Born in Moline, Illinois in 1935, Dan Pedersen learned his love of flight from his father, a World War II veteran who took Pedersen on his first flight in 1946 in an old Ford Trimotor. The family later moved to California where Pedersen enlisted as a seaman recruit in the US Navy at Los Alamitos in 1953. Inspired again by a flight in a Navy jet, Pedersen applied to the Naval Aviation Cadet program, which trained enlisted men to fly. In 1955, Pedersen went to Pensacola, Florida where he learned the craft and received his wings on March 1, 1957. Pedersen was assigned to VF (AW)-3 in San Diego where he honed his skills flying the F4D Skyray. In 1962, he transitioned to the McDonnell F3H Demon with VF-121 and then undertook an 8-month cruise onboard the USS Hancock in 1963 with VF-213. After that, Pedersen spent two years in Point Loma, with the fleet anti-air warfare-training center. Then he learned to fly the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II once again with VF-121, and assigned to combat duty in Vietnam with VF-92 on board the USS Enterprise. During his combat sorties, Pedersen saw first-hand the negative results of the limitations put on American pilots by inadequate training and overbearing restrictions. In January 1969, Pedersen's concerns were confirmed when the Navy published the Ault Report, which recommended the establishment of an "Advanced Fighter Weapons School" to improve fighter pilots' skills. At the time, Pedersen was at Naval Air Station Miramar, where he was an instructor in advanced tactics and subsequently the perfect candidate to lead the school. On March 3, 1969, Pedersen was appointed as First Officer in Charge of the U. S. Navy's world famous TOPGUN Fighter Tactics Instructor postgraduate training program, which he and eight other young naval aviators were instrumental in establishing. After his time with TOPGUN, Pedersen flew combat missions during the Vietnam War before becoming squadron commander of VF-143 onboard USS America. In 1976, he was promoted to Captain, later commanding the tanker USS Wichita before becoming Captain of the aircraft carrier USS Ranger in 1980. After relinquishing command of Ranger, he became Deputy Chief of Staff for the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Today he is known as the "Godfather of TOPGUN."
Inducted in 2022.
Portrait Location: Not Currently on Floor

Induction Video