Talk4 Podcast Episode #076 with Top Gun’s former commander Tom Trotter!

In this episode we spoke with Tom about his flying career, commanding Top Gun, the purpose of Top Gun, Top Gun Maverick and the movies, loads of fighter jet and pilot trivia, stories and more!

👉🏻 Who Is Tom Trotter?

As a young lieutenant in the Navy, Trotter was selected to train at the TOPGUN school at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego. Ten years later he was chosen to command the Navy Fighter Weapons School more affectionately know as TOPGUN. Two years after Trotter went through the school as a lieutenant, Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer were playing lieutenants making the original “Top Gun” movie. Tom Trotter played the real-life role that Tom Skerritt played in the 1986 film.

Trotter retired in 2000 after 24 years as a Navy fighter jet pilot and commander of the Navy’s Airwing 2. He says he comes by his “need for speed” naturally.

Trotter was the final commander at Miramar and handled the TOPGUN school’s move from Southern California to Fallon, Nevada. He is a Pueblo native and a graduate of the University of Colorado.

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👉🏻 Podcast Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...

👉🏻 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5DxcH2D...

🌍 Tom Trotter’s Links:

👉🏻 Tom Trotter Article: https://www.vaildaily.com/news/vail-valleys-tom-trotter-topguns-top-gun-landed-in-eagle-after-a-career-flying-navy-fighter-jets/

👉🏻 Tom Trotter Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-trotter-37a267110

👉🏻 Eagle Top Flight: https://www.facebook.com/eagletopflight/

✅ Time Stamps & Chapters

00:00 Talk4 EP 076 intro by Louis Skupien

00:33 Who is Tom Trotter?

07:25 5000 hours flying tactical jets and 17,000 flying hours

10:30 Top Gun’s TOP GUN and “The Grand Club”

13:50 How many members are in The Grand Club?

15:30 Becoming the commander of Top Gun

20:00 Military patches and TOP GUN patch

23:20 What made Top Gun graduates so special?

31:10 What was the REAL Top Gun like vs the movies?

36:10 The REAL objective and purpose of Top Gun!

44:30 Do China have their own TOP GUN school?

46:24 Was Top Gun Maverick better than the original?

51:14 What was most unrealistic about the movie?

56:30 Best memories from Tom’s carrier and cool stories!

01:03:00 Shameless plug and promotions

Video Title: Top Gun's Commander | Tom "Trots" Trotter, F18 & F14 fighter pilot | Talk4 #076 - louisskupien.com

This video has information on Top Gun, the US Navy, fighter jets, Top Gun Maverick, but also covers the following topics:

The real Top Gun school

Naval fighter weapons school

Aircraft Carrier landings

F14 Tomcat

F18 super hornet

Fighter pilot trivia

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