Viper Force: 56th Fighter Wing--To Fly and Fight the F-16

About this book

The pilot of the F-16 Viper which is the U.S. Air Forces frontline fighter and attack aircraft is at the pinnacle of combat aviation. Viper Force tells the story of what it takes to become an F-16 pilot and what its like to fly and fight the Viper in combat. Because the F-16 is a dual-purpose combat aircraft its pilot must master two widely divergent disciplines: air-to-air flying against enemy fighters to maintain control of the air over the battle field and air-to-ground flying in support of ground forces soldiers and marines in contact. The crucible for creation of the Viper pilot is the air forces 56th Fighter Wing the successor to World War IIs 56th Fighter Group the legendary Zemkes Wolpack which also flew a fighter/attack aircraft the P-47 Thunderbolt. Viper Force also provides an up-close and personal look at the F-16 Viper squadron at war with information on its missions command and control in the air and the crucially important but often overlooked maintenance and ordnance ground crew.