mustangdriver wrote:
I just found out some interesting stuff about the movie. Being that it is going to be presented at EAA theatre in the woods, I thought some of you might be interested in this.
Top Gun was to be originally named TOPGUNS, but the Navy wanted it changed to the same name as the school.
After it's release, it was number one for a few weeks, but stayed in theaters for more than a year.
The flat spin scene in the movie was inspired by a true to life event that took place on a training mission. Same with the Death of "Goose". According to an F-14 Top Gun instructor, in a flat spin the pilot is pinned in a position that he can not reach the ejection handle. The RIO is pinned to a spot where he can, and has to be the one to punch them out. Now if the aircraft is in a flat spin, and the canopy is blown, the canopy will come of differently from a normal ejection. The crew would have to wait until the canopy is gone before punching out. You are not going through the glass in an F-14.
Several different scenes where shot for endings, involving maverick landing his plane, none where used.
At one point the director was getting ready to film, and the Capt. of the carrier turned the carrier in a different direction, messing up the lighting for the movie crew. The Director talked to the Capt. about returning to the old heading. The Capt. said it would cost the navy $25,000 to do that. The director wrote him a check on the spot for $25,000. The carrier was turned back to the old heading.
The command eject handle is located on the left console next to the RIO, on the A model it was a two position deal, giving full authority command eject both from the flight deck to either the pilot or the RIO. The ejection sequence with the Martin-Baker seat was either pull the handle between your legs or the handles on the face curtain just above and behind your helmet. There was also a seperate handle in both cockpits for jettsion of the canopy, however, pull the seat handles and the canopy is gone, no lag like in the movie. Even in a flat spin I don't think the movie senario is plausible. I never saw this in person but was told, that if the canopy jettison handle was pulled it would leave with enough force to clear the vertical stabs, ie like a field goal splitting the uprights.
Naval aviators and ground personnel where not only from TOPGUN,but many squadrons. In the pool scene my XO, from VF-124 can be seen. The controller that spills his coffee for the second time is on the upper deck of 124s hangar, which is hangar 3, Topgun was hangar 1. The movie is really a tour of every base in the greater San Diego area. The infamous bathroom scene is at boot camp NTC San Diego. The volleyball scene, was filmed in the field between our barracks and the bowling alley.
Lot of inconsistencies, but, what the heck, it was a hollywood movie not a NAVAIR training film.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
