HawkeTalk

131. Hasard Lee: U.S Air Force Fighter Pilot & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author

Sep 3, 2024

42:42

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Imagine a father and his two sons, all soaring through the skies as fighter pilots. It’s like something out of an epic tale, right? While many dream of becoming pilots and experiencing the freedom, adventure, and thrill of the unknown, what does it take to become a fighter pilot?

In this episode of Hawke Talk, I sit down with Hasard Lee, a former fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, to delve into his fascinating journey from a young aviation enthusiast to a seasoned F-16 pilot.

In our conversation, Hasard talks about his early life, growing up in a military family, and how his love for aviation was sparked by his dad, who was a physicist. He walks us through his journey to becoming a fighter pilot, including the tough training at the Air Force Academy and the challenges he faced flying the T-38 aircraft. Hasard also shares his experiences transitioning to the F-16, his deployments to South Korea and Afghanistan, and how he fulfilled his childhood dream. This episode giv7es a detailed look at what it takes to become a fighter pilot.

In this episode:

(00:48) Early Life and Inspiration to become a fighter pilot.

(03:16) Path to Air Force Academy

(05:20) Persistence and reapplication

(10:00) Introduction to flight training

(16:15) Solo flight and confidence

(20:40) Selection for fighter pilots

(24:18) Transition to combat aircraft

(26:39) Training for combat missions

(27:17) Deployment to South Korea

(32:30) Combat missions in Afghanistan

(36:18) Active duty and reserve transition

(37:45) Writing a book

(39:13) Future plans and aviation autonomy

(40:54) Importance of pushing oneself to failure and learning from mistakes

Hawke Media

About Our Guest

Hasard Lee is the international bestselling author of "The Art of Clear Thinking," a Wall Street Journal Bestseller and the #2 bestselling business book in the country, now translated into nearly a dozen languages. An accomplished F-16 and F-35 fighter pilot, Hasard led teams into combat during the War in Afghanistan, flying over eighty missions and becoming the only pilot to fly two different jets into combat on the same day. He was later selected to fly the advanced F-35. As Chief of Training Systems at the world's largest training base, Hasard oversaw an $800 million budget, developing AR, VR, and AI technologies for pilot training.

Hasard Lee

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