QUESTION: At the end when there is a crisis in the Indian Ocean and Maverick and Iceman and the other pilots had to break up their Top Gun school graduation to go to the carrier. The carrier with all those F-14 on it. There were no other pilots on that carrier capable of flying a F-14 in air combat?
QUESTION: Iceman and Hollywood are in the air, Maverick is on the catapult on Alert Five standby. Just Maverick? There are 2 catapults. Why only one F-14 on one catapult on standby?
QUESTION: After Maverick launches off the carrier and he and Iceman are outnumbered 6-1. Both catapults break at once. What are the chances of both catapults on a multi-billion dollar carrier to break at the same time.
QUESTION: Is there still a Top Gun school now 34 years later?
QUESTION: Is this real? There was no CGI in 1986.
THOUGHT: I didn't think Charlie was pretty. She is build like a big brick horse and her mouth is kinda wide.
Tom is 5 7. Kelly is 5 10. In some the close up scenes with her and Tom, she had to stand in shoeless feet.
Last edited by NoFlyBoy; 05/23/2002:25 AM.
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#4522050 - 05/23/2004:02 AMRe: TOP GUN: 34years later. Some thoughts and questions.
[Re: NoFlyBoy]
Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 2,921vonBaur
Senior Member
She's the "love interest". No idea what a TAGREP is. Could be real, could be Hollywoodese.
Yes, the F-14 is a good-looking aircraft. From that angle it looks more like an actual eagle than an F-15, with the wings folded or extended.
There were lots of other pilots on the carrier. But none of them were named Cruise or Kilmer. Wouldn't be Hollywood if some extra pulled the Top Gun Honor Grad's (and the star's biggest rival's) fat out of the fire.
See above.
See above. Also, the chances of both catapults on an aircraft carrier going Tango Uniform at the same time in a movie right after the star launches are 100%.
Don't know. There's still a need for pilots to hone air-to-air skills. Don't forget, Top Gun and Red Flag (I think that was the name of the Air Force equivalent) were created because air combat in Viet Nam showed that reliance on missiles had eroded those skills. I certainly hope the Navy and the Air Force haven't forgotten that. Besides, they made another movie about it so it MUST still be in operation. Hollywood wouldn't make up something like that, would they?
No CGI, but there were other tricks that have been available since the early days of movies, including splicing and superimposng one image on another. But that particular one looks more like a case of "forced perspective". The two aircraft have horizontal separation, with the Tomcat nearer the camera and probably lower than the Talon.
Kelly McGillis is attractive, IMO. "Pretty", "gorgeous", "sexy" get very subjective. I doubt any of us would be terribly annoyed if someone who looked like she did showed an interest. I know I wouldn't.
You might be surprised at some of the things Hollywood will do (and has done) to artificially adjust the stature of their leading men and women. They would build duplicate sets with smaller doorways to make the men look bigger and larger doorways the women more petite. Alan Ladd (Shane, among many other roles) was only 5' 6". They would routinely dig ditches for his leading ladies to walk in so they didn't tower over him. Again, forced perspective.
SALUTE TO ALL!
#4522052 - 05/23/2004:25 AMRe: TOP GUN: 34years later. Some thoughts and questions.
[Re: NoFlyBoy]
I don't know what that picture is taken from but I think they used models too. Maybe for only when they blew the migs up but they used models to some degree too. I think the inverted negative G dive shows real planes in flight but like mentioned above were spliced some how. I always thought Kelly McGillis was exceptional in Witness.
John 10:1-30 Romans 10:1-13
#4522069 - 05/23/2009:14 AMRe: TOP GUN: 34years later. Some thoughts and questions.
[Re: NoFlyBoy]
The US Navy Fighter Weapons School (a.k.a. Topgun) still exists, but moved from San Diego, CA to Fallon, NV in 1996. It also now includes air-to-ground training as well, and is more of a general combat training program than an air-to-air dogfighting school. The US Air Force has a Fighter Weapons School that is similar, and graduates are called "patch wearers" because they get a patch that indicates they passed, and they're considered elite.
Red Flag exercises are more simulations of war than teaching the deployment of weapons and specific tactics, and often include other countries. They help with overall combat operations and coordination more than just increasing a pilot's skill in certain areas.
Ken Cartwright
No single drop of rain feels it is responsible for the flood.
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
#4522080 - 05/23/2012:01 PMRe: TOP GUN: 34years later. Some thoughts and questions.
[Re: NoFlyBoy]
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
#4522081 - 05/23/2012:05 PMRe: TOP GUN: 34years later. Some thoughts and questions.
[Re: NoFlyBoy]
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
#4522086 - 05/23/2002:03 PMRe: TOP GUN: 34years later. Some thoughts and questions.
[Re: NoFlyBoy]
Kelly was okay but she did not age well at all and she went south to the "carpet club," so...
Clearly Meg Ryan is the superior choice. She's almost too tall, though, even at 5'8. Pretty much anything past 5'5 is getting too big for a woman in my book. My wife is 5'2.
BTW, Flyboy, where have you been?
Most of us watched Top Gun multiple times in the theaters in the 80s, I bet.
Last edited by Mr_Blastman; 05/23/2002:37 PM.
#4522129 - 05/23/2007:03 PMRe: TOP GUN: 34years later. Some thoughts and questions.
[Re: NoFlyBoy]
Arthonon, that making of The Final Countdown was excellent!
++++++++++
This thread, along with getting back to an 80's Cold War playlist project, has sparked an enthusiasm in me that I haven't felt in years. Today I cleared out an area in our guest bedroom for a simple 'cockpit' project to use with my gaming PC (very old, not impressive), and then I pulled out my Saitek X52 from storage. I showed my father my plans (simple wood-frame construction to hold a seat, HOTAS and screen) and he thinks we might already have the material in the barn, maybe even a seat (old office chair). Meanwhile, I flew a couple of classic sims with the X52 (still have the profiles) and it felt good compared with my Logitech Wingman JS, much more control at my fingertips. I'm hoping that I've mellowed out enough to ignore some of the irritating quirks of my old flight sims and can just enjoy them for what they are.
Last edited by MarkG; 05/24/2002:32 AM.
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
#4522172 - 05/24/2003:04 AMRe: TOP GUN: 34years later. Some thoughts and questions.
[Re: NoFlyBoy]
Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 121,483PanzerMeyer
Pro-Consul of Florida
PanzerMeyer
Pro-Consul of Florida
King Crimson - SimHQ's Top Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,483
Miami, FL USA
Originally Posted by NoFlyBoy
I was a baby. Watch it on videotape many times when I was a kid.
So you're about 35 years old? I would have guessed you were like 20 based on your posts that I've read.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4522173 - 05/24/2003:07 AMRe: TOP GUN: 34years later. Some thoughts and questions.
[Re: Mr_Blastman]
Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 121,483PanzerMeyer
Pro-Consul of Florida
PanzerMeyer
Pro-Consul of Florida
King Crimson - SimHQ's Top Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,483
Miami, FL USA
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Clearly Meg Ryan is the superior choice.
Age has not been any kinder to her than it has been to Kelly McGillis.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4522174 - 05/24/2003:23 AMRe: TOP GUN: 34years later. Some thoughts and questions.
[Re: NoFlyBoy]
When making Fleet Defender in the early-to-mid-90's, how popular were "The Final Countdown" and "Top Gun" in the hallowed halls of MicroProse?
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
#4522198 - 05/24/2002:04 PMRe: TOP GUN: 34years later. Some thoughts and questions.
[Re: NoFlyBoy]
So what will become of Cougar after he gave up his wings? Does it mean he won't be able to fly Navy jet fighters or that he won't be able to fly anything or that he will still be able to fly something like the refueling plane? Will he be dishonorably discharge or will he spent the remaining years doing other duties like mess or laundry or what they call it when they mop the deck?