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Former US Navy fighter pilot explains why TOPGUN fines aviators $5 each time they quote the iconic 1986 film “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise

The US Navy's premiere fighter pilot training school, commonly known as TOPGUN, fines people for various infractions...

Newsroom January 4 02:19

If you feel “the need for speed” at the US Navy’s elite fighter pilot school, you’d best not say it out loud, or be prepared to pay the price.

At the Navy’s decades-old tactical air combat training center commonly known as TOPGUN, there are fines for various infractions. Any quote from the iconic 1986 film “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise as the hotshot naval aviator Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell will cost you $5, former fighter pilot and TOPGUN instructor Cmdr. Guy “Bus” Snodgrass reveals in his book, “TOPGUN’s Top 10: Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit.”

Snodgrass’ book shares lessons on successful leadership from his career as a naval aviator while offering unique insight into the TOPGUN experience, everything from dogfighting to daily life at this prestigious training center.

While assuming that the reason for the rule against “Top Gun” quotes is that TOPGUN instructors are tired of hearing “you can be my wingman any time” or “your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash” is reasonable, there is actually more to it than that, Snodgrass explained. It’s about preserving the seriousness and significance of the institution.

Snodgrass says in his new book that he fell in love with aviation at a young age. He had posters of planes on the walls of his room, and watching air shows as a kid with his Boy Scout troop in Texas fueled his interest in flying.

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“I watched with utter fascination as the US Air Force Thunderbirds and US Navy Blue Angels amazed crowds with their precise maneuvers and out‑of‑this-­world skill level,” he wrote. “The energy, excitement, and jet noise were all I needed — I was hooked.”

But, the movie “Top Gun” was also an inspiration. “I think that’s where my real true initial love for naval aviation started,” Snodgrass told Insider. “I loved the flying scenes. It was exciting. I felt myself going, ‘Man, if I could ever do that, it would be a dream come true.'”

Read more: yahoo

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