![]() There were nitpicks, of course: turns during climbs that would have ripped an F/A-18 apart, pilots flying with masks off and a seemingly endless supply of fuel. The flying was far more realistic this time, they agreed, possibly because the actors were filmed inside real fighter jets (though not controlling them). “We’ve all lost friends that G-locked in, unfortunately,” he said. That kind of pressure physically forces blood out of the brain. Ratso appreciated that the film portrayed “pulling Gs” and showed a character losing consciousness from intense gravitational force during a climb. “My wife absolutely hates the way I drive,” Dozer said. ![]() You’re away from your family, in an isolated place, Ratso said. Dozer was not a TOPGUN guy, but was an F/A-18 instructor pilot. He was there for the final class in San Diego, where both films are set. Ratso went through TOPGUN in the early 1990s and later returned to teach. Rock had graduated from the military’s elite Strike Fighter Tactics program, known as TOPGUN, in 2000. Yeah, it was a big deal.”Īll three men had flown F/A-18 fighter jets like those in the new movie, Dozer and Rock with the U.S. “I was in flight school in Beeville, Texas, when it came out. He’d brought along his TOPGUN business card. ![]() Mike “Ratso” Cariello, a 61-year-old pilot for American Airlines, had a regulation haircut and probing eyes. “It was a driver for me going to the Naval Academy.” He was in high school when the movie premiered. He had six days left on active duty but had just started a civilian job with a defense contractor. “I will shamelessly say I was part of the ‘Top Gun’ generation,” he said. He wore a Bremont watch custom-made for his squadron, and had a bright face that looked clean-cut even with a beard.Ĭhris “Rock” Petrock had a jaw like a quarterback and appeared at least a decade younger than his 51 years. It’s like, ‘That guy’s really doing a Split-S,’ ” said Brandon “Dozer” Sellers, a trim, 46-year-old sales rep for a technology company. “Just watching snippets online, I’ve identified things about the flying maneuvers that are more technically correct than the first movie.
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