10 Percent True - Tales from the Cockpit

Get the full episode: https://www.10percenttrue.com/pricing-plans/list

Pinbag Shaw | 10 Percent True | EP83 Part 1
Thomas “Pinbag” Shaw flew the F-4E Phantom II at a pivotal moment in USAF history.
Commissioned during the draft era, he entered Tactical Air Command just as the Air Force was absorbing the hard lessons of Vietnam and rebuilding its fighter culture from the ground up.
In this first part of our conversation, Pinbag explains:
• Why the J79 smoked — and how crews worked around it
• What Red Baron reports actually taught young Phantom crews
• How Fighter Lead-In training at Holloman reshaped post-Vietnam tactics
• The reality of Sparrow employment before modern radar displays
• AIMVAL/ACEVAL and what it revealed about missile combat
• Combat Tree, radar geometry, and “hot” vs “cold” scope discipline
• Nuclear delivery training in the F-4E
• And how a loose ejection seat pin bag became a permanent callsign

We also explore the cultural side of 1970s Tactical Air Command — from Aggressor briefings to the infamous “vulnerability period” at the O-Club — and how the Air Force transitioned from the Vietnam experience into the F-15/F-16 era.
This episode is a deep dive into Phantom air-to-air tactics, radar intercept mechanics, and fighter culture in the years between Vietnam and the Eagle.
Part Two will take us operational — Korea, Germany, Victor Alert, and real-world air defence.
If you enjoy long-form, technical conversations with the people who flew the jets, subscribe and join the conversation.

0:00 Intro teaser – O-Club tale
2:32 Welcome Pinbag and episode outline
4:25 Matthew’s subscriber question – smoky J79s
8:03 Visual acquisition ranges
8:45 Pinbag’s background and route to the Phantom (nav school and dreamsheets)
23:30 Dual controls question
26:28 Back to Holloman and dreamsheets
35:00 Off to Holloman AFB
38:32 Uniform standards – TAC style
40:45 Mandatory formation – O-Club
43:10 The “Green Door”
45:15 Leaving Holloman
46:17 Osan → Hahn → Nellis → Clark → Taegu → Lakenheath (after staff job)
49:25 Learning from Red Baron reports (classified material?)
51:25 TAC rules, callsigns, naming ceremonies, and the Doofer Book
53:20 “Opinions are like assholes…”
55:00 Fridays at the O-Club – bell rules and intro story
1:01:00 McDill for the F-4 RTU – O-Club and games
1:07:43 F-4 “of the day” – equipment fit, avionics, etc.
1:15:01 Combat Tree
1:21:20 Back to the RTU and a callsign story
1:26:02 Through the training phases
1:29:49 Back to day one
1:36:32 Why the air-to-air preference?
1:44:50 Navy terminology – tough for WSOs
1:48:28 Nuclear strike?
1:50:15 What was going on in TAC
1:58:04 Pave Spike
2:00:20 USAFE realignment, Ready Eagle, and DOC taskings
2:06:30 Sparrow developments

Jif Paines | 10 Percent True | EP82Chapters
Get the full episode:
https://www.10percenttrue.com/pricing-plans/list
In this episode, former RAF Harrier pilot and X-35B test pilot “Jif” Paines explains how the F-35B’s revolutionary STOVL flight control system was born.
From early Harrier night attack operations to experimental fly-by-wire research on the VAAC Harrier, Jif traces the technical and philosophical battle that led to Unified Flight Control — the system that made the F-35B dramatically easier to fly.
Along the way he discusses:
• Auto-eject systems and pilot safety philosophy
• The lift-fan mechanics behind the F-35B’s STOVL capability
• The X-35 concept demonstrations and engineering decisions behind them
• Why automation can “de-skill” pilots — and why that may be necessary
• How test pilots and engineers negotiate control authority
• And why automation forces a fundamental rethink of the human role in combat aviation
This conversation provides rare insight into test pilot culture, engineering decision-making, and the future of autonomous airpower.

0:00 “A stupid question?”
1:15 Welcome Jif
1:38 Auto-eject subscriber question (Sedlo)
4:24 Thanks to Super for the introduction
4:48 Jif’s introduction
11:40 Transferring TPS knowledge and skills to testing in the X-35
14:00 What decisions had been made before joining the program?
17:12 VAAC Harrier control laws and pilot resistance to the concepts being developed
20:15 Unified Flight Control explained
25:15 Engineering the “feel” for the pilot — reversion and safety features, de-skilling
31:10 “A stupid question?”
32:16 Integration of the control laws into the X-35
34:19 Lift-fan dynamics and operating process
37:00 Differences between flying the VAAC Harrier and the F-35
38:10 STOVL initially implemented in Harrier style — why?
40:22 Flying characteristics and aircraft feel
43:16 Exciting?
44:40 Transferring expertise to the X and F variants and defending Unified Flight Control
49:40 The Farley climb
53:50 The future of the pilot in military aviation
57:30 Thanks Jif (please return!)

EE Lightning P1B | 10 Percent True | EP84 – Part 1
In a secret barn in East Anglia, former RAF Lightning pilot Ian “Blackie” Black reveals the extraordinary story of the very first English Electric Lightning P1B — the first British aircraft to reach Mach 2.Built by English Electric and flown by Battle of Britain ace Roland Beamont, this hand-built prototype marked Britain’s leap into the supersonic age.
Decades later, after museum life, near-scrapping, and years hidden away, the aircraft is being painstakingly restored — with plans to unveil it publicly for the first time in 30 years.
Blackie shares Lightning combat stories, Cold War memories, flying with his father, and what it really felt like to strap into Britain’s only true Mach 2 fighter.
This is about preserving heritage and history — one step at a time.

Mattes Kries 10 Percent True EP81 Part 2Former Luftwaffe Tornado IDS pilot and weapons school instructor Mattes Kries returns to break down how a Cold War–era strike aircraft was pushed far beyond its original design. From low-level nuclear strike doctrine to medium-altitude workarounds, “dumb” HARM employment, Red Flag and Nellis weapons school, and the arrival of TAURUS, this episode explores how crews compensated for limited kit with tactics, maths, and judgement. It’s a rare, insider look at German Tornado operations, weapons school culture, and the real cost of keeping legacy jets relevant.0:00 intro teaser 1:35 welcome back Mattes2:55 recognition of the “different breed”6:30 The state of tactics in the prevailing atmosphere and “fooling” the weapons computer (the value of a good weatherman)18:25 shortcomings distilled19:31 targeting and low to medium altitude…..24:15 and then with GPS27:27 reversion mode targeting feasibility 29:28 a sense among crews that Luftwaffe is lagging behind peers?34:16 why?37:50 squadron re-roll43:30 flying rates? 47:15 competency levels as a result? 53:30 losses57:42 weapons school1:08:45 how to counter a 4-ship of Eagles1:10:40 electronic attack systems 1:13:10 BFM phase1:19:00 bomb in face and other survival tactics1:21:12 HARM 1:26:08 upgrades incl datalink and Marineflieger cross pollination 1:31:50 intelligence, access to information on other platforms?1:39:18 instructing at the weapons school and lessons in leadership1:47:20 TAURUS1:53:00 opinions on Ukraine - SCALP assessment?1:58:33 low level2:07:05 Thank you Mattes!

Mattes Kries | 10 Percent True | EP81 – Part 1

In this episode, Mattes Kries—a former Luftwaffe Tornado IDS pilot and weapons instructor—traces his career from a hard-won start in NATO jet training through frontline Tornado operations, weapons school, and senior tactics leadership. He explains how Germany’s Tornado force evolved from Cold War low-level nuclear strike toward conventional, medium-altitude employment; how lessons from U.S. and NATO exercises reshaped German tactics; and why culture, risk tolerance, and bureaucracy matter as much as hardware.

Along the way, Mattes offers rare, candid insight into weapons school innovation, COMAO command without Link 16, live weapons integration, and the realities of training for combat in a force defined by safety-first constraints—grounded in vivid anecdotes and hard-earned lessons.

Timestamps

00:00 – The Greek instructor teaser
01:58 – Welcome Mattes & Phil’s subscriber questions: inspiration and most exhilarating mission
12:05 – Matthew’s subscriber question: history and pride in the modern Luftwaffe
23:40 – Attachment to the past among today’s Luftwaffe personnel
29:10 – Starting out in the Luftwaffe
34:02 – F-4 ambitions—and why fate had other (good) ideas
41:28 – T-37 challenges (and the Greek instructor)
49:00 – Turning early struggles into long-term success
51:15 – Arrival on the Tornado at Büchel
56:40 – Tornado IDS: roles, weapons, and mission sets
1:05:35 – SIOP and nuclear strike planning
1:10:40 – The MW-1 weapon system
1:20:19 – Why the MW-1 was never fitted for training—and the power of German accountants
1:29:30 – Staying on the boom: tanker planning as a weapons school student
1:35:08 – Avoiding the KC-135 by design?
1:36:35 – Responding to Starbaby’s criticism of ECR capabilities vs decision-maker mindset
1:54:25 – Part 2 incoming