Leadership with Navy Hornet pilot Dave "Mongo" Koss

Thanks for joining us today and welcome to another episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! On today's show U.S. Navy Captain and F-18 fighter pilot Captain Dave "Mongo" Koss discusses leading the opening night strike packages of Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan and a year later executing several of the longest combat air patrol and strike missions near Baghdad in the opening week of Iraqi Freedom's Shock and Awe air campaign. Mongo also takes us behind the scenes of what it takes to lead and prepare the Navy Demonstration Team The Blue Angels for the airshow season. He leaves us with his tested-in-combat six-element formula for leadership in any organization. Here are two videos of a cat shot in an F-18 Super Hornet, one showing the launch and another verbalizing the checklist before the catapult stroke. This is a great video of what a carrier landing looks like from a pilot's view in a VFA-14 Tophatters Super Hornet, the squadron Dave Koss commanded before moving to Pensacola and commanding the Blue Angels Navy Demonstration Team. Here is a great cockpit video from inside the Blue Angel formation which shows the concentration and finesse these aviators use during their routines. Mace in your Face! This link is just a really cool video with great music the VFA-27 Royal Maces put together years ago called "Shoot'em if ya got 'em". Thanks again to our sponsor Wall Pilot for the four, six, and eight-foot-long prints of Dave Koss' F-18C squadron VFA-87 WAR PARTY you can stick to the walls of your home, office, or hanger. Carrier air wings are now filled with the newest Hornet, the F-18E/F Super Hornet. A print of VFA-103 Jolly Rogers F-18F Super Hornet can be purchased from Wall Pilot. This and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast can be found in the podcast pulldown box at markhasara.com Thanks again for listening and look forward to another episode of Lessons from the Cockpit next week.