Top Gun movie 30th anniversary

[chopper2004]

Am led to believe it's been 3 decades since Top Gun came out at the cinema 😎😎😅

I wonder what reactions from our Tonka / Rhino / Lightning and SHAR crews after watching it with stack of popcorn, , ...

Cheers

[Background Noise]

I seem to remember watching it, with the other flying sqns en-masse, in the station cinema at Laarbruch?

[MG]

I remember going to Lincoln to watch it one black flag afternoon on BFTS. We bought the soundtrack on cassette for the drive home and nearly killed ourselves on the A15.

[MACH2NUMBER]

As ex Lightning, F15, Rhino and Tornado pilot my view was: great photography and music, otherwise rubbish. The F14 at that time was not close to being a dog-fighting vehicle.

[Courtney Mil]

The air-to-air shots when they were at Top Gun were brilliantly done. The fly-bys were as girlish as you might expect from the Navy, but still entertaining. The plot and the way the crews were portrayed were absolutely cringingely awful.

[salad-dodger]

The air-to-air shots when they were at Top Gun were brilliantly done. The fly-bys were as girlish as you might expect from the Navy, but still entertaining. The plot and the way the crews were portrayed were absolutely cringingely awful.
See a little bit of yourself in there did you Courtney? Which one, Maverick, Slider, Iceman, Kelly McG? :E

[Tiger G]

One of the best movies ever - and, one of the worse !! :ok:

[Turbine D]

The F14 at that time was not close to being a dog-fighting vehicle.
30 years from now, I wonder if the same comment will be made about Top Gun II featuring the F-35C...:E

[Janda]

I actually enjoyed the film as a bit of entertainment and not worry to much about the detail. What concerns me is that the film is 30 years old and I am 30 years older. Where did the time go?:confused:

[Marcantilan]

I saw the movie 30 years ago. At the time, I was playing "F15" in my Commodore64, so I could explain to my fellow classmates (I was 10 at the time) about the HUD simbology, Sidewinder missiles and so on.

Later in my life, I realized Top Gun was a gay movie:
How did Top Gun become so gay? (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/how-did-top-gun-become-so-gay/)

Still, I like the Mig 28s and F14s...

Regards,

[DON T]

Background Noise, Although not aircrew or invited, I can remember all aircrew attending that performance at Laarbruch by order of the CO.

Mind when I signed on the dotted line in 1965 I went and watched 633 Sqn at the cinema in the afternoon. I can recall being the proudest person there.

[tartare]

The use of F-5s (?) as MiG stand-ins always annoyed me.
Especially as they had a couple of the real things at Nellis which could have been borrowed at the time! (I jest).
Agree - it was so bad - it went right out the other side of bad and became good.

[CaptainMongo]

First movie I ever went to with my dad (just the two of us - the old Latvian didn't go to the "movie house' often) . I was a senior at UW Madison, AFROTC, and soon to attend UPT at Willie. He probably doesn't remember it, but I never will forget it.

[layman]

A story I heard from one squadron at the time, was their 9 minute version made it much more interesting ... of just the flying sequences

[just another jocky]

The air-to-air shots when they were at Top Gun were brilliantly done. The fly-bys were as girlish as you might expect from the Navy, but still entertaining. The plot and the way the crews were portrayed were absolutely cringingely awful.


Agree with that CM.


The film just proved to me that fighter pilots talk bollocks. :E

[Gordon17]

I was at university in Birmingham at the time and one of my friends who was in the UAS went to see it on 6 consecutive nights.

He never made it into the RAF but I believe he is now a Long Haul captain in BA.

[Martin the Martian]

And don't forget its biggest legacy: enabling the tabloid press to label any fighter pilot as a Top Gun for the last thirty years.

[Tiger_mate]

I watched it in '86 and was a Ab-Initio OCU stude at the time.

It made the film company millions of $$
It made Ray Ban shades millions of $$
It made Tom Cruise:
It made a whole load of BritMil aviators envious of US military aviation.
Lots of (female) school teachers & nurses became pilot groupies overnight.
Contrary to the bad press above - everyone went to see it.

The music is to this day awesome
Huge white Y fronts never were cool
Kelly McG isn't a patch on Susannah York

For me; the plot speared in when a Pilot cried for a Nav in public..
and I prefer 'Flight of the Intruder'; but then I can relate to a maverick (pardon the pun) pilot.

I dare say that military recruitment on both sides of the pond benefitted.

[mgahan]

I saw the Australian version of the stage play during my four years as a controller at RAAF Williamtown so I gave the movie version a miss.

MJG

[99 Change Hands]

I first saw it projected in the ante-room of the mess at Bruggen at the end of a very boozy weekend landaway. The sound failed half-way through and I received something of a mixed reception when I started doing the sound effects. Shortly afterwards I insisted on Mrs 99 watching it at our holiday hotel in Corfu; she then lay awake all night because the navigator had died - oops!

[Wokkafans]

TC rode a GPZ900R in it and I had one too. That's where any similarity ended.

[Parson]

Have always been upset at a Nav/WSO being referred to as a 'rear'.

Also, the best quote I ever heard in a film at that time. Contained the phrase '...long and distinguished....' I seem to remember.

[Wageslave]

The portrayal of a fighter pilot as a cringing, panic-stricken, frightened indecisive cry-baby did it for me. I saw it in Pompey the afternoon of doing decompression drills at Seafield Park. We laughed ourselves crosseyed.

A handful of good flying sequences but the rest was abject trash from end to end.

[Dougie M]

Parson
Even tho the two wing master race are often disparaging to GIBS (Guy in back seat) in this case I believe that the term used was RIO (Radar Intelligence Officer). Only found out when watching the film on the box with subtitles.

[Parson]

Dougie M - many thanks for clearing that up, I didn't know that :)

[Courtney Mil]

See a little bit of yourself in there did you Courtney? Which one, Maverick, Slider, Iceman, Kelly McG

"Hello, Meg. Have you got any Courtney in you?" "Would you like some?"

[Dougie M]

Update after checking. RIO stands for Radar Intercept Officer. Most stupid made up name I've heard and Meg certainly would have got it then but the "modifications" she has undergone are a bit offputting.

[Maxibon]

It was the volleyball that made me want to join How disappointed was I when arriving at Cranwell in February.

[Hempy]

'Hey Courtney ya big stuuuud'

'That's me honey'

'Take me to bed or lose me forever!'

'Show me the way home, honey!'

[Sleeve Wing]

Some of the best lines in aviation feature films ever……………..
“ Well, yer see,………..we were inverted……... “

However, the characterisations were embarrassing to anyone who’s been there.
Don’t think we were ever as dumb as that; at least, for a 22 year old, I like to think not ! Still, some great photography…..and Meg Ryan !

It also struck me that there was not a single mention of the half dozen RN AWIs’ connection. They basically set up the Top Gun course at Miramar to help the USN who were suffering too many losses in Vietnam. Still, American film I suppose. Bit much to expect !

One of the best has, I believe, recently passed on ; Lt.Dick Lord.RN, of 764 NAS, Lossiemouth.

Forgive a bit of thread creep, but Dick later became a Brg.Gen.in the SAA. Read his book, “Tail hooker to Mud mover” which contains quite a bit about the formation and development of “Top Gun” school.
Quite a career the like of which we are unlikely to see anymore.

[Wander00]

Goes to show, 30 years ago being gay in the military was illegal, now it is apparently compulsory!

[PersonFromPorlock]

It is a very good principle never to go to any movie about anything you have the slightest knowledge of.

[Hempy]

Goes to show, 30 years ago being gay in the military was illegal, now it is apparently compulsory

Warning. NSFW.

vyN8VN4BSzM

[CoffmanStarter]

Hempy .... A simply excellent video find :D:D:D:D

[Monarch Man]

Preferred flight of the intruder myself, a somewhat more accurate depiction....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFZ7Woo53K4

[CoffmanStarter]

Amazing gadgets those extendable little tape measures :E

[Tankertrashnav]

Battle of Britain - pilot returns after a successful sortie and does a victory roll over the airfield - gets a huge bollocking from his CO.

Top Gun - pilot returns from a successful sortie and does a victory roll over the ship and is treated like a hero.

Sums up the Hollywood version of military flying.

Still in one respect Cruise makes a convincing FJ pilot - he is a shortarse after all!

[the_flying_cop]

A group of us sneaked into the cinema in central manchester (now a wetherspoons pub) aged 13. We picked out the oldest looking one of us to go and pay as it was rated 15. We had all given said boy £1 each and thrust him forward to the kiosk. We were most upset when the manager told us that if we were all 15 and above we would have to pay the adult price and not the child's price of £1.

In our deepest voices we all grumbled and chunnered to ourselves before stumping up a bit more cash to get in. We then sat on the back row, and smoked a pack of superkings between us.


It is still one of my favourite movies, but i do tend to fast forward any part which does not have aircraft in it.

[huge72]

Back in the 80s flying around Ireland at low level in the good old Wessex several of the pilots used to quote from the film at any and every occasion which prompted the comment from the crewman that Top gun was a film for ''Pilots and twelve year olds!!!!'' Still makes me smile when they repeat it on the TV.

[KenV]

The fly-bys were as girlish as you might expect from the Navy...Hey!!! I resemble that remark!

[mr fish]

STEVE STEVENS has played better guitar...before and since.

check out his rig rundown on youtube....about as complex as a tomcat radar.

FISH.

[KenV]

...in this case I believe that the term used was RIO (Radar Intelligence Officer).That should be Radar Intercept Officer.

[engineer(retard)]

Watched it at Roosevelt Roads, the natives cheered when the baddies got it, we cheered when the baddies hit back. It could have ended in tears but it seemed a good idea at the time :)

[OK465]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzvDoRrnxwY

Even better than Harrison Ford.

He probably doesn't get many dollies.

[Tashengurt]

Watched it within weeks of joining up. Marvelled at the super cool aircrew.
Then got to 43.
Real life did not imitate art!

[claron]

Watched it in the Astra at Laarbruch, with the minions, and the place was howling! Also found the soundtrack in the tape player in the rear of XV Tonka, during a turnaround in Nellis, a sort while later, although the Rear wouldn't own up to it being his!

Stopped for beer in the Top Gun bar (Kansas City BBQ) in San Diego last year, the owner must be laughing all the way to the bank, is the number of people still visiting after 30 years is anything to go by!

[RAFEngO74to09]

More movie location trivia:

The scene where Maverick goes round to Viper's house on a weekend to discuss his options was shot at the New Point Loma Lighthouse. The US Coast Guard quarters still look great today.


https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7049/6980651289_cdf80af829_b.jpg

[Wetstart Dryrun]

'Hot Shots' gets my vote. They still use F5's for the bad guys, but Gnats for the heroes....

incomparably hilarious.

[Tashengurt]

So "Take my breath away " is also 30 years old!

[drustsonoferp]

I first saw this on television, aged 12 or 13 maybe. I quite enjoyed it then, and later remembered only the parts about F14s, Goose's impact with the canopy frame on ejection, and some stuff on a motorbike. I didn't see it again for another 16 years or so, when someone put it on for a group of us in a sandier part of the globe.

I was amazed to learn how little of the film was made up of the F14s and motorbikes, and quite how much was utter tosh. I haven't felt the need to watch it again.

[Lonewolf_50]

Having spent a career around Navy Pilots, I have met zero like "Mav" who survived their first tour. Met a few like Ice. Met a bunch of aviators, NFO and pilot alike, like Goose.

As for Charley, she wasn't that hot.

F-5's were used in adversary squadrons for a few decades. There was a good reason for that.

As to lines used from that movie, I can't count the number of times we used "gutsiest move I ever saw" and none of those occasions had anything to do with flying anything. As an ironic or smartarsed remark, it still gets mileage.

[cattletruck]

I was bestowed the gift of "The making of Top Gun", summary follows:

* Tom Cruise when being given a feel for the gig by being taken up by a USN FI in a simple training jet would chuck up like clockwork. The other characters were able to hold it in - mostly.
* The film crew were kicked off the aircraft carrier after one and a half days of filming, although not specifically mentioned, probably because of their homosexual extrusions.
* A wing panel detached itself from the F-14 in the scene where Maverick hits the speed brake and the bad guys fly past him.
* There had never ever been an incident where the ejection seat hit the released canopy. This was just an over dramatisation.
* A respected civilian stunt flyer lost his life when trying to create the flat spin camera sequence.
* The closing title scene where an F-14 makes a landing at the school is an absolute shocker of a landing with the nose gear hitting the tarmac hard and bouncing back up in the air several times.

[Hempy]

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xk75ps_iceman-the-later-years_shortfilms

[aox]

And don't forget its biggest legacy: enabling the tabloid press to label any fighter pilot as a Top Gun for the last thirty years.

Well, at least it was an update and slightly more accurate than Ian Wooldridge of the Mail waffling more than once about Biggles in an article about a visit to a gliding competition.

[CoffmanStarter]

So "Take my breath away " is also 30 years old!

Tash ...

Not so ... Listerine first went on sale in 1914 :}

I'll get my coat ...

[OK465]

I have met zero like "Mav"

My son is now a Navy T-6 instructor.
He was a lot like "Mav" in high school and college, but fortunately 'grew' out of it when he went to USN 'officer and a gentleman' school....USMC trained, USN owned.

But he played rugby instead of volleyball.

[Rwy in Sight]

rugby ?


Are you sure about the sport, or is it a tongue in cheek?

[BEagle]

I also watched Top Gun at Roosie Roads - it's fine if you don't take it too seriously! Great music, generally - and Meg Ryan was a babe back then.

On the way back from RR, we diverted into Bermuda. Now that was much more of a fun time...:E as Tengah Type will undoubtedly confirm!

[OK465]

Are you sure about the sport, or is it a tongue in cheek?

RiS,

I know it sounds out of place for over here. But a number of US universities have 'club' rugby teams and leagues.

He played rugby....I know 'cause I paid his medical insurance premiums. I enjoyed watching the 7s tournaments because they were over more quickly.:}

I on the other hand played on the NCAA championship volleyball team at UCLA in its early years. Rugby scared me.

[PersonFromPorlock]

I once saw the Portland (Maine) Rugby team do an 'elephant walk' in a cellar bar in Orono, Maine. You don't want to know what they used for the elephants' trunks.

[OK465]

Speaking of 'bars', the 'singing' bar scene in the movie is not done in the infamous grungy WOXOF bar or even the Miramar main bar. Where exactly I'm not sure, but I would guess it's in one of the fancy back dining rooms if it's at Miramar at all....probably not.

Miramar had quite a reputation for its Wednesday nights in the WOXOF & main bar as well as the parking lot outside.

Friday nights were for Oceana.

[Just a spotter]

Apologies for wandering into the Mil Forum ... but I thought this might raise a smile or two around the parish ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxFq16IG_k0

JAS

[Lonewolf_50]

OKC: Oceana is in Va Beach, not Miramar CA.
I've been drunk at both. And yes, the Wednesday night insanity at Miramar was justifiably famous. (But it also died the death of a thousand cuts after the Navy started its crusade against drinking shortly after Tail Hook 91. :( )

[OK465]

Yes I know where Oceana is. Provided occasional depressed angle radar adversary support there (as well as for Miramar VFs at Yuma).

Took a flight of four F-4s on a boondoggle A/G gunnery range survey out of OKC for an upcoming ORI and managed to make Miramar Wednesday & Oceana Friday in the same week in the 80s. Stuck at Offutt Thursday night, however they did serve beer at the Global Bar. :)

Just want to thank the Royal Navy for making Miramar what it was. :}

[Bevo]

Saw this movie about six months after my exchange tour at VX-4 where I flew the F-14 and F/A-18 and took an F-14 to the Kitty Hawk (CV-63). I checked out in the F-14 at VF-124 at Miramar. For me the best part of the movie is the opening two-three minutes filmed on the carrier deck during operations with Danger Zone playing.

[tartare]

"...Also found the soundtrack in the tape player in the rear of XV Tonka..."

There's a tape player in the back of a Tonka?
As in cassette tape?
Or some other format meant for recording work=related activities that can be nefariously re-purposed for playing music...?
I knew it.
You're not all steely eyed killers - you're just tootling around up there listening to music... :cool:

[Roly]

It's a fair cop guv, mainly used to relieve boredom on long transits, but also on air-to-air gunnery trips....

[tartare]

I knew it!!!
And I'll bet that as Tally Ho is called and you pass each other at the merge, the guy in back pushes play on `Danger Zone' ;)

[Roly]

Well, I left Tonkas yonks ago, so by now they may well have replaced the cassette gubbins with a CD loader.....cool.

[XR219]

But what was an ASTROPHYSICIST doing teaching air combat to fighter pilots?

[Roly]

Nothing wrong with that. The late and much missed Paul Brown (PB), an Oxford Astrophysics grad, did exactly that on 229 OCU.

[charliegolf]

But what was an ASTROPHYSICIST doing teaching air combat to fighter pilots?

The late and much missed Paul Brown (PB), an Oxford Astrophysics grad, did exactly that on 229 OCU.

So sort of... Per Ardua A Astrophysicist for some then?

CG

[Lonewolf_50]

Took a flight of four F-4s on a boondoggle A/G gunnery range survey out of OKC for an upcoming ORI and managed to make Miramar Wednesday & Oceana Friday in the same week in the 80s. That's a good training mission! :ok:

[BEagle]

The late PB? What happened to him :sad: ??

[BlackadderIA]

Speaking of 'bars', the 'singing' bar scene in the movie is not done in the infamous grungy WOXOF bar or even the Miramar main bar. Where exactly I'm not sure, but I would guess it's in one of the fancy back dining rooms if it's at Miramar at all....probably not.

Miramar had quite a reputation for its Wednesday nights in the WOXOF & main bar as well as the parking lot outside.

Friday nights were for Oceana.

It was filmed in the 'Kansas City BBQ' in San Diego. It's still open and seems to survive based only on its association with the film. There's a pretty huge selection of patches from visiting aircrew on the wall now and a load of photos showing the filming.
Worth popping in for a beer but the food wasn't up to much.

[Roly]

IIRC, PB was suddenly taken ill with septicaemia while instructing on 229 OCU and sadly passed away in 1995. A gentle giant, rowing blue and a real character.

[BEagle]

The PB I knew left 56(F) Phantoms in around 1981 to become a Hawk QFI, later gaining his A1.

A really nice chap, but I don't recall him being giant-sized and he didn't really seem like a rowing blue, so perhaps another PB?

[OK465]

Thanks Blackadder, I missed claron's reference to it earlier also. Did not know that.

The only place I go for Kansas City BBQ is KC. ("Rendezvous" in Memphis is better)

The only places I ever went to in San Diego were the Miramar O'Club, the MCRD Club and the Zoo.....all fairly similar as far as a display of animals.

[MSOCS]

Blackadder,

Kansas City BBQ was where they filmed the piano scene with Goose & Co belting out Great Balls Of Fire. I think the bar that OK465 was talking about was the Righteous Brothers song; in whites; with shades.

[Roly]

PB ex 56 (F) and Hawk QFI became the 229 Tornado display pilot and was known as the Fat Aerobat; no relation to the late PB.

[BEagle]

Thanks for the gen, Roly!

'Fat Aerobat' - cruel, but fair!

[stilton]

You know this was a MOVIE right ?

Many of you chaps on that cold little island of yours seem to think it was meant to be taken seriously..

[thunderbird7]

No,no,no! This was a training film, knowledge of which was an essential part of annual standardisation checks - bit like Life of Brian, Highlander & The Blues Brothers :}

I'm sorry! The BAHlooos Brothers.

[camlobe]

Ahh, yes. The Elgin flicks 30 years ago. Great flying sequences. Great Meg Ryan (then). Great music (then). What plot?
And how a larffed when all the 12 and 208 Nav's in the room cheered every time Goose spoke. Hero worship I guess.

Happy daze
Camlobe

[ORAC]

UxFq16IG_k0

[Cyber Bob]

"No,no,no! This was a training film, knowledge of which was an essential part of annual standardisation checks - bit like Life of Brian, Highlander & The Blues Brothers http://cdn.pprune.org/images/smilies/badteeth.gif

I'm sorry! The BAHlooos Brothers."

Very funny T7 :):)

[ORAC]

Seems like someone who was at Stanley. CR check, fast forward VCR tape to random point with sound off on TV - Newbie required to provide voice over of dialogue.

IIRC one crew room used Monty Python movies, the other the Blues Brothers and Blazing Saddles?

[Top Bunk Tester]

ORAC - Not only Top Gun but also Blackadder 4 - Private Plane used extensively.

Trouble is now twenty five years later I still do it and every time it earns me a swift dig in the ribs from SWMBO!

[clivewatson]

Few here seem to know that Art Scholl lost his life in the making of this movie. Not that anyone should have known, but worthy of mention nonetheless.

[Wycombe]

Love TG, but there can be no doubt it was primarily made to attract gay men into the USN!

I provide as evidence the following:

Slider: Goose, whose butt did you kiss to get in here anyway?
Goose: The list is long, but distinguished.
Slider: Yeah, well so is my Johnson.

Wolfman: [watching a video of planes being shot down] This is giving me a hard on.
Hollywood: Don't tease me.

And then there's the volleyball scene....

[RAFEngO74to09]

OK465,

The supposed Miramar O-Club scenes were shot in the Mississippi Room of the Lafayette Hotel on El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego. They even had a Top Gun 30th Anniversary Party recently.

Top Gun Party - The Lafayette Hotel, Swim Club & Bungalows - San Diego Boutique Hotel (http://www.lafayettehotelsd.com/events/top-gun-party.htm)

The aircrew locker room scenes were shot at the Mission Beach Plunge.

Nothing is ever as it seems in movies.

Top Gun Revisited: 5 San Diego Locations Every Tourist Must Know ? LocationsHub (http://www.locationshub.com/blog/2013/10/27/top-gun-revisited-5-san-diego-locations-every-tourist-must-know)

[Coochycool]

"there can be no doubt it was primarily made to attract gay men into the USN!"

Can't believe it was initially intended as such.

First viewing for me was on a first date, whereby my (female!) companion seemed to be much more interested in the meatfest on view than anything I could offer!

However..... The USN do actually have some form on this matter....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InBXu-iY7cw

I believe this film was officially sponsored until they saw the end result and quickly "retracted". Oo-er!

[Ogre]

When the film came out the RAFs primary flying banana squadron were down at a top secret flying base across the runway from what is now Newquay International airport. The lineys popped into the local cinema to watch it for a laugh, and when the lights came up at the point where they changed reels (remember that?) the back row seemed to be filled with our aircrew.


Several reruns of specific lines from the film were attempted the following day but it didn't quite sound the same when the numerous "Goose" and "Mav" stand-ins were waddling down the flight line in full immersion suits....

[thunderbird7]

Few here seem to know that Art Scholl lost his life in the making of this movie. Not that anyone should have known, but worthy of mention nonetheless

I'd forgotten that. A sober reminder. He used to have a 'Super Chipmunk' and take his dog flying IIRC.

[Pontius Navigator]

* There had never ever been an incident where the ejection seat hit the released canopy..
There was an accident in RAFG, June 1973, with an F4M where the nav was killed. There may have been others.

[Pontius Navigator]

Of the gay aspects, remember when the Jag force was the butt of the jokes:)

[Hempy]

Pontius, June 1973

[Pontius Navigator]

Hempy, thank you, I visited that week, very distressing for everyone. I recall the pilot was devastated, don't know how he got on afterwards.

[Hempy]

Pontius, I believe he (G.R) went on to instruct on Tornados and also flew Spitfire/Hurricane with the BBMF.

In the aftermath of that accident they put a bevy of crews through the same scenario in the simulator. They all crashed. The ejection sequence was as per SOP, it was just unlucky.

[Pontius Navigator]

Hempy, thank you. I still remember the warning from my course years earlier. GR was one of my instructor s and the nav another. I can remember some of their names, Bob Rose, USMC and DJ aka Super Nav but not his.

[Hempy]

The nav? D.B

[Pontius Navigator]

Hempy, no, that is a brain cell too far, 47 years ago.

[Fonsini]

I was more of a Firefox guy myself.

"It's a missile cruiser dead ahead and I don't have the fuel to go around it - so I'm going in at Mach 3 in full afterburner at 50ft, because that's max endurance in a Firefox".

Makes Top Gun look like a documentary.

[Exmil]

I was a stude doing the combat phase of the F4 OCU when the film came out. Our course watched it and had a laugh at some of the sequences. I did get to use one of the "moves" many years later. On exercise, trying to find an EF111 over the North Sea, we managed to get visual with the Raven and proceeded to prosecute an unlocked guns attack, as they kept chucking the radar into a corner. After successfully filming the "kill" we passed them with a lot of overtake, inverted, communicating with "the bird". Just because we could.

[MMHendrie1]

Bruggen’s 14 Squadron aircrew watched Top Gun at Goose Bay in Canada while on an operational low flying exercise in preparation for Red Flag in October 1988:

‘Toward the end of the detachment the Boss invited the Base officers and their wives for drinks in the RAF bar on the ground floor of our accommodation block as a way of saying ‘thank you’ for looking after us so well. Flying finished at about midday because of poor weather and we all arrived back at our accommodation block together.

The Boss went to his room on the ground floor having reminded us all to be in the bar before 1700 hours to meet our guests. We headed upstairs to the large crewroom for a quick beer. Someone produced the not long-released Top Gun so we all grabbed a few cans and settled down to watch it.

That was it for the afternoon, beer followed beer, pilots sat next to their navigators, and the whole Squadron, minus the Boss, sat “enthralled” during the highs and lows of the film and the combats too. When Maverick’s navigator, Moose, was killed emotions ran high, with one or two crews sitting with their arms around one another’s shoulders. The film finished at about 1645. The Boss then looked in having found no one in the bar. It was not a pretty sight: His Squadron was well and truly wasted. He gave us five minutes to shower and change and be on parade! We made it too, it was a great party.’

(From Winged Warriors – The Cold War from the Cockpit by Paul McDonald)

[SnowFella]

Probably little known outside of Sweden but the same guy that did most of the the aerial photography in TG also did the same for a little known Swedish movie called "Älskar, älskar inte"
Copied quite a few of the moves, not using the Tomcat but a Viggen.

Break at 3:30 is just about as identical as you can make it!
https://youtu.be/cXCEY46v_Ec

[BEagle]

Looks like Goose dies again at about 4:32.....

cXCEY46v_Ec

Or was it a gull??

[JPJP]

emotions ran high, with one or two crews sitting with their arms around one another’s shoulders


I'm going to be sick


He gave us five minutes to shower.’


Shudder.


:E

[BEagle]

Bruggen’s 14 Squadron aircrew...

...one or two crews sitting with their arms around one another’s shoulders.

He gave us five minutes to shower...

Ah, but you have to remember that 3 years earlier it was a Jaguar squadron, so presumably the associated squadron traditions were still endemic....:ooh:

"Don't bend down....."