Top Gun Instructor

Before entering medical school, Dr Schallhorn had a successful career as a Naval Aviator and TOPGUN instructor in the US Navy. During that time he instituted and directed a multi-year project that resulted in enhanced combat survivability of aircrew through the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL).

1977 – 1978:	Flight training
1979 – 1982:	F-14 pilot, Fighter Squadron Two (VF-2) served two 10-month deployments in the western Pacific, during the second and while in the Indian Ocean, he was selected to TOPGUN. Sound familiar…?*
1982 – 1984:	TOPGUN instructor, Navy Fighter Weapons School

As a fighter pilot, Steve Schallhorn (call sign “Legs”), was:

Designated a Naval Aviator with the highest grade recorded in training squadron.
Qualified as F-14A, A-4 and F-5 aircraft test pilot with over 2,000 flight hours.
Winner of the 1981 annual F-14 fighter derby with the highest grade ever recorded in a scored air-to-air combat exercise.
Instrumental in winning the coveted “Mutha” and safety award for Fighter Squadron Two, 1981-1982.
Selected as one of the ten best carrier pilots onboard USS Ranger with over 300 arrested landings including over 100 night landings.
Selected among hundreds of highly qualified naval officers to serve as combat instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN).
A top lieutenant in competitive fitness reports at TOPGUN among highly screened peers while serving as training and safety officer.

* Dr Schallhorn has many interesting experiences from his years as a fighter pilot. While he was a TOPGUN instructor at Miramar, screenwriter Jack Epps Jr, interviewed him as the basis for the movie “Top Gun”. Though the movie is a fictitious portrayal of Naval Aviation, many of the events in the movie were based on stories relayed by Dr Schallhorn.

Photos from trips aboard US Navy aircraft carriers.

Click to enlarge.