Home Podcasts 10 Percent True - Tales from the Cockpit
10 Percent True - Tales from the Cockpit

10 Percent True - Tales from the Cockpit

Steve Davies 165 Episodes Jul 17, 2026

Interviews and anecdotes from military pilots and aircrew from across the globe. As the rule says, so long as it's 10 percent true, you're allowed to tell the story! Head over to the 10 Percent True YouTube channel to listen and watch at the same time.

Episodes

How to Dogfight the F/A-18 Hornet | RAAF Fighter Combat Instructor Explains
How to Dogfight the F/A-18 Hornet | RAAF Fighter Combat Instructor Explains Jul 17, 2026 00:16:13 Former Royal Australian Air Force Hornet pilot and Fighter Combat Instructor Ray "Homer" Simpson joins me for the first of a two-part conversation covering one of the most detailed discussions of fighter aviation we've ever recorded.In Part 1 we explore Homer's journey into the RAAF after three attempts to join, his early Hornet career, becoming a Fighter Combat Instructor, and t
How Australia Flew the F/A-18 Before Link 16, JHMCS and AMRAAM
How Australia Flew the F/A-18 Before Link 16, JHMCS and AMRAAM Jul 10, 2026 00:13:06 Get the full, ad-free episode here: https://www.10percenttrue.com/pricing-plans/list10PCT Episode #92 [CLIP]Former Royal Australian Air Force Hornet pilot Gary “Schlick” Skilton joins me to discuss life flying the F/A-18A Hornet during the 1990s.Before reaching fighters, Schlick spent three years flying the DHC-4 Caribou into remote Australian bush strips and the mountains of Papua New Guinea. Tho
Inside America’s Silent Service | A US Navy Sonarman Explains
Inside America’s Silent Service | A US Navy Sonarman Explains Jul 3, 2026 02:07:18 What is it actually like to serve aboard a nuclear submarine?Former US Navy sonar operator Aaron Amick joins me to explain the reality of submarine warfare, from the training pipeline and sonar school to real Cold War patrols tracking Russian submarines.We discuss how sonar operators identify ships purely by sound, what happens when another submarine appears unexpectedly beneath the sea, life duri
The Wild West Air War: Strike Eagle Crews Over Libya
The Wild West Air War: Strike Eagle Crews Over Libya Jun 19, 2026 00:14:21 10PCT Episode #90This is an interview recorded as part of my research for Twenty Years at War - the second part of my series of coffee table books on the F-15E Strike Eagle: https://www.10percenttrue.com/product-page/tyaw-pre-orderFour F-15E veterans — “Deuce” Cooper, “Funkle” Esler, “NAILS” Ashmore and “Leroy” Domberg — reunite to discuss Operation Odyssey Dawn and the opening phase of the Libya
How U.S. Marines Rescued an F-15E Crew From Libya [CLIP]
How U.S. Marines Rescued an F-15E Crew From Libya [CLIP] Jun 12, 2026 00:12:53 Get the full, ad-free episode here: https://www.10percenttrue.com/pricing-plans/list10PCT EP89P2 MeSo Harney and Mask StarkMask recounts his own ordeal on the ground, including encounters with local Libyans, an uncertain journey to Benghazi, and efforts to establish contact with coalition forces.
Meso Mask
Meso Mask Jun 5, 2026 00:14:46 10PCT EP89 MeSo Harney and Mask Stark0:00 welcome to Mask and MeSo and episode preview 1:02 MeSo intro1:55 Mask intro3:22 background to the fateful deployment 5:40 initial 6 ship deployment ends in a bunch of diversions7:02 mission set(s)9:00 defining SCAR from the crew point of view10:42 geographical constraints?11:30 co-ordinating with other assets13:20 treading unfamiliar ground with the spotli
F-15 vs F-16 – Which Fighter Was Better? | Dave “Khan” Carr
F-15 vs F-16 – Which Fighter Was Better? | Dave “Khan” Carr May 29, 2026 00:14:35 Get the full, ad-free episode here: https://www.10percenttrue.com/pricing-plans/list10PCT EP88 – Dave “Khan” Carr | F-15 Eagle, F-16 Viper, Weapons School & AggressorsDave “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 Schoo
"We flew into Hell": the A-10 in Desert Storm | Pappy Brogli [CLIP]
"We flew into Hell": the A-10 in Desert Storm | Pappy Brogli [CLIP] May 15, 2026 00:25:33 Get the full, ad-free episode here:10 Percent True Memberships10PCT EP87 Marty “Pappy” Brogli – A-10 Desert StormMarty “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
The Most Complicated Fighter Britain Ever Built? Lightning P1B Restoration, Part 2
The Most Complicated Fighter Britain Ever Built? Lightning P1B Restoration, Part 2 May 8, 2026 00:40:08 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’
Stealth Is Dead (And Other Aviation Myths) | Bullsh*t Detectorist Ep.1
Stealth Is Dead (And Other Aviation Myths) | Bullsh*t Detectorist Ep.1 May 1, 2026 00:31:16 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 out
Why Fighter Pilots Sometimes REFUSE to Drop Bombs | Benji Prefontaine
Why Fighter Pilots Sometimes REFUSE to Drop Bombs | Benji Prefontaine Apr 24, 2026 00:27:17 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.
From Mirage F1 to Carrier Ops – The Reality of Naval Aviation | Benji Prefontaine
From Mirage F1 to Carrier Ops – The Reality of Naval Aviation | Benji Prefontaine Apr 17, 2026 00:28:24 Get the full episode here: https://www.10percenttrue.com/pricing-plans/list10PCT EP86 P2 Benji PrefontaineIn Episode 2, Benji Prefontaine moves from early operations into real combat experience—flying the Dassault Mirage F1 in Africa before transitioning to carrier aviation in the Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard.He describes the shock of adapting from Air Force flying to life on the carrier—where

Recommended