Dale Snodgrass

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Dale Snodgrass
US Navy 041028-F-0971G-021 Retired Capt. Dale Snodgrass speaks to children from the Starbase program at the Florida Air National Guard Base in Jacksonville, Fla.jpg
Nickname(s)"Snort"
Born(1949-05-13)May 13, 1949
Long Island, New York, US
DiedJuly 24, 2021(2021-07-24) (aged 72)
Lewiston, Idaho, US
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Navy
Years of service1973–1999
RankCaptain
Commands heldFighter Squadron 33
Fighter Wing, U.S. Atlantic Fleet
Battles/warsGulf War
Awards
Spouse(s)Cynthia West
Children4
WebsiteOfficial website

Dale Snodgrass (May 13, 1949 – July 24, 2021)[1] was a United States Navy aviator and air show performer who according to the Spokane Spokesman-Review was considered one of the greatest fighter pilots of all time.[2]

Snodgrass was the "highest time Tomcat pilot," after having accumulated more than 4,800 hours in the F-14 and more than 1200 arrested carrier landings, both more than any other pilot.[3]

He was called "The Real Top Gun"[3] or the real "Maverick"[1][2][4] in reference to Tom Cruise's character in the movie, Top Gun.

Early life and education[]

Snodgrass was born in Long Island, New York,[5] to Reuben and Virginia Snodgrass.[6] His father had been a World War II Marine aviator flying F4U Corsairs in the Pacific and later became a Grumman engineering test pilot.[1][3][5] Snodgrass grew up in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York with his three sisters.[6]

After high school, Snodgrass attended the University of Minnesota on a Navy ROTC scholarship and was also an All-American swimmer.[5][6][7][8] Snodgrass graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology in 1972.[1][7]

Military career[]

Snodgrass graduated first in his flight school in 1974.[6] He was the first student selected to begin flying the F-14 Tomcat right out of flight school.[2][3][7]

Snodgrass' callsign in the Navy was "Snort".[3][9]

In 1978 he attended the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, commonly known as "Top Gun", the Navy Fighter Weapons School.[2] He later became a Top Gun instructor.[1]

In 1985, the US Navy selected Snodgrass as "Fighter Pilot of the Year."[3][6][7] The following year, Snodgrass reportedly did a little bit of the flying in the film Top Gun.[1][3] As the best F-14 pilot in 1986, Grumman Aerospace awarded Snodgrass "Topcat of the Year."[3][7] He later became a demonstration pilot, a role he kept for 10 years.[10]

Snodgrass' famous "banana pass" over the USS America in 1988

Snodgrass was famous for his low-level flybys.[2] During the summer of 1988, Snodgrass performed a low-level "banana pass" or a knife-edge pass during an air show for a Dependent's Day Cruise for the families of carrier personnel aboard the USS America aircraft carrier.[2][10][11] A photo of the pass was captured, taken by a Naval photographer, and it is considered one of the most famous aviation photos of all time. Snodgrass' F-14 wings are vertical, and appears to be very close to the ship and the crew members seen in the foreground.[2][3][11]

During Operation Desert Storm, Snodgrass was the commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 33. Leading 34 missions as overall Strike or Fighter Lead in 12 operational Fighter Squadron/Wing tours, he was awarded honors including a Bronze Star for Leadership and Valor.[7] In September 1994, he became Commander of all US Navy F-14 Tomcats for Fighter Wing, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.[3][7][8][10]

In the Navy, Snodgrass was considered the "highest time Tomcat pilot," logged more than 8,000 hours of flight time including more than 4,800 hours in the F-14 and more than 1200 arrested carrier landings, both more than any other pilot.[2][7][8] He was the first Tomcat pilot to carrier qualify both night and day without any fleet experience.[7][11]

Post-military life[]

Snodgrass in his Korean War-era F-86 Sabre, 2004

Snodgrass retired from the Navy in June 1999 after 26 years.[2]

Snodgrass had performed in over 850 airshows over the course of 20 years.[7] Having flown F-14 demos at airshows for 14 years, he has additionally qualified in other warbirds, like the F-86 Sabre, P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, T-6 Texan, MiG-17, MiG-21, A-4 Skyhawk and F-5 Tiger.[11] He has been designated as one of only ten USAF Heritage Flight pilots.[7]

At Draken International, Snodgrass served as their Chief Pilot as well as the Director of Deployed Operations and Congressional Liaison.[1][5][7] He also taught formation flying and aerobatics to warbird owners, and provided upset training for corporate pilots and MS-760 Paris Jet customers.[3][10]

Personal life[]

Snodgrass lived in St. Augustine, Florida.[3] He was married to Cynthia (née West) and had two daughters and two other stepchildren as well as four granddaughters.[1]

Death[]

On July 24, 2021, Snodgrass was killed when his SIAI-Marchetti SM.1019 crashed while taking off at the Lewiston–Nez Perce County Airport in Lewiston, Idaho.[2] Snodgrass was the sole occupant of the aircraft.[9][12][13]

Awards and decorations[]

During his military career, Snodgrass received a number of decorations including a Bronze Star for Leadership and Valor.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h John, Caroline (July 26, 2021). "Dale Snodgrass Bio: Facts about the Legendary Pilot Who Died in a Crash". EarnTheNecklace.com. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mills, Joel (July 25, 2021). "Tributes pour in for flying legend Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass after fatal crash Saturday at Lewiston airport". The Lewiston Tribune. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Gary, Debbie (July 2010). "The Real Top Gun – Nobody handled a Tomcat like Snort". Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  4. ^ "A legend dies: Dale "Snort" Snodgrass has an accident". Austrian Wings. August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "CAPTAIN DALE "SNORT" SNODGRASS". Navy Legacy Flight Foundation. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Meet the Real Top Gun – Dale "Snort" Snodgrass" (PDF). Grumman World. July 25, 1986. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Leone, Dario. "Dale "Snort" Snodgrass, legendary US Navy F-14 Tomcat pilot, killed in the crash of a SIAI-Marchetti SM.1019". Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Staff (October 15, 2009). "Dale Snodgrass". The Flagship. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "AIRSHOW PILOT DALE SNODGRASS KILLED IN IDAHO CRASH". AOPA. July 26, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d D'Urso, Stefano (July 26, 2021). "Legendary F-14 Pilot Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass Dies In A Tragic Plane Crash". The Aviationist. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d Leone, Dario (October 4, 2018). "The story (and video) behind Dale "Snort" Snodgrass legendary super low Banana Pass". The Aviation Geek Club. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  12. ^ "Update: Pilot killed in plane crash is identified". The Lewiston Tribune. July 24, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  13. ^ Ress, Dave (July 27, 2021). "Famed Navy fighter pilot Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass dies in Idaho crash". Daily Press. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  14. ^ Fearing, Sarah (July 28, 2021). "NAS Oceana staple, Navy F-14 Tomcat pilot Dale Snodgrass dies in plane crash NAVY". Wavy.com. Retrieved August 12, 2021.

External links[]

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