TONY SCOTT’S 1986 film Top Gun kindled many an adolescent’s fighter-jet obsession, which no doubt came rushing back thanks to last year’s sequel starring a youthfully 60-year-old Tom Cruise still turning and burning. Thankfully, select flight schools can indulge the fantasy with everything from a US$30,000 full-afterburner ride in an F-104 Starfighter, capable of more than Mach 2, to a Federal Aviation Administration-type rating for a host of decommissioned warbirds.
Learning how to captain one of these apex predators involves a highly specialised coterie of flight instructors and hardware – but first, naturally, a private pilot’s licence. Rick Svetkoff’s Starfighters International may not be able to teach Cessna 172 pilots how to fully operate the F-104 in a short window, but the pilot will come away understanding its aerodynamics, thrust, lift and, of course, the nearly unfathomable speed.
This story is from the March 2023 edition of Robb Report Singapore.
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This story is from the March 2023 edition of Robb Report Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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