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Tizer
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24/03/2009
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09:45
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On the Radio 4 Today programme this morning they interviewed the author of a new book and a retired Navy air commander about how British navy pilots were involved in training the US pilots in the `Top Gun' programme at the Miramar air base in California.
To save me writing about the book, Phoenix Squadron by Rowland White, I found the details here on the Telegraph site
The RNAS commander on the programme was Douglas MacDonald who served at Miramar in the 1970s and also tarined Dutch, Germand and Indian navy pilots. He ws at Miramar in the 1970s and said the US navy had recently got Phantoms but their `kill rate' in Vietnam was only 2:1, much lower than in WWII and they needed help with training. MacDonald was asked his call sign:"Haggis"!
The Telegraph story begins:
"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.
[...and much more]
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thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt
2021 Posts
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Posted - 24/03/2009 : 11:46
What a surprise, have they finally realised that a strong military force is about dedication and not glamour.
thomo  |
Tizer
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Posted - 25/03/2009 : 11:46
Douglas MacDonald certainly sounded as unglamorous as they come - but I'll bet he was super-efficient at his job. He served at most of the RNAS stations and ended up in charge at Culdrose.
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British pilots trained Top Gun pilots at Miramar
