22Tink
BC, Canada
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2015
Me too. I got goosebumps when it started playing.I love that they used the same music.
Me too. I got goosebumps when it started playing.I love that they used the same music.
Tons of rabbit holes. When Top Gun was filmed, Tom Cruise was 23 years old and way too young to be a Lt in the US Navy. Now he's in his late 50s and way too old to still be flying. Besides that, any military pilot who did all that kind of hot dogging stuff like buzzing the tower or other stunts would have been passed up for promotion (and thus forced to retire), court-martialed, or dead.
Yeah - I get it. Not real.
There's been a modification to the up or out policy. However, up or out would have normally applied to someone in the past 30 years. So of course it's not realistic that's he's still a Captain and flying. I thought that a lot of officers forced into retirement will stay on as reservists.The most interesting "factual" thing to me is that under the standard officer promotion rules that were in place until last year, the Navy practiced "up or out" personnel management. If you were passed over for promotion too many times, you were retired. Normal service time as an officer to be up for promotion to Captain was 9 years, but more than about 20 years time-in-grade at Captain was definitely going to get you pushed out.. So, my question would be, is the change in these rules part of the movie's plot? Officers can now stay in grade as long as they can pass fitness in certain specialist jobs, and aviation is apparently one of them.
As to the trailer, the great mystery is, who dies? Kilmer has been in very poor health in recent years, so having it be him could be a possibility, but I'm guessing that the death will be some kind of flight-related death of one of the younger characters.
I saw a news piece on an F-14 pilot selected for Fighter Weapons School. He was a LT at 30. I heard that's far more common than a 23 year old at that rank. And in the movie it's established that he couldn't get an Academy nomination so he would have gone to college and then to OCS (unless he was ROTC). However, I think the idea in Top Gun is that he's probably playing a guy older than his actual age, just like in A Few Good Men, Cruise is playing a much younger character.23 in not "way too young" to be a Navy LT. My husband was a LT at 23. He is a USMC officer and at commissioning was a 2ndLT at 21, which is equivalent to Navy Ensign. 1stLT is a quick promotion, and corresponds to Navy LT. By 23, most Navy officers are LT.
Now, a Navy LT with only 2 years service would likely not be selected to Top Gun school. Newly commissioned Ensigns report first to pilot school and only after completing THAT do they start actually flying planes (usually as LT). Most pilots will serve a couple years before being selected to attend "top gun" school.
I would want to like this, but I just can't stand Tom Cruise. Top Gun was always a better soundtrack than a movie anyway.
I would want to like this, but I just can't stand Tom Cruise. Top Gun was always a better soundtrack than a movie anyway.
The most interesting "factual" thing to me is that under the standard officer promotion rules that were in place until last year, the Navy practiced "up or out" personnel management. If you were passed over for promotion too many times, you were retired. Normal service time as an officer to be up for promotion to Captain was 9 years, but more than about 20 years time-in-grade at Captain was definitely going to get you pushed out.. So, my question would be, is the change in these rules part of the movie's plot? Officers can now stay in grade as long as they can pass fitness in certain specialist jobs, and aviation is apparently one of them.
I know it's not fact. However, military nerds go crazy over this sort of thing. Pilots certainly say that none of this is real because someone would die unnecessarily or they're fudging with reality. Active Navy Captains are rarely in their 60s, but movies often have these commanding officers pushing 70.I'm thinking something similar will be revealed about Maverick to fudge the "facts." Plus, being the only pilot to shoot down an enemy plane in the last 30-ish years, (as revealed in the trailer,) they gave him a special pass to do what he wanted.
In the Star Trek 3 movie, Admiral James T. Kirk was basically sitting in an admiral's chair rotting away & getting old. After purposely disobeying Star Fleet Command's direct orders, (& saving the galaxy,) Star Fleet Command reduced him in rank back to Captain, saying it was the position he was most suited for and should have never left.
There was that alternate timeline in Star Trek: TNG where Picard was able to relive his Academy days when he was reckless and picked a fight where his heart was stabbed and he needed an artificial replacement. But what I remember about it was that he was brought back to his present time, and he was serving on the Enterprise as a junior officer (LTJG) even at his advanced age. It certainly wasn't like the modern US military where someone would have to retire after not getting promoted.Not to 'nerd' on ya, but that' actually Star Trek 2,3 & 4 (and it echoes the first bit of 1 where Kirk is unsatisfied as Admiral and retakes his Captains chair).
There was that alternate timeline in Star Trek: TNG where Picard was able to relive his Academy days when he was reckless and picked a fight where his heart was stabbed and he needed an artificial replacement. But what I remember about it was that he was brought back to his present time, and he was serving on the Enterprise as a junior officer (LTJG) even at his advanced age. It certainly wasn't like the modern US military where someone would have to retire after not getting promoted.
But what about Star Trek is remotely close to real military operations? The reboot has Kirk becoming a Captain through rapid field promotions after a few years at the Academy.
Some of the flight scenes were realistic. Especially the flat spin.Nothing. I didn't bring up Star Trek, though I don't think Top Gun was ever any more realistic than Trek is.