In 1996, the school moved from Miramar-nicknamed “Fightertown USA”- to Naval Air Station Fallon, located in the Nevada desert seventy miles east of Reno. Tens of millions around the world who saw the movie were now TOPGUN fans. Top Gun proved to be 1986’s top-grossing film, packing theaters for a full six months and making it easier for the military to attract new recruits for years. (He also stars in the 2022 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, which is currently back in theaters.) Critics weren’t sure what to make of the first movie, but the public loved it from the start- and still does. The school went relatively unnoticed by the American public until 1986, when Tom Cruise starred in the original Top Gun movie. The remainder of the 1970s validated the school’s impact, and students and instructors began to train against more capable adversary aircraft, including enemy MiGs brought to America from overseas. The school grew in stature with each passing decade. forces from Vietnam in 1973- that was only the beginning. But aviators from the Navy’s Seventh Fleet recorded a thirteen‑to‑one kill ratio, shooting down twenty-six planes and losing only two.īut the TOPGUN story didn’t end with the pullout of U.S. Air Force compiled a meager 1.78-to‑1 kill ratio. Aiming to disrupt Hanoi’s supply lines, the United States responded with Operation Linebacker. Then, in April 1972, North Vietnamese tanks and artillery boldly smashed across the demilitarized zone into South Vietnam. Navy F‑4 fighter jet, pumped a missile into a North Vietnamese MiG-21’s tailpipe. (junior grade) Stephen Barkley, flying a U.S. It didn’t take long to achieve results.Ī TOPGUN-trained aircrew notched its first kill a little over a year later when, on March 28, 1970, Lt. Short on funds and equipment, they had no other choice, but that first cadre made it work. Originally operating out of a ramshackle trailer, instructors begged, borrowed, and stole what they needed to get the school up and running. You may know the school by a shorter name, correctly written in capitals and all one word: “TOPGUN.” Navy Fighter Weapons School opened its doors. Usually, governments and big institutions move like glaciers, but just two months later, on March 3, 1969, the U.S.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |