“I
feel the need... the need for speed” –
an oft-quoted line that could only have
come from one lm.
Its 32 years since the release of
Top Gun in 1986 and the lm remains popular
today. Several songs from the soundtrack
were hits, while the press reported on a new
wave of ‘Hollywood patriotism’. It made Tom
Cruise into a household name and elevated
the careers of Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer and
Meg Ryan.
But if you’re reading this magazine you’re
probably more interested in the jet-fuelled
titanium ‘stars’ and the sky-searing dog ght
action. With the long awaited sequel Top
Gun: Maverick reportedly currently being
lmed, let’s look back at how the original
was created.THE REALITY
The Navy Fighter Weapons School (NFWS)
was known as Topgun from when the rstclass graduated in 1969. The initial cadre of
instructors started from scratch with minimal
support, fought bureaucracy, organisational
jealousy, and a host of other obstacles to
launch the programme.
Those rst instructors, by any measure,
got it right. They had been in combat, done
their homework and were also talented,
smart, resourceful and committed to teach
effective air combat, using whatever tools
were available. The founders were followed
like a belt of 20mm ammunition by new
instructors who continued to uphold the high
standards and build on that solid foundation.
US Navy and Marine Corps ghter
squadrons sent their best aircrews as
students – to soak up the classroom
training and challenge the faculty’s
Douglas A-4s, Northrop T-38s and F-5s
above the American southwest desert.
Upon graduation, those students returned
to their squadrons and passed the torchFormer US Navy radar intercept offi cer
Dave ‘Bio’ Baranek was an instructor at the
real Topgun school when Hollywood called.
He tells the story of the team who helped
bring realism to a cult 1980s fi lm and here
reveals some of the tricks of the trade.
16 Aviation News incorporating Jets December 2018
class graduated in 1969. The initial cadre ofsupport, fought bureaucracy, organisational
jealousy, and a host of other obstacles toHOW THEY MADE
TOP GUN OR TOPGUN?
The Navy Fighter Weapons School
sometimes wrote Topgun as one word
and sometimes as two. When Paramount
Pictures made the lm, the title was two
words, Top Gun. To ensure clarity the author
uses Topgun as a single word to describe
the ying squadron, and two words to
describe the lm.Above: From left: the author and his wife Laura
alongside Tom Cruise at the cast and crew
party on completion of lming. Copyright Russ
Novak, used with permission
Main photo: Three F-5Es playing the part of
MiG-28s in the movie Top Gun during a lming
sortie. Some of the black paint has peeled
off the middle jet, but the its ‘make-up’ was
touched up at the end of every ying day. All
photos Dave ‘Bio’ Baranek unless stated