Welcome to the thirty-third episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast!

One of the greatest assets US leadership owns is the ability to move patients, cargo, and relief supplies anywhere on the planet literally in twenty-four hours. It's all done from one place! Colonel Geno Redmon was my KC-135 Squadron Commander in Okinawa Japan during the mid-90s. As Vice Commander of Air Mobility Command's Tanker Airlift Control Center on 9/11, Geno tells us how air mobility operations were planned and executed to defend the US from attack and move US and allied forces to Afghanistan to hunt Osama bin Laden. His TACC Team leaned way forward watching the Battle of Roberts Ridge unfold through the same CIA Predator video feed I was watching at the Saudi Arabian Air Operations Center. Geno tells the story of the first C-17 crew into Karshi Khanabad and speaking with Marine Corps Brigadier General Jim Mattis as his troops prepared to occupy an Afghan airfield.

Two KC-10A Extender graphics are available for jets based at McGuire and Travis Air Force Bases at Wall Pilot.

The C-130J is an AMC workhorse flying missions all over the world and is also available from Wall Pilot.

The book Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit Geno and I talked about around his firepit is available on Amazon. Thirty-two pictures taken during events discussed in the book are included in all four formats: hardback, softback, kindle, and audible

Thanks for listening and please download and share this and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast with your family and friends found on my website at markhasara.com

Welcome to this episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, and it's a great one! This is the second of six episodes on Operation Anaconda and the Battle of Roberts Ridge.

Colonel Scott "Soup" Campbell has the distinction of being awarded three Distinguished Flying Crosses in four days during the Battle of Roberts Ridge and Operation Anaconda "for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight" in the Air Force A-10 Warthog. Graduating from the Air Force Weapons School A-10 division while at Pope AFB, Soup Campbell and his wingman K-Nine left Al Jaber Air Base Kuwait on 4 March 2002 after the Battle of Roberts Ridge had started. Over the next four days, Soup and a band of Hawg drivers and support folks provided Forward Air Control and Close Air Support to Operation Anaconda from an austere base in Pakistan. This episode is his incredible story of heroism in the air and on the ground when things went very bad in the Shaia-i-Kot Valley of Afghanistan.

All of you should read his three DFC citations, found on the Distinguished Flying Cross Society

The Lessons from the Cockpit podcast is supported through the custom aviation art from Wall Pilot. These extremely detailed aircraft profile illustrations are printed on vinyl and peeled off and can be stuck to the walls of your home, office, or hangar. Ready-to-print images of aircraft from WW II P-51 and ME-109, Cold War B-58 Hustler and SR-71 spy plane, and Global War on Terrorism F-15Es and F-16s are available in four. six, and eight-foot-long prints.

A print of an A-10 Warthog is available from the Wall Pilot website.

Thanks for downloading and listening to this episode. Please subscribe and share previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast with your family and friends found on the markhasara.com website.

Next week in episode three of Operation Anaconda and Roberts Ridge, the Vice Commander of Air Mobility Command's Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott AFB near St Louis tells us his lessons learned moving cargo and fresh MH-47 Special Ops helicopters to Afghanistan, and moving service members remains and wounded patients out of Afghanistan.

Welcome to the first episode of a six-part series of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast on the Battle of Roberts Ridge, episode number 31!

At approximately 3 am on Monday 4 March 2002 a 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment or SOAR MH-47 Chinook helicopter approached the top of Takur Ghar mountain, a critical piece of high terrain looking over the Shah-i-Kot Valley of Afghanistan. SEAL Team Six Petty Officer Neal Roberts fell off the Chinook ramp as Al Qaeda fighters opened fire on the helo. This event begins the rescue and recovery of Neal Roberts and the Battle for Roberts Ridge.

Colonel Matt Neuenswander, callsign El Cid, Deputy Commander of the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group at Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait, and his air forces are called upon to support events on Roberts Ridge over a thousand miles away. El Cid tells the Lessons from the Cockpit audience his experiences and lessons learned from events during this battle and Operation Anaconda. He and his team must set up shop at an austere airbase in Pakistan so A-10 Warthogs can support air operations trying to capture or kill Osama bin Laden and his forces in the Shah-i-Kot Valley.

Here is an interview with Colonel Neuenswander from YouTube you will enjoy.

The Air Force after-action report called Operation Anaconda: An Air Power Perspective can be downloaded and read for more information on the Battle of Roberts Ridge.

Numerous books have been written about the rescue and recovery of Navy SEALs and Airmen from Roberts Ridge. I recommend reading Roberts Ridge by Malcomb MacPherson.

a four, six, or eight-foot print of Colonel Neuenswander's 68th Fighter Squadron F-16CG is available from Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. Prints of the A-10 from the 74th Flying Tigers squadron will be available in the near future... it's being drawn now!

This episode is sponsored by Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit, available in all four reading formats from Amazon.

Please share this and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast found on my website markhasara.com 

Welcome to the first episode of a six-part series of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast on the Battle of Roberts Ridge, episode number 31!

At approximately 3 am on Monday 4 March 2002 a 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment or SOAR MH-47 Chinook helicopter approached the top of Takur Ghar mountain, a critical piece of high terrain looking over the Shah-i-Kot Valley of Afghanistan. SEAL Team Six Petty Officer Neal Roberts fell off the Chinook ramp as Al Qaeda fighters opened fire on the helo. This event begins the rescue and recovery of Neal Roberts and the Battle for Roberts Ridge.

Colonel Matt Neuenswander, callsign El Cid, was Deputy Commander of the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group at Al Jaber Air Field in Kuwait, and his air forces are called upon to support Roberts Ridge over a thousand miles away. El Cid tells the Lessons from the Cockpit audience his experiences and lessons learned from events during this battle and Operation Anaconda. He and his team must set up shop at an austere airbase in Pakistan so A-10 Warthogs can support air operations trying to capture or kill Osama bin Laden and his forces in the Shah-i-Kot Valley.

Here is an interview with Colonel Neuenswander from YouTube you will enjoy.

The Air Force after-action report called Operation Anaconda: An Air Power Perspective can be downloaded and read for more information on the Battle of Roberts Ridge.

Numerous books have been written about the rescue and recovery of Navy SEALs and Airmen from Roberts Ridge. I recommend reading Roberts Ridge by Malcomb MacPherson.

A four, six, or eight-foot print of Colonel Neuenswander's 68th Fighter Squadron F-16CG is available from Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. Prints of the A-10 from the 74th Flying Tigers squadron will be available in the near future... it's being drawn now!

This episode is sponsored by Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit, available in all four reading formats from Amazon.

Please share this and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast found on my website markhasara.com  

Welcome to another episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, episode number 30!

I'm asked several times a day "Have you seen the movie"... of course referring to TOPGUN Maverick. Of course I have, the opening night!

During this review, I talk about the Air Force's TOPGUN school, the US Air Force Weapons School based out of Nellis Air Force Base north of Las Vegas. Attendance to the Weapons School is by a competitive review board of each applicant. Often graduates or "Patch Wearers" as they are called get summoned to work complex military operations because of their planning and leadership skills. The scenario of the movie is not as far-fetched as you might think and I give some examples of planning missions, why planners chose a course of action, and some historical operations to strike and destroy nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons facilities as depicted in TOPGUN Maverick. And how do pilots and aircrew members get those crazy callsigns you hear about in the movie?

Wikipedia has a pretty good write-up on the Israeli Air Force strike on a nuclear plant in eastern Syria called Operation Outside the Box, the name chosen because Syria and North Korea tried to hide the nuclear facility under a boxy-type building. Syria's air defense system was rendered totally inoperable during the raid using means developed by the US.

I could not find the website Above Top Secret Surface to Air Missile Google Maps overlay. I'll keep looking!

Article on the B-2 bombers attacking Sirte Libya. This was a long mission planned and led by Weapons School graduates and required 950K+ gas from Air Force tankers to accomplish.

Thanks to Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit for sponsoring this show.

This and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast can be downloaded from markhasara.com

Thanks for listening and tune in next week for another episode of Lessons from the Cockpit.

Welcome to another episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, episode number 30!

I'm asked several times a day "Have you seen the movie"... of course referring to TOPGUN Maverick. Of course I have, the opening night!

During this review, I talk about the Air Force's TOPGUN school, the US Air Force Weapons School based out of Nellis Air Force Base north of Las Vegas. Attendance to the Weapons School is by a competitive review board of each applicant. Often graduates or "Patch Wearers" as they are called get summoned to work complex military operations because of their planning and leadership skills. The scenario of the movie is not as far-fetched as you might think and I give some examples of planning missions, why planners chose a course of action, and some historical operations to strike and destroy nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons facilities as depicted in TOPGUN Maverick. And how do pilots and aircrew members get those crazy callsigns you hear about in the movie?

Wikipedia has a pretty good write-up on the Israeli Air Force strike on a nuclear plant in eastern Syria called Operation Outside the Box, the name chosen because Syria and North Korea tried to hide the nuclear facility under a boxy-type building. Syria's air defense system was rendered totally inoperable during the raid using means developed by the US. 

I could not find the website Above Top Secret Surface to Air Missile Google Maps overlay. Here is a picture of the Russian airfield near Latakia Syria showing the S-400 SAM sites... which Israeli Air Force F-35 seem impervious from attack! Notice the Russian SU-35 rolling out on the runway and the IL-76 AWACS parked on the ramp!

Article on the B-2 bombers attacking Sirte Libya. This was a long mission planned and led by Weapons School graduates and required 950K+ gas from Air Force tankers to accomplish.

Thanks to Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit for sponsoring this show.

This and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast can be downloaded from markhasara.com

Thanks for listening and tune in next week for another episode of Lessons from the Cockpit.

Thanks for joining us today and welcome to another episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast!

On today's show U.S. Navy Captain and F-18 fighter pilot Captain Dave "Mongo" Koss discusses leading the opening night strike packages of Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan and a year later executing several of the longest combat air patrol and strike missions near Baghdad in the opening week of Iraqi Freedom's Shock and Awe air campaign. Mongo also takes us behind the scenes of what it takes to lead and prepare the Navy Demonstration Team The Blue Angels for the airshow season. He leaves us with his tested-in-combat six-element formula for leadership in any organization.

Here are two videos of a cat shot in an F-18 Super Hornet, one showing the launch and another verbalizing the checklist before the catapult stroke.

This is a great video of what a carrier landing looks like from a pilot's view in a VFA-14 Tophatters Super Hornet, the squadron Dave Koss commanded before moving to Pensacola and commanding the Blue Angels Navy Demonstration Team.

Here is a great cockpit video from inside the Blue Angel formation which shows the concentration and finesse these aviators use during their routines.

Mace in your Face! This link is just a really cool video with great music the VFA-27 Royal Maces put together years ago called "Shoot'em if ya got 'em".

Thanks again to our sponsor Wall Pilot for the four, six, and eight-foot-long prints of Dave Koss' F-18C squadron VFA-87 WAR PARTY you can stick to the walls of your home, office, or hanger.

Carrier air wings are now filled with the newest Hornet, the F-18E/F Super Hornet. A print of VFA-103 Jolly Rogers F-18F Super Hornet can be purchased from Wall Pilot.

This and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast can be found in the podcast pulldown box at markhasara.com

Thanks again for listening and look forward to another episode of Lessons from the Cockpit next week.

Welcome to another episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show!

An opening line in the new TOPGUN Maverick movie is so appropriate for this episode. Our lessons learned discussion is with MiG Killer US Air Force retired Colonel Cesar "Rico" Rodriguez, an A-10 Hawg and F-15 Eagle pilot who DOES have three MiG kills in forty years. Rico tells the story of his two kills during  Desert Storm in 1991 and the opening night of Allied Force over Kosovo in 1999. He also shares lessons learned from working sixteen years in the defense industry with one of the largest defense companies in the world.

This episode is sponsored by Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. Rico's Desert Storm 58th Tac Fighter Squadron Gorillas double MiG Killer F-15C and the 493rd Fighter Squadron Grim Reapers F-15C he flew on the opening night of Allied Force are available for listeners to purchase in four, six, or eight-foot prints that peel off and can be stuck to any flat surface.

This is a link to the AIM-7 Sparrow missile picture Rico and I discuss in the episode... the missile is about to impact the cockpit of an Iraqi MiG-29 Fulcrum shot by Rico's wingman Capt Craig "Mole" Underhill.

Here is a link to Rico telling his story on YouTube and the History Channel

Please share this and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast with your friends and family, found on the Mark Hasara website under the Podcast pull down.

Thanks for listening and look forward to another episode next week.

Welcome to this episode of Lessons from the Cockpit show!

There is one Air Force airplane that doesn't get a lot of love but every soldier or Marine wants overhead in a troops-in-contact situation: the Republic A-10 Warthog! The Hog is a devastating aircraft in combat and is known for its big GAU-8 30mm gun... Bbrrrrtttt! Buck Wyndham joins us with stories of his missions and exploits during Desert Storm, the first combat employment of the A-10. Buck had an opportunity to see firsthand what concentrated airpower can do to the enemy as he walked around the famous Kuwait City to Baghdad highway, better known as the Highway of Death.

The A-10 has looks and sounds all of its own. Here is the sound of its gun, and what it looks like from inside the cockpit over Afghanistan. The effects of this aircraft are incredible. 

This episode of Lessons from the Cockpit is sponsored by Buck's book Hogs in the Sand found in all four formats on Amazon.

Prints of military aircraft which peel off and can be stuck to any flat surface are available at Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger.

Please share this and previous episodes of Lessons from the Cockpit from markhasara.com