One of the reviews reads:
However, I certainly appreciate the offer!When I finished reading Robert Wilcox' Wings of Fury, I was impressed. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to read his earlier work Scream of Eagles (The Creation of TopGun).
Sincerely this is even better than Wings of Fury. There are plenty of first person accounts (sea stories) of TopGun's genesis and dogfights against the VPAF. The USN was less than enthusiastic about funding and equipping this new school in 1969. When you read about this and put yourself back in time, it's amazing that TopGun ever got started. But that's just part of the story...
The F-8 Crusader's days were numbered as the F-4 Phantom was replacing the 'sader in the Fleet. The men that developed TopGun knew that BVR missile shots were not the answer. Pilots needed to know how to dogfight and get the maximum performance out of their airplane and work as a team (both as a section of fighters and as a Pilot/RIO team). TopGun provided the cadre to teach fleet Phantom crews to build this teamwork.
If you're a fan of the F-4 Phantom, read this book. If you're a fighter aviation history buff, read this book. After you read this, go read Marshall Michel's CLASHES:Air Combat Over North Vietnam 1965-1972. You'll be shaking your head, wondering if the USN and USAF were fighting the same war. Makes you kinda wonder why the USAF scaled back its Agressor squadrons in recent years.