


In researching the question, "Is Top Gun: Maverick realistic?" we confirmed that the personalities of the pilots in the movie are intentionally magnified and somewhat over the top due to the fact that they have to stand out in a two-hour movie.

Jocko PodcastĪre the personalities of the pilots in the movie over the top? "There are only three pilots on the staff of 25 who are Marines," says Dave Berke, former Marine fighter pilot and senior instructor at the school. At some point, the Top Gun staff will vote on which Marine pilots to bring back. Navy pilots who are going to be selected as instructors typically stay behind at the school to teach. Unlike Navy pilots, Marine pilots go back to their squadrons and usually deploy after completing the 13-week Top Gun course. All of Top Gun: Maverick's jets are displayed below, including the movie's Darkstar reconnaissance jet. Former Top Gun pilot Dave Berke says that while this reasoning was clearly included so that the filmmakers could use F-18s, the justification given in the film is "certainly plausible enough to explain why they're doing it the way they did it," especially when looking at it through the lens of it being a movie. The movie tries to justify the use of the older F-18 Super Hornets over the newer F-35s by stating that the F-35's GPS weapons can't be used in a GPS jamming environment. Why do they fly F-18s in Top Gun: Maverick and not newer fighter jets? "You need to be towards the top of your peer group to be selected." -Jocko Podcast "There are some things you have to work at, some timing, some other things beyond your control." Berke says that while the pilots don't get ranked, there's definitely a tier you need to be in, as well as some certifications you need to have. "You have to be in the top tier of your squadron," says retired instructor Dave "Chip" Berke. Navy Fighter Weapons School, you indeed have to be the best of the best in a fighter jet. In researching how realistic is Top Gun: Maverick, we discovered that to attend the U.S.
