The amazing story of America's most experienced F-16 fighter pilot who flew 151 combat missions across the world

America's most experienced fighter pilot flew 151 combat missions around the world -- bravely attracting enemy fire so he could seek out and destroy enemy weapons.

Lt Col Dan Hampton sat in the cockpit of a F-16 fighter plane for 20 years, logging more than 600 combat hours -- helping to secure the skies over Iraq and to protect American airspace after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

He recounts his harrowing career in the US Air Force in the tell-all autobiography 'Viper Pilot: A Memoir Of Air Combat.'

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Fighter: Dan Hampton, author of Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat, in front of an F-16 fighter plane

During his tours of duty, he witnessed first hand some of the most historical moments of the U.S. armed services, including helping to hunt down Saddam Hussein during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

From 1986 to 2006, Hampton flew missions as a leading member of the Wild Weasels, an elite Air Force fighter squadron whose mission is widely accepted as the most dangerous job in modern air combat.

 

'It was time for this story,' Hampton said in a statement released by his publisher. 'No grand designs or philosophical fluff - just an honest view of life and war from one fighter cockpit.'

In the 20 years Hapton spent as a pilot, he flew 151 combat missions, made 21 hard kills on surface-to-air-missile sites, received four Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor and one Purple Heart.

Hampton writes about his experiences in the squadron, in which he piloted the first planes sent into war zones, flying deep behind enemy lines purposely seeking to draw fire from surface-to-air missiles and artillery.

Hard at work: Hampton at the controls of his plane during his days in the U.S. Air Force

Lethal: The F-16 'Flying Falcon' is known to be one of the world's deadliest fighter jets

'They must skillfully evade being shot down and then return to destroy the threats, thereby making the skies safe for everyone else to follow,' reads the release. '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 Wild Weasel pilot in American history.
Hampton logged twenty years and more than 600 combat hours in the world's most iconic fighter jet: the F-16 'Fighting Falcon' - or the 'Viper', as pilots call it.
Hampton helped spearhead the 2003 invasion of Iraq, leading the first flight of fighters over the border en route to strike Baghdad. Among his targets were Saddam Hussein's suspected hide-out and his escape helicopters, which he personally destroyed.

Legend: The pilot racked up 20 years, 151 combat missions, 21 kills, 12 medals and one Purple Heart

He shares stories from Iraq of saving ground soldiers from certain death, evading heat-seeking missiles locked on his tail, and of being wounded in a terrorist attack.

The retired pilot also relives the morning of 9/11 when he and his F-16 took to the skies above the United States and played a crucial role in the unprecedented act of closing America’s airspace. Hampton, under orders to shoot down any plane that did not identify itself, helped escort a Delta Airlines flight to the ground that day.

But given the paranoid atmosphere of that terrible day, he writes, 'we were fortunate that no one got shot down.'

He adds: 'It always surprises me how bloodthirsty the ground-pounders seem to be. One controller told me that he'd "give me clearance to fire..." - all I had to do was ask.'

Memoir: Hampton has recounted many of his most memorable experiences in his autobiography

Hampton was also responsible for calming down an over-excited air traffic controller in Charlotte, North Carolina who declared a 'free-fire zone' for 20 miles around the city in response to a helicopter with its lights out landing men on the ground.

The quick-thinking captain soon realised that the chopper had probably been sent out by the Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, and ordered a colleague to contact the base to ensure that the Air Force did not accidentally shoot down U.S. troops.

Hampton also reveals what it takes psychologically to have 'the right stuff'.

The author's memoir is already getting early praise.

'Hampton is not shy about recounting brushes with death,' read a Kirkus review. 'The author concentrates on the fighting and does a fine job communicating the camaraderie and hair-raising incidents of service in the elite macho fraternity of American fighter pilots.'

Published by HarperCollins, Viper Pilot comes out on October 2.