Topgun: An American Story

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An interesting read and the author should be acknowledged for his forthright approach to what was wrong with our military policy in prosecuting the war in Vietnam and how it hindered the efforts of the "boots on the ground", or in this case "in the air.

Once Pedersen’s heat-seeking narrative gets missile-lock on you, you won’t be able to leave until the last page brings you in for a landing.The book should especially appeal to those interested in a lot of technical detail about aircraft design and mechanics, and fighter tactics. When she hears about his run-in with the MiGs, Charlotte is intrigued by Maverick and wants to know more. Now, one of its most cherished founding fathers, Dan Pedersen pulls back the curtain of media hype and mystique in an insightful and in-depth memoir about Naval warfare, Air Combat Maneuvering, the brotherhood forged between pilots and the deep personal sacrifices that military service demands of those serving in the cockpit and on the home front. For instance, speaking of the present inability of the Navy, defense contractors, and Congress to fix out-of-control and misdirected expenses, he notes that "each of these has powerful incentives to avoid doing the right thing.

and was inspired by an article titled "Top Guns", written by Ehud Yonay and published in California magazine three years earlier.

Through talks with the pilots, Yonay is able to put a together a detailed story of their day-to-day life at the school, the challenges they faced flying the jets, and how their instructors " hammered them into a team".