Building
a
Stronger
America
Richard “Rich” Hess
Col., USAF
Board of Advisors
If Hollywood really wanted to get it right, they would’ve used Colonel Rich Hess’s life for the factual script in “Top Gun”. Shown above as a young Air Force Major, & a later picture getting out of an U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt fighter / bomber, Rich is the real-life epitome of the American Fighter Pilot. Rich’s combat time includes action in support of 9 US conflicts and relief efforts, from Grenada in 1983 to post-911 Middle East ops throughout the world. He holds an ATP, CFI I, II, & Multi-engine. He has accumulated over 24,000 career flight hours, 1,600 of which were in jet warbirds, including the T-37 Dragonfly, T-38 Talon, A-10 Warthog, F-15 Eagle, the A.V. L-29 & L-39, the Casa Jet, Paris Jet, T-33 T-Bird, Yak-52, CJ-6, T-28, & T-34. He has type ratings in the L-39 & L-29, Jet Provost, & T-33.