Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - The definitive history of combat aviation and fighter aircraft, from World War I to present INCLUDES 32 PAGES OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND 12 MAPS Lords of the Sky is the ""dramatic, fast-paced, and definitive"""" (Michael Korda) history of fighter pilots and aircraft and their extraordinary influence on modern warfare, masterfully written by """"one of the most decorated pilots in Air Force history"" (New York Post). A twenty-year USAF veteran who flew more than 150 combat missions and received multiple Distinguished Flying Crosses, Lt. Colonel Dan Hampton draws on his singular firsthand knowledge, as well as groundbreaking research in aviation archives and rare personal interviews with little-known heroes, including veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Hampton (the New York Times bestselling author of Viper Pilot) reveals the stories behind history's most iconic aircraft and the aviators who piloted them: from the Sopwith Camel and Fokker Triplane to the Mitsubishi Zero, Supermarine Spitfire, German Bf 109, P-51 Mustang, Grumman Hellcat, F-4 Phantom, F-105 Thunderchief, F-16 Falcon, F/A-18 Super Hornet, and beyond. In a seamless, sweeping narrative, Lords of the Sky is an extraordinary account of the most famous fighter planes and the brave and daring heroes who made them legend.

Full Product Details

9781482991994

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Reviews

""An excellent, well-researched, literate overview of twentieth-century warfare and the development of the fighter plane. Lords of the Sky will captivate history and aviation buffs alike."" -- ""Stephen Coonts, New York Times bestselling author of Flight of the Intruder"" ""In a unique concept never before attempted, Dan Hampton breaks new ground--a fighter pilot telling the history of fighter pilots! Lords of the Sky is superbly written, and Hampton's personal experience is backed up by excellent research. He paints a vivid picture of the skills, scares, scars, and science of air combat brilliantly, weaving them into a fascinating historical fabric that embraces technology, history, and politics. Aviation buffs and the general public will agree that this is a first in the field!"" -- ""Colonel Walter Boyne (USAF, Ret.), New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Wild Blue"" ""It is perhaps ironic that Dan Hampton's excellent and very readable history of fighter pilots is appearing just as the use of drones seems likely to supplant them, but his book brings back to vivid life the unique and romantic role of the fighter pilot in all the wars of the past hundred years. Hampton writes with the verve, dash, and crisp authority of a man who has been a fighter pilot himself, and the result is a book that is at once dramatic, fast-paced, and definitive, a pleasure for everyone who loves reading about aviation, and the life-and-death drama of air combat."" -- ""Michael Korda, New York Times bestselling author of With Wings like Eagles""

Author Information

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Dan Hampton flew 151 combat missions during his twenty years (1986-2006) in the United States Air Force. For his service in the Iraq War, Kosovo conflict, and first Gulf War, Col. Hampton received four Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor, a Purple Heart, eight Air Medals with Valor, five Meritorious Service medals, and numerous other citations. He is a graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, USN Top Gun School (TOGS), and USAF Special Operations School. A frequent guest analyst on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC discussing foreign affairs, military, aviation, and intelligence issues, he has published in Aviation History, the Journal of Electronic Defense, Air Force Magazine, Vietnam magazine, and Airpower magazine, and written several classified tactical works for the USAF Weapons Review. He is the author of the national bestsellers Viper Pilot and Lords of the Sky, as well as a novel, The Mercenary. John Pruden is an Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator. His exposure to many people, places, and experiences throughout his life provides a deep creative well from which he draws his narrative and vocal characterizations. His narration of The Killing of Crazy Horse by Thomas Powers was chosen by the Washington Post as a Best Audiobook of 2010.

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