Blu3wolf

Well, the best place to start would be with the flight manual. Print out the startup, then start crossing out items you feel are a waste of your time. Top Gun was a polishing program. The students there were already qualified fighter pilots, going through a refresher intended to bring their substandard skills up to scratch. For the USAF, fresh students first go through UPT, undergraduate pilot training. This is "how to be a pilot" essentially. The initial portion of UPT is the same for all students, and towards the end you get put into different aircraft depending on your performance. For the fighter/bomber track, you finish UPT flying the T-38. From graduating UPT, your next step would be the B course for the F-16, IQT (Initial Qualification Training), followed by the A course, MQT (Mission Qualification Training). IQT has you training to fly the F-16, and you learn to perform many specific tasks, but no actual tactics as such, more just training techniques and procedures. IQT is completed at a training squadron, but MQT is done at your assigned combat squadron, and focuses on qualifying you on the squadrons specific mission or missions. So yes, USAF fighter pilots have formal training at two different flight schools before they are assigned to their squadron, and still require further training before they are considered Basic Mission Capable.