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#3809734 - 07/15/13 02:41 PM "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton  
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Crane Hunter Offline
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Apologies if this has been presented already -

The biography of a Wild Weasel pilot who's career spanned from the late Cold War, Desert Storm, Allied Force and Iraqi Freedom makes for an entertaining little read.

One thing he says that's interesting from a simmer's perspective is that he apparently didn't have much faith in the HARM missle and preferred to use CBUs on air defense targets.

Also interesting was his take on the sleazy political environment of the Clinton era military...

All in all a good read and one of the better recent tactical aviation bio's out there IMO.

Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#3809878 - 07/15/13 06:36 PM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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Yep, a very good read. Not very detailed as some would like, but it was more for the "general reader" than for rivet-counters.

Re: HARMS, obviously these are the older models. Plus his squadron did the "hard kills" which meant taking out the site as much as possible, not just disabling or suppressing the radars.


- Ice
#3810061 - 07/16/13 02:01 AM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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I think he mentioned that "hard kill" was a necessity in an era of networked mobile SAMs.

Anyways I'm glad it focussed on combat sequences and politics rather than technical details.

#3810087 - 07/16/13 03:10 AM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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I finished it last week. A good read. I got the distinct impression that in the author's eyes, there are fighter pilots and then there is everyone else. I can forgive him for that though wink


Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.
Carl Sagan
#3810151 - 07/16/13 10:03 AM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Paul Rix]  
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Originally Posted By: Paul Rix
I finished it last week. A good read. I got the distinct impression that in the author's eyes, there are fighter pilots and then there is everyone else. I can forgive him for that though wink


Yes. If you've ever been around many of them, that is it exactly. cheers


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#3811015 - 07/18/13 02:09 AM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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No, "there are fighters and there are targets." They all believe that and wouldn't be in that cockpit if they didn't have that conceit. It's what makes them aggressive and sometimes slightly annoying.


"From our orbital vantage point, we observe an earth without borders, full of peace, beauty and magnificence, and we pray that humanity as a whole can imagine a borderless world as we see it, and strive to live as one in peace."
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#3812205 - 07/20/13 05:32 PM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Paul Rix]  
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Originally Posted By: Paul Rix
I finished it last week. A good read. I got the distinct impression that in the author's eyes, there are fighter pilots and then there is everyone else. I can forgive him for that though wink


Don't worry my unit thinks the same thing. There is Group and then there is the Banana Belt.


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#3822204 - 08/14/13 12:07 PM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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I enjoyed this book. One thing that really suprised me was how often his "Decoy" was shot away. It seems he had quite a few close calls. I mean that thing is only 300 feet behind you! I hope we get that added to BMS.

#3822208 - 08/14/13 12:22 PM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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The decoy is a good few hundred feet behind you, yes, but remember that the missiles do not really have to hit their target. Most of them explode in proximity to their "target" so if flown correctly, the missile will actually explode a bit behind the target, just within "lethal range" of the warhead. The Viper would be a good few hundred feet further and thus would be safe, if at most most get some dents and scratches.

I do +1 for BMS though. Fun doing weaseling in BMS and this could help a great deal! More toys to play with!


- Ice
#3822962 - 08/16/13 01:10 AM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Lanzfeld113]  
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Originally Posted By: Lanzfeld113
I enjoyed this book. One thing that really suprised me was how often his "Decoy" was shot away. It seems he had quite a few close calls. I mean that thing is only 300 feet behind you! I hope we get that added to BMS.


From all reports the ALE-50 saved some Bone crews in Allied Force as well.

#3880297 - 12/19/13 09:20 PM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Gordo_Viper]  
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Originally Posted By: Gordo_Viper

From all reports the ALE-50 saved some Bone crews in Allied Force as well.



Any sources?

#3880563 - 12/20/13 11:27 AM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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One Source

There have been others too; have seen some interviews with a few B-1 crews and the ALE-50's

#3880738 - 12/20/13 04:54 PM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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Somewhere I have an old AW&ST that quotes Viper and Bone drivers as reeling in a frayed cord after leaving their target area. Maybe I can dig it up.


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#3881108 - 12/21/13 06:32 AM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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Couple more references:
Jumper on Air Power

Quote:

"I am reminded of ... the first night that the B-1s were deployed [in Allied Force]. The B-1s came to us in the Block D/ALE-50 configuration, straight from the test world at Nellis AFB [Nev.]. On the first night, they came down south over the water [Adriatic Sea] in a formation. These were still the test guys flying these things. [The] ALE-50 towed decoys were deployed-and we watched the radars in Montenegro ... track the B-1s as they came down and turned the corner around Macedonia and up through and into Kosovo. We watched the radars, in real time, hand off the targets to the SA-6s, and the SA-6s came up in full-target track and fired their missiles. Those missiles took the ALE-50s off of the back end of the B-1s just like they were designed to do. The B-1s went on and hit their targets."


Book Link


Last edited by Gordo_Viper; 12/21/13 06:35 AM.
#3923379 - 03/11/14 08:17 PM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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Cali Offline
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Great book so far, I'm about 120 pages into it.


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#3923509 - 03/12/14 01:59 AM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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Finished it a couple of weeks ago. It was a good read, but I feel like he glossed over a lot of years of flying where I am sure he has some good stories.


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#3924822 - 03/14/14 06:40 PM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Gordo_Viper]  
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Originally Posted By: Gordo_Viper
Couple more references:
Jumper on Air Power

Quote:

Those missiles took the ALE-50s off of the back end of the B-1s just like they were designed to do.





The only thing I would repeat myself if I was that pilot would be ''it better works...it better works...it better works'' duck oops


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#3925297 - 03/15/14 07:40 PM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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I'm clearly in the minority, but I stopped reading the book about 60% through.

I know fighter pilots have big egos, but man alive this guy is in love with himself.


"A week or even a month for someone basically saying "shucks, this is pants" maybe. But their banhammer only has the forever setting. Gotta set phasers to stun for the localization of female undergarments, not kill yo." - Frederf
#3926218 - 03/18/14 12:42 AM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: toonces]  
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Originally Posted By: toonces
I'm clearly in the minority, but I stopped reading the book about 60% through.

I know fighter pilots have big egos, but man alive this guy is in love with himself.


Concur, this book was crap. Lots of ego, little substance. Great that he served his nation, but he needed to be somewhat humble.

#3926233 - 03/18/14 01:44 AM Re: "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton [Re: Crane Hunter]  
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Cali Offline
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Yes he has a lot of ego, but you have to admit the stories are good.


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