pilot

Professionals Playbook: Learn what it takes to become the commander of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

Lt. Col. John “Brick” Caldwell is the Commander and Leader of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. I had never met Brick before this interview, but several pilots I’ve flown with have a tremendous amount of respect for him. After our conversation, I do as well. He is an accomplished warrior with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He has over 660 combat flight hours, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and is a graduate of the USAF weapons school. He served for several years in the Air Force’s Test and Evaluation Squadron, overseeing the latest fighter aircraft technology. He now leads the 130-person Thunderbird organization and flies the number 1 jet.

Brick is a world-class professional who is also a great communicator. He talks about some emotionally difficult topics as well lessons he’s learned along the way. I think everyone can take away something from this interview. Feel free to share this episode with someone who you think would benefit most.In this episode, we talk about, in order:

His first passion for aviation (minute 0:00)
Turning a dream into reality (minute 5:00)
Lessons learned (minute 6:00)
Deployment to Iraq (minute 07:00)
Losing a friend in combat (minute 10:10)
Taking enemy life (minute 19:15)
Deployment to Afghanistan (minute 21:15)
The mission he received a Distinguished Flying Cross (minute 24:00)
Combat Lessons learned (minute 28:15)
Test and evaluation experience (minute 31:00)
F-16 Viper evolution (minute 37:15)
Decision to join Thunderbirds (minute 41:45)
Being Thunderbird #1 (minute 50:15)
His crazy schedule (minute 53:00)
Thunderbird debriefs (minute 57:00)
Looking forward to most this season (minute 58:30)

Professionals Playbook: Listen to F-35 pilot Justin Lee’s Memorial Day speech

This is not a typical episode, but I felt it was worth sharing. It’s a speech I gave for Memorial Day. The audio quality isn’t great, but it’s meaningful to me. If I can use this podcast and platform to help keep the memory of the fallen alive, then it will have all been worth it.

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Freedom isn’t free. I had the chance to take a history class with the man who coined that phrase, Col. Walter Hitchcock. His point was that living in a free democracy costs money, effort, and more than anything young men and women willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice.

Though I didn’t quite understand it at the time, I do now. These young people traded in their lives and dreams so that we can live ours. Honoring their memory and sacrifice, along with their family’s sacrifice, is a small way we can begin to repay our tremendous debt to them.

Introducing ‘The Professionals Playbook’ – F-35 pilot Justin Lee interviews CIA Officer, author Michele Rigby Assad

*Editor’s note: Here at the Loadout Room, we pride ourselves on being well prepared and well rounded individuals capable of performing under whatever circumstances life throws at us. That’s just what Justin “Hasard” Lee’s podcast, “The Professionals Playbook” is all about. Lee, an active duty F-35 pilot with multiple combat deployments under his belt at the stick of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, devotes each episode to learning about what it takes to perform at the most elite levels of human capability — from fighter pilots to Navy SEALs, from astronauts to pro football players. If there’s a recipe for becoming the most capable man in the room, Lee’s podcast will find it — and we couldn’t be happier to partner with Lee to bring his podcast to the Loadout Room.

So without any more dancing around it, here’s Lee to discuss his latest interview.

Michele Rigby Assad is a former undercover officer in the National Clandestine Service of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Trained as a counterterrorism specialist, Michele served her country for ten years, working in Iraq and other secret Middle Eastern locations. Upon retirement from active service, Michele and her husband (also a former agent) began leading teams to aid refugees, including a rescue mission to Iraq that was featured on ABC’s 20/20. Michele holds a master’s degree in Contemporary Arab Studies from Georgetown University. Today she serves as an international management consultant, splitting her time between the Middle East, Florida, and Washington, D.C.

In this episode we talk about (in order):

Building rapport with members of Al-Qaeda
Mental toughness
Emotional Intelligence
Living in combat zones for nearly a decade
What she does to de-stress
What traits new CIA officers should have
What to do during an attack
Who she was allowed to tell that she worked in the CIA
What inspired her book
What projects she’s working on now

Welcome to the dark side: The new Bremont U-2/51-JET

A quality watch has many characteristics that make it unique. With the U-2/51-JET, Bremonthasdone something particularly unique in my eyes by seamlessly melding several styles into one timepiece. The Bremont U-2/51-JET is a pilot watch that can trace its lineage to the original U-2 model that was developed for the 9^th Reconnaissance Wing (USAF) and tested at altitudes up to 100,000 feet and temperatures as low as -50 degrees Celsius.

Bremont literally decided to take a darker, stealthier approach with this new model, drawing inspiration from a military project involving the RAF’s 100 Squadron. Bremont Co-Founder Nick English stated, “Our military projects continue to be an amazing test bed for new design features and the work we did for the Hawk T1 Fighter Squadron is a prime example of this. The jet black that is synonymous with them was a key focus to translate into the watch design; to that end we developed a new type of anodization which helped us achieve a much deeper black on the aluminum barrel. If you compare this to the U-2 DLC for instance you can really see the difference. The color contrast between the jet black, vintage lume and blue hands makes for arguably our stealthiest watch to date.”

The 43mm case is made of DLC Trip-Tick® coated stainless steel featuring their Jet black barrel. Water resistant to 100m, construction is immaculate. To me, the barrel adds an elevated-sport look to the watch that has an otherwise dressy-casual appearance on the dial. Lug width is 22mm and features a beautiful black leather strap with Bremont logo engraved on the clasp.

A domed Sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating covers the flat-black metal dial. Dial markers are coated in Super-LumiNova. This is an important feature that I’ve be letdown by with so many high-end watches. Bremont nailed it with a powerful and beautiful lume on the dial and hands. The date window is located at the 3 o’clock position and accents the simple, clean dial very well.

Hour, minute, and second hands are constructed of blue steel and are powered by a modified caliber 11 1/2’’’ BE-36AE automatic chronometer movement. The C.O.S.C chronometer certified and tested movement also features 25 jewels, Glucydur balance, Anachron balance spring, Nivaflex 1 mainspring, 28,800 bph, 38-hour power reserve, and a Bremont molded and skeletised decorated rotor. Date window and hands are controlled by the top crown (2H position). The bottom crown at the 4H position controls the patented Bremont bidirectional inner Roto-Click® bezel. Clicks are seamless and have what may be the best action I’ve experienced in a watch. The caseback features a stainless steel DLC finish with a smoked, black-tinted Sapphire crystal that displays the skeletised rotor. This feature gives the watch a rugged, mysterious aspect that is incredible to handle and view. Six steel DLC screws secure the caseback which only add to the rugged look.

Looking back at my observations on the watch, I am very happy with what Bremont produced in terms of quality and style. They seem to have achieved a dressy-casual look with the dial, a sporty look with their case and barrel, and a rugged look with their caseback. I don’t know how intentional this melding was, but all together the result is a massive success in my eyes for the Bremont team with their U-2/51-JET.

*All photos courtesy of the author

Blue Force Gear RackMINUS | Not Just For Shooters

Blue Force Gear has been garnering a lot of attention in the last couple of years (rightfully), mainly for their significant advancements in the design of load bearing equipment. Their use of proprietary materials in their ULTRAcomp fabric, as well as their Helium Whisper attachment system and MOLLEminus designs, have generated a new standard for lightweight, durable gear.

For as obviously suited as this gear is to warfighters, hunters and competitive shooters, I’ve taken some time to arrange an alternative setup for guides, pilots, hikers or anyone else who might find themselves needing an incredibly light, spacious and durable method of carrying some gear.

Being a rated commercial helicopter pilot and instructor (CFII), I often considered my EDC and how I would need to use it in the event of a crash in a remote area. Although I stopped flying a few years back, I still mull over options for pilots to have a weight conscious bundle of life-saving gear handy. Below I’m going to cover the RACKminus setup I’m using and what kind of equipment I’ve got in there. First, let’s define our terms.

ULTRAcomp:

As per Blue Force Gear’s website, “Blue Force Gear’s proprietary high-performance laminate, ULTRAcomp®, far exceeds the military standard air textured nylon in tear and abrasion resistance. Its hydrophobic features allow products to stay dry and light, whereas air textured nylon retains water and gets even heavier when wet.”

In layman’s terms, this is an awesome, lightweight and heavy-duty fabric that won’t get soggy.

Helium Whisper:

An alternative method of attaching modular pouches to a Molle system, the Helium Whisper attachment methods feature fewer parts, simpler construction and up to a 60% weight savings without sacrificing strength.

MOLLEminus:

Instead of rows of fabric being sewn onto the backing material as used in traditional Molle webbing, MOLLEminus uses laser cut voids and slots to create the same effect while reducing weight considerably. All this while remaining 100% Molle compatible.

So the setup I’ve got here is the RACKminus, with a water bottle pouch, a single pistol mag pouch, a medium vertical utility pouch and a medium horizontal utility pouch. With just three full-sized pouches and a single pistol mag pouch, what can I fit inside to help a theoretical downed pilot or lost hiker extend their survivability?

Much of the below is being taken from the Solkoa S3 Survival kit. Rather than stuff the whole thing into the RACKminus, I picked and chose what I felt were the most important pieces.

Water:

1 quart canteen
2 quart water bag
Aquarmira water purification tabs
Frontier Pro water filter

Lights:

Nebo AA battery LED light
Petzl micro headlamp

Food:

Can of Jerky chew
boullion cubes
glucose powder
2 course MRE from Meal Kit Supply

Fire:

Magnesium striker
Soaked cotton accelerant
Rubber accelerant tabs
Storm matches

Navigation:

Paper map
small wrist compass (for general orientation)
Suunto compass
Protractor and pencil
Ranger beads (for pace count)

Signaling:

Signal mirror
Emergency storm whistle

Utility:

Kershaw Westin (a nice, light pocket folder)
10 feet of 550 cord
USGI trip wire roll

First Aid:

Small first aid kit with OTC medicine, gauze and bandages.

Shelter:

SOL Emergency Bivvy

So you can see there is a general theme of redundancy here. Two water carriers, two methods of purification and two ways to light the two different types of firestarters. Not everything gets the doubled up treatment, in part because I wanted to keep weight down and in part, because I need to plus up on some supplies (first aid, I’m looking at you).

What would you think the weight of all this would come out to? Chest rig, pouches, canteens, MRE and gear….7lbs? Nope. Try 4.5lbs! That is, without water. I’ll add some quikclot, spare battery for the light and still be well under 5 lbs.

The lightweight of the Blue Force Gear kit is astonishing. The comfort level is achieved not only by the reduced weight but also by virtue of their excellent designs. With the RACKminus having 3 rows by 12 columns, there is plenty of space to hang some kit. The shoulder straps are wide enough, soft enough and have enough give to them to keep the load comfortably slung. The entire setup is nice and breathable, which is a plus when undergoing heavy exertion.

As someone who had the pleasure of going from ALICE belts and K-pots to RACK’s and MICH helmets, I can say this is gear that’s another couple of generations ahead of what I carried all over the sandbox. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” said Plato, and this long war we’ve been in has seen massive improvements in the gear available to American warfighters, patriots and sportsmen. Blue Force Gear is certainly at the cutting edge of those improvements. The RACKminus with pouches as pictured runs around $271. There are cheaper options on the market, but I don’t know that there are many options that push the boundary of how we should expect our gear to perform quite like Blue Force Gear’s ULTRAcomp as shown in the RACKminus.

The story of my Suunto Observer: To hell and back

Immediately after the shock and horror of 9/11, we in the 2nd Ranger battalion got to packing, knowing it wouldn’t be long before we were headed to the sandbox for a counter-punch. One of the new pieces of gear I picked up before we headed over in early 2002 was a Suunto Observer watch from the Ft. Lewis PX. As I finally retire the watch in April of 2018, I wanted to detail where it’s gone.

This watch. This watch escorted a 19-year-old Alaskan kid to his first encounter with 135° F (as well as -60°F). This watch went from one side of Afghanistan to another on foot, in HMMV’s and riding in Chinooks. This watch crossed the border into Pakistan, back before it was cool. This watch was running back and forth over the Iraqi border for a week before the invasion officially kicked off. This watch was on the Jessica Lynch POW rescue. This watch flew over Baghdad strapped to an MH-6 Little Bird, en route to snagging high-value targets. This watch has been to six Middle Eastern countries over 5 combat deployments. This watch has seen 10,000-foot elevation (on foot) and has been scuba diving in the frigid Alaskan waters.

This watch has been on the hands that delivered a child, placed the ring on the bride, and that buried family members. This watch has been through car crashes, motorcycle dumps, and stupid human tricks. This watch has been in the chest cavity of deer, moose and a wolf. This watch was once deported from Canada. This watch was checked for ten thousand appointments, flights, classes and dates.

The compass went out sometime in 2004 during my last trip to Afghanistan. The barometer and altimeter broke sometime around ten years later. The body and quartz-glass face have been smashed, burned, subjected to many close-range detonations and over-pressures. This watch has been covered in sand, whiskey, blood, baptismal water and ocean spray. It was never once intentionally cleaned.

This watch finally had the face fracture in 2018, after being hit by a plastic toy thrown by a 4-year old. The time, date, backlight and stopwatch still work. Many Veterans have a piece of gear that has lasted through near impossible levels of abuse. For every piece of gear that has a story like this one, remember that there was a person attached to it the entire time. Flesh and blood, not a stainless steel case. Every time this watch was smashed on a rock, had an IED detonate nearby or was subjected to blistering temperatures, so too was its accompanying meatbag. Just like the watch, my exterior is far from pristine and some of the internal parts don’t work quite so well anymore. Just like the watch, I’m still running.