a story from one of Bros who cofounded the Topgun "a revolution from nothing but pride and devotion"
historical lessons from the American aviation post WWII
" mentoring and loyalty to each other.
. . inside the brotherhood of naval aviation"
presentation of intricacies of Dogfightingofficially known as air combat maneuvering ACM
learnings by losing
on need to test things before using them in the war/critical situation hightech weapon wizardry of thes
day trial period in which Topgun would operate semiindependently to evaluate whether the trial balloon rose or popped
popcorn fund to be used for the morale and welfare of the Dogs
heavycaliber leadership
Cons
sometimes too technical for nonfighter pilots or anybody outside of aviation
Quotes
"“Automobiles, aircraft, and airtoair missiles are built to fail.
Expect problems and anticipate them, ” I considered his fusion of traitsdetaildriven aggressionto be the best possible mindset for a Topgun instructor, " This is not a simple story yes, its an easy read, but Pederson does so much more than tell of the Topgun program he helped create that inspired the film weve all come to appreciate in our own ways.
Certainly, this is an adventure story following the thrill of a man who knows how to fly, but its also heartbreak: of a husband/father not around for his family of airtime warriors with their wings tied at times because of Washington policy my father is a Vietnam Vet and I will not share this book with himit would just upset him of death and politics and blame of history repeating itself at an unforeseen cost that will be paid in blood.
This is an American story for Pederson, whose happinesses and heartaches are dried in black and white on the pages, but in between one can freely sense other colors and the emotional heft they symbolize.
This is also an American story for a young boy he saved from the South China Sea among many, many others who one day became a man and tracked Pederson down to thank him to show him that an act of human kindness has legs so strong they time travel through the generations.
Interesting story of the famed school that spawned a revolution in air combat tactics, The author, a career Naval aviator and later Captain of the aircraft carrier USS Ranger, was one of the founders of the school that at the time of the Vietnam War was crucial in turning around the air combat that was heavily in favor of the North Vietnamese and their Soviet/ Chinese allies.
American pilots and their "standoff weapons" weren't getting the job done, Pedersen and his fellow instructors at "Fightertown USA" were tasked with bringing back the concept of "dogfighting" to counter the threat of the MiG, They accomplished this by giving the "man in the cockpit" the skills he needed to to kill his enemy and survive the rigors of aerial combat, It helped to have a platform like the F"Phantom" jet, But he does lament the reliance on airtoair missiles, which at first were not reliable, and not having an internal gun built into the aircraft, This was later rectified when the F"Tomcat" was introduced with an internal gun,rounds per minute built into the fuselage below the cockpit,
An interesting read and the author should be acknowledged for his forthright approach to what was wrong with our military policy in prosecuting the war in Vietnam and how it hindered the efforts of the "boots on the ground", or in this case "in the air.
" It is also vital, he points out, to give those at the point of the spear what they need in terms of material and support in order that they may carry out properly and quickly the policies of our government.
How is it that the Fis still not fully deployed after almostyears As a fan of aviation, I am drawn to these types of books, As like many people, I have watched the movie Top Gun more than a couple of times, Yet, when I picked up this book, I was not under the impression that this book would be heavy focused in details about the movie, So, if you are reading this book for that factor, you will be sadly disappointed, No, Mr. Pedersen shares his insight and knowledge of his time in the military as well as how Topgun was formed, Which by the way Mr, Pedersen shares that topgun is one word but the movie executives felt that topgun should be two words as it looked better,
As I stated previously that being a fan of aviation that I found this book to be interesting reading, Mr. Pedersen shares what military life for pilots was really like, not the "Hollywood" version as well as his views on politics but in a way that no one would be offended.
This book was quick reading for me, I would recommend checking out this book if you are a fan of aviation or military books, I received a free advance reviewing copy of this book,
The marketing for this book will lead you to believe that its all about “Topgun,” the Navys Fighter Weapons school made famous by theTop Gun film the authors role in its founding and its operation since that time.
Well, the marketing is a little misleading, And in case youre wondering about the title, Pedersen explains that the Navy calls the program Topgun, one word, while the moviemakers decided that two words looked better on publicity media.
Yes, the book starts out with Pedersens description of how poor tactics and training made US fighter pilots perform relatively poorly against the North Vietnamese and their Soviet supporters flying MiGs, and how Topgun was started on a shoestring to turn that around.
But once we get past that, its more about Pedersens career in the Navy and his deployments as a fighter pilot and on aircraft carriers,
The book should especially appeal to those interested in a lot of technical detail about aircraft design and mechanics, and fighter tactics, Beyond that, of special interest are Pedersens open critiques of what he views as the enemies of an effective air combat force,
Pedersen begins with ripping former Secretary of Defense Robert S, McNamara up one side and down the other for clueless micromanagement of the air war in Vietnam, and also for McNamaras using his political and corporate connections to make choices of building contractors, rather than making decisions on the basis of what would be best for the people actually using the military equipment.
Pedersen really slams the connections between military contractors, politicians and administration officials and top brass in the military who retire and take cushy jobs with the contractors, With this kind of setup, he argues, decisions about what to fund are corrupt and not in the best interests of the armed forces and US readiness, He gives a number of examples, but in particular he argues that stealth technology and too many electronic bells and whistles make the costs of todays aircraft way too high and that not enough attention is paid to simply making fighter aircraft that pilots will be able to deploy effectively.
There is a personal angle to the book, though, Pedersen discusses the hardships for families when a service member is deployed for long periods of time and in dangerousand deadlysituations, He is open about the effect of his service on his marriages and children, He has a deep love for his fellow pilots, sailors and other personnel, in the Navy, the Air Force, Marines and even other countries armed forces, Above all, he has a love of flight that
still lives despite his having been retired for many years, An enjoyable read. Lots of anecdotes keep the history being related from becoming dry,
As a British born South African I was pleased that sitelinkDick Lord was named when visiting Royal Navy pilots were mentioned, If you enjoy reading memoirs of military aviators then his book sitelinkFrom Tailhooker to Mudmover is well worth reading, Do you like aviation history Youll like this book, Do you like military history Youll like this book, Do you like memoirs Then youll like this book, If you dont like any of those things, than this will be a hard pass,
The biggest issue with this book is its marketing, as it seems marketed as a history book, not a memoir, Its certainly got a great bit of history, but its a memoir first and foremost,
This is a good book to read whilst having access to the internet, so you can look up the various planes, helicopters, ships, and locations mentioned,
I work in aerospace, and I come from a military family, I throughly enjoyed my time with this book, and Pedersons thoughts about the Navy, current planes, and the issues facing our military now, .