One of the sayings we have in the fighter community is that as soon as you put on your helmet, you lose 20 IQ points. A modern fighter pushes what the body and mind can handle to the limit. Tactics that look easy on the ground become difficult once you’re in the air under G […]
Dogfighting at 9gs: Like aiming ‘through a toilet paper roll’
FeaturedIf you have any hope of winning, your strength has to be greater than your opponent’s weakness. As a young second lieutenant in pilot training, I learned that lesson the hard way. I was flying a Basic Fighter Maneuver Flight, also known as dogfighting. The objective was for me to point at my instructor, who […]
This is what it’s like to take an F-16 to the absolute limit
FeaturedAnything close to the maximum structural speed for a jet is usually just for the glossy brochure—99.9% of the time we don’t come close to reaching it. There was one time, though, that I pushed the F-16 as fast as it could go. I was stationed in Korea and there was a jet coming out […]
How playing sports can make you a better fighter pilot (from an F-35 pilot instructor)
CareerLooking back, sports prepared me for flying fighters more than anything else. You develop thick skin playing sports—you learn how to lose, how to accept criticism, how to prepare, how to handle pressure; you grow you in a way that’s difficult to find outside of sports. Different sports teach different attributes, particularly team versus individual […]
An interview with Gravity Jet Suit Inventor Richard Browning
CareerMy guest today is Richard Browning, the British inventor dubbed the “real life Iron Man.” He’s the founder of Gravity, launched in 2017 with a dream to reimagine an entirely new form of human flight. Using 6 small jet engines, he’s built a suit that has set multiple world records. In just 2 years he’s […]
Learn the art of self discipline from an F-35 pilot instructor
LifestyleSelf-discipline: the ability to make yourself do things that should be done. How do you know if you have it? The coronavirus shutdown has given us a window into our character. Social events are cancelled and work has gone remote—most people have a lot more time on their hands. What have you done with it? […]
Green Beret behind the Afghan SOF Strategy, Scott Mann, talks Leadership
Career*My editor sent me this after listening to the episode: “I wanted to let you know that this was by far one of my favorite episodes to edit. It provided great insight into leadership skills.”* “The Professionals Playbook” t-shirts are now available here. My guest today is Scott Mann who spent 23 years as an […]
1st Non-American F-22 pilot on pilot culture and augmented reality
CareerMy guest today is Daniel “Bond” Robinson who is Founder and CEO of Red 6–a company revolutionizing augmented reality (AR) for military training by allowing pilots to see synthetic threats in dynamic and high speed environments. In 2005 the RAF selected him as the youngest fighter pilot of his generation to attend the Weapons Instructor […]
G-Forces and Fighter Pilots: What’s it like to pull 9Gs?
Air ForceG-forces don’t translate to the big screen, or to video games, but they are a major aspect of flying fighters. Movies like Top Gun show the characters easily moving around the cockpit while chatting on the radio during a dogfight. In reality, during a sharp turn under peak G, you’re spending the majority of your […]
Professionals Playbook: Author of ‘Loonshots’ Safi Bahcall
CareerMy guest today is Safi Bahcall who is the author of Loonshots, The most recommended book of the year. It came out in 2019 and has already been translated into 18 languages. It’s recommended by Bill Gates, Daniel Kahneman, Daniel Pink, Malcolm Gladwell, and Tim Ferriss and was selected as the best business book of […]
