Topgun

TOPGUN F-16A recovered after runway excursion at NAS Lemoore – The Aviation Geek Club

F-16A BuNo 90-0945 departed the runway at NAS Lemoore during a routine training mission last week. A US Navy F-16A departed the runway at NAS Lemoore during a routine training mission last week. As reported by Alert 5 the jet is F-16 BuNo 90-0945 and is assigned to NAS Fallon’s Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center …

TOPGUN F-16A recovered after runway excursion at NAS Lemoore – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

F-14 plane captain recalls when his Tomcat RTB from ACM training with 95% of its starboard stab missing. The pilot never knew it was missing and just used a little trim for the ACM mission. – The Aviation Geek Club

‘The pilot said he never knew it was missing and only used a little trim for the ACM,’ Ian Harrington, US Navy F-14 Tomcat plane captain. Air combat maneuvering (ACM) is the art of maneuvering a combat aircraft in order to attain a position from which an attack can be made on another aircraft. It …

F-14 plane captain recalls when his Tomcat RTB from ACM training with 95% of its starboard stab missing. The pilot never knew it was missing and just used a little trim for the ACM mission. – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

F-14 Tomcat pilot and TOPGUN instructor explains how he was able to nail a MiG-29 Fulcrum in a 1v1 Dogfight – The Aviation Geek Club

“I saw his two afterburners. He is probably doing 500 knots, straight downhill, with both afterburners. And I thought, ‘Gotcha!’ I came up over the top, repositioned my nose, and I’m looking at an arcing MiG-29,” Captain Sam “Slammer” Richardson, F-14 Tomcat Pilot. Designed in 1968 to take the place of the controversial F-111B, then …

F-14 Tomcat pilot and TOPGUN instructor explains how he was able to nail a MiG-29 Fulcrum in a 1v1 Dogfight – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

The story of Joe “Hoser” Satrapa, the F-14 Tomcat pilot who scored two simulated gun kills on two USAF F-15s for two times in the same mission – The Aviation Geek Club

To add a little more insult to his adversaries’ loss, Lt. Commander Satrapa impersonated a junior grade lieutenant during the mission debrief, which was done over telephone. Designed in 1968 to take the place of the controversial F-111B, then under development for the Navy’s carrier fighter inventory, the F-14A used the P&W TF30 engines and …

The story of Joe “Hoser” Satrapa, the F-14 Tomcat pilot who scored two simulated gun kills on two USAF F-15s for two times in the same mission – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

ANG F-15C pilot explains how he was able to score a gun kill against a TOPGUN student F/A-18F in a Mock Dogfight – The Aviation Geek Club

“From the control zone, I was able to get a gun shot on the F/A-18F before we had to terminate the fight for fuel.” US Air National Guard Capt. Dane Ruhnau, 194th FS F-15C pilot. Pilots from the 194th Fighter Squadron, 144th Fighter Wing, California Air National Guard, based at Fresno Air National Guard Base, …

ANG F-15C pilot explains how he was able to score a gun kill against a TOPGUN student F/A-18F in a Mock Dogfight – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

US Naval Aviator explains why even though the A-4 was agile enough to serve as adversary aircraft with the US Navy, the Skyhawk was not a great fighter – The Aviation Geek Club

‘Yes, the A-4 Skyhawk was agile. However, it takes more than agility to make a good fighter,’ John Chesire, former US Naval Aviator and TOPGUN graduate. Douglas built 2,960 A-4 Skyhawk aircraft between 1954 and 1979. Built small to be cost effective and so that more of them could be accommodated on a carrier, the …

US Naval Aviator explains why even though the A-4 was agile enough to serve as adversary aircraft with the US Navy, the Skyhawk was not a great fighter – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

Clarence Alfred Gilyard Jr., aka LT.(JG) Marcus “Sundown” Williams who briefly served as Maverick’s RIO in Top Gun, passed away – The Aviation Geek Club

Born on Dec. 24, 1955 Clarence Alfred Gilyard Jr. was best known among The Aviation Geeks, as Top Gun’s Radar Intercept Officer, LT.(JG) Marcus “Sundown” Williams. Clarence Alfred Gilyard Jr., a reliable character actor-turned-university professor with memorable roles in Die Hard, Matlock and Walker, Texas Ranger, has died. He was 66. According to Rolling Stone, …

Clarence Alfred Gilyard Jr., aka LT.(JG) Marcus “Sundown” Williams who briefly served as Maverick’s RIO in Top Gun, passed away – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

Former F-14 RIO tells the story of when he and his pilot outran a USAF F-15 aggressor during a TOPGUN mission with their “Bombcat” fully loaded – The Aviation Geek Club

“We loaded an F-14B Tomcat with 4 x MK-83 in the tunnel, 2 x drop tanks, 2 x AIM-7 Sparrow and 2 x AIM-9 Sidewinder. Our mission was to do self-escort into the target area after splitting off of our F-18 escorts.” Lt Cdr Phil Nelson, former F-14 Tomcat RIO. Designed in 1968 to take …

Former F-14 RIO tells the story of when he and his pilot outran a USAF F-15 aggressor during a TOPGUN mission with their “Bombcat” fully loaded – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

US Navy F-4 pilot recalls when he was paralyzed during a near supersonic steep dive because he pinched a nerve in his neck while twisting his head back under very high Gs during an ACM engagement against A-4s – The Aviation Geek Club

Cold War Era / Losses and Aviation Safety / Military Aviation Once a US Navy F-4 squadron CO decided to give wives a ride taxiing in the backseat of the Phantoms. The event shut down after an F-4 went high speed on the runway, another blew tires and another got airborne. Source link

From the F-14 retirement to dogfighting against the F/A-18: former Tomcat RIO answers your questions – The Aviation Geek Club

‘The Hornet and Super Hornet would be challenging opponents in an engagement. As a baseline initial move, the F-14 Tomcat can make a hard turn toward the opponent to force the fight one-circle, and ensure it flies nose-low to sustain energy,’ Dave “Bio” Baranek, former F-14 Tomcat RIO. Dave “Bio” Baranek was born and raised …

From the F-14 retirement to dogfighting against the F/A-18: former Tomcat RIO answers your questions – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

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