That famous Top Gun quote about feeling ‘the need for
speed’ could have been a reference to mandated drug use. Filmmaker
Jamie Doran’s The Need for Speed is a 50-minute
documentary — viewable on the OneWorld TV website —
examining allegations that the military requires F-16 fighter
pilots to use amphetamines during combat. Central to the story is
the case of Major Harry Schmidt and Major Bill Umbach, the two
pilots responsible for the friendly fire deaths of four Canadians.
When court marshaled for their attack, the pilots’ defense was that
their commanders required them to take Dexedrine ‘or risk not
flying at all.’ Military officials insist that pilots are offered
amphetamine prescriptions to be consumed at their own
discretion.
— Erin Ferdinand
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The Need for Speed
