories of Arctic alert missions, Keflavik intercepts, Weapons School work-ups, massive Red Flag battles, Soviet threat replication, and how the Eagle and Viper compared in a fight.

If you’ve ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes in elite fighter aviation, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Timestamps

2:20 A Quick Word from Steve
4:04 Welcome, Khan
4:50 Khan Introduces Himself
6:40 First Tour at Elmendorf – Flying the Eagle in Alaska
8:38 Early Career Challenges & Encounters
12:12 Discussing Losses in the Early Days
14:08 Dealing with Loss
15:34 Eyeing the Next Career Step – and Making It Happen
17:17 Keflavik – CFTs & Diversions to Scotland
19:47 Steve Geeks Out on CFTs
21:14 The Mission at Keflavik – Bears, Tomcats & Lightnings (with Tankers)
23:04 Honing Air-to-Air Skills as the Eagle Matured
25:28 Dialling Up the AoA – “It Depends…”
26:55 Rudder Use, Evolving Tactics & When to Use It
28:32 Weapons School – Selection, Work-Ups & Challenges
32:40 A Memorable Weapons School Sortie – Vark Speed & Perfect Execution
35:58 Why No “Super Squadrons”?
37:24 The Benefits of Weapons School Graduation
40:30 Expertise Across All Facets of the Mission
41:52 Tyndall & the FTU
44:35 Does It Get Better Than This?
46:18 Eagle Culture – Did It Change?
49:52 Peak Performance or Room for Improvement? The Importance of Comms
54:12 Getting Granular – What It Takes to Make It in the Eagle Community
56:34 Regrets About Missing Desert Storm?
58:12 Joining the Aggressors
59:48 Being a “True” Aggressor
1:04:25 Gloves Off?
1:06:10 Simulating the Threat Accurately – Who Sees Who?
1:09:48 Maintaining Situational Awareness
1:10:55 Becoming a Threat System SME – The Process
1:13:05 Expectation vs Reality as More Information Became Available
1:15:50 “Natural” Bias?
1:17:54 Views on Threat Advantages & Capabilities
1:21:45 Eagle vs Viper Comparisons (Intro Teaser Topic)
1:25:02 The “Bad Bob” (VX-9 F-14D) Encounter
1:26:55 Toughest Opponent as an Aggressor?
1:30:19 When Things Don’t Go to Plan – Scaring Yourself
1:34:10 Eating Shit as an Eagle Guy Flying Vipers?
1:34:54 Twilight of a Career – Guard Life, MSIP A Models, NVGs & Iraq
1:39:32 Young vs Old Eagle Driver
1:42:14 Keeping Up with Evolving Tactics & Change
1:49:30 Fini Flight
1:53:15 Do You Miss It?
1:53:54 Thanks, Khan – Till Next Time

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10PCT EP87 Marty “Pappy” Brogli – A-10 Desert Storm

Marty “Pappy” Brogli joins 10 Percent True to tell the story of flying the A-10 Warthog in Operation Desert Storm.

From Cold War preparation and the long deployment to the Gulf, to tank killing, SAMs, AAA, and losing friends in combat, Pappy delivers an extraordinarily candid account of what it was really like to fly the Hog in one of the most dangerous air wars in history.

This is not the sanitised version of Desert Storm. Pappy talks honestly about fear, humour, squadron culture, survival, morality, and the reality of combat at low level in an aircraft built to take punishment – and sometimes barely survive it.

Along the way, he shares remarkable stories of crippled aircraft, manual reversion landings, near disasters, and the unique camaraderie of the A-10 community.

If you’ve ever wondered what Desert Storm looked and felt like through the eyes of an A-10 pilot, this is one you won’t want to miss.

EE Lightning P1B | 10 Percent True | EP84 – Part 2The restoration of the English Electric Lightning P1B reaches a major milestone as the fuselage emerges from storage for the first time in nearly 30 years. Blackie gives an extraordinary tour through the aircraft’s bizarre and brilliant engineering – from handmade panels and unique fuel systems to the realities of maintaining and restoring Britain’s legendary Mach 2 interceptor. Along the way, he reveals the challenges of preparing the aircraft for Goodwood, the hunt for rare original parts, and why the Lightning remains one of the most fascinating fighters ever built.

This is the first episode of a new series we’re calling The Bullshit Detectorist. I’m joined by Starbaby Pietrucha, and the idea is simple—take some of the stuff you hear all the time about military aviation and see if it actually stands up. Stealth’s dead, drones have changed everything, low-frequency radar can see anything… we get into all of it.0:00 Aurora1:00 welcome back Starbaby - series outline/premise3:55 super low freq/passive radars are the death of stealth11:15 other dimensions of lo-observable?15:11 collapsing the kill chain?16:40 HARM were used to maybe make the Iraqis duck a bit…… (Dan Hampton quote) 🤡 21:35 “it’s not the plane, but the person in the box”26:02 “there’s no 100% defence against low cost cruise missiles (Shahed/Geran etc)” - previews further discussion on mass as a principle of war33:23 Starbaby and the Somme teaser34:06 “SR-71 shouldn’t have been retired”37:10 why did the U-2 survive?39:25 Aurora?43:36 “Crewed, oxygen breathing AEW aircraft are overrated and unnecessary…..” (incl underfunding/mismanagement of suck programs follow on)49:28 “the appearance of an aircraft is the most important (in US combat aircraft selection)”Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 53:32 “high speed low level penetration of an enemy IAD is redundant because of stealth”56:38 low level mitigation? 59:25 “Ghost Bat” or “MQ-28”1:01:18 SDB stormbreaker mean 1000 and 2000lbs bombs are unreasonable risks of collateral damage 1:07:30 intercepting bombs is much harder than cruise missiles 1:08:46 Stormbreaker 2 and associated marketing1:12:15 wrapping up

Get the full episode here: https://www.10percenttrue.com/pricing-plans/listIn Episode 3, Benji Prefontaine takes you into the most demanding phase of his combat experience—flying the Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard over Afghanistan in a crowded, chaotic coalition battlespace.With limited sensors, minimal weapons, and no datalink, every mission becomes a test of situational awareness and judgment. He describes near-misses in mid-air, fuel emergencies, comms failures, and the constant risk of fratricide—all while supporting troops in contact on the ground.The central theme is stark: the biggest danger isn’t always the enemy—it’s the environment, the complexity, and your own decisions. Benji explains why the urge to drop a weapon can be the most dangerous instinct a pilot has—and why sometimes the right call is to hold fire.This episode is a raw, honest look at the reality of close air support—and the responsibility carried by the person in the cockpit.⸻0:00 intro teaser - CAS story2:40 Welcome back (Again!) Benji3:30 recap of Super E capabilities as deployment to Afghanistan looms6:28 Spinning up and deploying 9:02 commencing ops in a relatively quiet 200611:04 2007 tougher (expanded ops, integration of new Rafale capabilities)14:30 “joint” Navy buddy mission with Rafale on 27/03/07 (including 5:59:59 flameout)19:01 admin can kill you - fuel problems and deconfliction 22:48 2008 Carrier stood down for refit/repair so Super E is ground based at Kandahar 26:55 reviewing the learning points emerging from the initial engagement (including Damocles limitations and intro story)34:36 integration into ATO? 37:25 personal growth?42:24 USB exchange pilot contributions?44:48 full access? (and the perils of Super E cockpit for the well built gentleman)48:07 kneeboard capabilities 52:11 comms - satcom54:11 going back to F1, missing it, an adjustment?58:58 back to Kandahar in the F11:02:44 revisiting the psychological aspect in terms of Afghanistan (and Libya)1:06:41 Dollars!1:11:40 Libya - state of play/the vagaries of real world deployment and getting in on the action 1:23:50 the benefits of a tight knit community (moving a squadron whilst fighting a war and training new people) 1:29:58 the toll on family?1:32:42 threat levels in Libya1:37:22 XCAS and Intel?1:40:28 SCUD launcher mission1:44:00 tanker scarcity1:45:10 ATL21:46:12 QRA/policing/Chad (again)1:53:10 intercepts and “etiquette”1:55:30 flying with MiG-29SMTs2:00:17 drinking vodka with MiG-31 squadron cmdr 2:01:43 Foxhound intel?/diplomacy/history2:05:49 rounding out Air Force career and next chapter2:11:40 Merci Benji