BIO
Rob “Z-Man” Zettel
Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
Told by his high school guidance counselor that he’d never become a pilot, Rob set out to prove otherwise. After graduating from the College of St. Thomas with a BA in Political Science and earning his commission as a USAF Second Lieutenant, Rob’s career quite literally took flight. His exceptional performance in some of the Air Force’s most advanced fighter aircraft and squadrons led to his selection for one of the USAF’s most secretive assignments: the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron, where an elite cadre of USAF, USN, and USMC fighter pilots flew clandestinely obtained Soviet MiGs in the nation’s most closely guarded Cold War program.
Over his distinguished Air Force career, Rob flew many of America’s front-line fighters, including the F-4 Phantom, the F-5E as an Aggressor Pilot, and the F-15 Eagle as an Instructor and Mission Commander. His firsthand account of flying the MiG-21 and MiG-23 to their limits offers a rare glimpse into a hidden chapter of Cold War aviation history, told with the authenticity and vivid storytelling of someone who lived it.
