Lessons From The Cockpit
đď¸ Episode 110 â The Drone Swarm Wake-Up Call: Is the US and our Allies Ready? Welcome to the 110th episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! Iâm Mark Hasara, former Air Force KC-135 pilot, Weapons School graduate, and author of Tanker Pilot. For 60 years, aviation has been my worldâfrom flying gas station in the sky to mission planning at the highest levels of command. This episode is a battle cry. đĽ Ukraine Just Changed the Air Warfare Game Over the weekend, Ukraine launched one of the boldest moves weâve ever seen in modern air warfare: a long-range drone swarm strike...
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đď¸ EPISODE 109 â From MiG-21 to A-10 Hawg: The Incredible Journey of Lt Col Joszph âBoaratâ Jonas Welcome back to Lessons from the Cockpit, the show that brings you stories and lessons learned from aviators who've been there, done that, and brought the jet home. Iâm Mark HasaraâKC-135 instructor pilot, Air Force Weapons School grad, author of Tanker Pilot, and your host for Episode 109. This oneâs going to hit you right between the afterburners. âď¸ From Opposing Forces to Brothers-in-Arms My guest is Cliff Wilson, an Air Force C-141 Starlifter driver and UPT instructor in...
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đď¸ EPISODE #108 â The Tanker Worldâs in Trouble: ARSAG, Anaconda, and Global Tensions on the Nationâs DIME Strap in and listen up, warriors. Welcome to Episode 108 of the Lessons from the Cockpit Show. Iâm Lt Col Mark Hasara, USAF (Ret.)âKC-135 pilot, Weapons School grad, Joint Specialty Officer, and your host for this mission. I just got back from Air Refueling Systems Advisory Group or ARSAG 2025 at Planet Hollywood in Vegasâa gathering of the best and sharpest minds in global air refueling planning and operations. Senior leaders from the USAF, Royal Air Force, and RAAF, and...
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đď¸ Episode 107 â Hercules to Hawgs: Flying at Both Ends of the Fight with Col. Derek âWoodyâ Oaks. Welcome aboard the 107th sortie of the Lessons from the Cockpit Show Iâm Lt Col Mark Hasara, USAF (Ret.), KC-135 Weapons Officer and your pilot for todayâs mission. Iâve flown jets, built war plans, and stayed hopelessly addicted to aviation for over 60 years. This week? You're in for one hell of a ride. After two attempts, we finally locked in this high-value target: Col. Derek âWoodyâ Oaks, a pilot who flew both ends of the Air Force spectrumâfrom hauling cargo in the...
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Welcome to Episode 104 of Lessons from the Cockpit! Iâm Mark Hasara, former KC-135 pilot, author of Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit, and a lifelong aviation fanatic. For over 60 years, aviation has been my passion, and this show brings you stories from the cockpit, the mission planning room, and beyond. This week, I sit down with Mike Ethridge, a longtime friend and fellow Air Force aviator. We met as cadets at BYUâs ROTC Detachment 855, and he went on to fly the KC-10A Extender, KC-135s and every Boeing airframe Delta Airlines has flown around the world. Whatâs in This...
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EPISODE #105 â Marine Airpower, the Battle of Ramadi, and Flying the Beast: The F-35 and MV-22 Strap in and arm hot, folksâthis oneâs a burner. Welcome to Episode 105 of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! Iâm your host Mark Hasara, retired KC-135 pilot, author of Tanker Pilot, and a lifelong aviation nut with over 60 years of airpower obsession. This week, I sit down with Colonel Byron âShrekâ Sullivan, a retired United States Marine Corps airpower warrior. And trust meâthis is the kind of episode that makes your hair stand up. "Shrek" is a Marineâs Marineâcombat leader,...
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đ§ Episode 106 â Rewriting the Rules of Marine Airpower Welcome back to Lessons from the Cockpit! Iâm your host, retired Air Force Lt Col Mark âSluggoâ HasaraâKC-135 pilot, Joint Specialty Officer, and full-throttle aviation fanatic for over 60 years. In this episode, we finish a powerful two-part dive into Marine Corps aviation weapons, tactics, techniques, and procedures with my good friend Colonel Byron âShrekâ Sullivan. Shrek is a combat-proven pilot with time in both the F/A-18 Hornet and the F-35 Lightning II. And about halfway through the episode, weâre joined by the...
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Welcome to the ninety-fifth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit Show! I am your host Mark Hasara, former KC-135 pilot and Airplane Nerd! Iâm really excited to bring this episode to you! Air Mobility Command's Command Chief Master Sergeant Jamie Newman and I met at the Airlift Tanker Association convention in Dallas earlier this year. Coming up through the Air Force Security Police ranks, Command Chief Newman was not only selected to become an elite Air Force Phoenix Raven, but go through the Armyâs grueling Ranger School returning later as an instructor at Fort Benning! Command Chief...
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Welcome to the Lessons from the Cockpit Show and episode number ninety-four! Iâm your host retired Air Force KC-135 pilot Lieutenant Colonel Mark Hasara and my passion is everything aviation! This episode is unique! Iâve known this incredible artist for years through LinkedIn and Facebook and thought it would be cool to have him explain how he accomplishes his craft. He is a fellow aviation artist but in a league and class by himself. Aviation artist Wade Meyers tells us his story of how he fell in love with airplanes but later in life made a career change and now draws and paints aviation...
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Welcome to Episode #92 of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! Iâm your host Mark Hasara, retired KC-135 pilot and Weapons Officer. I met Colonel Barrett âScooterâ Golden recently at the 2024 Airlift Tanker Association convention in Dallas. Scooter is a long time C-130 pilot and also a graduate of the C-130 Weapons School. During an off station trainer Scooter and his crew were told by the Special Tactics Team on the ground his aircraft did not come off the Red Devil Assault Strip intact. An iPhone photo texted to him from his wingman confirmed his situation not covered in the Pilot Manual...
info_outlineđ§ Episode 106 â Rewriting the Rules of Marine Airpower
Welcome back to Lessons from the Cockpit! Iâm your host, retired Air Force Lt Col Mark âSluggoâ HasaraâKC-135 pilot, Joint Specialty Officer, and full-throttle aviation fanatic for over 60 years.
In this episode, we finish a powerful two-part dive into Marine Corps aviation weapons, tactics, techniques, and procedures with my good friend Colonel Byron âShrekâ Sullivan. Shrek is a combat-proven pilot with time in both the F/A-18 Hornet and the F-35 Lightning II. And about halfway through the episode, weâre joined by the former Commander of Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron Oneâbetter known as MAWTS-1. These two Marines didnât just fly jets. They rewrote how the Corps fights from the air. From the deserts of Yuma to forward air bases around the world, they explain how new aircraft like the F-35 and the MV-22 Osprey forced a total rethink of Marine air tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). Itâs a behind-the-scenes look at how real innovation happens in the militaryâby combat aviators in the fight. If you love the sound of jet engines, joint warfare, or just hearing how the worldâs best warfighters sharpen the sword, this episode is for you.
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đ¨ This show is supported by Wall PilotâAviation Art You Can Stick Anywhere Our sponsor Wall Pilot creates stunning vinyl artwork of your favorite aircraftâP-51 Mustangs, F-4 Phantoms, MiG-21s, F-22s, and moreâprinted on vinyl in 4, 6, or 8-foot lengths that peel and stick to any flat surface. There are 158 ready-to-print profiles available now at wallpilot.com, or weâll design a custom print with your name on the canopy rail of your dream jet. Perfect for your office, hangar, or man caveâorder 2 or 3 today! https://wallpilot.com
đď¸ Next Weekâs Mission: CAS and CSAR with an A-10 Thunderbolt II or "Hawg Driver" Coming up next, we go deep into Close Air Support and Combat Search and Rescue with Colonel Derek âWoodyâ Oaks. Woody flew C-130s and C-17s before crossing over into the A-10 Thunderbolt IIâthe legendary Hawg. He commanded a squadron, ran an Ops Groups, and brings decades of insight into saving troops on the ground.
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Until then... remember â Nobody Kicks Ass Without Tanker Gas⌠NOBODY!