How realistic were the flying scenes in the new 'Top Gun' movie?
A retired Top Gun aviator spoke with AccuWeather and dished on what was realistic in the blockbuster film -- and how important the weather is during real-life fighter jet missions.
In a year full of blockbuster movies, Top Gun: Maverick has flown higher than the rest, breaking box office barriers much like Tom Cruise’s titular character breaks speed barriers.
The movie has pulled in more than a billion dollars in worldwide box office earnings, becoming the biggest hit yet in Cruise’s 40-year career. Showcasing the story of naval pilots, Maverick looks to inspire potential recruits the same way the original Top Gun did in 1986.
That year, John Picco was far from being an American hero -- he was a 16-year-old kid preparing for a date. What he chose to do for that date, however, set him on the pilot’s path.
“I watched [Top Gun] that weekend about eight times and I was hooked,” Picco said during a recent appearance on AccuWeather Prime. “The date went horribly, but destiny was chosen at that point. What I saw there, I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t, but I just wanted [to be] a part of that action. It looked intense, challenging, amazing.”
Tom Cruise gestures for photographers during the red carpet event to promote their latest movie Top Gun: Maverick in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, June 19, 2022. The movie is to be released in the country on June 22. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Picco took on the challenge, eventually becoming a Top Gun pilot himself during his distinguished career as a Naval Officer. Nearly three decades later, Picco was entranced by the on-screen flight depictions once more, so much so that he's seen Maverick three times now.
“The public’s getting a chance to peek behind the curtain," he said in the exclusive interview. "I think the country and the world love jobs that are exciting and dangerous, and this certainly is that.”
What amazed Picco about the film was its realism and he applauded director Joseph Kosinski and crew for meticulously detailing the magic of flight.
Picco said the movie "really did an amazing job capturing how things work in the cockpit, all the G-forces, all the actors that were in the backseat were feeling the real effects and it was authentic flying.” He added, “No CGI. It was the real deal -- just an awesome example of what we do out there.”
What pilots “do out there” in the F/A-18 Hornet combat jets requires top physical condition, Picco said, before breaking down just how tough one mission can be while up in the air.
“For example, if your arm is 20 pounds and you’re flying a mission that requires eight Gs in a dogfight, your arm feels like 160 pounds while you’re moving it around the cockpit. Picture that as your head, neck, shoulders (are) twisting around trying to find someone, trying to find a target. It definitely helps to have those muscles in shape and ready to go.”
A third-generation officer, Picco also stressed the importance of how weather factors into flights. The challenges are numerous when preparing for a mission, having to account for anything from snow and sandstorms to blazing heat and thunderstorms.
Fortunately for Picco and his crew, meteorologists are with the pilots every step of the way.
“We go through meteorology training right when we start in [the Naval Air Station at] Pensacola,” he said. “Our meteorologists are on the aircraft carrier with us, involved in pre-flight planning. They know the mission, they know what weather we need, so they’re involved in the process the whole way. We get a weather briefing right before we get ready to brief the mission, and right before we take off from the carrier … so [they’re] super important.”
A U.S. Navy F18 fighter jet lands on the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) following a routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea Friday, March 3, 2017. The U.S. military took journalists Friday to the carrier on routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea, sending a signal to China and American allies of its resolve to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in one of the world's security hotspots.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Now retired from F/A-18 duty and working as a financial planner in Key West, Florida, Picco said that the charm of Maverick can be best described by its parallels to real-life Naval procedure, as well as the motivation behind every pilot: protecting the United States and its citizens.
“You get a chance to peek inside the cockpit, peek inside the training, and, frankly, the mission itself is something people can rally behind.”
While he's gone through a “wonderful transition” into his new life, Picco still has a soft spot in his heart for the companionship he enjoyed during his flying days, namely from base sailors.
“It was great working with those guys and gals. They’re the ones that get our airplanes up and running, prepping everything, putting weapons on, filling [them] up with gas … talk about teamwork, camaraderie -- that’s it.”
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