Comments on: Highway to the Danger Zone!

By: B. Minich, PI

B. Minich, PI — Thu, 12 May 2005 21:33:47 +0000

Ahhh, John Batchelor.

Whenever I listen to that show, I have the distinct feeling that he’s a 1940s WWII correspondant brought from the past and given a modern day talk show. Not sure why.

By: SCSIwuzzy

SCSIwuzzy — Thu, 12 May 2005 19:13:55 +0000

I was always a little disturbed when Tom Cruise told Val Kilmer “You can ride my tail anytime, Iceman.”

By: firebird

firebird — Thu, 12 May 2005 18:56:58 +0000

Never ever do a fly by of the tower and jesters dead so says firebird but im a little quiet about this and did you notice you never saw the enemie pilots face just the black faceplate and the red star

By: Ernest S.

Ernest S. — Thu, 12 May 2005 17:55:58 +0000

yeehaw! Jester’s dead!

I was a senior in HS when this movie came out – and shortly thereafter every guy in my class was sporting a short, military-style ‘do and wearing leather jackets and t-shirts.

Oh, yeah – and everybody wanted a motorcycle.

Good times. Thanks for a trip down memory lane, LB!

By: pajamazon

pajamazon — Thu, 12 May 2005 17:04:06 +0000

DoubleU

Thank you.

By: Erbo

Erbo — Thu, 12 May 2005 15:57:38 +0000

Interesting Top Gun anecdote: You know how Maverick sings "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" to Charlie in the bar, and all the other pilots join in? My father (City Manager for a city in San Diego North County, not too far from Miramar) met the man who was the inspiration for that scene, who did exactly that to a woman in a bar while he was in the Navy...and he later married the woman. (Unfortunately, my father never told me the man's name.) I still watch Top Gun any time I run across it on TV. So does my wife, who dated a couple of Navy men at one time, and was once married to a guy who moved her to Pensacola to try and become a Navy pilot, but washed out of the program.

By: DoubleU

DoubleU — Thu, 12 May 2005 11:57:58 +0000

pajamazon
Warning flares, they are like real flares, or more like a missile. They streak past your cockpit, and make you say, “What the hell was that?” After several warning flares pass your plane the fighter jets come along side of your plane and and the fighter pilots motion you to pull off to the shoulder.

By: DM

DM — Thu, 12 May 2005 01:30:35 +0000

Sorry LaShawn, but I was at the time an Air Traffic Controller (Don’t worry, I’ve long since recovered from my government employment). Being intimately familiar with the Airspace involved and pretty familiar with the relevant F.A.Rs, it just took too many blatant liberties with reality. I understand Top Gun’s current environment at Fallon is a lot more forgiving, but doing it in San Diego would cause all kinds of Official Inquiry on every level from the city on up – pilots causing this sort of trouble on a lark would be in for much more than a tongue lashing. Not to mention the people who live in Mira Mesa and surrounding areas would form a spontaneous lynch mob – despite the fact that they signed a notice saying they realize the area is home to a military airbase when they bought in the area.

Me, I’d be interested to see what happens if BRAC hits what is now MCAS Miramar just to watch the political fallout with the airport replacement issue.

By: Walter E. Wallis

Walter E. Wallis — Wed, 11 May 2005 23:10:17 +0000

At the Camp Parks AF enlistment center in 1953 I was told I had the highest classification score and the worst vision of any application for flight training. Damn. I would have been good.

By: La Shawn

La Shawn — Wed, 11 May 2005 22:54:35 +0000

20th anniversary???

Has it been 20 years? Oh my G…

By: DragonLady

DragonLady — Wed, 11 May 2005 22:45:52 +0000

Ah, Top Gun. There is one scene in the bar(?)(been a while since I watched it) where Tom Cruise saunters toward the camera with that smirk. Anyway, that scene he looked just like my off-and-on boyfriend at the time (I was in 11th grade when I first saw it). The boyfriend was taller though; almost as tall as me. What memories…

By: Jared

Jared — Wed, 11 May 2005 22:41:01 +0000

Get ready to go back to the movies, La Shawn. They’re readying a re-release for the film’s 20th anniversary next year.

I posted on it awhile back.

Hey…eveybody needs to get “unserious” now and then. I’m finding myself more and more that way, of late.

By: basil's blog

basil's blog — Wed, 11 May 2005 22:31:15 +0000

Supper: 5/11/2005

Try one of these specials with your supper: Chris Short (Our Life) tries to test-drive a Chevrolet. The Def Conservative found someone who found Allah. SpaceMonkey broke his tail bone. A while back. Sean Gleeson is a hit in the

By: windybon

windybon — Wed, 11 May 2005 21:50:25 +0000

Not an avid movie goer, “Top Gun” was one of the few movies I was fortunate to see in the theater. Absolutely loved the noise, loved the soundtrack, loved the actors. Now, if we watch it at home, its one of those movies that we have to watch with the surround sound turned on.

Love your blog, and, yes, you’re entitled to an
“un-serious” post whenever you feel like it, and I think your topic about which to be “un-serious” was excellent.

By: Grumpy

Grumpy — Wed, 11 May 2005 20:30:37 +0000

Speaking of fighter intercepters… now is a great time to plug the Joint Service Open House soon to take place at Andrews Air Force Base: JSOH