
Viper Pilot
The Autobiography of One of America's Most Decorated Combat Pilots
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Narrated by:
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John Pruden
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By:
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Dan Hampton
About this listen
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 HarperCollinsPublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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- By: Dan Hampton
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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In the aftermath of World War II, the United States accelerated the development of technologies that would give it an advantage over the Soviet Union. Airpower, combined with nuclear weapons, offered a formidable check on Soviet aggression. In 1947, the United States Air Force was established. Meanwhile, scientists and engineers were pioneering a revolutionary new type of aircraft which could do what no other machine had ever done: reach mach 1 - a speed faster than the movement of sound - which pilots called "the demon."
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Not at all what it purports to be
- By John A Stevenson on 11-20-18
By: Dan Hampton
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Skybreak
- The 58th Fighter Squadron in Desert Storm
- By: Mike Guardia
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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August 1990: Iraqi forces under the command of Saddam Hussein invaded the tiny emirate of Kuwait. In response, the US military led a coalition of thirty-four nations in what became known as Operation Desert Storm—a violent air and ground campaign to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait. At the tip of the spear were the men of the US Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron. Based on hours of interviews and archival research by author Mike Guardia, this book reveals an intimate, no-holds-barred account of modern aerial combat…as told by the men who lived it.
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Great telling of the 58th
- By Gary on 01-02-25
By: Mike Guardia
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Flying the SR-71 Blackbird
- In the Cockpit on a Secret Operational Mission
- By: Richard H. Graham
- Narrated by: Shawn Compton
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The Lockheed SR-71, unofficially known as the Blackbird, was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed by Lockheed Skunk Works. The aircraft flew so fast and high that not one was ever shot down, even by a missile. SR-71 pilot and instructor Colonel Richard Graham offers a rare cockpit perspective on how regular Air Force pilots and navigators transformed themselves into SR-71 Blackbird crews, turning their unique aviation talents to account in an unprecedented way.
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This book is basically void of content or story.
- By Amazon Customer on 06-02-22
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Topgun
- An American Story
- By: Dan Pedersen
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Dan Pedersen takes listeners on a colorful and thrilling ride - from Miramar to Area 51 to the decks of aircraft carriers in war and peace - through a historic moment in air warfare. He helped establish a legacy that was built by him and his "Original Eight" - the best of the best - and carried on for six decades by some of America's greatest leaders. Topgun is a heartfelt and personal testimonial to patriotism, sacrifice, and American innovation and daring.
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I loved it!
- By "airplane_cfii" on 10-09-19
By: Dan Pedersen
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To Fly and Fight
- Memoirs of a Triple Ace
- By: Clarence E. Bud Anderson
- Narrated by: Joshua Katinger
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Bud Anderson is a flyers flyer. The Californians enduring love of flying began in the 1920s with the planes that flew over his father's farm. In January 1942, he entered the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program.
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Fantastic!!!
- By chris johnson on 07-24-23
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Going Downtown
- The US Air Force Over Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, 1961–75
- By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
- Narrated by: Christopher Ragland
- Length: 15 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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The involvement of the US Air Force in the Southeast Asian Wars began in 1962 with crews sent to train Vietnamese pilots, and with conflict in Laos, and finally ended in 1972 with the B-52 bombing of Hanoi, though there were Air Force pilots unofficially flying combat in Laos up to the end in 1975. The missions flown by USAF aircrews during those years in Southeast Asia differed widely, from attacking the Ho Chi Minh Trail at night with modified T-28 trainers, to missions “Downtown,” the name aircrew gave Hanoi, the central target of the war.
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A succinct overview
- By Snippersly on 04-18-24
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Lions of the Sky
- By: Paco Chierici
- Narrated by: Flynn Earl Jones
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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In the world of fighter pilots, the most alpha of the alpha, competition is everything and the stakes are impossibly high. A Top Gun for the new millennium, Lions of the Sky propels us into a realm in which friendship, loyalty, and skill are tested, battles won and lost in an instant, and lives irrevocably changed in the time it takes to plug in your afterburners.
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Amazing book!
- By Brad Brandon on 07-30-22
By: Paco Chierici
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From F-4 Phantom to A-10 Warthog
- Memoirs of a Cold War Fighter Pilot
- By: Steven K Ladd
- Narrated by: Jeff Bolton
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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You do not have to be an aviation aficionado to enjoy Colonel Steve Ladd’s fascinating personal tale, woven around his 28-year career as a fighter pilot. This extremely engaging account follows a young man from basic pilot training to senior command through the narratives that define a unique ethos. From the United States to Southeast Asia; Europe to the Middle East; linking the amusing and tongue-in-cheek to the deadly serious and poignant, this is the lifelong journey of a fighter pilot.
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A 28 year history of Air Force fighter duty.
- By David H Milton on 07-09-22
By: Steven K Ladd
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Valor
- The Astonishing World War II Saga of One Man's Defiance and Indomitable Spirit
- By: Dan Hampton
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Lieutenant William Frederick “Bill” Harris was 25 years old when captured by Japanese forces during the Battle of Corregidor in May 1942. This son of a decorated Marine general escaped from hell on earth by swimming eight hours through a shark-infested bay; but his harrowing ordeal had just begun. Shipwrecked on the southern coast of the Philippines, he was sheltered by a Filipino aristocrat, engaged in guerilla fighting, and eventually set off through hostile waters to China.
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Epic story of survival, and sacrifice
- By Michael V McKenney on 02-03-23
By: Dan Hampton
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Boyd
- The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
- By: Robert Coram
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 19 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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John Boyd may be the most remarkable unsung hero in all of American military history. Some remember him as the greatest US fighter pilot ever - the man who, in simulated air-to-air combat, defeated every challenger in less than 40 seconds. Some recall him as the father of our country's most legendary fighter aircraft - the F-15 and F-16. Still, others think of Boyd as the most influential military theorist since Sun Tzu. They know only half the story.
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Stick With It if You Want a Rare Gem
- By Michael Richards on 08-30-16
By: Robert Coram
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Vanishing Act
- The Enduring Mystery Behind the Legendary Doolittle Raid Over Tokyo
- By: Dan Hampton
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In the dark days after the devastating Pearl Harbor attacks during the spring of 1942, the United States was determined to show the world that the Axis was not invincible. Their bold plan? Bomb Tokyo. On April 18, 1942, sixteen B-25s, known as the Doolittle Raiders, hit targets across Japan before escaping to China. The eighth plane, however, did not follow the other raiders. Instead, Plane 8's pilots, Captain Edward "Ski" York and Lieutenant Bob Emmens, never attacked Tokyo, but headed across Japan to the Soviet Union, supposedly due to low fuel.
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I never knew
- By A. Canavan on 02-19-25
By: Dan Hampton
What listeners say about Viper Pilot
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- Thomas
- 09-05-16
Great Military Listen.
I sat on this for most of the summer but once I started it, I couldnt turn it off. Makes me proud to say my tax dollars went to support the Wild Weasels. Thank You Lt. Col. Hampton for your service to our country.
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- James Mullenax
- 02-11-15
F-16 Action
This audio book was exactly what I was looking for. The story and the performance were very good. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the aerial combat. Well worth the time.
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- Anonymous User
- 02-15-18
Best aviation read in a very long time.
Excellency at it's best in the last 20 years I've been flying or reading of it, this book is defiantly on my all time top 10.
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- Marcus
- 03-25-13
Pilot Porn, Plane and Simple
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.
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- Nathan Paddock
- 06-12-17
Wow!
Best narrator ever. hands down. story is incredible as well, one of the best audio books out there.
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- Thomas
- 02-07-13
Excellent book
What did you love best about Viper Pilot?
As an F16 crew chief I loved the story
What did you like best about this story?
His indepth look at the missions
Which scene was your favorite?
really... All of them, they were all very interesting
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, but we did listen to it while travelling and it was wonderful
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- Amazonian Michelle
- 02-28-21
Excellent insights on many topics.
Excellent insights of being a Viper pilot.
And I loved the tidbit that they partially got that name to looking like the Vipers from Battlestar Galactica. I'm a geek for that show, especially growing up with the original so I like that fact!
Excellently told story of how the USAF has changes historically. Learning about the aircraft. Flying in a passenger jet does not give you the perspective of the G-forces, speed, distance, and maneuverability of a jet fighter. This was the best reality I have ever read/heard of what it's truly like.
I read some of the negative reviews.
Yes some swearing. I don't like it personally so wondered. it was not abundant. it had its place. Only 1 story really referred to F... a few times.
Someone says he picks on the French. He does but rarely and historically they really didn't excel militarily in many instances. To focus on these two items you are obviously missing out on the rest of the book.
First of all, he is highly intelligent. When you hear about every single test, preparation, flight knowledge, contingency, maintenance and equipment understanding that a pilot needs with the combat and training skills too - you will realize this.
To be of his caliber and successful you have to be smart. And to face "the elephant" ie face death and your mortality, you have to be a strong personality and a bit cocky. Being a soldier is the highest form of patriotism. I commend him. His bravery. And his service. (And no due to a birth hearing impairment I could never enlist. Not for lack of trying. So don't assume I'm saying so out of solidarity. )
I highly recommend this for a look of what it's like for a fighter pilot and some historical information too.
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- Jonathan Palmer
- 12-03-21
excellent listen
gives a point of view I could only hope to have had. ALWAYS loved the F16 growing up and this was just magical and the little laughs given were great as well
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-03-20
lively & interesting
awesome book giving a perspective from modern ariel combat that if never really gotten a glimpse of i wouldn't mind if it went over a few other missions too, but I spose Hampton covered the more interesting ones
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- Nivrot
- 06-24-20
Lots of detail, superb narration
The story is very well written and interesting with plenty technical detail, lingo, humor and both human an political reflection.
John Pruden's narration deserves standing ovations.
It just could not have been a better man for the job than him.
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