Who Really Did Buzz the NKX Tower in TOPGUN? ..... Watch --

[HuggyU2]

I thought that Scott Altman flew it. Learn something new every day.

I seem to recall that he was the one that was "communicating" using his middle finger with the MiG.

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.

 

[MIDNJAC]

That hangar at the end looks strangely familiar

 

[zipmartin]

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?

"Boa" Straight was the USAF Exchange guy during the actual filming, at least during the initial part. "Motown" probably relieved "Boa" and was there when the movie was released.

 

[ArkhamAsylum]

... make it recruiter friendly (hence the change in the sex scene). The rest is history.

Let me guess: the original scene was Maverick on Iceman?

 

[PhrogLoop]

While his face is familiar to me, I didn't really know him. And I don't remember him being that short, but he may have been. (Of course Cruise wore lifts, and they had a box for him to stand on in scenes with Kelly Mc.)

The movie credits list the below guys... in addtion to our "friend" Viper. And this link lists some other JOs who were in the film but not in the credits.


LCDR Lloyd "Bozo" Abel
LT Scott "D-Bear" Altman
LT Rick "Curley" Moe
LT Chuck "Silver" Lewis
LT Ben "Rabbi" Schneider
LT Tracey "Too Cool" Skeels
LT(jg) Kenneth "Squire" Smith
LT Dave "Bio" Baranek
LT Michael "Vida" Blue
LT Peter "Horse" Caulk
MAJ John "Player" Cushing
LT Ricky "Organ" Hammonds
CAPT Dennis "Sunshine" Dilucente
LT Michael "Flex" Galpin
LCDR Thomas "Sobs" Sobieck
LT William "Tex" Spence
CAPT Michael "Boa" Straight
LCDR Robert "Rat" Willard
LT James "Jaws" Winnefeld
LCDR C.J. "Heater" Heatley

Obviously, some of the above names are familiar to many here.

"The list is long and distinguished." To include 2 current 4 star COCOMs...

 

[Bio]

"Boa" Straight was the USAF Exchange guy during the actual filming, at least during the initial part. "Motown" probably relieved "Boa" and was there when the movie was released.

Boa was Air Force exchange at NFWS, and never flew the Tomcat. Motown was a "Fleet" Tomcat pilot in VF-1.

 

[HuggyU2]

Thanks for clarifying, Bio.
So, I'm hearing that today is the 25th anniversary of the movie? It apparently has a cult following. Who'd have thunk it??
Not sure where Motown is these days. I ran into him in San Antonio in 2001. Good shit,... good pilot.