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Top Gun, combined with an improbable series of events, is the reason my older brother was never a fighter pilot. After some time in the Marines followed by a n

Top Gun, combined with an improbable series of events, is the reason my older brother was never a fighter pilot. After some time in the Marines followed by a number of years of commercial aviation, my brother decided to become a fighter pilot. As he had never gone to college, he went to a state school to meet the minimum requirements for acceptance -- which at the time was an Associate degree with a certain minimum grade point average. As he was doing this later in life, he had just enough time to finish his degree and submit his paperwork for the program before a birthday would disqualify him. That May, Top Gun came out. The effect on interest in the program was so strong that they raised the grade point requirement to get in. My brother wasn't always the best student but he had worked very hard on his degree and had the required grade point with room to spare. Now here's where it gets stupid -- after finals at the end of the year he found out that one professor had given him a failing grade, which under the new grade point requirements would disqualify him. A phone call revealed that there was a mix up with a student with a similar name -- but at that point the professor was traveling abroad and wouldn't be able to fix the issue until after the holidays, and, unfortunately, after my brother's birthday. My father, who had been a naval aviator himself, took my brother to D.C. to visit some old friends to try to rectify the situation. He was told that enrollment had spiked to the point where even they couldn't help.

sandworm101 11y ago
Being a fighter pilot in the US is strange. In most countries it is seen as a long-term commitment, a career. But since TopGun, US fighter jocks just don't stay that long. Five years or so, then retirement into civilian life. Being a fighter pilot seems more of a career stepping stone. (Same goes for seals.) I keep running into ex pilots at security events, at committee meetings, or as politicians. So I can understand the demand. Your brother was up against not just those wanting to be pilots, but also those wanting the badge on the resume. The flip side is that while well trained, US pilots have a bit of a reputation. They seem like they are trying to fit the TopGun stereotype. I once read somewhere that the Naval program on which the movie is based was losing more pilots to motorcycle accidents than flying. That's probably an aberration as these are small numbers, but the concept that pilots would even ride motorcycles off duty is odd. You'd never see an astronaut taking such risks.

sandworm101 11y ago

Being a fighter pilot in the US is strange. In most countries it is seen as a long-term commitment, a career. But since TopGun, US fighter jocks just don't stay that long. Five years or so, then retirement into civilian life. Being a fighter pilot seems more of a career stepping stone. (Same goes for seals.) I keep running into ex pilots at security events, at committee meetings, or as politicians. So I can understand the demand. Your brother was up against not just those wanting to be pilots, but also those wanting the badge on the resume. The flip side is that while well trained, US pilots have a bit of a reputation. They seem like they are trying to fit the TopGun stereotype. I once read somewhere that the Naval program on which the movie is based was losing more pilots to motorcycle accidents than flying. That's probably an aberration as these are small numbers, but the concept that pilots would even ride motorcycles off duty is odd. You'd never see an astronaut taking such risks.