TOPGUN Pilots Really Are Charged $5 for Quoting From a Certain 1986 Film
Taylor Vasilik - 3h ago
Tom Cruise is back at it again in Top Gun: Maverick, the newly-released sequel of the blockbuster 1986 film. Military films are often a spectacle, combining historical knowledge and visual representations of combat with special effects and curated stunt scenes. So just how realistic are the flight maneuvers and dogfights compared to the real TOPGUN program?
To find out, Popular Mechanics editor Manasee Wagh spoke with Commander Guy Snodgrass, a real-life TOPGUN instructor, air-to-air combat and defense expert, and the CEO of Defense Analytics. Commander Snodgrass also spent time as the chief of communications for former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. His book, Holding the Line: Inside Trump’s Pentagon with Secretary Mattis, tells an in-depth story of his time in the White House.
The flying scenes in the film are authentic to real life, Commander Snodgrass explains in the video. He adds that he’s “guilty of watching the movies at least a couple dozen times” and that he’s particularly fond of the flying scenes; he just can’t quote the film while he’s on duty. Among former and current TOPGUN instructors, letting a movie line slip out of your mouth—like “I feel the need, the need for speed”—incurs an instant fine of $5.
After all, in a real military setting, professionalism is tops.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/topgun-pilots-really-are-charged-5-for-quoting-from-a-certain-1986-film/ar-AAY8Fxk?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=2b39765b1e2744a9ee8fe72b7d7d17e1
