Tom "Iceman" Kazanski (1959 - 2019) was a naval aviator of the US Navy who was the top of his class in Top Gun in 1986.
Biography[]
Tom Kazanski was born in 1959 and joined the naval aviation wing of the US Navy, joining the elite Top Gun school under the callsign "Iceman". Kazanski flew with Ron "Slider" Kerner, and the two of them were known for being cocky. Kazanski was at first the rival of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, competing with him for the plaque signifying the top student of the class. He won the prize, but he earned immense respect for Mitchell after his friend Nick "Goose" Bradshaw's death and after Mitchell saved him during the rescue mission of SS Layton from hostile waters.
30 years after his exploits in Top Gun. Kazanski had achieved the rank of Admiral and served as the commander of the US Pacific fleet. He requested Mitchell to teach at the TOPGUN school, believing he was the only one to get a team ready. Kazanski revealed to Mitchell that he was dying from cancer, making it painful to talk. He died days after Mitchell visited him for the last time; Maverick and the pilots attended his funeral, where he was honored with a missing man formation and Maverick pounds his wings into the casket.