Topgun: An American Story

Reviews

Ralph H.

The need to develop new tactics was a constant topic of discussion. Having impeccable skills and credentials, with the humility to be able to work one-on-one with others and make them better, that’s really the game-changer (hint: apply this formula in any work environment and reap the benefits).

Dave English

That program resulted in a huge increase in our air combat success in Vietnam and is the standard for fighter tactics today. 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. But Dan ‘Yankee’ Pedersen started the school and has valuable insights into fighter tactics, aircraft performance, Yankee Station, Vietnam flying, combat losses, graduate pilot training, MiGs, the F-4 and F-14, the rise and fall of Topgun, and the future of warfare. and many died doing it.

FL420

I’ve heard a lot of these stories from the inside, but I really cherish reading it from the man himself, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this when it was released. All us former « Bro’s » recognize this, and to most of us who have seen it from the inside, we recognize Dan Pedersen is the one who inculcated that culture on day 1.

D C De Cou

From my view from the cheap seats, it is dead-on accurate. When he speaks about standing up Topgun, he humbly and deferentially points out people from the staff that he hand-selected, and what they did, and their ingenuity in devising new solutions to Navy Tacair problems. A half century later, it took me back to those times and reminded me that we do eventually adapt when faced with the old cliche, "The more you do of what you're doing, the more you get of what you've got.

Lanny

" Many thanks to Pedersen for his service and his book. As a student, you’re blown away by the first Topgun brief, it’s the most professional presentation you’ve ever seen - and then your next 35 lectures are all of the same caliber. 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 school. Better.

After my second combat cruise I came back as an instructor in VF-121 as a tactics instructor and adversary pilot in the A-4 Mongoose. That’s a testimony to the institution, which takes a fine product as an input, and hones it to perfection.

The men in this book were and are the finest this nation had to offer. 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.