Viper Pilot audiobook

I am a fan of aviation and military history that is focused on aviation. Thus the reason that I wanted to check this book out. I found this book very informative and Mr. Hampton has a talent for story telling. Even though what he is sharing about are real life events. He makes the reader feel like they are viewing everything though his eyes. This is what I liked so much about this book. Reading this book I did not feel like events or information was glossed over to hide. With other military type books, you get the sense that there are thing that the author can not share. I do understand due to confidentiality but at the same time, I do want to know up to the point that the author can not divulge certain information what the conditions were like that the author experienced. This is the reason I read these books. So again with this book, I felt like I got my money’s worth. For anyone who is not well versed in aviation terminology, you will still have a good time reading this book. Mr. Hampton explains things well and if you forget what an acronym stands for there is a nice glossary in the back of the book for reference. Viper Pilot soars the skies and is a thrilling read!

First of all I wanted to say that having men like Dan Hampton in the Air Force and military for the United States of America is what makes our country the greatest nation in the world! I could not believe the stories that Dan has told throughout the book about all of the missions he has been on, along with all of the other fighters in his unit and in Iraq! From the moment you read this book, you get a thrill ride that puts you in the back seat (if there was one) of the F-16 “Fighting Falcon” or Viper as the fighters call it! Thank you Dan and all of the other fighters, front line and support groups for all that you do to take it to our enemies and keep the fighting away from our homeland! You all deserve the highest honors our country has to offer and I for one am honored to call you a fellow American! From 1986 to 2006 Lt. Col. Dan Hampton performed 151 combat missions as a Wild Weasel fighter pilot, flew over 600 combat hours around the world and has logged over 3000 flight hours while in the USAF from 1986-2006. He has 21 hard kills on surface-to-air-missile sites. 4 Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor, 1 Purple Heart, and more medals and accommodations than I can list. He is a graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, USN Top Gun School (TOGS), and USAF Special Operations School. Dan spearheaded the 2003 invasion of Iraq, leading the first flight of fighters over the boarder and deep into Iraq and Baghdad and also has several awards for tactical innovation. Now retired, he has time to write about all of his experiences within the USAF and all of his missions while in Iraq and other places around the world. This book, if not to tell you how dangerous his combat missions really are, will make you realize that men like Dan risk their lives on a daily basis for our freedoms we hold so dear in this country. So sit down, buckle up, and hold on for a kick ass ride so to speak! I could not put the book down when I started to read the real life story of this amazing man who not only lived through every mission and ordeal, but wrote about each mission as if he can recall every detail that happened at every moment within that mission. I am sure that each time he went up it was like tattooing a mental image of all of his surroundings when his life was on the line. Each mission he describes puts you in the cockpit with him and brings you into the life and times of Dan’s life while in Iraq! From actually flying an F-16 that goes into battle to not only be used as a target for surface-to-air-missiles (SAMS), and all other types of rockets, and gunfire being aimed at him to hunting, targeting and destroying these sites. Their acronym of “YGBSM” (You Gotta be Shittin Me!) is perfect for the type of Wild Weasel fights these fighters incurred on a daily basis. Who else but the Wild Weasels would go into a heavily defended area, have missiles and all other types of gunfire target them and try to destroy them while they seek out each missile site and destroy them! Dan I had respect for you and all of the other fighters like you, but this book gives me a new found respect for all of our military. I received Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat by Dan Hampton compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars and would give an additional 5 stars if I could! Thank you Dan for such a well written, action packed and authentic in every detail memoir of your life as a fighter pilot! READ THIS BOOK!!!!!

I received the book Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat By Lt. Col.Dan Hampton From A GoodReads giveaway.Thank You. There was a lot of technical information about combat aviation and the aircraft used by these pilots but I felt that this was important to the story he told. The meat of the book was indeed the thrilling, terrifying and deadly combat missions that Lt. Col. Dan Hampton was involved in. These were so descriptive that you felt a part of the event. I truly cannot imagine what Hampton and other pilots of this caliber feel when they are involved in actions that are so threatening and deadly to their very life yet they do so willingly. Every American whether they have served in the military or not should read this book. Lt. Col. Hampton also makes no bones about how he feels about Washington politicans that attempt to understand the applications of military power but many times fail futility. I agree with him. America owes a lot to pilots like Lt.Col. Dan Hampton for he and others like him are the true American heroes. I personally would like to thank and salute each and every one of them.

I received this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.I was thoroughly impressed by the author's style of writing and his ability to convey emotion while still stating raw facts. Hampton allowed for me as the reader to understand terminology that I otherwise may have not been able to fully comprehend. He made me feel as though I was viewing the scenes and events through his eyes. Overall, it was a very impressive read and I look forward to reading more of Dan Hampton's work!

I love military books in general but more so the ones that are anecdotal and read like fiction. This book is one of those. The author is not only a gifted pilot, but a funny guy too and I found myself chuckling in many places.I listened to the audiobook version from Audible read by John Pruden who did an excellent job. No mispronunciations of military terms one sometimes finds in similar audiobooks and the combat scenes are read in a way that have you feeling you're in the cockpit.

This is a great memoir. Lt. Col. Hampton writes with the suspense and drama of a fiction writer. The opening of the book has Hampton nearly out of gas, low on ammo and a sandstorm building; he is trying to help some marines being overrun on the ground. Then out of ammo and nearly bingo on fuel he heads for a tanker but cannot find it in the haze from the storm. Then Hampton leaves us hanging and tells the story of his military life and how he got to this point in the Iraqi war. At the end of the book he finally completes the opening story.I learned about the role of the Wild Weasel Fighters. Hampton tells the history of the Weasels and the various planes modified for use hunting SAMs (surface to air missiles) over the years up to his last plane, the F-16 Fighting Falcon also called Viper. Col. Hampton also gave an overview of the modern Air Force, descriptions of the various schools he attended from pilot school to the prestigious Fighter Weapons School as well as a general overview of the Air Force.The book is very well written. Hampton’s method of writing has the reader sitting in the cockpit with him. The reader can see, hear, feel and smell everything Hampton does. Hampton comes across as a typical macho fighter pilot, cocky, arrogant, irreverent and invincible. Hampton is one of the most decorated fighter pilots in the Air Force and that only adds to the story. Hampton writes great combat scenes. I agree with Hampton that there should be an ACE category for destroying SAMs, as more pilots are downed by SAMs than by other planes. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. John Pruden does a good job narrating the book.

Hard to write a specific book review. This is a real combat pilots narrative of his time flying the F-16 Fighter jet. Very detailed and very descriptive. Lt. Col Dan Hampton knows of what he speaks. He was there. The F-16 is called the Fighting Falcon. Nice catchy name. But to the pilots it was known as "The Viper". Much more appropriate as you will see.You have to read the book to understand the Colonel's last sentence, but I have a good friend who was a fighter pilot in Vietnam. He will know what this means..."I flew with the Wild Weasels". Thank you, Col. Hampton, to you and all your comrades. We can NEVER repay the debt owed to you.

Was pretty good for a memoirs, but tends to forget about support personnel until the end. Also, his view and definition of a warrior is questionable. Pretty good book with fun stories and interesting insight into the mind of a fighter jocky.

This extraordinary memoir will create hero-worshipping. Thanks to this special guy and his colleagues for completing dangerous U.S. Air Force missions. I received this book free through the goodreads FIRST READS program.

A well written account of the life of a fighter pilot. A recommended read but not for the "politically correct" as Lt. Colonel (Ret) Hampton tells it like it was. I read the Kindle ebook. I look forward to reading more of this author's books.

Interesting look at the advent of anti-missile missions and planes. Talk about a scary job. Fly around until an enemy radar lights you up, then try and kill the radar before the SAM's kill you.

Excellent memoir of an F-16 fighter pilot. Longer review here: http://eyesandearsblog.blogspot.com/2...