An interview with Rex Rivolo

[Wyatt109]

This weekend, I had the honor of speaking with Rex Rivolo, a USAF pilot who flew F-4s in Vietnam and played a critical role in evaluating the F/A-18 Hornet. This is the first of two or three interviews, as his career is extremely broad and rich, which also included several thousand additional hours in HH-3s and Blackhawks (which went entirely untapped in this first interview).

 

This first interview is more of an introduction to his career, although some topics are discussed at length, such as 1960s era bomb delivery, SAM avoidance, the F-4, flying in Vietnam, and Rex’s impression of the Hornet.

 

I’m also compiling a list of questions for the next couple interviews. If you have specific questions about the F-4, F-18, or 1960s-70s era combat aviation, post them here, and I will pick among the best for the next interview. Please don't be upset if I'm not able to get all the questions into an hour/hour-and-a-half interview.

 

Hope you enjoy!

 

PS - This is my first time interviewing someone, ever, so...ya know...bear with me :)

 

Edited June 14, 2017 by Wyatt109

[aaron886]

Great interview, thanks! Perhaps just a little biased where the Rhino is concerned but hey... it's a badass jet.