Robin Olds first flew at the age of eight, in an open-cockpit biplane operated by his father.

In 1943, Lieutenant Olds completed fighter pilot training with the 329th Fighter Group, a training unit based at Glendale California. His initial twin-engine training at Williams Field in Arizona, in the AT-9, followed by transition fighter training to the Lockheed Forked Tail Devil P-38 Lightning.
In early 1944 he became part of the cadre assigned to build up the newly activated 434th FS, based at Lomita California. Olds logged 650 hours of flying time during training, and on May 3rd, 1944, Olds P-38 was loaded aboard the USS Argentina to set sail for Europe. The 479th arrived in Scotland on May 14, 1944.
On May 26, the 479th entered combat for the first time while flying bomber escort missions, and attacking transport targets in occupied France, in preparation for the invasion of Normandy.
Olds insisted that his aircraft be waxed to help reduce drag and increase its speed. Although slight, Olds demanded every bit of performance from his P-38. He nicknamed his waxed Lightning Scat II.
July 24th, 1944 Olds was promoted to Captain and became a flight and later squadron leader.
On August 14th following a low-level bridge-bombing mission in France, on August 14, Olds shot down his first German aircraft...a pair of FW-190s
On August 25th, 1944, during a mission to Wismar, Olds flight was in a position on the far left of the escorted group's line abreast formation, and encountered 40–50 BF-109s flying north at the same 28,000 ft altitude in a loose formation.
Olds turned his flight left and climbed high, and behind the German aircraft Undetected, Olds and his wingman jettisoned their tanks and commenced their attack.
Few American airmen have had the kind of dazzling talent and charisma possessed by Robin Olds. His persona loomed equally large whether from the cockpit, the lectern, or in face-to-face encounters. Olds was big, tough, smart, and swaggering, not to mention brave and highly skilled. Even Hollywood would have had a hard time portraying the genuine article on the big screen. He was a truly dynamic force, one who had a positive impact on the Air Force for more than 60 years. “His influence upon who we are as an Air Force today can hardly be overstated,” Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Chief of Staff, remarked on the death of the retired brigadier general last June. Olds was “a staunch advocate for better fighters, better pilot training,” and the innovative tactics that the Air Force still uses today, Moseley said. Olds’ effect on USAF varied both in content and in timing. His career can easily be divided into two eras. In general terms, the first era, which ran from West Point to his retirement, was a period in which his effect was chiefly localized. He was achieving notable combat successes, influencing his peers and subordinates, and often antagonizing his superiors. In the second, postretirement era his effect spread, and Olds became almost universally embraced, even by those who previously had taken exception to his views. Olds had great stories to tell, and he polished them over the years, weaving them into his presentations with the wit and the timing of a professional actor. He didn’t mind exaggerating the humorous aspects in some of his stories, but he never exaggerated what he accomplished.