10 Percent True - Tales from the Cockpit

The full episode is available only to paid subscribers. Subscribe through Spotify or the 10 Percent True website: https://www.10percenttrue.com/pricing-plans/listSubscribe on Spotify: https://members.spotify.com/to/10-percent-trueFormer French Navy Rafale M squadron commander Daffy Leduc analyses the famous Rafale-versus-F-22 engagement from inside the cockpit. He explains the BVR-to-merge setup, radar acquisition, the first maximum-performance turn, energy loss, MICA IR symbology, sensor fusion, the missile shot, the switch to guns and why the fight ends when it does.Watch the complete Daffy Leduc interview on 10 Percent True.00:00 Introduction00:11 Rafale vs F-22: reading the HUD06:40 MICA IR lock and the missile shot11:05 Guns, sensor fusion and fight termination#Rafale #F22 #Dogfight #FighterPilot #MilitaryAviation

Why did France keep the Super Étendard in service for so long—and why couldn’t it simply navalise the Mirage 2000? Former French Navy Rafale M squadron commander Daffy Leduc explains the lost decade behind the Rafale programme, the proposed F/A-18 stopgap, and why a carrier fighter’s hook, undercarriage and central structure must be designed for repeated arrested landings from the beginning. He closes with a powerful warning about Western pilots transferring those hard-won lessons to China.Watch the complete Daffy Leduc interview on 10 Percent True.00:00 Why the Super Étendard served so long03:22 Why land fighters cannot simply be navalised08:02 Western fighter pilots training China#Rafale #CarrierAviation #FrenchNavy #SuperEtendard #MilitaryAviation

Enjoying 10 Percent True? Join directly through the website from £7 a month for full, ad-free interviews and early access. See memberships and join.Flying a French Navy Super Étendard at 420 knots and just 500 feet, Alban “Daffy” Le Duc struck a large seabird and began losing engine power. With Ajaccio’s runway in sight, he fought to save the aircraft—until his leader’s call of “Eject! Eject!” broke his fixation and sent him out at the edge of the seat’s operating envelope.Daffy recalls the violent ejection, hitting the cold Mediterranean seconds after his parachute opened, and the remarkable fishermen who rescued him.Watch the full conversation on 10 Percent True.#SuperEtendard #Ejection #FrenchNavy #NavalAviation #MilitaryAviation

Former French Navy fighter pilot Alban “Daffy” Le Duc explains why attacking a warship is one of military aviation’s most difficult missions.From flying low and radio silent to locating a moving high-value target, coordinating Exocet attacks and overwhelming a ship’s defences, he breaks down the anti-ship tactics flown by Super Étendard crews.Watch the complete conversation with Daffy Le Duc on 10 Percent True.#SuperEtendard #Exocet #FrenchNavy #NavalAviation #MilitaryAviation

In 2001, a Chinese J-8 fighter collided with a US Navy EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea. Badly damaged and with limited flight controls, the American crew made an emergency landing on China’s Hainan Island.Former EP-3 mission commander Hoover Coggins examines the crew’s controversial decision, the sensitive material left aboard and the intelligence windfall handed to China.Watch the complete Hoover Coggins interview on 10 Percent True.#EP3 #HainanIsland #USNavy #China #MilitaryAviation

This is a clip. For the full episode, subscribe: 10percenttrue.comFormer US Navy Naval Flight Officer Hoover Coggins takes us inside the secretive world of the EP-3 electronic-intelligence aircraft. Flying from Spain and forward bases around the Mediterranean during the Cold War, Hoover progressed from navigator to senior tactical electronic-warfare evaluator and mission commander. In Part 1, he explains the EP-3’s enormous mission crew, its sensors and linguists, how operators identified hostile radar systems, and what happened when Soviet, Israeli or Libyan fighters came to investigate.

Watch full episodes at: 10percenttrue.comJosé Jiménez 10PCT EP59 P4 ClipFormer F-111 pilot, Libya raider, test pilot and squadron commander José Jiménez returns to recount an extraordinary third career. After retiring from the US Air Force and briefly flying Boeing 747s, the events of 9/11 drove him back toward public service. At 44, he entered the US Foreign Service and began again at the bottom, eventually serving in Senegal, Iraq, Morocco and Zimbabwe. In this clip, José offers an unusually candid account of diplomacy, de-Ba’athification, reconstruction, terrorism and the strange realities of representing America in a war zone.#iraqwar #militaryhistory #geopolitics

Former Mirage F1 combat pilot Easy Bethoux initially dismissed aerobatic flying as “circus” work—until a friend told him that life in the Patrouille de France was “war twice a day.” One selection flight changed everything. Easy went on to fly with and ultimately lead France’s national display team. In this remarkably candid conversation, he explains the fear, trust, discipline and emotional cost behind one of the world’s most respected formation teams.00:00:00 Introduction00:02:15 From the Mirage F1 to the Patrouille de France00:03:26 “I’m not a circus guy”00:04:04 “It’s war twice a day”00:05:31 Arriving for the selection day00:07:00 Flying in the Alpha Jet’s back seat00:09:12 The formation tightens—and Easy cries00:10:33 The dynamic flight at 100 feet00:12:00 The selection interview00:15:00 Joining the team and starting again00:19:40 Searching for the perfect formation flight00:21:16 Going to war with yourself00:25:01 Learning to accept fear00:27:29 “I was afraid of dying”00:34:00 A typical Patrouille de France training day00:39:00 The pilot–mechanic relationship00:44:00 Learning movements from the team’s “Bible”00:50:30 The training flight that nearly ended in ejection00:57:50 The relentless display schedule01:10:00 Safety, fatigue and flying within your limits01:19:09 Dealing with threats during a live display01:25:46 The hardest part of the job01:31:00 When the entire formation reaches 100%01:34:15 Choosing the next leader01:38:25 Emotion and honesty among fighter pilots01:39:43 Easy’s fear above Flight Level 30001:45:01 Creating the “Apache” manoeuvre01:50:00 Meeting the world’s other display teams01:54:57 Why the Alpha Jet works so well02:05:34 What audiences never see behind the display02:15:00 How the show continues to evolve02:21:40 Leaving the Patrouille de France02:24:19 Bringing every pilot home02:24:35 Bertrand and the death of his father02:31:44 “You bring him back every day”02:33:26 The team’s accident and safety briefing02:35:35 Should Bertrand see his father’s fatal accident?02:37:31 The decision and its aftermath02:39:50 “You can be a fighter and you can cry”02:41:00 Closing thoughts

Watch full episodes at: 10percenttrue.comDiego Salgues 10PCT EP94 P3 ClipMirage 2000 veteran Diego Salgues returns for the final part of our extended conversation.We discuss the Mirage 2000-5, RDY radar, MICA, Link 16, Ukraine and a night interception in which Diego passed approximately 150 feet above a Shahed drone he could not see.We also explore how he transformed a failing conversion unit and what it means to leave fighter aviation after 2,500 hours in the Mirage.

Watch full episodes at: 10percenttrue.comDiego Salgues 10PCT EP94 P2 ClipMirage 2000 pilot Diego Salgues recounts suffering G-LOC during a dogfight, waking up inverted and nose-high, and being temporarily unable to make his body recover the aircraft. He explains what caused the incident, why the mission unexpectedly continued, and how he rebuilt his confidence before pulling 9G again.