![]() The company planned to have a working SR-72 test plane ready to fly by 2025, so it's not far-fetched for such a plane to exist in the movie. The SR-72, nicknamed the "Son of Blackbird," is the successor to the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the high-altitude, long-range Mach3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft. While it is not a real plane, it was clearly inspired by the SR-72, Lockheed Martin's concept jet that the company proposed in 2013. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) serves as a test pilot for a next-generation hypersonic fighter jet called Darkstar. However, he did break them out to attend the Top Gun: Maverick premiere. Former Marine pilot Dave Berke says that he used to wear them all the time but has since outgrown them. The aviator sunglasses we see in the Top Gun movies are actually a standard issue accessory given to fighter pilots. VarietyĬontrary to what's seen in the movie, there has never been an issue with an ejection seat not working in an F-14. Unlike with almost all of the other Top Gun: Maverick fighter jets, the in-flight scenes were created with CGI. Though it didn't have an engine, "it needed to be operational enough that the canopy opens," said Jeremy Hindle, the production designer on the film. They had it shipped to an airfield near Lake Tahoe where several scenes with the plane were shot. The filmmakers found an F-14 on display at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. The only country that still flies them is Iran, which currently has six Tomcats. The F-14 Tomcat was retired by the United States Navy in 2006. In researching how accurate is Top Gun: Maverick, we learned that there are no F-14s still flying in the West. Some of the things that might trigger the bell to be rung is wearing your hat in the bar, putting your phone on the bar, getting a call from your wife, going behind the bar, etc. Penny (Jennifer Connelly) ringing the bell in the bar and penalizing the pilots for various infractions is a real thing that happens at officers' clubs and bars. "In some sense, I didn't have a lot of experience with people whose personalities were that over the top in some ways," says former Top Gun pilot and instructor Dave Berke, "but I can identify and resonate with every single one, so I think in that sense they still did a good job depicting ego, complacency, and a bunch of other subtle attributes you really gotta think about in order for someone to be successful in difficult situations." -Jocko Podcast In researching the question, "Is Top Gun: Maverick realistic?" we confirmed that the personalities of the pilots in the movie are intentionally magnified and somewhat over the top due to the fact that they have to stand out in a two-hour movie. Jocko PodcastĪre the personalities of the pilots in the movie over the top? "There are only three pilots on the staff of 25 who are Marines," says Dave Berke, former Marine fighter pilot and senior instructor at the school. At some point, the Top Gun staff will vote on which Marine pilots to bring back. Navy pilots who are going to be selected as instructors typically stay behind at the school to teach. Unlike Navy pilots, Marine pilots go back to their squadrons and usually deploy after completing the 13-week Top Gun course. How does a pilot get selected to be a Top Gun instructor? All of Top Gun: Maverick's jets are displayed below, including the movie's Darkstar reconnaissance jet. Former Top Gun pilot Dave Berke says that while this reasoning was clearly included so that the filmmakers could use F-18s, the justification given in the film is "certainly plausible enough to explain why they're doing it the way they did it," especially when looking at it through the lens of it being a movie. The movie tries to justify the use of the older F-18 Super Hornets over the newer F-35s by stating that the F-35's GPS weapons can't be used in a GPS jamming environment. Why do they fly F-18s in Top Gun: Maverick and not newer fighter jets? "You need to be towards the top of your peer group to be selected." -Jocko Podcast "There are some things you have to work at, some timing, some other things beyond your control." Berke says that while the pilots don't get ranked, there's definitely a tier you need to be in, as well as some certifications you need to have. "You have to be in the top tier of your squadron," says retired instructor Dave "Chip" Berke. Navy Fighter Weapons School, you indeed have to be the best of the best in a fighter jet. In researching how realistic is Top Gun: Maverick, we discovered that to attend the U.S.
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