Sky stories: The life of a top gun pilot
The iconic film Top Gun created a whole generation of aviation lovers. In this episode of Ask The Experts, hear from a real-life 'TOPGUN' pilot about what it's really like in the skies.
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00:00Welcome to AccuWeather's Ask the Experts, I'm your host Jeff Cornish.
00:16Whether you nerd out on it or want to know more about it, we talk to some of the best
00:20minds in meteorology, space and science to get answers on everything you've wanted to
00:25ask.
00:26Today we're going to talk about weather and flying, not just any type of flying, but specialized
00:30flying that our nation's military pilots undertake to help keep us safe, and the type of flying
00:36and air battles that were brought to our attention by the 1986 hit film Top Gun, which has had
00:43some new life in recent years in Hollywood as well.
00:45So joining us as our expert and to give us insight into what it's really like up there
00:50is a real life Top Gun pilot, Commander John Pico, and Commander Pico, thank you so much
00:55for your service and also for making some time for us today.
00:59Jeff, it's an honor to be on here with you.
01:02Thanks for having me.
01:03Well, it's an honor to speak with you.
01:04We think that what you do is really fascinating, what you've done is really fascinating.
01:07So we're going to go back to what got you into the cockpit of a fighter jet.
01:11Some can trace their passion to the iconic Top Gun movie.
01:15How about you?
01:16Well, that's it, you hit it, 1986, I was 15 years old and at an all boys school, pretty
01:26naive and had a hot date coming up here and didn't know what to do and a buddy of mine
01:29said, hey, there's this new movie that just came out called Top Gun.
01:33Go fast forward through the movie till you get to the blue scene where they kiss and
01:38that'll help, that'll answer questions on how to kiss this gal.
01:41So I get the movie, rent it from the VHS, have no idea where the blue scene was and
01:46so I watched the whole movie and I ended up watching it about six times.
01:51The date went horribly wrong, but that was the end of that.
01:53I was like, whatever those guys are doing, I want to do that.
01:58Well, sometimes there's kind of a gap between reality and Hollywood.
02:03Sometimes Hollywood nails it.
02:04So do the Top Gun movies capture what it's really like to fly and maneuver these amazing
02:08aircrafts?
02:09I'd say in general, they do.
02:12I think the second movie, the technology producing the movie was far more advanced.
02:16They had the cameras in the cockpit and you actually saw aircraft flying.
02:21The first movie did a good job, but this new one did a great job.
02:25So all the flying you see was authentic in the mountains, in the snow, all that sort
02:31of stuff.
02:32So that was very, very, not just similar, that is what it's like.
02:37And you probably have some pretty good insight.
02:39I have a generic sense that this stuff is awesome.
02:41It's fascinating.
02:42But what is it about these planes and the elite pilots who fly them that draws us in
02:47as the public?
02:48What's so fascinating to us about this?
02:52I think it's a little bit of the unknown and it's considered probably on the edge of extreme,
02:58you know, extreme sports and that's what people are into these days and for the longest time.
03:06You know, it's hard for people to understand that at one moment, the weight of your head
03:10is 20 pounds and in the next millisecond, it's 160 pounds while you're in a dogfight
03:16and that sort of thing that you see captured in some of these movies just boggles people's
03:23minds.
03:24And to do it, you know, every day, it becomes sort of normal.
03:27It's your job and you forget that not everyone understands what it takes and the effort and
03:32the physicality and the training.
03:35So it's shows like this.
03:36I do appreciate the opportunity to share some of that with your viewers.
03:40Absolutely.
03:41We're going to go back and talk about the history of the Top Gun program.
03:46And did this ultimately come from air tactics in the Vietnam War?
03:52It did.
03:53It did back then.
03:54I mean, we're always assessing anytime our country and frankly, any countries in a combat
03:59situation.
04:00I imagine there's some real time and afterwards assessment of how we've done and we had some
04:05relatively advanced aircraft and weaponry in Vietnam.
04:10And yet we were still taking well higher numbers of losses than I think we should have.
04:16Not what I thought, but that's what the country was thinking and decided at that point that
04:21we were going to focus on the tactics and the pilot training.
04:25And so in 1969, Top Gun was born and that is where really it all started.
04:33And what is the training actually like?
04:35How long does it take to become a Top Gun pilot?
04:38And also what physical qualifications must somebody have if they want to pursue this?
04:44So to be a Top Gun, you don't join the Navy and become a Top Gun pilot.
04:47You have a lot to do between joining the Navy and even getting to that opportunity.
04:54You have to first learn all types of academics.
04:56Meteorology is one of our first courses.
04:59You'll be happy to know aerodynamics, all types of courses before you can even touch
05:05an airplane.
05:06Then you fly and train in two to three different types of airplanes, making your way eventually
05:12to ideally to the, you know, one of the latest, greatest fighter airplanes that the Navy has.
05:18Go through your first entire squadron and based on how you do in that squadron, tactically
05:24and as a leader, you may be recommended to apply to Top Gun.
05:29And at that point, if you're accepted, Top Gun school is, you know, two to three months
05:34long or so with dedicated training.
05:37It used to be in Miramar, California.
05:40Years ago, it moved to Fallon, Nevada.
05:43And but yeah, after a number of months and some grueling academic and flight training,
05:49you will hopefully graduate as a Top Gun pilot.
05:53And you hinted at some of the weather training, meteorological training that Top Gun pilots
05:58go through.
05:59So weather conditions obviously are crucial to every aspect of any military operation.
06:05These are expensive, high price, very valuable aircraft, and there could be some significant
06:08danger in the skies.
06:09So what level of weather knowledge is required for a Top Gun pilot?
06:14How deep do you guys dig into the weather textbooks?
06:18The weather is critical.
06:20Now we have experts, we have meteorologists on our team, on our staff assigned to the
06:26ship that work with the squadron pilots that are very, very capable, not just in the takeoff
06:34weather, taking off off the aircraft carrier and the sea states and the actual weather,
06:38but the weather we're going to experience in route where we may need to get air to air
06:42refueling from behind another airplane, and the weather affects that mission.
06:48And then the weather in the target area, which may be in a different country, or if we're
06:52doing training in our own country, what the weather's like there, and then actually what
06:57the weather is like at the actual physical target, what shadows we're going to see any
07:01type of sandstorms or whatever.
07:05And so they're all over that.
07:06So we have trained meteorologists on staff to help us with that.
07:11But weather is discussed in the beginning of the flight, throughout the flight, and
07:15at the very end of the flight, for sure.
07:18And Commander Pico, we have a viewer question for you.
07:20This one comes from April in Washington, D.C.
07:23So April writes, in the Top Gun movies, fighter pilots have great nicknames.
07:28We had Goose and others.
07:30So do you have a nickname, and what was the story behind it, if so?
07:36April, great question.
07:38One we get often, and I just need to say right off the bat, that call signs are earned and
07:44not created by the pilot, because they would be a lot cooler, like Maverick, if we got
07:51to pick our own.
07:52So you get those earned, and usually not by doing something great.
07:56So a lot of call signs as well are based on the name.
07:59So for example, my last name is Pico.
08:01The call sign is Roscoe.
08:03Again, my squadron picked it, and they thought Roscoe and Pico sounded like Roscoe-Pico train.
08:09So that's where that one came from.
08:11But there's a bunch of other great call signs.
08:14Some are super funny.
08:15Some are very inappropriate, and we can't discuss here.
08:19But great friends of mine, Voodoo.
08:21There's one guy, Brett Odom, call sign Scrow.
08:25There's Norm.
08:27There's Stinky.
08:28I mean, it just goes on and on.
08:30So that is a great question when you meet a pilot in the Navy or Air Force.
08:35Ask them their call sign and the story behind it.
08:37Real basic question for you.
08:39For somebody on the outside, they may assume all airplanes might be in the Air Force.
08:44Clearly not the case.
08:45So how does that work?
08:46What's the delineation between a fighter jet pilot with the Navy as opposed to the Air
08:50Force?
08:52Common question I get, and you're right.
08:55The Air Force has fighter pilots.
08:57The Navy has fighter pilots.
08:59We both have incredible airplanes and weaponry and pilots and training.
09:05But the main difference, so there's a bunch of differences, but the main difference is
09:08that Air Force takes off and lands on runways, hard surfaces, and the Navy takes off and
09:14lands on aircraft carriers.
09:17And so that's the main difference.
09:19We don't necessarily need to coordinate a runway where there's an area of concern.
09:23We will take the runway to the area of concern and address it as needed.
09:27Well, what are some things pilots like yourself are looking for when preparing a mission?
09:34So probably the two or three most important things, weather being right at the top, because
09:40we're going to have to deal with it one way or the other, and it could potentially be
09:45a showstopper.
09:47We may have to change weapons depending on what weather we're going to deal with in the
09:50target area.
09:52But also the, it's called operational risk management.
09:56We're going to look at how risky is this mission?
09:59How much risk are we taking on with the weather conditions or the sea state or the fact that
10:05we've been up for the last 18 hours planning for this?
10:09What risk level are we willing to accept?
10:11And certain targets, certain missions require a much higher level of risk acceptance.
10:17And so we'll go through all that and then really get into the nit noise, really get
10:21into the weeds of what it's going to take to be successful in this mission.
10:25Well, John, this is great stuff so far.
10:28We look forward to talking with you more after the break.
10:31So coming up later in WeatherWise, we're going to explore some firsts in military flying.
10:36This includes the story behind the world's first military airplane.
10:41Coming up next, John will talk about the most challenging weather to fly in.
10:44We're also going to be answering more of your weather questions when Ask the Experts continues.
11:05Welcome back to AccuWeather's Ask the Experts.
11:07I'm your host, Jeff Cornish.
11:08In today's show, we are talking with retired Top Gun pilot, Commander John Pico.
11:13And we're getting insight in what it's like to train and be and to fly as an aviator fighting
11:19pilot, and also how weather interacts with their duties.
11:23So we're going to talk more about your career as a whole.
11:25How many missions did you fly as a military pilot for our country?
11:31So we count missions that are flown in combat.
11:37That's right around 80.
11:38And we also count times we've landed and stopped on aircraft carriers.
11:43And that's up around probably around 800, 900.
11:49And we also count hours, and that's around 3,000.
11:51So those are kind of the three things we keep track of.
11:54But the 80 combat missions, those are the ones that are near and dear to our heart.
11:59That's a long time.
12:00A 2,000-hour work year would be if you worked about 50 hours a week, eight-hour days.
12:07So that's a lot of time in the air, 3,000 hours.
12:10Pretty impressive stuff.
12:11Over time, as the jets became more sophisticated with technology, did you have a favorite type
12:17of jet to fly?
12:18And was it one of the earlier ones or one of the more recent ones?
12:23I had some great airplanes to train in leading up to my eventual airplane, which is the
12:31F-18 Hornet, followed afterwards by the Super Hornet.
12:35And so I'm what you call a Hornet baby.
12:36So I was in the Hornet and the Super Hornet my entire career.
12:41And by far my favorite airplane, just because I knew how to fly it and handle it.
12:46But there are a lot of amazing airplanes out there.
12:48I mean, the F-22 Raptor, and our allies and partners have amazing airplanes as well.
12:56So I would have loved the opportunity to fly a bunch of different things.
12:59But I was the F-18 guy.
13:01That's really cool.
13:02Well, can you tell us about any stories when the weather played a negative role?
13:07And what are some of the worst types of weather that we can think of in terms of negatives
13:13that impact your missions?
13:16So my mom's probably watching, so I have to be careful on telling too many scary stories.
13:20But the weather has had a dramatic impact in the negative side on some of these missions.
13:26In fact, some of my closest friends have passed away due to weather-related incidents, fog
13:32or sandstorms or sea state.
13:34A lot of people forget we're on an aircraft carrier and we got to take off and land at
13:39the beginning and end of the mission.
13:41And the sea state can be so nasty out there, as people may know.
13:46So those sandstorms as well, people think happen just on land, but it goes right across
13:52the water as well.
13:53And of course, thunderstorms and snow and blizzard conditions.
13:58And one in particular, I recall, I was flying as a fairly new pilot on the wing of a more
14:04senior pilot in South Korea on a training mission.
14:08And we're landing at an airfield, but we're in the clouds and snow.
14:13So we're being controlled for an instrument approach, basically just coming straight for
14:1910 miles and landing.
14:21And I have what's called a radar altimeter dialed in at about 100 feet to let me know
14:26right before we land so I can stop looking at the airplane and start looking at the
14:30runway. And we're about three miles away from the airfield and then my radar altimeter
14:36goes off. And so, which obviously never should have.
14:39So we immediately break away, hit our afterburner and shoot straight up and come to
14:44find out we were seconds away from impacting a mountain that was right in front of us,
14:49the controllers had forgotten about us and directed us right into a mountain
14:53inadvertently. So again, weather can can cause some serious heartache.
14:58Sometimes you don't even know what's about to happen.
15:00That's wild. And just very briefly, is there any weather that we perceive as bad on the
15:04ground that's actually good to fly in?
15:07I would say if there's fog over land or sandstorms or low-lying clouds, those would be
15:15great to fly in above that because we have weapons that can get through that without any
15:20issue. This is, again, we're talking weaponry and target weather.
15:24But yeah, if we can fly above the weather, the weather below us really isn't a factor.
15:29All right. And Commander Pico, we have another viewer question.
15:32This one comes from Martin in Alabama.
15:34And Martin writes, any advice for aspiring Top Gun pilots?
15:38What are the most important skills to have and what can and can't you gain from
15:42training? Good question, Martin, I would say, I mean, you know, that killer instinct, all
15:49those things. Right. But it's more than just that spirit to win and that laser focus to
15:56win. It's really that desire to understand what it takes to win something and then doing
16:02that. Everyone wants to win, but does everyone want to do what it takes to win?
16:08That's the question. Do you have the grit?
16:10Do you have the laser focus?
16:12Do you have the dedication and make sure it's healthy competition?
16:16You know, those are those of us in the military.
16:18We all want to be the best.
16:20I don't want to be the best and push down my buddy next to me.
16:23We all want to go to the top.
16:24I just want to be at the very top when we finally get there.
16:27So I think those would be the big ones, grit, dedication and just that laser focus to
16:34figuring out what it takes to win it anywhere and do it.
16:38And John, do you still fly?
16:39What are you doing now? Are you doing other things in civilian life?
16:44So I fly a little bit, usually with friends, if they have airplanes, I'm taking a little
16:47break right now, spending more time on the boat.
16:50So I'm following my other passion, which is finance.
16:53And we live down in Key West, Florida.
16:55So I run the Edward Jones Southernmost branch as a financial advisor down here.
17:01And no, life has been great.
17:03Life has been great.
17:05Excellent. Excellent.
17:06We wish you the absolute best with your next career here.
17:10In the world of finance there in Key West.
17:12And well, it's a pleasure talking to you, Commander John Pico.
17:15Thank you so much for your service to our country.
17:17We do not take that for granted.
17:18And also, thanks for your time here today and sharing some of this insight as what it's
17:22really like to be a Top Gun pilot.
17:25Thank you, Joe. Appreciate it.
17:27Well, likewise.
17:28And don't forget, when you have a question about weather, space or science, you can
17:31write us or send us a video question at AskTheExperts at AccuWeather.com.
17:36You can also call us at 888-566-6606.
17:40Coming up in WeatherWise, we're going to explore some firsts for military aviation
17:45when AskTheExperts returns.
17:47Welcome back to AccuWeather's Ask The Experts.
18:07I'm your host, Jeff Cornish.
18:08It is time for WeatherWise.
18:10And in this version, we're going to explore military aviation firsts.
18:14Some of these are pretty impressive for their time.
18:16The world's first military airplane was the 1909 Wright Military Flyer.
18:23And this was built only six years after the Wright brothers' historic flight at Kitty
18:27Hawk. The U.S.
18:28Army Signal Corps bought a plane the brothers designed for surveillance.
18:32It was a two-seater and it could reach speeds of up to 40 miles an hour and travel a
18:37distance, very impressive for the time, of 125 miles.
18:41In 1932, the Martin B-10 was the first all-metal fixed-wing bomber used by the U.S.
18:47Army Air Corps. Innovations included an enclosed cockpit, an internal bay to hold bombs
18:54and maximum speeds of up to 213 miles an hour.
18:58Also pretty swift for that time.
19:00Finally, the first Top Gun aircraft was built in 1968.
19:05The Grumman F-14 Tomcat was featured in the 1986 movie Top Gun.
19:10So the jet fighter with long-range bombing capabilities had a rotary cannon for dog
19:14fighting and air-to-air missiles able to hit enemy aircraft 90 miles away.
19:19The U.S. military retired F-14s in 2006.
19:23The Tom Cruise moved on to the F-18s in the Top Gun Maverick sequel.
19:28Thanks so much for joining us here on AccuWeather's Ask the Experts.
19:32I'm Jeff Cornish. Remember, when you have a question about weather, you can email us at
19:36asktheexperts at accuweather.com or you can call us at 888-566-6606.
19:44Thanks so much for being with us. Have a great one.