About Us

GENERAL

Top Gun Tasmania Pty Ltd is owned and operated by a highly experienced former U.S. Fighter Pilot who now lives in Tasmania with his Australian wife and children. Top Gun Tasmania flys from Hobart International Airport on a full time basis and occasionally flys from Launceston, Devonport, and Wynyard. At Hobart Intl Airport, we operate from the TASAIR Facility so please feel free to come by and say hello! We are the only adventure flight company operating from a capital city airport in Australia!

OUR PILOTS

Daniel Duggan - Chief Pilot

"Duger"
email: dan@topguntasmania.com.au

Formerly a Major in the United States Marine Corps, Dan flew the AV-8B Harrier "Jump Jet". He started off flying jets as a USMC Student Naval Aviator in the T2C "Buckeye" and then advanced to the TA-4J "Skyhawk" where he carrier qualified on the USS Eisenhower earning him the coveted Naval Aviator "Wings of Gold". He then headed off to learn the fundamentals of the Harrier and V/STOL aviation. He soon joined his fleet squadron, and advanced quickly, ultimately becoming a Weapons and Tactics Instructor, Air Combat Tactics Instructor, Low Altitude Tactics Instructor, and Night Vision Goggle Instructor to name just some. He also was deployed to the Persian Gulf flying missions in support of Operation Southern Watch from Kuwait and the USS Boxer. An accomplished Naval Aviator, Dan has compiled 330 aircraft carrier landings, 113 being at night. Dan finished his military flying career with the Marines as their Exchange Pilot to the Spanish Navy where he flew the Harrier II Plus (Radar variant) from the Spanish aircraft carrier "El Principe de Asturias". Lucky for Dan, he married a lovely "Aussie Lass" and now lives here in Tasmania with his wife and three children. Along with his current duties as Chief Pilot and Managing Director, Dan also is a contracted instructor for an international test pilot school where he has experience in the Hawk and Mig29 (pictured here).

Ben Meares

"Carloss"

Ben, is a former Royal Australian Air Force F-18 Pilot with over 15 years flying experience. One of the "select few", he was an elite Fighter Combat Instructor (FCI), responsible for training top RAAF Fighter Pilots in state of the art waepons systems and tactics. He has over 2000 F-18 hours and now flies internationally for a leading airline.

Trent Kenagy

Trent Kenagy, a former US Marine Captain and RAAF Flight Lieutenant, has over 15 years flying experience. Much of this time was spent flying the F/A-18 Hornet from land and sea bases in both the ‘C’ (pictured left) and ‘D’ models. As an aircraft carrier based Marine pilot, Trent is an expert in Naval Aviation and demonstrated routinely the high skill level required to not only find, but land on the "postage stamp" known to the pros as the "The Boat". During his time in the Marines, Trent achieved many instructor ratings, flew in many operational missions and participated in several multi-national exercises. Recognized as a leader in tactical instruction, Trent joined the RAAF as a Flight Lieutenant and attended Central Flying School for training as a Qualified Flying Instructor. During his time in the RAAF he was responsible for training advanced pilots in tactical and operational flying prior to advancement in the RAAF Fast-jet program. Since leaving the RAAF in 2001, he has flown internationally in 747's and now fly's 737's domestically for a leading Australian Airline. Trent is also an instructor for an international test pilot school fliyng in the Hawk Jet and Mig 29.

THE AIRCRAFT

The British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) Jet Provost Mark 5a (JP5a)

Our JP5a (XW362) shown here with a RAAF F-111

HISTORY OF THE JET PROVOST SERIES

The JET PROVOST Mk 5 has a lengthy development path, being the latest variant of the Jet Provost, which is in turn a development of the Percival (later Hunting) Provost. The P.56 Provost prototype, powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah XVIII engine first flew in 1950. The type was accepted by the RAF as a basic trainer, entering service in 1953. By this stage thought was being given to an all through jet trainer and Percival looked to replace the Alvis Leonides 126 radial powerplant of the Provost with a turbojet.

The new design retained the wing and tail structures of the original Provost, but mounted the Bristol Siddeley (later Rolls Royce) Viper powerplant in a new fuselage and added a tricycle undercarriage. Although developed as a private venture, Percival succeeded in gaining an RAF order for 10 of the aircraft. By the time the first aircraft flew on June 16, 1954, Percival had been taken over by Hunting. The P.84 aircraft was therefore designated the Hunting Jet Provost T.Mk.1.

After trials, the RAF accepted the Jet Provost as a basic trainer in 1955. It became the standard basic trainer for three decades, being phased out in favour of the Shorts Tucano from 1989.

Production amounted to 386 aircraft, and many were refurbished for export. In the meantime Hunting created the H.145 as another private venture. This was redesignated the BAC.145 when Hunting was absorbed into British Aerospace.

The new version Jet Provost T.Mk.5 featured a longer nose for avionics, a pressurised cockpit, and strengthened wings to carry more weapons and fuel. The prototype was flown on February 28, 1967, and 110 were produced. An armed version was produced for the export market, and the BAC.167 extended this concept. The prototype (G-127-8) was first flown on October 27, 1967. Powered by the uprated RR Viper 535 the wing was redesigned for up to 8 hardpoints carrying 1361kg (3000lb) of stores, and the aircraft featured improved brakes, and armour.

For more detailed information on the Jet Provost go to www.jetprovosts.com

The CJ6a "Nanchang" is an initial military training aircraft of the Chinese Air Force (Peoples Liberation Army). Student pilots learn the fundimentals of military aviation and aerobatics in the CJ6 before moving on to fast jets. It has a powerful 285 horse power radial engine giving it plenty of grunt to perform advanced aerobatics. The radial engine also gives the Nanchang the feel and sound of a classic warbird. Capable of speeds of over 350kph, the Nanchang can pull up to 6 G's and will give you one of the best warbird experiences available.

OUR MISSION OBJECTIVES

“Objective 1” is to carry out our flight experiences in the safest and most professional manner possible. To us, safety is "priority one" and is our commitment to you!!! Our aircraft are carefully maintained in accordance with a CASA approved "Maintenance Schedule" and are subjected to routine inspections and servicing on a daily basis. Further, ALL our pilots are military trained Fighter Pilots and will carry out the "Mission" with the highest degree of discipline and professionalism, ensuring that your safety is not compromised.

“Objective 2” is passenger comfort and enjoyment. We know these experiences are a life long dream for most of our passengers. We will endeavor to make sure that the passenger and guests will remember this “once in a lifetime” experience with the fondest of memories. We also know these flights are not cheap and that the purchaser and passenger have worked long and hard to make this dream a reality. In order to maximise comfort, our experienced pilots will personally tailor each flight to the passenger. We will not rest until the mission is complete and our clients are as satisfied as possible.

“Objective 3” is to be a “Good Neighbour”. We are aware of the sensitive noise issues associated with our jet adventure operations. It is important to know that we have self imposed restrictions on our flight operations and adhere to very strict noise abatement procedures. Although our aircraft are much smaller and quieter than the commercial jets already flying from Hobart International Airport, we will avoid noise sensitive areas and limit our flight time in the airport area to the least amount possible to maintain safe flight profiles. The majority of our flights are flown out over the water which adds to safety reduceing the possibility of severe turbulance and also minimizes our noise impact to populated areas.

Operational Risk Management Program

Aerobatic flight is inherently more dangerous than normal routine flight operations such as Commercial Regular Public Transport, Charter, and General Aviation. However, we have identified specific areas that will limit our Operational Risk to a minimum increasing safety to a maximum :

Maintenance

Our Jet Provost aircraft are carefully maintaned in accordance with a CASA approved "Schedule of Maintenance" which has been modelled from that used by the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force (RAF). The Jet Provost last flew with the RAF on active service and we have the original logbooks formally maintaned by them. Our Nanchang aircraft are maintained to the same high standard using the maintenance sytems used by the Chinese Air Force. We operate our aircraft with a LIMITED CATEGORY CERTIFICATE OF AIRWORTHINESS which requires us to follow strict guidelines as set forth by the Australian Warbird Association Ltd of which we are a member.

Aircraft Choice

We specifically chose to fly the Jet Provost Mk5 and CJ6a Nanchang because they were designed tough as Military Trainers making them robust, reliable, and aerodynamically predictable. The Jet Provost has one of the safest track records of any military jet aircraft and it is for this reason that the RAF chose to operate the series for so long. The "Side by Side" seating arrangement allows the pilot to look after the passenger easily and adds to the pilot's overall situational awareness, adding to safety.

Pilot Training

Unlike other Jet Adventure Companies, you will always have an experienced MILITARY TRAINNED FIGHTER PILOT as your Mission Commander. This adds credability, discipline, professionalism, and an undisputable proven past performance to all our flight packages adding to the overall safety of each mission.

OUR AIRCRAFT MARKINGS AND LOGOS

Top Gun Tasmania Pty has taken inspiration from two Tasmanian symbols. Firstly, for our Squadron badge we chose a classic Tasmanian bird of prey, the White Bellied Tasmanian Sea Eagle, found coastally throughout Tasmania. For the Jet "Roundell" we modelled our design from that of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the blue, white and red kangaroo but replaced the kangaroo with one of the most famous Tasmanian animals, the Tasmanian Tiger. We also proudly display the Tasmanian State Flag on our vertical fin. Interestingly, the RAAF originally had only a red circle in the centre of their roundell but after a RAAF WWII aircraft was misidentified for a Jananese war plane and mistakenly shot down by a US fighter, they changed the circle to the unmistakable Australian Kangaroo. Fortunately for Top Gun Tasmania, we dont have to worry about being shot down, but feel very proud of our "colours" and hope to represent Tasmania in "Top Gun" style! Perhaps we're the beginning of the Royal Tasmanian Air Force (RTAF)? :)