Top Gun Maverick Reviews

OldRetSWO said:
I have lots of "gear" from the annual Tailhook symposium which primarily consists of shirts.

Yeah I'm a SWO but work is work and working at a symposium with good parties is tough duty but
someone has to do it.
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Now you're making me remember a party in the PI where the navy pilots had every AF pilot become "tail hook qualified" by "landing" and hooking the one-wire on the bar...

I have a certificate somewhere...and dim memories of the bruises and bleeding associated with a "bolter" off the end...
 
Capt MJ said:
Perhaps a SAF resource table is needed. I’d volunteer, because I think the culture is past the “bad stuff” from several years ago.
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Not to make you feel old but "several years" in this case is more than a generation at almost 30 years.
I attended most of them from about '00 to '09 and it was already no longer in Las Vegas and had regained
at least some of its prior status as there were many flags and very senior civilians in attendance.
 
OldRetSWO said:
Not to make you feel old but "several years" in this case is more than a generation at almost 30 years.
I attended most of them from about '00 to '09 and it was already no longer in Las Vegas and had regained
at least some of its prior status as there were many flags and very senior civilians in attendance.
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“Several” is a very flexible concept…
 
flieger83 said:
Now you're making me remember a party in the PI where the navy pilots had every AF pilot become "tail hook qualified" by "landing" and hooking the one-wire on the bar...

I have a certificate somewhere...and dim memories of the bruises and bleeding associated with a "bolter" off the end...
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That’s how I qualified. Not at NAS Cubi Point O Club though - impressive, if that’s where you did it.

The bar gets cleared down or several tables are put together runway-style, slicked down with water and ice cubes, improvise all the rest. I thought I was being invited to a nice wardroom party by the Jolly Rogers of VF-84. It was my third night at my first duty station. I had an interim room in the short-term visitor wing of the BOQ, directly across from the the squadron “admin” room booked by the Jolly Rogers while their carrier was in Rota for a port call. The squadron XO saw very fresh butter bars and cheerfully invited me. What an eye-opener, in many ways. Thank goodness the CO’s and XO’s and some other wives had flown over, because that kept things relatively decent. I gamely did the carrier quals. Nearly broke my nose and got banged up when I shot off the “runway” on one pass. Got ‘er done though.

Related professional reading:
 
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Capt MJ said:
That’s how I qualified. Not at NAS Cubi Point O Club though - impressive, if that’s where you did it.

The bar gets cleared down or several tables are put together runway-style, slicked down with water and ice cubes, improvise all the rest. I thought I was being invited to a nice wardroom party by the Jolly Rogers of VF-84. It was my third night at my first duty station. I had an interim room in the short-term visitor wing of the BOQ, directly across from the the squadron “admin” room booked by the Jolly Rogers while their carrier was in Rota for a port call. The squadron XO saw very fresh butter bars and cheerfully invited me. What an eye-opener, in many ways. Thank goodness the CO’s and XO’s and some other wives had flown over, because that kept things relatively decent. I gamely did the carrier quals. Nearly broke my nose and got banged up when I shot off the “runway” on one pass. Got ‘er done though.

Related professional reading:
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Yep, it was a Cubi!

Some fine folks there then...

The shouted term "BOLTER!" took on a painful meaning!!
 
I stand by my initial review. This movie was just as awful as the first. It was hard for me to "get into it" when elderly Tom is clearly in the back seat of every Hornet he is supposed to be piloting. :D
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I will give it to them to try to sell you on the idea, though. They show scenes like this with the back of "Maverick's Helmet" worn by the actual aviator:
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I watched it last weekend on Prime. I thought the pilots he was teaching were a little over the top on the acting.
 
We finally went yesterday to see it, afternoon matinee, just us and 4 others in the big theater. We had planned to go when it first came out, but something came up.

Suspending all belief in the viability of the plot and the magic not-realistic stuff that happened, it was just fun to watch. Oddly, both of us teared up at the Missing Man formation and funeral for Iceman. Have attended too many of those.

As far as the pilots overacting - ummmm, I have known my share of naval aviators over the years and found the banter, confidence to the nth, endless ribbing, etc., - all within norms.

DH enjoyed seeing the Tomcat in action, and all the flying, the BS stuff included, giving it the “it’s a movie” flexibility on truth-bending. He did note he did not recall a rounds counter for the Tomcat gun.

I stand by my earlier comments that they did not get right the disrespect for a career ending at captain. The aperture to make flag is minuscule and is considered icing on the cake. Did anyone notice if Mav had the command at sea pin on? I meant to look for it.
 
Capt MJ said:
I stand by my earlier comments that they did not get right the disrespect for a career ending at captain. The aperture to make flag is minuscule and is considered icing on the cake.
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Spot on!
I know so many really top notch folks who did not make it to flag as I'm sure is the case with you as well.
 
OldRetSWO said:
Spot on!
I know so many really top notch folks who did not make it to flag as I'm sure is the case with you as well.
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Agreed.

I did go look for some clips that do not show Mav wearing a command at sea pin in the “past” position in any uniform with ribbons. He did not have squadron command then, and became one of those untra-rare officers who had such an unusual but stellar career path he made O-6 (not an inconsequential eye of the needle itself) without command of any kind. I know it wasn’t an oversight by the costume department, given the close collaboration with the Navy. It was clearly a deliberate backstory choice.

I’ve attached a photo of Jon Hamm as the 3-star Admiral (what the heck was he doing handling this in person at the operational level, along with a 2-star??) with the gold command at sea pin in the “past” position, centered under the ribbon rack, posted for those who are wondering what the heck we are talking about. For unrestricted Navy line officers, succeeding in command as an O-5 commander in your warfare specialty is pretty much a pre-requisite for selection for O-6 and screening for major command at the higher rank.


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Capt MJ said:
Agreed.

I did go look for some clips that do not show Mav wearing a command at sea pin in the “past” position in any uniform with ribbons. He did not have squadron command then, and became one of those untra-rare officers who had such an unusual but stellar career path he made O-6 (not an inconsequential eye of the needle itself) without command of any kind. I know it wasn’t an oversight by the costume department, given the close collaboration with the Navy. It was clearly a deliberate backstory choice.

I’ve attached a photo of Jon Hamm as the 3-star Admiral (what the heck was he doing handling this in person at the operational level, along with a 2-star??) with the gold command at sea pin in the “past” position, centered under the ribbon rack, posted for those who are wondering what the heck we are talking about. For unrestricted Navy line officers, succeeding in command as an O-5 commander in your warfare specialty is pretty much a pre-requisite for selection for O-6 and screening for major command at the higher rank.

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Not to mention the amount of pilots who nope out at having to attend nuke school in their 40s. The number who say no thanks really self selects carrier COs and the path beyond that is pretty slim.
 
The pounding the wings into the casket was by far the stupidest thing in that movie. :biggrin:
 
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