British author claims Royal Navy started USN's Top Gun

[Mike Weeks]

This should interest some; the latest from the publishing world ...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/5032158/American-Top-Gun-fighter-pilot-academy-set-up-by-British.html

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American Top Gun fighter pilot academy set up by British

The American Top Gun fighter pilot academy was inspired by the Royal
Navy elite flying instructors, a new book has revealed.

By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent

Last Updated: 11:18PM GMT 22 Mar 2009

Despite the all-American hero imagery of the film starring Tom Cruise,
the US Navy's expertise was in large part due to their instruction by
aviators from the Fleet Air Arm.

When British pilots arrived at Miramar airbase in California in the
early 1960s the Americans were losing a large number of dogfights in
their multi-million Phantom fighters to the enemy's relatively "cheap"
MiG 21s.

The tuition from the British pilots, all graduates of the intense Air
Warfare Instructors school in Lossiemouth, Scotland, led to the
Americans dominating the skies, the military historian Rowland White
has revealed in Phoenix Squadron.

It was then that the their Naval Warfare Academy became known as Top
Gun.
....
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MW

[Steven P. McNicoll[_2_]]

Ms?e Weeks wrote:
>
> When British pilots arrived at Miramar airbase in California in the
> early 1960s the Americans were losing a large number of dogfights in
> their multi-million Phantom fighters to the enemy's relatively "cheap"
> MiG 21s.
>

Phantom vs. MiG 21 dogfights in the early 1960s? Where?

[Mike[_14_]]

On Mar 25, 4:46�am, "Steven P. McNicoll" >
wrote:
> Ms?e Weeks wrote:
>
> > When British pilots arrived at Miramar airbase in California in the
> > early 1960s the Americans were losing a large number of dogfights in
> > their multi-million Phantom fighters to the enemy's relatively "cheap"
> > MiG 21s.
>
> Phantom vs. MiG 21 dogfights in the early 1960s? �Where?

That appears to be a question (among others) _not_ asked by an editor
prior to publication -- if the article is accurate in representing how
it's presented in the book.