Vidhi Bubna
24-Aug-2026
A legendary figure in military aviation, Richard "Tex" Coe is widely recognized for his decades of service, exceptional airmanship, and tactical leadership in the United States Air Force.
An ex-US Air Force pilot, Richard "Tex" Coe has extensive experience flying F16’s. He has flown F16 in for over 300 combat hours, and has been to Iraq and Afghanistan on secret missions. After 12 years of serving the US Air Force, Richard decided to take a unique path and founded Sky Combat Ace, with the intention to make more people experience military manoeuvres in the sky.
He has found yet another way to ensure the adrenaline rush stays in his life through flying. Many Silicon Valley tech companies have partnered with Sky Combat Ace to bring the military manoeuvres experience to their leadership and C-level executives.
In conversation with Richard ‘Tex’ Coe on his love for flying, joining the US military and creating his own experiential flying company from scratch: From a thesis idea to a multi-million-dollar revenue project.
Excerpts from a conversation:
What made you start flying when you were 16?
When I was young, I wasn’t doing well in school. I went to a public school. However, I grew up on a farm and I grew up adventurous. I was at an impressionable age. My mom was also adventurous and she took me skydiving when I was young. My father was a pilot and he had been a part of the Korean War. My mom encouraged me to learn to fly. Since three people in the family were learning to fly, my father bought a Cessna 382.
I took to flying naturally. I started flying when I was 16 and got my solo private pilot license when I turned 17. It was great to have the responsibility to fly an airplane at such a young age. It was very rewarding as well. Today, parents might not let their kids take so much risk at a young age.
How did you join the US military?
I went to the University of Georgia. Nothing in the academic realm interested me too much. After I registered for classes, I saw a military recruiter and I asked a friend what it took to join the military. I had never looked into it before. The officer asked me to fill a form and pass a test. I was already a pilot and I did well on the aptitude test. Though there were no pilot slots left at that time, the officer called up some seniors to get me a slot because of my high score in the aptitude test. Military helped me to add more discipline to my life.
Why did you start Sky Combat Ace?
After 12 years in the military, personnel are asked to sign a commitment if they want to stay longer. By the 12-year duration, the US military has already spent millions of dollars to train personnel. My commitment was coming up in 2008 and I was exploring my life choices.
When I was doing my masters in the military, I came up with a thesis idea similar to Sky Combat Force.
Generally, friends and family asked me what it was like to be in a military plane. They had never experienced it before. The experience is hard to describe and I realised I wanted to show people what the experience is like. In the military, they have some incentive flights where civilians can experience military aviation. I realised civilians couldn’t experience military style flying and I wanted to start Sky Combat Ace to enable more people to have the military aviation experience. I am trying to democratise flying so more people can experience the adrenaline and thrill of aerobatic flying.
What were the challenges of starting Sky Combat Ace?
Coming out of the military, I didn’t have too much money saved up. I needed to bring investors on board to make Sky Combat Ace happen. It was an uphill battle since it’s a first of a kind experience. First, I had to convince investors and banks, also civilians that such an experience was not only possible but also entirely safe. I also had to convince regulators like FAA since nobody was doing this before. Even insurance companies were not onboard initially.
Aerial dogfighting and aerobatics are not something a lot of people do. However, we made it happen. By 2011, I had a lot of things set up including FAA approval and investors on board. I feel like I am a steward of an awesome idea and I want this to exist even after I pass on.
Tell us more about the Sky Combat Ace experience.
Sky Combat Ace is democratising aerobatic aviation and dogfighting. Everyone who likes adrenaline and activities like skydiving or scuba diving will love this experience. An Extra 330 plane can perform high level manoeuvres in the sky which other planes cannot. Even an F16
military plane cannot perform some manoeuvres because of the angle of attack. We want civilians to be able to experience the thrill of flying and doing interesting manoeuvres in the Extra 330 plane. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience.
Why did you start Sky Combat Ace in Vegas?
Vegas is no more just about gambling. It’s for people who want to let their hair down and relish unique experiences. Vegas has 330 days of sunshine; which makes it a great destination to fly in. There are very limited weather cancellations. Tourists here are also looking for interesting experiences and are open to trying adrenaline-based experiences. Vegas gets almost 50 million visitors per year so it’s wonderful. And I think Vegas as a destination meets you where you are at.
Did you ever experience PTSD while flying for the US military?
I lost some friends when I was flying fighter jets. They were my squadron mates and it was tough to lose them. However, when I go back and ask myself if they would have chosen any other life, the answer is no. We all know in aviation there’s a risk involved. In fighter jets, sometimes we have a fraction of a second to make a big decision. However, we are human and we can make human errors. There’s definitely PTSD in the military. Now there are research papers looking at overcoming PTSD. I believe fighter pilots need to overcome the dopamine hit of flying and find alternate ways to connect with happiness. It’s about retraining the brain to overcome loving extremes.
