Post by FlyNavy on Feb 1, 2009 14:33:46 GMT 12
www.zibb.com/article/4787092/Top+Gun+Admiral+recalls+his+Hollywood+stint
'Top Gun' Admiral recalls his Hollywood stint New Delhi, Jan 27, 2009
"For those of you, who love the 1986 Hollywood blockbuster 'Top Gun' for its fighter aircraft dogfights, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they were all realistically shot.
And the man behind those breathtaking shots were none other than the present day US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Robert F Willard, who revealed his Page 3 celebrity status to "curious" reporters here today.
"It is a little surprising that I am answering questions about the movie 'Top Gun' here in India," was the Admiral's first reaction, when asked to share his experience of being part of that most-popular film 22 years ago.
Willard, nicknamed 'Rat' by his Navy colleagues, to help you identify, was the pilot in the black helmet flying the fictional MiG-28 during the dogfight that so easily made Tom Cruise the action star he is today. The helmet still sits under a glass box in his office, reminding him of "his claim to fame." Cruise, the Lt Pete Mitchell in the movie, was identified by the nickname 'Maverick' that also featured Val Kilmer as Lt Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky.
"It has been 22 years. I had the unique opportunity to be involved in the making of the movie because I was the executive officer of the Navy Fighter Weapon School, nicknamed TOPGUN. I was responsible for all of the flying coordination and I flew almost every flight in that, including the A-4 Skyhawk," says Willard.
'Top Gun' was shot in four months and the aerial footage alone was 2.8 lakh-feet long. "It was a remarkable experience just to see how Hollywood goes on to make a movie and to work so closely with the director Tony Scott in coordinating the flying scenes, and in getting an understanding on their actors...How hard they work and to see the whole thing come together," Willard says.
The most vivid memory of the movie-making was the "challenge of flying inside the frame of a camera," he points out.
"We had to fly slower and lower than we were accustomed to and as a consequence, we had to train ourselves to fly very close passes and very close to the ground, and do some dynamic things in order to accommodate what the limits of the camera really are," he says.
Noting that 'Top Gun' producer Jerry Bruckheimer went on to be the most "ubiquitous" in Hollywood, he says the actors had all gone on to become a success in their own right.
"It is remarkable to me that 'Top Gun' re-runs occur every now and then. It is a great memory for myself and my family. We got to watch the volley ball scene we shot," he says.
On the concept of 'aerial dog fights' that are losing importance in the current day air warfare scenarios, the fighter pilot in the Admiral says he and most others in the US Navy and Air Force believe that the "close combat" in the air was forever.
"We are still debating if it is still a part of aerial combat. I would contend that in many circumstances it is," he says.
Pointing out that both TOPGUN School and the US Air Force Fighter Weapons School continued to teach dogfighting aerial combat, Willard, however, contended that the concept may differ from nation to nation and from airplane technology to technology."
'Top Gun' Admiral recalls his Hollywood stint New Delhi, Jan 27, 2009
"For those of you, who love the 1986 Hollywood blockbuster 'Top Gun' for its fighter aircraft dogfights, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they were all realistically shot.
And the man behind those breathtaking shots were none other than the present day US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Robert F Willard, who revealed his Page 3 celebrity status to "curious" reporters here today.
"It is a little surprising that I am answering questions about the movie 'Top Gun' here in India," was the Admiral's first reaction, when asked to share his experience of being part of that most-popular film 22 years ago.
Willard, nicknamed 'Rat' by his Navy colleagues, to help you identify, was the pilot in the black helmet flying the fictional MiG-28 during the dogfight that so easily made Tom Cruise the action star he is today. The helmet still sits under a glass box in his office, reminding him of "his claim to fame." Cruise, the Lt Pete Mitchell in the movie, was identified by the nickname 'Maverick' that also featured Val Kilmer as Lt Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky.
"It has been 22 years. I had the unique opportunity to be involved in the making of the movie because I was the executive officer of the Navy Fighter Weapon School, nicknamed TOPGUN. I was responsible for all of the flying coordination and I flew almost every flight in that, including the A-4 Skyhawk," says Willard.
'Top Gun' was shot in four months and the aerial footage alone was 2.8 lakh-feet long. "It was a remarkable experience just to see how Hollywood goes on to make a movie and to work so closely with the director Tony Scott in coordinating the flying scenes, and in getting an understanding on their actors...How hard they work and to see the whole thing come together," Willard says.
The most vivid memory of the movie-making was the "challenge of flying inside the frame of a camera," he points out.
"We had to fly slower and lower than we were accustomed to and as a consequence, we had to train ourselves to fly very close passes and very close to the ground, and do some dynamic things in order to accommodate what the limits of the camera really are," he says.
Noting that 'Top Gun' producer Jerry Bruckheimer went on to be the most "ubiquitous" in Hollywood, he says the actors had all gone on to become a success in their own right.
"It is remarkable to me that 'Top Gun' re-runs occur every now and then. It is a great memory for myself and my family. We got to watch the volley ball scene we shot," he says.
On the concept of 'aerial dog fights' that are losing importance in the current day air warfare scenarios, the fighter pilot in the Admiral says he and most others in the US Navy and Air Force believe that the "close combat" in the air was forever.
"We are still debating if it is still a part of aerial combat. I would contend that in many circumstances it is," he says.
Pointing out that both TOPGUN School and the US Air Force Fighter Weapons School continued to teach dogfighting aerial combat, Willard, however, contended that the concept may differ from nation to nation and from airplane technology to technology."
