Viper Pilot: The Autobiography of One of America's Most Decorated Combat Pilots

This is the type of Fast and Furious I can support. The Wild Weasles help the make life of ground forces a bit easier. Written in the first person, it draws you into the world of the fighter pilot. As I listened, my appreciation for this group of men grew and I was totally fascinated at what they are able in accomplish in mere seconds. I thought the narration was rock solid . So if fast paced books and first hand accounts are your thing, you will love this one!

I was transfixed by the detail and honesty in this book. The flying stories were wonderful and hair raising at times. This man is a true master of his art and his story needs revisiting... and revisiting.... an aviation classic!

The sheer brutal, cocky honesty that Hampton writes with is a breath of fresh air. I was expecting a murky, Pentagon-redacted, boring account of his adventures, but was I wrong! Hampton pretty much looks down on everyone that's not a fighter pilot, and yet this confident honesty sucks you right in. You see the world through his point of view, and you actually start "thinking like a fighter pilot".

This no-holds-barred account of a lesser known side of the military is not only fascinating, but exciting as hell. The air combat scenes are spectacular. There aren't many books out there, where the ex-military author truly speaks his mind, without giving a crap what others think, but this is one of them. Deserves 5 stars just for the mere fact that he bucked the trend and didn't write some politically-correct fluff piece about the Air Force.

Narrator is great.

After having read several reader reviews, I decided to give Viper Pilot a listen with some trepidation. I was pleasantly surprised. You have to accept Hampton's natural arrogance--he flew Lawn Darts and that's hardly a rare trait amongst that crowd. That said, he had an interesting career that anyone who flew fast jets can relate to. And if you just wish you'd had that privilege, you'll be left with a pretty good impression of what it's like to fly fighters in today's Air Force, both the good and the bad. If you like your books politically correct and giving the impression that everyone is wonderful--well, this is probably not going to be your cup of tea--but tell me if you get it so I can come watch your head explode! :-D

The account of launching out on an FCF only to have his (single) engine crap out shortly after takeoff and bring it back around to a safe landing within a couple of minutes takes longer to read than it actually took. This gives you a real appreciation of the kind of skill and knowledge it takes to strap on a modern fighter.

GREAT narration! Pruden actually nailed ALL the acronyms, something you don't often hear in audiobooks. Made the listen MUCH more enjoyable.

Please God, Tom Cruise isn't going to be in this, is he?

I love the old WWII aircraft stories. Viper brings those stories into present time. I enjoyed the story and learning the differences between then and now. Some things are still the same, but not much.

This book kept me listening. The adrenaline filled battle engagements were described with incredible detail.

John Pruden’s narration rode the wave of emotion that Dan Hampton described.

I particularly appreciated the educational beginning that evolved into full blown combat.

Thank you Dan Hampton for your book but mostly for your service.

This is a great book on what it is like. He tells the good and the bad. This is a short book and I unusually read Sci-Fi. But this was one of the most entertaining, honest and hard hitting books I have read (listen) to!

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.

An absolutely wonderful performance of a great book. Any aviation enthusiast or fighter pilot-wannabe will find themselves more than satisfied with this one.

The only knock against it is the "non action" portions can be jarringly tedious if you're not already a bit of a military/flight nerd.

It is great for those that enjoy military experiences.

I really enjoyed that the author shared his story as how he saw it was and used the language and acronyms he used. Instead of dumming it down for the readers he explains it.

I enjoyed listening to his book because I will never be a fighter pilot, yet through this book I can gain a small understanding of what it takes to be one.