Show Notes
Subscribe to 10 Percent True for ad-free, early access to new episodes: https://www.10percenttrue.com/pricing-plansFred Knowles EP76 P2In Part 2 of our conversation with retired USAF pilot Fred Knowles, we dive into his 15 years flying the A-10 Thunderbolt II in Alaska and a tour in South Korea. Fred explains the Hog’s unique firepower, tactics, and survivability, shares vivid stories about Arctic survival training, flying in brutal -60°F conditions, night missions with flares and NVGs, and preparing to face Soviet armor or a North Korean invasion. With 3,300 hours in the cockpit, Fred gives an insider’s perspective on what it was like to fly and fight in one of the Air Force’s most iconic close air support aircraft.0:00 intro teaser 2:00 welcome back Fred3:50 AMA question 1 - mission sets in Alaska - supporting troops or interdiction?6:30 personal survival gear?10:15 striking an equipment balance & SERE refresher?14:30 human comfort as you step to the jet?16:50 how much thought given to a bailout scenario?19:20 AMA 2 - 106 to Hog, any stigma?22:34 transitioning from high altitude to low - a major adjustment?28:23 setting the scene for the transition and the maturity of the A-10 platform36:36 gau-8 dispersion 39:30 put the thing on the thing?40:30 targets - study, identifying and killing them45:55 considering the human aspect again, how personal?47:55 Korea51:58 attrition expectations and survivability 55:08 ECM pod, chaff, flares and RWR57:10 low level59:45 handling characteristics and performance 1:02:15 jinking/evading 1:04:00 handling on the edge of stall?1:05:40 air to air, helicopters?1:08:10 back to Alaska and darkness!1:11:00 employing at night 1:13:00 transitioning to NVG flying and how it would pan out if balloon went up1:16:38 MANPADs1:18:17 Fulda Gap1:19:40 semi-prepared strips?1:22:09 changes or milestones during the 15 years in Alaska?1:28:05 FAC & OA-101:30:45 targeting pods and new weapons arriving?1:33:23 A-10 - thoughts on its evolution/lifespan/survival/career?1:35:49 standout/scary moments?1:40:14 hours?1:40:35 Hosting Russians at Eielson 1:43:40 other memorable events, incl Gunsmoke ‘83 & ’851:45:45 fini flight 1:46:45 muscle memory and complacency?1:49:50 leaving Eielson1:50:22 in review
More from 10 Percent True - Tales from the Cockpit
Former French Navy fighter pilot Alban “Daffy” Le Duc explains why attacking a warship is one of military aviation’s most difficult missions.From flying low and radio silent to locating a moving high-value target, coordinating Exocet attacks and overwhelming a ship’s defences, he breaks down the anti-ship tactics flown by Super Étendard crews.Watch the complete conversation with Daffy Le Duc on 10 Percent True.#SuperEtendard #Exocet #FrenchNavy #NavalAviation #MilitaryAviation
In 2001, a Chinese J-8 fighter collided with a US Navy EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea. Badly damaged and with limited flight controls, the American crew made an emergency landing on China’s Hainan Island.Former EP-3 mission commander Hoover Coggins examines the crew’s controversial decision, the sensitive material left aboard and the intelligence windfall handed to China.Watch the complete Hoover Coggins interview on 10 Percent True.#EP3 #HainanIsland #USNavy #China #MilitaryAviation
This is a clip. For the full episode, subscribe: 10percenttrue.com Former US Navy Naval Flight Officer Hoover Coggins takes us inside the secretive world of the EP-3 electronic-intelligence aircraft. Flying from Spain and forward bases around the Mediterranean during the Cold War, Hoover progressed from navigator to senior tactical electronic-warfare evaluator and mission commander. In Part 1, he explains the EP-3’s enormous mission crew, its sensors and linguists, how operators identified hostile radar systems, and what happened when Soviet, Israeli or Libyan fighters came to investigate.
Watch full episodes at: 10percenttrue.comJosé Jiménez 10PCT EP59 P4 ClipFormer F-111 pilot, Libya raider, test pilot and squadron commander José Jiménez returns to recount an extraordinary third career. After retiring from the US Air Force and briefly flying Boeing 747s, the events of 9/11 drove him back toward public service. At 44, he entered the US Foreign Service and began again at the bottom, eventually serving in Senegal, Iraq, Morocco and Zimbabwe. In this clip, José offers an unusually candid account of diplomacy, de-Ba’athification, reconstruction, terrorism and the strange realities of representing America in a war zone.#iraqwar #militaryhistory #geopolitics
Former Mirage F1 combat pilot Easy Bethoux initially dismissed aerobatic flying as “circus” work—until a friend told him that life in the Patrouille de France was “war twice a day.” One selection flight changed everything. Easy went on to fly with and ultimately lead France’s national display team. In this remarkably candid conversation, he explains the fear, trust, discipline and emotional cost behind one of the world’s most respected formation teams. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:15 From the Mirage F1 to the Patrouille de France 00:03:26 “I’m not a circus guy” 00:04:04 “It’s war twice a day” 00:05:31 Arriving for the selection day 00:07:00 Flying in the Alpha Jet’s back seat 00:09:12 The formation tightens—and Easy cries 00:10:33 The dynamic flight at 100 feet 00:12:00 The selection interview 00:15:00 Joining the team and starting again 00:19:40 Searching for the perfect formation flight 00:21:16 Going to war with yourself 00:25:01 Learning to accept fear 00:27:29 “I was afraid of dying” 00:34:00 A typical Patrouille de France training day 00:39:00 The pilot–mechanic relationship 00:44:00 Learning movements from the team’s “Bible” 00:50:30 The training flight that nearly ended in ejection 00:57:50 The relentless display schedule 01:10:00 Safety, fatigue and flying within your limits 01:19:09 Dealing with threats during a live display 01:25:46 The hardest part of the job 01:31:00 When the entire formation reaches 100% 01:34:15 Choosing the next leader 01:38:25 Emotion and honesty among fighter pilots 01:39:43 Easy’s fear above Flight Level 300 01:45:01 Creating the “Apache” manoeuvre 01:50:00 Meeting the world’s other display teams 01:54:57 Why the Alpha Jet works so well 02:05:34 What audiences never see behind the display 02:15:00 How the show continues to evolve 02:21:40 Leaving the Patrouille de France 02:24:19 Bringing every pilot home 02:24:35 Bertrand and the death of his father 02:31:44 “You bring him back every day” 02:33:26 The team’s accident and safety briefing 02:35:35 Should Bertrand see his father’s fatal accident? 02:37:31 The decision and its aftermath 02:39:50 “You can be a fighter and you can cry” 02:41:00 Closing thoughts