If you’re looking for an authority on the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, popularly known as “Top Gun,” Dan Peterson is it.
In 1961, Peterson was asked by the U.S. Navy how to improve the military’s poor aviation numbers. Just two enemy planes were shot down for every one American plane.
“I hand-picked eight guys,” said Peterson. “They were all young. The youngest was 21 and I was 31.”
The Navy wanted a graduate school for fighter jets. Peterson made it happen. By the end of the war in 1973, 24 enemy planes were shot down for every American plane that got shot down.
So, what did the Godfather of “Top Gun” think of the new film “Top Gun: Maverick”?
“The movie was great,” he said. “Tom Cruise always does well, it had great photography. I think Tom Cruise should get an Academy Award for it.”
Peterson joined Wisconsin’s Afternoon News Wednesday. Listen to the conversation above.
