 What a lot of people that don't know this organization assume is that Topkin pilots are egotistical and only think about themselves. In reality, you know, everyone here is extremely humble. They're approachable. And it's an honor to work next to these guys every single day. You hear kids say, I want to be an astronaut or I want to be a professional basketball player. You know, to me, this was up there. I'd always have posters up in my room and just kind of dream of flying airplanes. My dad also would take me to air shows when I was younger. And I just thought it was the most amazing thing in the world. Growing up, I thought my chances of becoming a fighter pilot in general was kind of a long shot. There's very, very few of us who actually get chosen to do this. And I'd never seen anybody that looked like me that did what I wanted to do. But once I started taking those steps, committed myself, you know, took that leap of faith, I got closer and closer to that dream. Three, two, one, hack, gents, welcome to the TAC 2.X Red Air Brief. Going through the Topkin course, it was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. It was grueling. It was 13 weeks of pain. But everybody had the same goal and they had the same determination and drive. We all just kind of leaned on each other at that point and looked to each other for motivation. All right, gents, thanks for your time. We're planning to check in on TAC 5.X at 10.45. Aircraft. Sometimes it's nervousness. A lot of times it's adrenaline. Some of the flying that we do, you know, is a little bit more risky. But being able to execute those tactics, that's an extremely fulfilling experience. If you would have told me that one day I'd have the opportunity to be on the Topkin staff, pretty sure I wouldn't have believed you. The whole goal of Topkin is we essentially teach the teachers. And that's been true since our founding over 50 years ago. Good morning. I'm Stu Wipke, call sign Gizmo. Welcome to A120 Chalk Talk. Topkin basically was founded as an organization to where we bring aircrew from the fleet who are doing well. And we'll teach them our techniques and then send them back to their squadron. So they share these tactics, techniques with the rest of the fleet. As a Topkin instructor, one thing I try to remember is where I was when I first showed up on day one. I had this expectation that I may not be good enough. One, because we work long hours, typically six, sometimes seven days a week. We're standing on the shoulders of giants. I think that is one of the driving factors that makes us want to work harder and continue to improve ourselves, improve our students and make sure that our brand going forward is something that we continue to be proud of and something that's respected. Can I please get a round of applause for Topkin Class 0120. How we're getting better in the aircraft really comes down to what mission is set. Air to surface, where any kind of bombing runs. Air to air, where we're actually out there again, you with a wingman or maybe you with three wingmen in a division. It's just a mission rehearsal. Every time we go fly, there's always something that can be improved, always something that we can work on. I say nothing can completely prepare you for how busy or how difficult the course is. Don't dwell on that, because you're flying with some of the best pilots in the entire world. It is definitely a strong bond between all the instructors here. And even though we just spent, you know, five, 14 hour days together, it's still fun to hang out together on the weekends. Family time is precious here, no matter how it's spent. It's time that you never get back, so you want to ensure that you're there 100%. Who are you calling? Hi, do you want to talk to Aria? All right, here she is. The way I want my daughter to remember me is not just as a pilot, but also just the dad who was there for her. She could be the coolest guy in the world, but if I wasn't a good father, you know, that's what we'll be remembered. Also, I do want her to embody the love of aviation that I've enjoyed and maybe do this someday herself. Same token as a naval aviator, I don't think that there is an attainable goal of a level of execution that I think that I will ever reach. The most dangerous misconception for a top-go instructor is to think that they have arrived and that they are as good as they need to be, because we are not in the business of good enough. My name is Kyle Haith. My name is Stu Wipke. My name is Ryan Kelly. And I'm a top-go instructor in the United States Navy.