Films naturally embellish reality for the purposes of entertainment, and to a varying degree from the excusable (i.e. chronology and details in Braveheart) to the egregious (i.e. any computer hacking scene in WarGames). But one such flick that stands to be pretty damn accurate is none other than the Top Gun franchise โ according to US Navy fighter pilots, anyways.
For those who are unaware, TOPGUN is the nickname given to the real-life elite Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor school of which the films derive their titles. Established in 1969 with the intention to overhaul how air combat was approached, the main objective was to ensure allied casualties could be prevented after losing โgreat talentโ during the Vietnam War.
And personal dramas aside regarding burgeoning romances and oily volleyball matches with a strong homoerotic charge, the programโs depiction in both the original film and the Top Gun: Maverick trailer has been noted to be โincredibly realisticโ by real-life TOPGUN instructors.
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Though this is to be expected given the original film was made in cooperation with the US military. Fun fact, it would later go on to instigate a +500% spike in Naval recruitment after its release.
โThe flying was superb, probably some of the best camera photography of tactical aeroplanes thatโs ever been done,โ says Cpt. Dan Pendersen to TIME. Pendersen is considered the โgodfatherโ of the entire program.
โKelly McGillisโ character was based on a real advisor to the admiral at Miramar. She was very well thought of and went on to be the acting Deputy Defense Secretary.โ
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Though you will have noticed that the title of this article describes it as โpretty damn accurateโ and not โcompletely accurateโ โ and for good reason. As Pendersen elaborates, there are discrepancies that donโt exactly fly โ or so to speak โ in the actual TOPGUN program.
โIt created a false public impression of what it really took and the price we paidโฆ [The movie] created some animosity within the Navy by making it seem like it was a golden thing to be a fighter pilot. What about the guys who werenโt flying fighters?โ
โI also didnโt care for the open competition between the guys in the movie. Itโs the best brotherhood youโd ever want to be a part ofโฆ My guys were far more serious and cerebral than the guys in the film because there was a war going on. We actually worked seven days a week probably, starting at 4:30 in the morning.โ
As for the evolution of TOPGUN since, much of the programโs bones and ethos remains the same. All that has really changed is the technological innovations and economics behind being a pilot in general. Not all of these would-be progressions necessarily for the better, either.
โA lot of pilots are getting out and going to work for an airline, where they can make two or three times the money and go home to see their familyโฆ All it takes is a single bullet in the right place to do you in.โ
Read the complete TIME article here.
