Anyone interested would enjoy reading about John Boyd, head of the Fighter Mafia:
https://www.amazon.com/Boyd-Fighter-Pilot-Who-Changed/dp/031...
https://www.amazon.com/Boyd-Fighter-Pilot-Who-Changed/dp/031...
Another story of an undersung military airpower leader is that of Red Flag & Moody Suter: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/1100flag/
There's a better longform writeup I saw once from one of the military service academies, but I can't seem to find it now.