Fighter Pilot, Robin Olds
Fighter Pilot, Robin Olds
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Fighter Pilot
The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds

Author: Robin Olds

Narrator: Robertson Dean

Unabridged: 17 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/13/2010

Synopsis

A larger-than-life hero with a towering personality, Robin Olds was a graduate of West Point and an inductee in the National College Football Hall of Fame for his All-American performance for Army. In World War II, Olds quickly became a top fighter pilot and squadron commander by the age of twenty-two—a double ace with twelve aerial victories. But it was in Vietnam where the man became a legend. He motivated a dejected group of pilots by placing himself under junior officers and challenging them to train him properly. He led the wing with aggressiveness, scoring another four confirmed kills and becoming a rare triple ace. With his marriage to Hollywood actress and pinup girl Ella Raines, his nonregulation mustache and penchant for drink, Olds was a unique individual whose story is one of the most eagerly anticipated military books of the year.

About Robin Olds

Robin Olds (1922–2007) was a US Air Force fighter pilot. A triple ace, he achieved a combined total of sixteen victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. Born into an army family in Honolulu and raised in Virginia, he was educated at West Point, where he was an All American football player. He was promoted to brigadier general after Vietnam and served as Commandant of Cadets at the US Air Force Academy.

About Christina Olds

Christina Olds, the daughter of Robin Olds, holds a BA in English and creative writing from Vassar, is a member of the Air Force Association, and is the first honorary lifetime member of the Red River Valley Association.

About Ed Rasimus

Ed Rasimus is a retired USAF fighter pilot who holds a B.S. in political science and an M.S. in both political science and international relations. He has previously written two books on the Vietnam air war, Palace Cobra and When Thunder Rolled, the latter called “one of the best combat memoirs ever written” (Wall Street Journal).

About Robertson Dean

Robertson Dean has acted on- and off-Broadway and in many leading roles at regional theaters throughout the United States. His film work includes Star Trek: Nemesis and Vanilla Sky.

Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Charles on 2012-12-06 20:06:53

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK. IT IS VERY INTERESTING IF YOU ARE A PILOT LIKE ME.THEN YOU COULD FEEL THE ACTION.

Goodreads review by Sweetwilliam on November 25, 2021

I never even heard of this guy. How could that be? What a joy. He is like Patton but in a fighter instead of a tank. The Robin Olds biography is the surprise book of the year for me. Honest to a fault, the book made me nod my head in agreement and laugh often. I was thoroughly entertained by the sto......more

Goodreads review by William on September 12, 2011

Wow. You want to read a story about a life lived large? You want to read this. Robin Olds lived the life I would have liked to live when I was a kid, before I realized there would be no more aerial dogfights between rival fighter pilots. It's all missiles over-the-horizon, now. Oh, sure, it'd still b......more

Goodreads review by Ken on May 25, 2012

I was in Thailand at Udorn shortly after Col. Olds' tour ended at Ubon. Even a couple of years after and at a different installation, his reputation and zeal as a "balls out" fighter pilot and leader were the standard against which everyone else was measured, both individuals and units. For those rea......more

Goodreads review by Viktoria on April 20, 2020

Riveting! I had fully expected a great Sierra Hotel book full of combat engagements from a triple-ace, but this memoir is more. Much more. Perhaps the most striking revelation is Robin's incredible sense of loyalty. When Scat Davis, his best friend at West Point, couldn't qualify medically for a pilo......more

Goodreads review by Mark on June 17, 2014

Robin Olds graduated from West Point Military Academy and among his many credentials he later served as commandant of the Air Force Academy. The top notch fighter pilot with strong leadership skills remained on cutting edge from WWII to Vietnam as a “triple ace”. The man with convictions was not a “......more

Quotes

“A tribute to a vanished breed of men.” Wall Street Journal

“Massively welcomed by his legion of fans.” Walter J. Boyne, author and former director of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC

“Robin Olds was bold, audacious and courageous; truly one of America’s premier fighter pilots. His captivating story, told in riveting fashion, provides great insights into his life and the attributes that make a great fighter pilot. Warning! If you start to read, you will have trouble putting it down!” General Henry H. Shelton, US Army (Ret.), former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

“Robin Olds is probably the greatest aerial warrior America ever produced. He is the real deal, a fighter pilot’s fighter pilot, a consummate military professional, a natural, charismatic leader, and a true, heroic servant of our republic...That men like Olds chose to wear our nation’s uniform does high honor to the profession. I confidently predict that this book will be an instant classic.” Stephen Coonts, New York Times bestselling author of The Assassin

“Triple ace Robin Olds’ legendary leadership and heroic service to the cause of freedom have been an inspiration to our nation and our air force. He is one of our ‘great captains’ and a pioneer of air power.” General T. Michael Moseley (Ret.)

“Pilot Robin Olds served 30 years in the Army and Air Force, at West Point, in WWII, and in Vietnam. His action stories of combat flying place listeners right in the cockpit next to him, with flak exploding just outside the plane’s canopy. His exemplary principles of leadership rank him with history’s finest at inspiring cohesiveness in military teams. Narrator Robertson Dean’s booming voice takes a stoic approach to both the serious and amusing escapades. During Olds’s duty at a British base, Dean delivers the Etonian accents of fellow flyers like a native. The author’s story covers a long life, so Dean keeps his first-person voice constant and ageless. With appropriate restraint he portrays this Air Force officer’s anger, nostalgia, and patriotism.” AudioFile

“A gripping narrative…Compelling reading, likely to become a classic.” Booklist

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