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Yeah, he didn't get into the mission aspect, but you're right.  That's part of it as well. 

 

The aviator I know is actually a former Top Gun instructor.  His family lived around the corner from us.  They had 5 kids, and we had 4.  We all grew up together, went to church and school together.  He graduated from Bishop Kenny, went to Georgia Tech, all with an eye on fulfilling his dream of becoming a front seat pilot in the Navy.  He only had one problem.  He was darn near legally blind.  He ended up becoming a Rio in an F14, flying all sorts of missions including being part of the Libya attack during the Reagan presidency where they basically blew up an oil platform and a bunch of Khadaffi's tents.  He ended up at Mirimar as a student, then came back as an instructor, and actually was credited in "Top Gun".  Any time you see a Russian pilot, that's him in the dark visor.  He was tasked with looking left and right, and with teaching Tom Cruise what it was like to be a naval aviator.  Interesting guy.  He wrote a book last year about his experiences, and it's a fun read.  The book is called "Top Gun Days".  I highly recommend it for anyone who is a fan of such things. 

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