Former Topgun Instructor Takes Readers on the Ride of a Lifetime…
DAVE BARANEK, AUTHOR, TOMCAT RIO

Dave Baranek knows exactly what it means to “ride into the danger zone.” In his new release, Tomcat RIO, he plants readers firmly in the cockpit of the legendary F-14 Tomcat fighter, blazing along at twice the speed of sound seven miles above the ocean and the carrier that hurled it off its deck. In an exclusive email interview with Aviation World, Dave Baranek share more about his experiences while working with US Naval Aviation and penning down back-to back three book series. Excerpts…”

What is the concept and thought behind penning down Tomcat RIO? Is this an extension of two of your previous book titled Topgun Days and Before Topgun Days?

Yes, Tomcat RIO describes my flying adventures in the US Navy picking up where Topgun Days left off. I wanted to share those years with readers, when I had some of my best experiences as well as when I dealt with challenges as my responsibilities increased. In the book I describe doing well at some aspects of my mission as an F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officer (RIO, the back-seater in the F-14, like Goose in the movie “Top Gun”). I don’t feel like I was bragging, because it was the result of years of good training and experience. And then to balance it, I talk about later in my career when it wasn’t so easy, after I had not flown for a few years.

I wrote Topgun Days first, because it includes a career highlight of being a Topgun instructor and my small contribution to make the movie “Top Gun,” and it also includes my ejection incident. The second book, Before Topgun Days, tells about Naval Aviation training and how I got into the F-14. So the new book, Tomcat RIO, completes the story.

The book mentions about the challenges and unexpected trials faced in the US Naval Aviation. Kindly elaborate a bit more about your journey & experiences?

When I returned to an F-14 squadron after 2 ½ years as a Topgun instructor, I felt very comfortable and confident. I was on top of the situation when flying, and I experienced success when performing my ground job. In the US Navy, pilots and back-seaters have jobs to run the squadron, in addition to their flying duties.

Then I spent a few years serving on high-level staffs, such as supporting the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. By the time I returned, the F-14 had taken on a new mission: air-to-ground attack. In addition, the aerial threat we faced was much more capable than it had been only a few years before. At the same time as I dealt with these changes, my job was commanding officer of an F-14 squadron, which consisted of fourteen F-14 Tomcats and more than 300 people. Things went well, but as you will see in the book: it wasn’t easy and I learned some lessons.

This book also features your best and most acclaimed photos. Any particular moment that is really close to your heart and you would like to mention?

Yes, one of the photos is my all-time favorite, from years of flying and taking picture. It shows an F-14 Tomcat in full afterburner against a dark sky, its nose pointed toward the stars. This was a set-up that came to my imagination, and one evening I discussed it with my pilot and the guys in the other jet. At the time, our aircraft carrier was in the South China Sea. This was 1989, so there was no unusual tension in the region. We launched on our mission, got in formation, lit the afterburners and started climbing. I shot an entire roll of film, and the pictures turned out just how I imagined.

Later photos, showing the F-14 carrying an array of missiles and several bombs, also look impressive as they show the versatility of the aircraft.

I should clarify that taking photos like this was a hobby for me. Most pilots and RIOs did not take photos, or only took a few. Several others, however, also took many photos and some of them have been published in books and magazines. The Navy allowed us to take photos on most flights, as long as it did not interfere with the mission.

Strap in, and get ready for a wild ride! What does this mean in reader’s context?

These words are meant to make the reader think they are climbing into the cockpit seat of an F-14 fighter. Once in the seat, you strap in for security. Reading Tomcat RIO will make the reader feel like they are flying in an F-14!

Any specific point that you really want to emphasize upon from Tomcat RIO?

When I wrote the book I wasn’t thinking about providing lessons or instructions, but as the story unfolded several ideas emerged that may inspire or inform readers.

One of the overall points, that I think is carried through all of my books, is that you should pursue your dreams and passions. I worked hard on my skills in aviation and was fortunate that I was rewarded, doing what I dreamed, and I enjoyed it. Accomplishments rarely come to people who have not made a strong effort.

Another point is that behind these exciting things we see in movies, such as flying jet fighters, there are many people who support and enable the activity. I tell some of these stories, and I think they are interesting because they provide some detail. Yes, I can tell you it is thrilling and enjoyable to fly a jet fighter, but there is a lot more to it than zooming among the clouds.

So, this can be taken as conclusion of your book series and last leg towards your F-14 Journey?

Yes, at this time I think I have told all of my stories, so Tomcat RIO is the last leg. But you never really know.

TOMCAT RIO- A SNAPSHOT

Tomcat RIO is a superbly crafted book that pulls readers into the exciting world of the F-14 and Navy carrier operations. Readers can ride along as Baranek expertly shares all the stomach-dropping thrills of dogfighting and the pulse-pounding tension of patrolling the skies over Iraq with the ability to launch a 100-mile Phoenix missile at the touch of a button.

An expert in fighter tactics and aircraft carrier operations, Baranek (whose call sign is “Bio”) ascended to the command of an F-14 fighter squadron of more than 300 people, and he shares the challenges and unexpected trials that come with leading a squadron in the dynamic environment of Naval Aviation.

Full of adventures, lessons and inspiration, Tomcat RIO also includes dozens of Bio’s best and most acclaimed photos, including one that’s been hailed by photographer George Hall as “one of the best Tomcat photos ever taken.”

Bio immerses readers in rich detail, where they can practically smell the jet exhaust and feel the gut-wrenching g-forces. Tomcat RIO pitches readers into the thick of it as only Bio can tell it. Strap in, and get ready for a wild ride!

Dave “Bio” Baranek is also the author of Topgun Days and Before Topgun Days. He enjoyed a successful and satisfying 20-year career in the United States Navy, starting with assignments to F-14 Tomcat squadrons and the elite Topgun training program as an instructor, and on to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the US 7th Fleet. Baranek retired from the Navy in 1999 and is now a defense contractor. He is married and lives in Satellite Beach, Florida.