united states navy fighter weapons school

When considering why TOPGUN flourished, much credit belongs to the enduring, rigorous culture established by the earliest instructors and handed down to their successors. The following items, on the other hand, were matters of choice that became part of the standards that defined TOPGUN. Commander Baranek retired in 1999. Committed instructors strove to master flying and teaching responsibilities. TOPGUN increased its presentation of the MiG-23, simulated by F-5s and A-4s, while reducing simulation of older threats such as the MiG-17. But to this day, I still shudder at how close I came to firing on my friend. [Related]. All organizations either evolve or expire, and TOPGUN is no exception. In preparing this article, I consulted former TOPGUN instructors Captain John Monroe Smith, U.S. Navy (Ret. Floggers, along with other aircraft and missiles, posed a new threat that necessitated new tactics. Miramar is with over 24.000 acres (97 km²) one of the largest military airbases in the world (with an excess of ca. The significance of this designation can be gleaned from these quotes from the program of a 1986 change of command ceremony: NFWS became the “primary authority for tactical development and training (for) fighter employment in the power projection role,” and was expected to “provide directly to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) advice and recommendations on planning, programming, and budgeting requirements and priorities.” Some of the practical results of this designation included greater involvement in writing aircraft tactical manuals (in collaboration with the VX-4 and VX-5 operational test and evaluation squadrons) and working with tactics analysis teams that examined and reported on threat fighter operations around the world. The United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as Top Gun, is the ultimate Fighter School of the United States Navy and had its home at the former Naval Air Station Miramar in Miramar, California until 1996. The whole colorful story has been told in several books, including Scream of Eagles, by Robert Wilcox, and this year’s TOPGUN: An American Story, by Pedersen himself. Although the first ever Top Gun class convened in 1969, it would not be until the summer of 1972 for TOPGUN to finally and formally be commissioned as an entirely separate command. It was commissioned as a stand-alone squadron in July 1972 as the “Navy Fighter Weapons School” (NFWS). deployment training for entire carrier air wings during their Fallon detachments. The team examined “the complete spectrum of influences on weapon system . To prepare, instructors focused on the most detailed intelligence available and sometimes attended specialized training. Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. In July of 1972 the NFWS TOPGUN Detachment was finally commissioned as its own separate command with former OinC CDR Box thus becoming TOPGUN'S first commanding officer. My section was given a "cleared to fire" by our "Red Crown" controllers on two MiG-19s we had been chasing. It was already making its mark as a detachment separate from VF-121 in early 1972, finally having its own fleet of dissimilar aircraft and with then CDR Roger Box as its Officer in Charge (OinC). Thoroughly tired and drained after the debriefs, more classroom work or study followed. As a result, in the early 1980s, Navy and Marine Corps fighters enjoyed a significant advantage over many threat aircraft, which did not have the ability to effectively launch a missile while approaching a target in the forward quarter. Briefly, here are a few of the more significant events that have shaped TOPGUN since the mid-1980s. 151–154: summary of 527 launches of AIM-7 and AIM-9 missiles, resulting in 56 kills. TOPGUN was the lead for adversary standardization, helping to ensure uniform high quality throughout the fleet. With that confirmation, I was eagerly set to fire an AIM-7 "Sparrow" missile head-on at the rapidly approaching, targeted Bandit. Each instructor had to become an expert on at least one assigned subject, such as the intricacies of radar-guided missiles or one-versus-one maneuvering. The pictures for this report were done during visits to NAS Miramar between 1990 and 1993. Rules of engagement that required visual identification before taking a shot made things worse all around. Even though I lived with three other fighter pilots in a surprising, cheaply rented "snake ranch" Photorecon.net makes no representations or warranties in relation to this website or the information and materials provided on this website. While the poor success rate of the AIM-7 Sparrow missile during the early years of the Vietnam War prompted, in large part, the Ault Report and TOPGUN, much had been done to improve the missile and aircrew employment practices. These and dozens of other guidelines were explicitly stated and were checked in “murder boards” (the aptly-named lecture approval process), along with technical knowledge. By Commander David “Bio” Baranek, U.S. Navy (Retired), TOPGUN: The Navy’s First Center of Excellence, About U.S. Lack of personnel was a significant problem, for example, that wasn’t truly rectified until the squadron performed a Navy manpower study and went from a complement of 70 enlisted personnel to 130 and also doubled the number of officers. Tags: A-4 SkyhawkAZBoeingCaliforniacarrier aircraftEA-18GF-14 TomcatF-16AF-18AF-18EF-4F-4 Phantom IIF-4E TigerF-5EF-5NF/A-18F/A-18 HornetFallon Nv.fighterFighter Schoolfirst commanderFloridaIranMiramarNAS Fallon Nv.Naval Air StationNaval Fighter Weapons SchoolNaval Strike and Air Warfare CenterNavyNevadaSoviet UnionSwiss Air ForceTom CruiseTop GuntownUnited States Marines Corpsunited states navyUnited States Navy Fighter Weapons SchoolVietnamVirginia. The instructors prepared lesson plans, practiced their lectures, and opened the door for the first class in March 1969—quite an accomplishment, considering the Ault Report was published 1 January 1969. The courses were manned mostly by pilots of the “front-line-squadrons”, who should give their knowledge of the course afterwards to their squadrons. As a result, I got orders to NFWS, Top Gun/TOPGUN. 156–159). United States Air Force Fighter Weapons School now the United States Air Force Warfare Center Disambiguation page providing links to topics that could be referred to by the same search term This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Fighter Weapons School . Clearly, something had to be done. Naval Institute Essay Contests, Commander David “Bio” Baranek, U.S. Navy (Retired). "On March 3, 1969 the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Peter is a photographer covering events in the United States and in Europe. Any fighter crew would improve after weeks of intense flying and training, but the point of TOPGUN was to develop aviators who could return to their squadrons and pass along their knowledge to others. Powered by, United States Navy Fighter Weapons School. They made the right decision. By the mid-1980s it seemed that senior elements in the Navy were also taking advantage of this valuable resource, because TOPGUN was designated an “echelon two” command. Years before the term “center of excellence” became common, a group of Navy fighter pilots and radar intercept officers (RIOs) established just such a place. Top Gun was founded on 03rd March 1969 to train pilots air tactics to encounter the bad results of the fighter pilots in the Vietnam war. TA-4Js as their adversary aircraft. These aspects of TOPGUN helped it survive as an organization while the Navy changed. Photorecon.net will not be liable to you (whether under the law of contact, the law of torts or otherwise) in relation to the contents of, or use of, or otherwise in connection with, this website: Because of spam issues we have moved our email to the 'contact' page. Navy and Marine Corps F-4 and F-8 squadrons scrambled to send their best pilots (and RIOs, for the F-4) to TOPGUN for four weeks while also training for deployment to Vietnam. New instructors willingly accept this burden and strive to live up to the standards. Moreover their dedication and shared expertise saved pilots' lives in the Air War over North Vietnam. NBAA BACE 2018, Business Aviation Shines in Florida. One benefit of the move (geographic and organizational) has been greatly improved pre- The course lasted in the beginning four weeks, later it was extended to five weeks. Now the impressive initial Togpgun cadre I had known and had flown with as a student two years earlier while in VF-121 in 1970 had all moved on, mostly to the fleet. In addition to the actual maneuvers, instructors debriefed the physics, tactics, and other factors that affected engagements, emphasizing learning points rather than keeping score. performance.” They had the right mind-set, as evidenced by this statement in the report: “The need for new approaches and innovations appeared self-evident.”2. . They’re flying with VMFAT-401 at MCAS Yuma, Az., with the VFC-13 at NAS Fallon, Nv. Nevertheless they astonishingly changed Naval Air against great odds and in short order for our country's benefit. Some even had recent experience in the then highly classified Have Doughnut and Have Drill projects, and some would later down MiGs over North Vietnam. The developments that follow occurred during my two-and-a-half-year tour as an instructor, and in my opinion contributed to TOPGUN’s continued validity through evolution. that were built in the 1960s and 1970s. All Navy fighter squadrons have been strike-fighters since the mid-1990s, when F-14s added the air-to-ground mission. Then one day, after a brief close air support mission in South Vietnam and thus having extra fuel to spare, my flight lead and I engaged in some ACM (air combat maneuvering) training before our scheduled recovery to the ship. In World War II, which ended just 20 years before the air war in Vietnam started, the U.S. Navy’s kill ratio was 14:1. Additionally, the History Channel has an excellent recent video re-creation [ start at the 10:00 minute mark ] of Bart's and other fellow Midway pilots' dogfights over North Vietnam during our 1972 cruise. Many more events contributed to the school’s continuing effectiveness, yet no specific event can compare to the commitment each individual instructor makes to the highest level of professionalism. The Navy effectively addressed this by procuring F-16s, which were excellent opponents, followed by F/A-18s and even F-14s with which to challenge students. During those first years, the probability that a U.S. air-to-air missile would destroy its target was roughly 10 percent.1 A great deal of this could be attributed to poor missile reliability, but many missiles were launched out of their effectiveness envelope, which indicated a training problem. In 1982, I attended the 5-week-long TOPGUN course as a student, and in 1984 I was selected to return as an instructor. The Naval Fighter Weapons School (NFWS) had some own aircraft on strength, additionally some Tomcats of the training squadron VF-124 “Gunfighters” were used. Ault’s team spent three months gathering information, then published a comprehensive and hard-hitting report offering 104 recommendations. Fighter pilots and RIOs are naturally competitive, so when a young crew in an F-4 Phantom was “shot” by an instructor in a TA-4 Skyhawk, the event would have to be debriefed accurately and thoughtfully to prevent alienating the students. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world." In the 1980s, TOPGUN’s A-4s and F-5s were very good simulators of threat aircraft . Of our early Top Gun Class Picture below, only two of the four fighter crews pictured would later fly in SEA (South East Asia). In the 70s and 80s, the F-4 in the Navy was replaced by the F-14 Tomcat and the F/A-18 Hornet, so the “enemies” at Top Gun had also to replace their aircraft with more modern aircraft. Nor was there any time for the inviting social life that my roommates were enjoying. Then the next morning, the same routine commenced once again. Ironically, only a few months after the below photograph was taken, I nearly shot down Bart over North Vietnam, in a potential friendly fire incident. Then at least one, if not two flights followed, flying against the best fighter pilots in the world at that time. Author’s note: Much of the material for this article came from my personal experience and notes from my time as a TOPGUN instructor (1984–87). and the VFC-111 at NAS Key West, Fla.. From 1987 to 1994 some F-16N/TF-16s were used, theses based on the F-16C Block 30 but had a less sophisticated radar and no internal gun. The Ault Report noted that the concept of a weapons school was already under consideration at NAS Miramar, the San Diego airfield that was home to Pacific Fleet fighter squadrons and proudly nicknamed Fightertown, USA. In reestablishing a dedicated fighter weapons school, the Navy started modestly by assigning the task to officers at Fighter Squadron-121 (VF-121), the F-4 fleet replacement air group (RAG) training squadron for the U.S. Pacific Fleet. This website is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied. All Rights Reserved. 1996, Top Gun was integrated in to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) and moved to Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada. 200.000 flights per year). This level of commitment was not dictated by the Ault Report but is found within each instructor and is demanded and facilitated by his and her squadron mates. These aircraft were nowadays replaced by the F-5N. I joined my first fleet fighter squadron as an F-14 RIO in 1981. To support training requirements for both missions, TOPGUN added air-to-ground to the syllabus. In the 1990s Top Gun added ground attack to its syllabus to cope with the multi-mission-role that the carrier aircraft have nowadays. 3. When it did, the kill ratio for Navy fighters increased to as much as 13:1, and TOPGUN graduates scored the majority of the Navy’s MiG kills.3 The school was here to stay. The new school faced many hurdles. While addressing technical and reliability flaws in the equipment, Navy decision-makers also considered the need to improve training. Many sources report a 13:1 kill ratio for the Navy during the second phase of the air war in Vietnam based on 26 kills and 2 losses to MiGs. *, The timing was perfect. These existential threats were faced down. One reason for the move was the closeness of various ranges near Fallon, Nv., another reason was that NAS Miramar was shifted to the United States Marines Corps, which moved with the MAW-3 from MCAS El Toro to MCAS Miramar. Any argument over this question would have been futile. A moment later Bart in his smoking F-4 - my previously "cleared-to fire-upon, 'enemy' target" - blasted by my port side at 600kts! and here. ), Lieutenant Colonel Mike Straight, U.S. Air Force (Ret. La United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, comunemente chiamata Top Gun, è la scuola di combattimento per piloti della Marina Militare Statunitense. Ault was a World War II veteran pilot who, in 1966–1967, commanded the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) during Vietnam combat operations. Along with these changes, in the 1990s instructors started flying as part of student formations during the class, known as “Blue Air.” During the early years, TOPGUN instructors had taught students about the weapons and tactics of American and threat forces, but only flew as Red Air—opposing the students during the class. He possessed both the talent to lead a comprehensive investigation and the backbone to publish its findings without pulling punches. Eventually they moved to much needed full offices and classroom spaces in a large, separate aircraft hangar. In the Korean War, American jets had a 12:1 kill ratio. Several years after TOPGUN started, the Navy established adversary squadrons at bases around the country to provide valuable training to all tactical air squadrons. Marshall L. Michel, Clashes: Air Combat over North Vietnam, 1965–1972 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997), pp. The Ault Report opened with a similar conclusion; page 1, paragraph one. Credit goes to Navy leaders for ordering an in-depth study of air-to-air missiles, aircraft, and radars, as well as the training and tactics of aircrews. TOPGUN always took its mission seriously. The Hornet and Super Hornet always have been strike fighters. Any errors or omissions are solely my responsibility. Two-plane operations (a “section” of fighters) had been the norm for the Navy for decades, but against the challenge of a forward-quarter threat and the prospect of large formations of enemy fighters observed in Soviet exercises, TOPGUN realized that four aircraft provided a substantial increase in tactical flexibility and firepower, and began to increase division flights in the syllabus. Copyright © 2006 - 2019 Flitetime, all rights reserved. In a grainy old photograph, you can read the sign above that trailer: “TOPGUN.”. In 1996, when NAS Miramar became a Marine Corps air station as a result of Base Realignment and Closure, TOPGUN moved to NAS Fallon, Nevada. It more than accomplished its immediate objectives—increasing U.S. Navy effectiveness in combat—and became a model for future organizations. The Swiss Air Force sold the US Navy 44 of its redundant F-5E, which were modified by Boeing to the F-5N. Photorecon.net © 2020. Although the topic was dogfighting and missiles—topics exciting enough for comic books and Hollywood movies—instructors had to meet the highest standards for lecture delivery: two-hour lectures with no notes; neat handwriting and diagrams on the board; and a pointer (pre-laser-pointer) held with both hands for accuracy and control. . Michel also reports that air-to-air gun kills and the Air Force-only AIM-4 missile were in the same effectiveness range (pp. It was one of my best performances. The class was lengthened to nine weeks to accommodate the additional training. Through murder boards and discussions with other instructors, I learned the squadron’s history and foundational elements. While these changes caused turbulence within an organization that had been independent and aggressive, the dedicated instructors remained true to their mission and heritage, and TOPGUN survived. The United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as Top Gun, is the ultimate Fighter School of the United States Navy and had its home at the former Naval Air Station Miramar in Miramar, California until 1996. They faced due to its extensive use structural problems and had to be withdrawn from use after their use with NSWS and VF-126 at Miramar. After our flight, he told the CO that I was the best and most aggressive young fighter pilot he had ever flown against. Led by Lieutenant Commander Dan Pedersen, they gathered intelligence on enemy aircraft, studied engineering information, and flew dogfights on training ranges, challenging any American fighters who would play and even some actual MiGs operated by the United States in a then-super-secret program in Nevada, called “Constant Peg,” which has since been declassified. 200.000 flights per year). His third book, Tomcat RIO, will be published in 2020. El combate aéreo cerrado o Dog Fight se había dejado de lado desde hacía años, centrándose las tácticas aéreas más en sacar el máximo partido de los radares y misiles con que iban equipados los cazas más modernos. During my first cruise with VF-151, embarked aboard the USS Midway and flying combat missions in Southeast Asia, another extraordinary and talented pilot had been tentatively identified to represent our fighter squadron at Top Gun, Don Symington. While it is true that Mugs was the first ever to receive orders to command this newly established squadron, (shortly after he downed two MiGs in Southeast Asia), he relieved the then already acting Topgun NFWS Commanding Officer, CDR Roger Box.]. Established during the Vietnam bombing halt that began in March 1968, TOPGUN operated for three years before the air war resumed in full. . While the mid-1980s saw significant developments that maintained TOPGUN’s relevance, important changes lay ahead. (We learned later that the two MiGs had slipped away undetected, out low to the south, leaving Bart and I unknowingly flying fast toward each other with our missiles armed and ready, and with us given a clearance to fire on our locked-up target!). In reestablishing a dedicated fighter weapons school, the Navy started modestly by assigning the task to officers at Fighter Squadron-121 (VF-121), the F-4 fleet replacement air group (RAG) training squadron for the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The need for a program to hone Navy fighter tactics became clear in the early years of the Vietnam War. It began with a bunch of the Navy's best, brightest, and most hard-charging Fighter Pilots & RIOs - albeit mostly very junior officers - convening and trying to work in a cramped and sweaty trailer behind VF-121's large and spacious hangar. The Navy and Marine Corps use the term “division” to identify a flight of four aircraft. The official title of the study was Report of the Air-to-Air Missile System Capability Review, but it has become known as the “Ault Report” after the leader of the study’s team, Captain Frank Ault, U.S. Navy. . While they continued to do so, they added the Blue Air role, which allowed instructors to get an even better sense of student performance and more insight into problems that needed to be addressed. The first commander of Top Gun was Ron “Mug” McKeown. Initially they had more fresh ideas than equipment or support, and they had no adversary aircraft. The F-14A was also used as aggressor due to its similarity to the Su-27 Flanker and the use of it by the Iran. I wasn’t there for it, but I am sure there were vigorous arguments on both sides of the question of whether to add air-to-ground to a syllabus that had previously been strictly air-to-air. He likes to cover Nellis AFB, NAS Fallon and RAF Lakenheath. Much of this culture was essential to a school for fighter aviation, such as obtaining accurate intelligence and developing effective tactics. But I didn't mind. At some point some T-38 Talon were borrowed from the USAF, later some F-5E/F were taken over from the USAF. This also emphasized TOPGUN’s philosophy that aircrew skill and training can overcome deficiencies in aircraft and weapons. NFWS Top Gun grew rapidly from an embryonic idea following the historic and seminal, Ault Report. Several senior officers had other ideas as to how the Navy should improve its training, or simply did not want to see the program succeed. U.S. Navy aircrews were flying the most modern fighters in the world—the F-4 Phantom II and F-8 Crusader—against a relatively primitive foe in the North Vietnamese air force, yet the Navy’s kill ratio was only 2.5:1. And of those remaining four individual Pilots and RO's, only two - Bart (standing, left center behind me kneeling, and Jim, with glasses next to Bart) would ever down enemy MiGs** (separately, and documented here, here, In my entire aviation career, there was never a more intense and challenging, yet thoroughly enjoyable period than the five weeks I was fortunate to spend at the elite, Navy Fighter Weapons School (NFWS) - more commonly known as TOPGUN. La United States Navy Fighter Weapons School comenzó a funcionar el 3 de marzo de 1969. TOPGUN instructors have assigned to themselves a significant burden: excellence on the ground and in the air. Every day started very early with classroom study of a variety of lessons. The Navy had operated a fighter tactics and weapons training unit before—the Fleet Air Gunnery Unit—but disbanded it in 1960 with the increased emphasis on missiles and related technology. The crews of the F-4 Phantom II fought at Top Gun against the A-4 Skyhawk (simulating subsonic aircraft) and the F-4E Tiger II, which was simulating supersonic aircraft. They were simply inadequate, however, to simulate emerging 4th generation threats. Kill ratio is a common yardstick of fighter performance; it indicates the number of enemy aircraft destroyed for each U.S. fighter lost. mansion He held great sway as to who would attend Top Gun. Created long before the term “center of excellence” entered the Nevertheless within those intervening short three years, initially as a department of, and then later as a detachment of the Pacific Fleet Replacement Air Group (RAG) squadron, VF-121, the school almost immediately became the most major development within Naval Aviation in decades! I knew MiG's did not smoke; I knew that F-4's did smoke, so I therefore thankfully held my fire. These standards resulted in disciplined, professional lectures that helped establish TOPGUN’s reputation. Now the NFWS was in full swing with another complement of the Navy's best fighter pilots instructing. Soledad in La Jolla, I had no time to enjoy it. This was a result of the great changes they were obviously making in not only F-4, but also all US Air-To-Air Tactics against Soviet built aircraft. So, in 1986, TOPGUN added a nighttime syllabus training mission. [Edit: It is often reported that the late Navy Captain, Ronald "Mugs" McKeown was the first Topgun commander. and lecture discipline, instructors were required to have a high level of stick-and-throttle skill so they could challenge students who were flying aircraft that were in many ways superior. Around the same time the active F-14 Tomcats of the Pacific fleet were removed to NAS Oceana, Va.. Top Gun got famous for the same-titled movie with Tom Cruise. "They succeeded." It can be seen in their lecture presentations, flight briefings, mission conduct, and debriefs. . Although still new, the school was rapidly making a real and vitally needed impact upon our Navy fighter community with regard to our tactics, training, and combat results; I had just finished my first combat cruise, and was about to embark on my second; and the air war over North Vietnam had just reignited in earnest with North Vietnam's Easter Offensive and the North bombing halt rescinded by President Nixon after a long pause. There, they’re flying the F-18A+-D, F-18E/F, EA-18G, F-16A/B, E-2C and HH-60S. The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (SFTI program), more popularly known as TOPGUN, teaches fighter and strike tactics and techniques to selected naval aviators and naval flight officers, who return to their operating units as surrogate instructors. But it did not take long for them to expand due to their immediate impact. While on a separate radio frequency and without our knowledge of his position, Bart also had been vectored onto the same MiG's that were initially between us - the ones we were given clearance to fire upon. Buy it here : https://utrustshop.com/ltn/top-gun-united-states-navy-fighter-weapons-school-ugly-christmas-sweater/ Thanks! For the first time, the so called dissimilar air combat training (DACT) was introduced, in which the American pilots didn’t fight against the similar plane they were flying themselves but against different, often smaller aircraft like they were used by the Soviet Union. A sense of the range of matters evaluated can be found in this sample: Realign the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) organization, at the very top of the Navy hierarchy, to clarify responsibility for matters related to air-to-air missiles; conduct a quality control study of AIM-7 Sparrow missile manufacturing; and develop new missile test equipment for use on aircraft carriers to ensure system readiness. But it was almost not to be. Miramar is with over 24.000 acres (97 km²) one of the largest military airbases in the world (with an excess of ca. The offensive and defensive considerations of forward-quarter missiles resulted in significantly more complex tactics. It started on a shoestring and continued to run that way for several years. . Their assistance is greatly appreciated. It was a carefully controlled event with limited objectives, but it was a first step toward the nocturnal air-to-air combat training that has become common. The MiG-23 Flogger and its AA-7 Apex missile, however, were becoming more numerous in Soviet and other air forces. with a beautiful ocean view atop Mt. They were a small group of junior officers led by a young natural leader and extraordinary fighter pilot, and later Captain, Dan Pedersen. Those original Top Gun instructors all worked extraordinarily difficult and long hours with minimal support or recognition. Today, however, some aircraft flown by potential enemies are equal to the very best American fighters, and TOPGUN is struggling to replicate that capability. Matching the technical knowledge from Soviet history to public speaking, in addition to cutting edge, "loose deuce" fighter tactics. This greatly reduced the “ego factor.” The instrumented ranges developed as recommended in the Ault report aided detailed debriefing. But the name TOPGUN stuck. 1. Two years prior in 1970 as a VF-121 RAG student, I had the great privilege of flying a few hops with some of the initial cadre of Top Gun instructors; men who to me (and most others) were larger than life, and some of the best Fighter Pilots/ROs I have ever known.... Names like Pedersen, Rullifson, Laing, Gary, Smith, Mckeown, Pettigrew and several others (all described in Wilcox's excellent book about Top Gun's genesis, Scream of Eagles). Storia. With virtually no funding, nine pilot and RIO instructors commandeered a trailer to use as office and classroom, and went to work building the new school while still fulfilling their duties as RAG instructors. My lead was a very talented and widely respected ACM pilot. This list of significant events in TOPGUN’s 50 years is based on my own experience and is weighted toward the timeframe I was there.