Viper pilot : a memoir of air combat / Dan Hampton.
Profiles the life of fighter pilot Dan Hampton, a leading member of the Wild Weasels, the elite Air Force fighter squadrons sent first into a war zone and purposely drawing fire from surface-to-air missiles and artillery. Describes his service in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and includes actual flight data, mission reports, and intelligence summaries, all of which have been declassified.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780062130341
- ISBN: 006213034X
- Physical Description: 345 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 21 cm
- Edition: First William Morrow paperback edition.
- Publisher: New York : William Morrow, 2013.
Content descriptions
General Note: | Includes index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Prologue: Angel of death -- YGBSM -- Cold war and hot times -- The elephant -- Fly like an Egyptian -- Patchwearer -- Intermission -- Shock and awe -- Sandstorm -- The valley of the shadow -- SAMbush -- ELI 33 -- Endgame. |
Search for related items by subject
Genre: | Personal narratives. Biographies. Autobiographies. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Missouri Evergreen. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Cass County.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cass County Library-Harrisonville | 358.4 HAM 2013 (Text) | 0002205638204 | Adult Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Viper Pilot : A Memoir of Air Combat
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Summary
Viper Pilot : A Memoir of Air Combat
From 1986 to 2006, Lt. Col. Dan Hampton was a leading member of the Wild Weasels, the elite Air Force fighter squadrons whose mission is recognized as the most dangerous job in modern air combat. Weasels are the first planes sent into a war zone, flying deep behind enemy lines purposely seeking to draw fire from surface-to-air missiles and artillery. They must skillfully evade being shot down--and then return to destroy the threats, thereby making the skies safe for everyone else to follow. Today these vital missions are more hazardous than direct air-to-air engagement with enemy aircraft. Hampton's record number of strikes on high-value targets make him the most lethal F-16 Wild Weasel pilot in American history. This is his remarkable story. Taught to fly at an early age by his father, Hampton logged twenty years and 608 combat hours in the world's most iconic fighter jet: the F-16 "Fighting Falcon," or "Viper" as its pilots call it. Hampton spearheaded the 2003 invasion of Iraq, leading the first flight of fighters over the border en route to strike Baghdad. In the war that followed, he engaged in a series of brilliantly executed missions that earned him three Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor; he notably saved a U.S. Marine unit from certain death by taking out the surrounding enemy forces near Nasiriyah. Two years earlier, on 9/11, Hampton's father was inside the Pentagon when it was attacked; with his dad's fate unknown, Hampton was scrambled into American skies and given the unprecedented orders to shoot down any unidentified aircraft. Hampton also flew critical missions in the first Gulf War, served on the Air Combat Command staff during the Kosovo War, and was injured in the 1996 Khobar Towers terrorist attack. With manned missions rapidly giving way to remote-controlled UAV drones, Viper Pilot may be the last memoir by a true hero of the skies. Gripping and irreverently humorous, it is an unforgettable look into the closed world of fighter pilots and modern air combat.