I was lucky enough to receive an advance promotional copy of a new book: TOPGUN: An American Story, written by Dan Pedersen, founder of the famed US Navy Fighter Weapons School. It’s a good read. Written with the smooth wisdom of an eighty-three-year-old, who is proud of Navy aviation and his dog-fighting days, but isn’t just writing for wide-eyed and hair-on-fire teenagers dreaming of Mach 2.
Now, understand this is an autobiography of a full navy career, not really a standalone history of the Topgun (and word to the wise, that’s one word, not two like the movie) fighter weapons
There are a lot of books and seminars and other dubious whatnot by guys who went to Topgun and are now trying to cash in on the movie and the mystique; now peddling courses on how to sell cars or lose weight. And there are lots of pilot autobiographies that plod through I flew this, I did that, I flew there. This is different. Better. This is the original boss, bro number one, who hired the initial subject matter experts and pilots, liberated used chairs and desks for the classroom, designed the course and then flew hundreds of instructional flights. Lucky for us, he shares a few high-performance piloting truths:
“The way to true mastery of anything is to learn it to the point that you can teach it to someone else.”
Yep.
“You have to think a step or two ahead at all times, or the speed simply overwhelms your ability to respond. Get behind the aircraft, and the struggle to catch up will make you mistake-prone. The best pilots ride the wave and are always thinking a move or two ahead of the aircraft.”
Along the way, we learn a lot about US Navy politics, air combat, marriage challenges at home, some reality of wild skirt chasers, the making of the movie, and a Navy career life. It’s not a recruitment poster and it’s not a breathless exposé. It’s not high literature or academic research, and it’s not paperback pulp. It is the calm recollections and understandings of a full life well lived. Easy to read, flowing, insightful.
Getting back to flying. If we get good, how do we stay good or even maybe get
“It’s important to have a sincere interest in the history and lore of your calling. Good pilots strive constantly for self-improvement.”
and on another page,
“Flying is a perishable skill. It has to be
practiced constantly and maintained on aconsistant basis.”
Oh. So no secret pills? No magic patch on a leather jacket?
We knew that, but it’s good to be reminded of flying truths by someone who really knows what they are talking about. See you at the merge . . .
All quotes from Topgun: An American Story, by Dan Pedersen. Published 5 March 2019 by Hachette books.