Col Ralph Wetterhaun

Aviation Archaeologist - FAA Trained Crash Investigator

Aviation archaeologist Ralph Wetterhahn has become a real-life "Indiana Jones," traveling the world from Cambodia to the Russian Far East, to Guadalcanal, to the Philippines in search of aircraft wrecks, our nation's missing-in-action, and the amazing stories these discoveries reveal.
Ralph’s documentary efforts have appeared on NOVA, Discovery, and National

Geographic Channels, including The Last Flight of Bomber-31, Missing in Mig Alley, and as the lead detective in Dogfight Over Guadalcanal. He appears in the Military Channel series, Air Aces, featured in the segment on triple ace General Robin Olds.

Ralph is widely read in Air & Space/Smithsonian, MOAA’s Military Officer Magazine, Popular Science, Leatherneck, and VFW Magazine among others. He is also the author of four books:

The Last Battle (won the prestigious Colby Award).

The Last Flight of Bomber-31

Shadowmakers

The Early Air War in the Pacific

A graduate of the USAF Academy 1963, Wetterhahn served three tours during the Vietnam War flying fighters in both the United States Air Force and Navy. He is credited with downing a MiG-21 during the now-famous “Bolo Mission.” He flew 180 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom and A-7 Corsair, made 144 carrier landings, and later logged 1,000 hours in the F-15 Eagle.