American MiG Pilot
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Published by: Osprey Publishing
Release Date: February 10, 2026
Pages: 358
ISBN13: 978-1472808554
Overview
After being outflown over Vietnam, the US launched a top-secret operation to acquire Soviet aircraft, train pilots to fly them, and pitch them against American planes in training scenarios.
Get inside the head of one of America's most experienced MiG pilots, Lt Col Zettel, as he tells the thrilling tale of Constant Peg, a top secret US operation that wouldn't feel out of place in the plot of Top Gun.
At the height of the Cold War, America clandestinely obtained Russian Fighters, transported them to the Tonopah Test Range, and pitted them against star US fighter pilots in simulated combat exercises. With controls labelled in Russian and the only spare parts being the ones they could salvage, the pilots who climbed into the MiGs accepted all of the risks associated with operating these aircraft. Vivid accounts of training engagements put the reader right there in the cockpit, flying alongside the "Red Eagles" as they trained the best pilots America had to offer. Historical photographs help paint the picture of an operation that took the US Air Force from its dismal performance in the Vietnam War to an unprecedented air-to-air kill ratio in Operation Desert Storm.
Add on GoodreadsPraise
“Z-Man takes you into the cockpit with him on a hair-raising, heart-thumping, sweat-inducing adventure of flying fighters in the Cold War. From F-4 to MiG-23 to F-15, you’ll ride with him and learn what it was like to be at the tip of the spear in an Air Force that was the world’s best.”
—Steve Davies, author of Red Eagles: America’s Secret MiG Squadron and host of the podcast 10% True.
“A spellbinding memoir by a former fighter pilot who uses a breezy tone to describe his death-defying maneuvers in the fastest and most complex aircraft in the world. A riveting—and often touching—read!”
—Louella Bryant, bestselling author of Sheltering Angel, a Novel Based on a True Story of the Titanic
"A first-hand look at one Fighter Pilot’s journey from being a young lieutenant in an F-4, to being an Aggressor in an F-5, to being in an elite 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron with some of the best Fighter Pilots in the world flying clandestinely acquired Soviet MiG 21 and 23 aircraft out of a remote base in the Nevada desert during the height of the Cold War. Rob Zettel takes you there. A great read."
—Ted Drake, Lt. Col., USAF (Ret), Red Eagle "Bandit 42", 294 sorties in the MiG-23
"If you've ever wanted to put on a flight suit, a G-suit, and helmet but haven't had the opportunity, then read this book! A must read for all previous and future "jet jockeys!"
—Paco Geisler, Col., USAF (Ret), F-15 FWS IP, Red Eagle "Bandit 42", 500 sorties in the MiG-21
"Life in the ‘Red Eagles' was unique. Imagine a group of young captains, a few majors and lieutenant commanders, and a couple of lieutenant colonels, living and working in secrecy, flying airplanes no one admitted we had. The stories practically write themselves. Rob ‘Z-Man’ Zettel has done just that in this book. To be candid, I never expected ‘Z-Man’ to emerge as such an accomplished author, but he has brilliantly captured the spirit, challenges, and camaraderie of life in our secret MiG squadron."
—General (Ret) "Hawk" Carlisle, Commander, Air Combat Command, 2014-2017, F-15 FWIC, Red Eagle "Bandit 54", 316 sorties MiG-21/MiG-23
Read an excerpt here.