CS#57: A-10 Fighter Pilot who Survived a Surface to Air Missile Hit | 100+ Missions | "Killer Chick"
About This Episode
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Today we hear the Combat Story of Kim “KC” Campbell, a retired Air Force Colonel and A-10 Fighter Pilot. She racked up over 1.8K flight hours in the Warthog; 375 of those in combat across more than 100 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
She also has one of the coolest call signs ever: Killer Chick. For anyone who’s been on the ground and seen an A-10 on a gun run, you can understand why so many ground pounders love this platform. For Apache pilots, the A-10 is our fixed wing cousin and we feel a very close affinity with this incredible machine.
Outside the cockpit, Kim led the Air Force Academy’s Center for Character and Leadership Development and, since retiring, has carried that expertise to the private sector where she provides leadership development training and team engagement. She’s also a keynote and motivational speaker.
Kim, like many fighter pilots, is driven, dedicated, and successful. She’s delivered rounds on target in heated battles and narrowly avoided death, including being hit with a Surface to Air Missile. I hope you enjoy this insightful Combat Story from the cockpit of THE Killer Chick as much as I did.
Website www.Kim-KC-Campbell.com LinkedIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-kc-campbell/ Twitter @kchawg987
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Show Notes
"Killer Chick"
Chapters
- 0:00Intro
- 1:01Guest introduction (Kim “KC” Campbell)
- 2:10Interview begins
- 2:46Origin of her fighter pilot call sign
- 7:30Early years and what enamored her with flight
- 12:55Why Air Force Academy?
- 18:18Choosing her aircraft
- 22:14Where she was on 911 and how it changed her training
- 24:43Going to Afghanistan immediately after training
- 27:23A quiet first combat mission in Afghanistan
- 34:48Firing from the A-10 for the first time
- 44:05Combat Story #1 - First kinetic operation in Iraq
- 50:30Combat Story #2 - The mission that was a defining moment
- 1:18:18Combat Story #3 - In combat as a flight lead
- 1:29:47Leadership development, team building, and powerful leadership advice
- 1:40:22What did you carry into combat?
- 1:44:31Would you do it all again?
- 1:46:07Listener comments and shout outs
