Viper Pilot

The Autobiography of One of America's Most Decorated Combat Pilots

By: Dan Hampton

Narrated by: John Pruden

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

151 combat missions

21 hard kills on surface-to-air-missile sites

Four Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor

One Purple Heart

Sure to rank as one of the greatest aviation memoirs ever written, Viper Pilot is an Air Force legend's thrilling eyewitness account of modern air warfare.

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.

©2012 Ascalon, LLC (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Excellent, exciting!

A really fascinating, thrilling memoir. Not at all heavy on philosophy. A little technical sometimes as there are a lot of segments written with pilot jargon, but well worth it in the exciting parts that ensue.

Best wild weasel book out there

I love this book so much not only can you learn pilot language but there are so many good stories he tells in this book highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering this career our just for fun.

amazing story of dedication and ability

I really liked this book. engaging throughout, with just the right balance of humor, technical aspects, and personal dedication for what it takes to fly an f16 and take it to the enemy!

THRILLING, INTENSE & EXCITING

I enjoyed this book from front to back. It was interesting to learn the steps a military pilot take to reach the level of bad ass predator of a wild weasel. I had no clue what their missions consisted of. I was blown away at the multi tasking during extreme G’s while dodging ground fire and missiles. Exciting moment by moment details of missions deep behind enemy lines. I have more respect for these guys than ever. If you like reading about our jet fighters you’ll love this book. Very good narration, I thought fit the story well.

WOW

Loved it! Told with such detail, you feel like your in the cockpit with him. Excellent!

great read

great story and very well read. makes it living and very real. I recommend this book.

Highly recommend

Dan Hampton gives a straightforward, unapologetic account of his experience in the USAF. No apologies. No politics. Just a good story with humor, humility, and great combat stories. Not dumbed down, Dan really puts you in the cockpit. Highly recommend for anyone interested in military history, air combat, and the gulf wars.

God's Gift

Where does Viper Pilot rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Dan Hampton is either as truly gifted as a writer as he was a pilot, or he owes his ghostwriter a huge shout-out and thanks.

This is among the most clearly- written military memoirs I've EVER read or listened to, and the story-telling is direct and compelling. The author(s) do an especially strong job of explaining jargon and some relevant military history in clear terms, readily understandable to a general audience.

The overall editing, though, could have been stronger. As good a job as the author did explaining jargon, etc., the same explanation sometimes gets repeated. My best guess would be that the editor played around with the chapter order, wanted the "sidebars" in both places, then forgot to take out the duplicate material when the book went to press.

That said, the story becomes a bit repetitive. And, as the author sometimes gets carried away with his "humble-bragging," you sometimes wonder how he managed to fit his ego into the cockpit on each mission.

Any additional comments?

Some of Hampton's carping about substandard sleeping and eating arrangements he endured while stationed overseas comes off as whiny. You wind up wondering if he understands that others engaged in front-line combat don't similarly sleep in "shared" beds and line up cafeterias for meals between each mission. There are, as well, some "score-settling" passages, that come off as petty.

But in a world where it seems like every recently-retired SEAL is writing a book, it's nice to read about a Chair Force officer's experience when going to war -- especially in a book as well-written as this one.

YGBSM!

This book is everything you need if you want true storys of the peak of SAM hunting. This pilot and all other weasels deserve praise for willingly going into dangerous areas to snuff out missile locations by provoking them to shoot at them. You are all crazy and have balls of steel and we appreciate every bit of it thank you for your service.

This book also provided great training knowledge for me. I use the F-16 in DCS and some of the tactics he uses can be immediately applied to my missions.

Riveting

Dan's story moves quickly into action and paints such a complete picture of each situation that several times I found myself holding my breath in the cockpit with him. he mixes in enough technical detail for those unfamiliar with the language of military aviation keeping the book approachable.
the reading is terrific and nicely represents the events as they unfold.
All very well done.