The Last Top Gun
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The Last Top Gun
While flying fighters in and out of combat, US Navy pilot Eric “Spyder” Greene repeatedly came face-to-face with his own mortality. But none of his cockpit exploits prepared him for what lay ahead. The same navy that had Spyder piloting the last manually flown fighter on and off aircraft carriers, has the reserve commander assigned to a staff job where he grapples with a post-9/11 world filled with unmanned aircraft and drones, politically driven policies, women in combat, and doubt as to his role in any of it. In “The Last Top Gun,” a 2014 novel by Daniel Zimberoff, Spyder meets the future of naval aviation in the form of two young, aspiring aviators. The grizzled fighter pilot, raw and anything but politically correct, recounts his harrowing experiences when he and his squadronmates were part rock stars, part Olympic athletes in the air--and all male. Spyder’s encounters and chronicles intrigue the young officers, and like the reader, they want more.
Dave “Bio” Baranek
“Realistic and Exciting! Dan has written a realistic and accurate story of flying in the late 1980s, set against a background of the turbulent changes of more recent times. The action in his aircraft carrier and flying sequences is very realistic -- in fact, many are based on events that happened. He spices the story up with colorful characters and a clash of cultures between young and old. This took me back to some of my own experiences as an F-14 RIO in the 1980s.”
Chad Rzewski
“Dan nailed the 3-wire on this one! Well written account of US Naval Aviation at the pinnacle of its Cold War glory. I enjoyed the first-person perspective of the grizzled fighter pilot negotiating the changes from the cold war culture in which he was reared to the post Tailhook changes that seem to prioritize social orders over war fighting. It’s one of those reads that depresses you upon conclusion because you enjoyed it so much and want it to continue. I never served in the brown shoe Navy during the late 1980’s but while reading this book I felt like I was on the 50-yard line watching a group of professionals I grew up admiring , and who’s antics and exploits only confirmed why the US Naval aviation community from that era were truly the last of the Top Guns!”
Sierra Hotel! – WHLCDR
“Fantastic Book! Could NOT put it down...spent all Sunday reading the book. The author brought back memories of my days in the TOMCAT Community as a RIO! All the highs and lows of flying, all the feelings, the excitement, the terror, and a lot of great stories about life in the Squadron, life on a carrier, and of the good times before Political Correctness ran amuck. I laughed at the humor of the situations and quietly shed a tear for those who I flew with and are no longer with us! The book is written as a Commander reflecting on his times to a bunch of very junior “bug” drivers! If you are interested in Naval Aviation, spent some time in a Squadron, or want a glimpse of it...READ this BOOK!”
The Clarion Review
“A lively testosterone-driven debut novel.”
Kirkus Reviews