Author: Dave "Bio" Baranek

January 3, 2014

Topgun in the Mid-1980s: Building on the Legacy – Part Five

PART 5: Supplemental Notes Further Reading: Donald E. Auten’s Roger Ball! The Odyssey of John Monroe “Hawk” Smith, Navy Fighter Pilot, tells the story of an influential figure in Topgun and the Navy fighter community and provide additional information...

fighters / military / navy

December 20, 2013

Topgun in the Mid-1980s: Building on the Legacy – Part Four

(Sporty F-5E joins on his flight lead seconds after takeoff from NAS Miramar.) PART 4: The Only Constant Is Change All organizations either evolve or expire, and NFWS is no exception. In the years and decades after I left,...

fighters / military / navy

November 27, 2013

Topgun in the Mid-1980s: Building on the Legacy – Part Three

PART 3: Critical Decisions and Events of the Mid-1980s. I was an F-14 RIO who joined my first Fleet fighter squadron in 1981. In 1982 I attended the Topgun class as a student (by then it was five weeks), and in 1984 I was selected to return as an instructor. The following events and decisions occurred during my time as an instructor and contributed to Topgun’s evolution and continued validity.

fighters / military / navy

November 23, 2013

Topgun in the Mid-1980s: Building on the Legacy – Part Two

PART 2: Topgun’s Early Years: the Foundation (Navy Fighter Weapons School F-5E Tiger II gets close for a photo.) When considering why Topgun flourished, much credit must go to the enduring culture established by the earliest instructors and handed...

featured / fighters / military / navy

November 17, 2013

Topgun in the Mid-1980s: Building on the Legacy – Part One

(F-5F, F-5E, and A-4 provided a wide range of threats to challenge Navy fighter pilots and RIOs.) Have you ever wondered how the Navy’s Topgun program became a world-renowned center of excellence in the serious business of air combat?...