Unarmed and operating over the dark and secret skies of Laos, special C-123 crews flew "Candlestick" missions during the Vietnam War, illuminating ground targets with flares for strike aircraft.  Learn what it was like taking part in the shadow war in Southeast Asia from one who was there. 

They often aren’t heard, but to careful eyes on the east coast, a formation of A-10 Thunderbolt II’s, or ‘Warthog,’ is not uncommon overhead. The Atlantic seaboard is home to no less than five A-10 units, and with the total A-10 inventory reduced sharply from its peak, a large percentage of this unique aircraft are locally based..

The A-10 Thunderbolt II has taken on more varied tasks than virtually anyone could have imagined when it was designed for the low-level daytime close air support mission.  During Operation Iraqi Freedom, a small expeditionary unit of A-10s from Connecticut and Massachusetts rewrote the book on what the aircraft could accomplish, with the use of new LITENING II targeting pods.   Learn how the precision strike role works with the Hog in this interview with one of the 103rd pilots who was there.

Fighting a war that they weren't allowed to win, for a country that seemingly didn't want them to, the pilots of the Vietnam War often suffered horrific losses hitting sometimes-meaningless targets.  Ed Rasimus flew the F-105 "Thud" for 100 missions north, and then came back for more in the F-4 Phantom. 

Whether it was in a Phantom during the Vietnam War, developing tactics for the A-10 during the peak of the Cold War, or teaching the next generation of air warriors, Andy Bush has a wealth of experience in what it takes to fight and win in a modern combat aircraft.  

For nearly 30 years, the premier "fleet defender" for the US Navy has been the F-14 Tomcat, and few F-14 pilots are as well-known as Snort.  From eyeball-to-eyeball flying against Libya, to Desert Storm, and transforming the F-14 into an all-weather naval strike aircraft, Snort talks about his career, the Tomcat, and more.

Long the "ugly stepchild" of the USAF, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, or Warthog, distinguished itself in combat over the atypical environment of Desert Storm.  In the decade following that conflict, the A-10 has been on the pointy end of the sword both in the Middle East and in the Balkans.  Learn what role this robust attack aircraft played in force projection throughout the 1990s.

The new Russian Su-37 fighter boasts many new improvements, most notably a unique thrust-vectoring system that allows for some remarkable maneuvers, thought to be impossible in modern Western aircraft.   What do those maneuvers mean in today's air combat environment?  Current and past US military pilots sound off on the "Super Flanker."

US and International Aerobatics Champion Patty Wagstaff defies the laws of gravity every show with her ultra-maneuverable Extra 300, wowing crowds the world over.  Patty talks about the thrills, dangers, and experience of flying world-class aerobatics.