“We learned about the SR-71’s missions and capabilities. The SR-71 crews were very professional, and they respected us fighter pukes and shared info that we needed,” Dave “Bio” Baranek, F-14 Tomcat RIO
Dave “Bio” Baranek had a rewarding 20-year career in the Navy. He began his service with F-14 Tomcat squadrons and with the prestigious TOPGUN training program, later moving on to roles with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the US 7th Fleet. At one point, he led an F-14 Tomcat squadron, overseeing nearly 300 personnel and 14 aircraft valued at around $700 million. By the end of his career, Baranek had logged 2,499.7 flight hours in the F-14 Tomcat and completed 688 carrier landings. His flight records also include 461.8 hours in the F-5F Tiger II.
In 1985, while working as an instructor in air-to-air combat at TOPGUN, he had the rare opportunity to fly in scenes filmed for the movie “Top Gun,” which featured Tom Cruise and was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. He also contributed as a dialogue advisor and managed to capture some of the few photographs available of the black F-5 fighter jets used in the film while they were flying.
He concluded his Navy career in 1999.
In his third book, Tomcat RIO: A Topgun Instructor on the F-14 Tomcat and the Heroic Naval Aviators Who Flew It, Dave “Bio” Baranek shares his experiences returning to the F-14 after serving as a Topgun instructor, featuring some of his most memorable stories and photographs. One account describes flying the F-14 at speeds exceeding 1,200 mph during a post-maintenance test and, soon after, encountering jets capable of traveling even faster.
Bio and pilot Lieutenant Greg “Hoser” Hansen met several SR-71 crews during a refueling stop at Beale AFB, the primary base for the Blackbird in northern California. A few months later, in February 1988, the SR-71 team organized a small conference, inviting pilots from four different U.S. fighters—Navy F-14s and F/A-18s, and Air Force F-15s and F-16s—to Beale for a two-day exchange on operational issues. Each representative was asked to fly their respective aircraft to the base.
Bio says, “The conference was fascinating. We learned about the SR-71’s missions and capabilities. The SR-71 crews were very professional, and they respected us fighter pukes and shared info that we needed.” But they did not tell any more than that, and Bio cannot say any more about the event.
“The guys at Beale appreciated our coming to their conference, and they knew we were itching to see their aircraft. So finally we headed for the flightline and a waiting U-2 and SR-71, two jets that do their jobs at opposite ends of the airspeed indicator. I looked at the U-2 cockpit first. Yes, it could fly above 70,000 feet and stay there for twelve hours or more, but it just didn’t push my buttons. After a cursory visit, I slipped away to the sexy one.
“Every reader knows what the SR-71 looks like. I climbed the boarding ladder eagerly. Before stepping into the cockpit, I paused to take in the undulating lines of this magnificent machine. I can see it even now. Then I stepped down into the cockpit—and into the 1960s. The front and rear cockpits were complex but almost quaint, busy with old-school analog gauges and switches. No surprise; the Blackbird and its crews were working their wonders before the Tomcat was even imagined.
“I noticed one of the guest pilots kept glancing over my shoulder. Finally, he asked, ‘Can we look at your jet?’
“It was like Shakespeare asking to borrow your pen. ‘Of course!’ I replied. Hoser and I led the group proudly to our Tomcat for a walk-around tour, with a sit-in at no extra charge. We all noticed that the large round TID in the F-14 rear cockpit looked a lot like the main display in the back seat of an SR-71.
“Our Tomcat looked lonely on the flight line, so we asked the other fighter jocks where they parked. A bit sheepishly, they all said their squadrons didn’t have the fuel money to fly to Beale, so they drove their own cars. How great it was to be in VF-2!
Bio mentions that the second day of the conference was much like the first, which led him and his pilot to grow bored. Fortunately, an SR-71 back-seater, known as a Reconnaissance Systems Operator (RSO), invited them to observe flight operations. They were lucky enough to witness the rare event of two Blackbirds taking off thirty minutes apart. Beforehand, they visited to watch an SR-71 crew complete their final pre-flight preparations.
Bio continues, “We chatted with the pilot and RSO as they suited up with the help of two trained assistants. They seemed relaxed as we swapped flying stories. These guys who worked in the stratosphere at Mach 3 couldn’t get over the thought of night carrier landings!”
The Tomcat crew received another in-depth walk-around of the Blackbird, which Bio found captivating due to its numerous technical features. “Then we climbed into an Air Force station wagon with our escorting pilot and RSO. We would be the ‘mobile unit,’ eyes on the ground to spot problems and radio the info. As we drove slowly past the hangar, the SR-71’s engines spooled up, and it eased majestically out of its hangar, hung a left, and fell into trail well behind our humble wagon. That long nose slowly easing out of a hangar was an awesome sight. Normal ops for those guys, but I’ll bet they still thought it was cool every time.”
“We led the Blackbird to the hold short. I was cleared to take photos once we left the hangar area, so I popped in some earplugs and got out of the mobile to shoot a few.
“Then the Blackbird took the runway to do what it did best. The takeoff roll started slowly, but once the pilot lit the burners, the speed and sound increased, and soon the sleek machine was in its element—airborne. The pilot held it level at low altitude, building speed until the end of the runway. Then he stood the sleek black rocket on its tail, and we watched it shoot for the heavens. It looked like a visitor from the future, even twenty-five years after its maiden flight. In a moment, it was gone.
“What a spectacle! The second SR-71 treated us to a replay half an hour later.
Bio concludes the story by sharing that he and Hoser didn’t even consider returning to the conference. Instead, after expressing their gratitude to their hosts, they suited up in their flight gear and departed in their Tomcat. He says, “Beale Tower cleared us for an unrestricted climb, and I’ll bet we looked good, too, as we yanked into a near vertical climb. In a moment, we were gone.”
The two Blackbirds were launched on February 18, 1988. One was SR-71 serial number 17976, while the other was either 17973 or 17979—as the photos are unclear and Bio didn’t record the details.
Bio’s latest book, Tomcat RIO: A Topgun Instructor on the F-14 Tomcat and the Heroic Naval Aviators Who Flew It, is available from online retailers. To learn more about the author and his career, visit www.topgunbio.com.
Photo by Dave “Bio” Baranek
