American MiG Pilot Event
Saturday 18th April 2026, 1700 – 2100 Hrs
An evening in conversation with former MiG-21 and MiG-23 pilot,
Lt. Col. Rob ‘Z-Man’ Zettel, Lt Col, USAF (Ret).
Venue: RAF Museum Midlands, Cosford
Runway25 are excited to announce their next event in April 2026:
‘An Evening in Conversation,’ with former 4477th TES Red Eagles pilot, Rob ‘Z-Man’ Zettel.
The event will be hosted in the atmospheric surroundings of the National Cold War Exhibition Hangar at RAF Museum Midlands, Cosford and promises to be another memorable evening building on the success of our previous talks.
Our guest speaker is a highly experienced former fast-jet pilot flying the F-4 Phantom II operationally, F-5E/F Tiger II as a graduate of the USAF aggressor program and latterly the F-15 Eagle with the 94th TFS.
After a poor air-to-air kill rate by American pilots during the Vietnam War, a thorough overhaul was put in place by the American military. The result of this was the creation of TOPGUN for US Navy fighter pilots and the Aggressor program for the USAF. The only thing missing were the Soviet threat aircraft themselves. The 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron was created in 1978 under the program name Constant Peg and over the course of ten years secretly operated MiG-17s, MiG-21s, and MiG-23s allowing frontline fighter pilots to train against the very aircraft they could expect to come up against.
"I'm really looking forward to joining everyone at RAFM Midlands and sharing my stories from the years "behind the Black Curtain" as a member of the 4477th TES and while flying our MiGs. What was arguably the best-kept secret of the Cold War, the audacious idea of having an entire squadron of MiG-21s and MiG-23s and pitting them against the USA's front-line fighter squadrons, was an assignment like no other. Beyond the stories, of which there are hundreds, I'm most excited about interacting with fellow aviation enthusiasts, as only an event like this can provide. I hope to see you there."
"I can't wait to introduce you all to Rob, his career is incredible! How often do you meet an American MiG pilot?!"
After taking in all the amazing stories from Rob, the audience will have the opportunity to purchase related merchandise.
All ticket prices will include food.
Our guests will have an opportunity to meet Rob, who will be available afterwards to answer any questions you may have and sign any merchandise.
If you’re interested in being an official sponsor for the event, please email [email protected]
Here’s a link to the RAF Musuem Midlands website with full details on how to find the museum:
www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford/plan-your-day/maps-and-directions
Photos: © personal collection of Rob Zettel.
