Yesterday a large group of dedicated Top Gun movie fans from a Facebook group visited the USS Midway Museum.
They all were having a blast, some wearing movie-inspired flight suits, checking out exhibits at San Diego’s popular aircraft carrier museum, taking photos near an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, before heading off to dine at Kansas City Barbeque, where the bar scenes in Top Gun were filmed.
It was interesting to watch their enthusiasm for the classic movie, whose sequel Top Gun: Maverick will be debuting in one week on May 24. I loved the original Top Gun when it came out in 1986, myself!
As I toured the USS Midway yesterday, I noticed a variety of connections the historic aircraft carrier and its present-day museum have to the actual TOPGUN aviator school and its pilots depicted in both the original and upcoming movie.
An F-14 Tomcat on the flight deck of USS Midway. These fighter jets co-starred in the original Top Gun movie, providing exciting, incredible visuals.A fan group is photographed during their Top Gun Days event aboard USS Midway in San Diego. Three actual Navy pilots pose in front.Nearby on the flight deck is an F/A-18 Hornet. This fighter jet was used as an adversary during the original Top Gun. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet will be flown by the characters of Top Gun: Maverick.One of the pilot ready rooms inside the USS Midway aircraft carrier. VFA-151 Ready Room One is where F-18 pilots gathered for briefing before and after flights.A look inside USS Midway’s F-18 ready room. During Operation Desert Storm, F-18 Hornets were launched from this long-lived aircraft carrier, which was built at the end of World War II.What it would have been like sitting in the F-18 ready room. The characters in Top Gun: Maverick are F/A-18E/F Super Hornet pilots, part of a special detachment aboard an aircraft carrier.White board at front of the ready room, with mission and aircraft details.An exhibit aboard the USS Midway Museum details the history of TOPGUN, originally the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School located at NAS Miramar, aka Fightertown USA.Exhibit concerns TOPGUN – The Early Years.The Navy Fighter Weapons School was established on March 3, 1969 at NAS Miramar in San Diego, California. TOPGUN’s objective was to develop, refine and teach air combat maneuvering tactics and techniques to selected fleet air crews…Museum exhibit video shows the Tactical Aircrew Combat Training System TACTS in operation.Visitors to the USS Midway Museum can climb into an F-14 Tomcat cockpit, located on the Hangar Deck.Maverick call sign painted by the cockpit of the F-14 Tomcat.The two-seated cockpit’s front seat, where an F-14 pilot sits facing his flight controls. The bubble canopy gives the pilot all-round visibility.The rear seat of the F-14 cockpit, where Goose in the original Top Gun movie flew. This is where the fighter jet’s Radar Intercept Officer sat.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Downtown San Diego has been my home for many years. My online activities reflect my love for writing, blogging, walking and photography.
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2 thoughts on “Top Gun fans vs. reality on USS Midway!”
Hi. Nice article. What you may not know a as that all the original Top Gun pilots were on the ship for a photo in front of the Tomcat. The producer and several members of the crew hosted a group that came from all around the world for this weekend!
Cool San Diego Sights! 
Hi. Nice article. What you may not know a as that all the original Top Gun pilots were on the ship for a photo in front of the Tomcat. The producer and several members of the crew hosted a group that came from all around the world for this weekend!
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Thanks for the info! I didn’t know that. I just happened to be there during the photo shoot.
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