Dan Pedersen

You gotta love it when the whole Animal House Delta Tau Chi vs “The Establishment” thing works out in real life again! Give a lowly Lt. Commander 6 months and spare change to fix the whole air warfare mess over North Vietnam and what do you get? Topgun and a 22:1 U.S. Navy kill ratio. A great saga by Dan Pederson of his Naval Aviation career. My favorite part was the “Fight Club” in Whiskey 291 off San Clemente Island. Compare this story to [book:Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War|38840]. Definitely a “Golden Era of Jet Aviation.”… (altro)

Yes, this is the precursor to the Tom Cruise movie. It tells the story of 9 Navy fighter pilots who recognized a need (better tactics), developed a plan, and then managed to get it approved and operational. One does not need to understand aeronautics to grasp the basic premise that we did not have an edge in the early days of the Viet Nam war. Whether one agrees with that war or not, it should be agreed by all that if we are going to send young folks out to fight and die, we owe them our best. We weren't doing that with the Rules of Engagement in effect under President Johnson. The author and his 8 "Bros" felt they had a capable airplane but that we weren't fighting it correctly. They produced incredible results.

In the last chapter, the author engages in an ongoing debate: should we adopt an airplane with all the bells and whistles we can possibly hang on it or should we adopt a plane designed to do the job intended? It may sound like a dumb question but it is right on point when one considers the many defense manufacturers who want a piece of the pie.… (altro)

As a fan of aviation, I am drawn to these types of books. As like many people, I have watched the movie Top Gun more than a couple of times. Yet, when I picked up this book, I was not under the impression that this book would be heavy focused in details about the movie. So, if you are reading this book for that factor, you will be sadly disappointed. No, Mr. Pedersen shares his insight and knowledge of his time in the military as well as how Topgun was formed. Which by the way Mr. Pedersen shares that topgun is one word but the movie executives felt that topgun should be two words as it looked better.

As I stated previously that being a fan of aviation that I found this book to be interesting reading. Mr. Pedersen shares what military life for pilots was really like, not the "Hollywood" version as well as his views on politics but in a way that no one would be offended. This book was quick reading for me. I would recommend checking out this book if you are a fan of aviation or military books.… (altro)