Month: February 2020

Fight's On! The Premier Site For Military Aviation Enthusiasts

Paco Chierici Flies The F5 Again After 13 Years

Our resident fighter pilot/author/movie producer – Paco Chierici – has just come back from a short trip to sunny San Diego where he spent 2 days studying and flying the F5 (the Canadian CF-5D version) and the SIAI-Marchetti S.211 to get type-rated in both planes for future flying opportunities. It’s been 13 years since Paco…
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Bringing the Thrill of a Dogfight to the Page

Life is a story. And life lived on the edge is usually a great story. When I was flying supersonic fighters surrounded by larger-than-life personalities, I felt I was living a bifurcated experience. On the one hand, I was enmeshed in the action, drinking up each moment. And on the other, as a person with…
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“Top Gun Days” by Dave ‘Bio’ Baranek

This was Bio’s first book, published in 2012. It was also my first exposure to Bio and his exciting stories about becoming a Naval Flight Officer & RIO in the magnificent F-14 Tomcat. Amongst other topics, Bio talks a lot about his involvement in the making of the famous (original) Top Gun movie, starring Tom…
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TARPS (Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System)

The Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) was a large and sophisticated camera pod carried by the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. It contains three camera bays with different type cameras which are pointed down at passing terrain. It was originally designed to provide an interim aerial reconnaissance capability until a dedicated F/A-18 Hornet reconnaissance version could…
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