Top Gun

I : Top Gun School is Real

The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, also known as TOPGUN, is a real-life training school for elite fighter pilots.

The school was established in 1969 to teach advanced tactics to fighter pilots, and it has since become world-renowned for producing some of the best fighter pilots in the world.

The program is highly selective, and pilots must have at least 1,250 flight hours and be in the top 10% of their fleet before they can even apply to attend. Once selected, they must undergo rigorous training that includes classroom instruction, simulation exercises, and actual flight missions. The training focuses on advanced fighter tactics, including air combat maneuvering, air-to-ground attack, and long-range interception.

II : Crazy Credits

The opening credits sequence features a history of the Top Gun program before the title of the film appears on screen, with the remainder of the opening credits devoted to footage of planes being launched from and landing on an aircraft carrier.

Following the pictures of actors in the film in the closing credits, a brief shot is shown of two F-14s flying by amidst a red sky with a mountain in the background. The closing credits play over this mountain sunset scenery.

Before the closing credits, we see the cast members and the character roles they have played.

III : Tom Cruise did his own stunts

Tom Cruise is known for performing many of his own stunts in his movies, and Top Gun is no exception. In the film, Cruise's character Maverick is shown piloting an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, and many of the aerial sequences were filmed with real planes and pilots.

Cruise underwent extensive training in order to be able to perform some of the more challenging flying scenes himself. He spent months learning how to fly in a simulator, and then went through actual flight training in a T-38 Talon, a supersonic jet used for pilot training.

For the actual filming, Cruise flew in the back seat of an F-14 with a pilot in the front seat, and they performed real aerial maneuvers including high-G turns, rolls, and dives. The filming was done using specially-designed cameras mounted on the fighter jets, which allowed for some stunning and realistic footage of the planes in flight.

IV : Film was inspired by a magazine article

"Top Guns" was a magazine article written by Ehud Yonay for California Magazine in 1983. The article provided an inside look at the United States Navy's elite Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, which is commonly known as "Top Gun."

The article was based on Yonay's own experiences as a civilian journalist who was allowed to attend the Top Gun school and observe the training firsthand. The article was highly praised for its detailed and vivid descriptions of the training program, and for its insights into the mindset of fighter pilots. It provided readers with a rare glimpse into the world of naval aviation, and helped to popularize the Top Gun school and its methods.

The article was widely read and generated a lot of buzz in Hollywood, eventually catching the attention of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. They saw the potential for a blockbuster movie based on the Top Gun program, and hired screenwriter Jim Cash to write a script based on the article.

V : Top Gun facts for Cinephiles

Top Gun was released on May 16, 1986, and was a critical and commercial success.

The movie grossed over $356 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 1986.

Top Gun was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Original Song for "Take My Breath Away," which won the award.

Top Gun helped to popularize the United States Navy's Top Gun school and the image of fighter pilots as heroic and daring figures in popular culture.

The movie's soundtrack, featuring songs like "Danger Zone" and "Playing with the Boys," also became a huge success, selling over 9 million copies worldwide.