I seem to recall that he was the one that was "communicating" using his middle finger with the MiG.I thought that Scott Altman flew it. Learn something new every day.
I knew the USAF Exchange guy there during the filming, Bob "Motown" Records. His stories of Wednesday night at the Miramar Club for the year or so after TG was released are epic. Renegade One, did you know Motown?
Additionally, weren't a lot of the scenes at the flightline shot at Fallon?
After looking at Tony Scott's storyboards for the flyby, my heart began to weep thinking about his new storyboards showing an RPA doing something "cool", while the pilot was having a coffee at his console.