Customer Reviews

Vipers in the Storm: Diary of a Gulf War Fighter Pilot

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Written from a first person point of view, Keith "Rosey" Rosenkranz takes the reader along with him in his F-16C through the exciting and, at times, terrifying combat sequences in the Gulf War. From the air to air combat during a bombing mission in the first chapter through the end of the war over Basra, his descriptions are vivid without becoming mired down in military jargon and acronyms. He presents the F-16C, its maintainers and the men flying the airplane as an entire weapons system, offering many details only available from a first hand account. He shares the commraderie and trials of squadron life and offers a hearty glimpse into the world of a USAF fighter pilot.

As if the book weren't enough, the author has an accompanying website ... . This innovative site is a perfect companion to the book and includes a wealth of technical details, lots of photos and an interactive "Viper" cockpit. He even includes actual HUD display tapes from his missions (listed by chapter) in a real player format along with other video sequences. The only thing missing are the G forces!

First-hand reports are always the best, and this book is certainly one of the top raters that I have read. Surprising detail is included, both of the airplane and the tactics employed. I would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in military aviation.

My son and I read Vipers in the Storm together. We were soon engrossed in Capt. Rosenkranz's training and preparation for action in Desert Shield & Desert Storm.

Capt. Rosenkranz's book is not the typical "shoot `em up" war story. "Rosey," his Viper call sign, first describes his desert training and then gives the reader some background leading up to the Gulf War. I found this invaluable, as my son was not even born when the Storm ended. It's also a great review for us older folks who may have forgotten a thing or two, or maybe didn't know the rest of the story!

Throughout the book, Rosey describes his personal feelings, his worries, disappointments, love for family, and sadness and horror. Nothing is left out. His attention to detail and accuracy is outstanding. When you finish this great book you, too, will have a new measure of appreciation for America's Viper drivers, which is personified here by Keith Rosenkranz.

Although the book impressed me, it made even a bigger impression on my 10-year-old. With the current situation with Iraq, the book gave him cause to question current events with me and has impressed on him what we are transitioning to in the Gulf today. Rosey's love for his family, and separation from them, as well as the training, downtime, and losses he wrote of, vividly portray the struggles our pilots have faced and are facing today.

When the "action" does start, Rosey pulls no punches and again accurately describes the entire mission from turning on the VTR and titling his tape to munching a granola bar at 36,000 feet on the flight home. In between those times, Rosey recounts some hair-raising incidents, again in great detail. Rosey's account of his 30 combat missions should dispel any doubts that America's fighter pilots "just push buttons." What makes Capt. Rozenkran's missions even more amazing is that most of them were flown at night, using LANTIRN!

Rosey completed his missions in the finest tradition of the U.S. Air Force, and he does recognize the enemy were human beings doing their job for their nation. With a mixture of fear, exhilaration, sadness, relief, and joy when the ordnance was on target, each mission is professionally accomplished. Errors, when they happen, are not glossed over but spoken of honestly and learned from.

For the flight sim pilot, veteran pilot, aviation enthusiast, young person interested in the USAF, or reader wondering what our Air Force did (or may do again) in the Gulf, Capt. Rosenkranz's work will leave you about as breathless as he was when he watched the SAMs launching below him. My thanks to the author, and all Viper drivers, for their dedication, and thanks, Keith, for instilling in my son a desire to fly with the best someday.

This is a brilliant book.
For anyone interested in military aviation or modern warfare I can only recommend reading Keith Rosenkrantz's excellent account of his part in the first Gulf War.
This book is well written, easy to read, detailed and personal in a way many of these books fail to be.
As a pilot myself (commercial) and having always dreamed of flying such aviation exotica as the F-16, this book is the key for us mere mortals to step into the world of the modern fighter pilot. It gives you a taste of the discipline, courage and commitment required.
For all this and much more you should definitely check out Vipers in the Storm.

When you're finished reading it drop Rosey a line, like I did to thank him for sharing his experiences. His email address is at the back of the book and he was gracious enough to reply to my message too. An officer and a gentleman not to mention hero.

Keith Rosenkranz has shown the human side to the awesome warrior that sits at the controls of the F-16 'Viper'. The bond that exists amongst squadron mates is there but also, and more importantly, his devotion to his family. His realistic and pragmatic call to duty was supported by his loving wife and unknowingly by his two young daughters. He heeded the call to arms like a lion out for the hunt: with dedication to his duty but at the same time concerned for his family. Mr. Rosenkranz's prose is excellent and makes from some excellent reading. The book was extremely difficult to put down and offered a close look at what a fighterpilot's life is like overseas. The technical jargon is there but accessible to everyone. The patriotism and devotion to God and Country abound with honor and humbleness. To many who could not be there in person, Keith Rosenkranz instills patriotism and love for one's country. This book is a must read for anyone interesting in the Air War over the Gulf or anyone interested in an "I was there" unbiased view about aerial combat. Thank you Keith and the rest of the Spiders!

Based on my experience as a 15-year veteran of the Air Force and Air National Guard this is the most accurate account of military operations I've read yet. Thanks for stirring many great memories for me.

In this book, Keith takes you on a jouney, both in his cockpit and in daily life on a remote base. The ups and downs of being stationed in a remote air force base in the UAE are chronicled in personal detail. The kind of detail you could not even get if you were there. The emotional ups and down, the internal conflict of war, as well as the pride of Freedom and the moral certainly of doing the right thing. The contradictory nature of emotions is not glossed over. This is not AIr Force propaganda, but on the other hand, this is not a Vendetta against the Air Force. This is a real life look behind the eyes of one of the proud american fighter pilots. Keith Rosenkranz has the right stuff.

An amazing book. I wanted to find a book which describes all it is to be an F-16 pilot and I found it. The book is descriptive beyond words and it makes the world outside stop when reading it. The book is real, exciting, intense, scary, intriguing, enthralling, addictive, and honest. Amazing! Well done.

If Keith Rosenkranz intended to convey what it's like to toggle your F-16's HUD into CCIP mode then roll onto your target with two 500lb Mk-82 bombs in a warzone, well, he nailed it right on the head.

The author meticulously describes start up procedures, in-flight protocol and weapon systems/functions in such vivid detail that you can almost smell the cockpit. Rosenkranz attempts to balance this penchant for detail with honest accounts of his day to day life in the desert, along with some of his personal views regarding the war. Be prepared though, the engrossing detail is the primary draw of the book.

I'm not sure this book will be your cup of tea if you aren't already strongly interested in military aviation. The author's writing is unique in that he wasn't afraid to include the highly technical details that most writers--who're presumably more concerned with connecting to a larger reader base--shy away from. I expect this one to be a polarizing read for most folks.

With that being said, I've read numerous well regarded books focused on military aviation and none of them even come close to Vipers in the Storm.

This is one of the dullest books I have ever read. I expected combat, missles flying at enemy targets, split-essing (?) to the deck and turning into approaching bogeys. All this guy seemed to do was get in and out of his plane, wipe off the face shield of his helmet and blab on and on about about nothing important. By the middle of the book he had not engaged the enemy.

If you want a good book, read SAMURAI by Saburo Saki, the Japanese Zero ace who lost an eye and kept fighting, or Wing Leader or Spitfire Pilot.