Each year, 150 students make their way to the Naval Air Station in Meridian, MS, on the path to becoming a Top Gun pilot, but many won’t make it through the incredibly difficult process. In National Geographic’s new documentary series, Top Guns: The Next Generation, viewers are given unprecedented access to the trainees as they take on advanced challenges like diving at speeds they’ve never faced before, up to 575 knots ( 662 mph or 1,065 km/h), or dropping bombs with pinpoint accuracy, and engaging in head-to-head dogfights to graduate and earn their wings.
For Austin Claggett, the dream to become a pilot began at the age of 9 when he was photographed looking into the cockpit of an F-18. Fortunately, he stayed grounded long enough so that we could learn more about his training and mindset. “I’ve always had this fascination with machines and the edge of human engineering,” Claggett tells M&F. “And a fighter jet is definitely on the edge of what our engineer’s capacity and abilities are at.”
These incredible flying machines are one thing, but in terms of his own human abilities, Claggett doesn’t come from a military family—his love of fighter jets, and his belief that life is all about “setting unrealistic goals,” is what has him reaching for the clouds. To stay there, however, Claggett must break through the physical and mental barriers that this level of flying skill requires.
Sleep and Hydration Are Essential for G-Force Tolerance
“Something that’s not spoken about is the importance of sleep and hydration,” explains the passionate pilot. He knows that when rest, and drinking adequate fluid is neglected, his performance suffers. When G-forces are high, pilots squeeze their legs to keep from blacking out. “Your G tolerance is notably less,” he says of the pitfalls of being dehydrated. “Which means you’re squeezing harder with your legs.”
Flying a plane at such speed takes a massive physical toll, too. The seats on the jet have hardly any foam backing and are not moulded to the individual like in high-end race cars. As such, pilots often feel soreness in their backs after flying. “I’ve definitely felt it in my neck, as well,” says Claggett. “We do 5G turns all the time, and so your neck is just hanging out,” he explains. Because the seats are so standard, Claggett also points out that “the core takes a bit of a beating. You have to hold yourself steady.”
Austin Claggett
How Austin Claggett Stays Super-Fit to Fly
Not only must pilots like Claggett be super fit to fly, but they also undergo regular fitness tests to retain their position. Individuals are expected to figure out their own fitness plan, however. “We all just come up with our own workouts that work for us, and we get physically tested by the Marine Corps twice a year,” he shares.
The fit fighter pilot says that he loves to stay in shape with a mixture of bodyweight and weighted exercise sessions. With little free time, Claggett focuses on the exercises that he finds to be the most “efficient.” On leg day, he employs functional moves like pistol squats. “That’s a great strength builder,” he explains. “I’ll also incorporate single-leg calf raises.” Claggett says that to stay stimulated, he changes up his routine, sometimes holding the weight at the top of the lift for strength, and in other sessions he’ll focus more on volume for stamina. “For chest, I’m working one-arm pushups,” he says. “If you can’t do one arm pushups, I couldn’t initially, instead to an archer pushup, which is essentially doing an asymmetric pushup where you’re leaned mostly on one-arm. They are great for strengthening your arms, chest, and core.”
For his arms, Claggett is currently working to complete one-arm pullups. To do that, he’s employing the same method that he used to unlock single arm-pushups, lifting himself with a bias on one side to strengthen each limb. For core training, the pilot primes himself with hanging leg raises. He further blasts his legs, arms and core with pike pushups and tells M&F that his favorite pushup variation is the handstand pushup. “That’s a great one for the shoulders,” he shares. “I’m not talking trash, but if you want to be smart with your time and get bang for your buck, a machine that hits one muscle group is not a lot of bang for your buck, in my personal opinion. So, when time is short, I switch to these calisthenic workouts that are hitting a lot of different muscle groups.”
Mentally, training to become a next generation Top Gun has really tested Claggett’s ethos of setting “unrealistic goals,” and yet he’s learned more about himself from completing the things that haven’t come so easily like hitting the correct altitude under stressful conditions. “As I continue through my military career, I’m continuously working and learning. How I can better myself?” he reflects. “I don’t think that will ever stop, right?”
While this must-see documentary chronicles Claggett’s journey at Naval Air Station Merdian, it seems like not even the sky is his limit. “I want to go to space,” he tells M&F. “At some point I want to be involved in designing sports cars, whether it’s like GT Series or Formula One. And outside of career goals, I want to be a father one day.” One can only imagine the amazing stories that Austin Claggett will tell his children.
Top Guns: The Next Generation is streaming now on National Geographic, Disney Plus, and many other major platforms.
