Military Flying Movies

All in all, I think that both "Top Gun" and "Iron Eagle" worked very well for recruitment all though neither service stood behind their respective flicks. Just a case where the military RENTS its hardware for the day to Hollywood.

It still has to be awesome to work with Hollywood coming from an AF or Navy squadron. I'm sure all pilots would agree. "BOZO" said Top Gun was the highlight of his career. I'm sure that the pilots who flew the Iron Eagle scenes were just as proud.

Unfortunately Hollywood knows how to ruin every jet flick.

ANYTIMEBABY! wrote:All in all, I think that both "Top Gun" and "Iron Eagle" worked very well for recruitment

I don't know about Iron Eagle...

I think we got the raw end of the deal there.

Didn't the Air Force pass on Iron Eagle? I thought the flying scenes were filmed entirely in Israel. As a result we got the deadly "Kfir MiG".

They did and they were. Look for the Star of David roundels when one of the Vipers rolls out.

USAF passed on IE 'cause the premise was sooooooooooooo off the wall they didn't wanna be associated with it.

We set the scene in the pre-production briefing by the producer to a high-ranking USAF General who will approve/disapprove USAF participation:

Producer: Alright sir. Here's our synopsis: A teenaged Thunderbird wannabee flies in F-16s with his officer dad seemingly on a regular basis without getting caught. When said dad is shot down, wrongfully imprisoned, and is soon to be executed by an eeeeeeeeeeeevil third world dictator, our intrepid hero manages to convince a respected reserve F-16 pilot to help him make off with two fully armed jets under the very noses of the vaunted base security forces, thanks to our hero's merry band of well-connected teenage friends, and take on the eeeeeeeeeeevil dictator's air force to single handedly free his dad after the reservist is shot down and presumed killed. Not to worry though. Our hero is sent to the Air Force Academy, at the suggestion of the miraculously rescued wingman, to keep him quiet and to let the commanding generals save face. Whadda ya think?

General: Oh yeah....ya know, that happens in the USAF allllllllll the time! Except our guys have cool Queen tunes in their helmets when they do it.

Producer: We can add the Queen stuff in post-production. Not a problem.

General: GET OUT!!

At least IE2 had the forthrightness to come right out and say they were IAF jets.

It's also not USAF policy to cooperate in the production of anything involving the theft of its assets. That, and as you said, no one is going to buy the notion that an 18 year old kid could fly an F-16.

LinkF16SimDude wrote:Producer: Alright sir. Here's our synopsis: A teenaged Thunderbird wannabee flies in F-16s with his officer dad seemingly on a regular basis without getting caught. When said dad is shot down, wrongfully imprisoned, and is soon to be executed by an eeeeeeeeeeeevil third world dictator, our intrepid hero manages to convince a respected reserve F-16 pilot to help him make off with two fully armed jets under the very noses of the vaunted base security forces, thanks to our hero's merry band of well-connected teenage friends, and take on the eeeeeeeeeeevil dictator's air force to single handedly free his dad after the reservist is shot down and presumed killed. Not to worry though. Our hero is sent to the Air Force Academy, at the suggestion of the miraculously rescued wingman, to keep him quiet and to let the commanding generals save face. Whadda ya think?

General: Oh yeah....ya know, that happens in the USAF allllllllll the time! Except our guys have cool Queen tunes in their helmets when they do it.

Producer: We can add the Queen stuff in post-production. Not a problem.

General: GET OUT!!

LOL! Good stuff.

I guess the Kfir squadrons were deployed when they were filming Iron Eagle 2. Using F-4s as MiGs? WTF?

The F-4s played "friendly" MiG-29s, the Kfirs were still playing the bad guys.

If I remember correctly, the F-4s had refueling probes sticking out of them. Assuming those were Israeli ones as well, do they use basket refueling normally in the Israeli Air Force? Or maybe they just scabbed them on to make the Rhinos more "MiG" like.

Like that would really work too.

Not scabbed on. Here's a pair showing the probe. Photo from, of all places, Palestinian Pundit.

(I had to flip it 'cause the image on their site was backwards).

Not for sure, but they may use a USN-style buddy store off another jet. Some, if not all, of their A-4s have fixed probes also.

Hot shots - great movie
Flyboys - same plot elements as Star Wars, still pretty good...

Not for sure, but they may use a USN-style buddy store off another jet. Some, if not all, of their A-4s have fixed probes also.

Since the IAF uses KC-130s they must use the same setup as the USN--probe and drogue. and I don't know how they could make the World's Leading Distributor of MiG Parts look like a MiG.

Wing of the Apache, seems like i am the only person who thinks this is a great movie!!! Top Gun but with rotors!

It was called Firebirds in the states.

Andy.

Firebirds...Sean Young's 2nd career film playing a US Army soldier ("Stripes", anyone?).

Nic Cage quotes: "I AM THE GREATEST!!!"

TC responds: No you're not.

You know what I like about "Firebirds"? Not only Tommy Lee Jones pep talking the audience into a "Full tilt boogie for freedom and justice" but also for Mary Ellen Trainor.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Who the hell is Mary Ellen Trainor?" Well, I'll tell you. She played Joan Wilder's sister Elaine in "Romancing the Stone", Brand and Mikey's mom on "The Goonies", and she played Detective Martin Riggs' police psychiatrist in the "Lethal Weapon" films. She was one hot gal back in the day!

Wing of the Apache, seems like i am the only person who thinks this is a great movie!!! Top Gun but with rotors!

It was called Firebirds in the states.

I loved Firebirds, yeah, sure it was a clone of Top Gun with a slower and more vulnerable aircraft subbing in for the F-14. Judging Top Gun as a 10, I'd give Firebirds a solid 9.0, Hot Shots sucked--2.0--the Gnat was what ruined it for me.

TC responds: No you're not.

Well then who is the greatest? and no Kenny Rodgers comebacks are allowed.....