TOPGUN – aka the Navy Fighter Weapons School. An institution that develops and provides graduate-level strike-fighter tactics.

Top Gun – A 1986 American romantic military action drama motion picture starring Tom Cruise.

Although they may sound the same and the latter is loosely based on the former, the fact is TOPGUN the school and Top Gun the movie otherwise have very little in common. But that’s okay–a movie based too closely on how things really are would be mind-numbingly boring!

On this episode, U.S. Navy Commander Andy “Grand” Mariner, the TOPGUN commanding officer, joins us to describe how the school came to be, how it operates today, and what it’s like there for both students and instructors. Spoiler alert: it's nothing like the movie.

Episode artwork and bumper music by Slater Aiello.

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