I was in high school learning to fly in a Cessna 152 when 'The Final Countdown' came out and I thought it was a great movie in terms of story and flying. Then I was active duty and on the F-111 when 'Top Gun' came out. F-111 and F-14 were 'swingers'. There were many things hokey about the flying in TG but we gave the movie a pass on them simply because it portray military aviation in a different and positive light than previous attempts. In TFC, time travel and paradoxes were central to the movie and the flying was in the supporting role.
The best flying scene was actually not the aerial fights but when the F-14 stalked the Zero in-out of the clouds. Then when the skipper ordered 'Splash the Zeros' and the scene switched to the F-14 sweeping its wings back, it gave the impression of a predator readied to do its job. Make no mistake, as a 16 yrs old, I did imagined my Cessna trainer to be that F-14.
But I joined the USAF, not the USN, later.
The flying in TG:M was more realistic than in TG and just like TG, the flying was central to the movie. I would say that in TG:M, the story was more of an excuse to make a flying movie. There were still some hokey stuff in the flying, but most pilots, just like with TG, gave TG:M a pass. The reason, in my opinion, the flying in TG:M is better is because Tom Cruise became a pilot after TG. He realized how physically harsh high performance flying really is. How much of a physical strain on the body during those maneuvers. He knew, after he became a pilot and flew his own airplane, that there was no way a TG sequel would be from CGI. It has to be practical effects. That was why he developed his own flight training program for fellow actors and given Cruise's status in Hollywood, anyone lesser and the studios would have denied funds. Actors would pay due lip service to real people doing the jobs and tasks in movies. But with TG:M, because Cruise became a pilot himself, the opinions of real military pilots became highest priority for him, and that was why he pushed so hard for real, and not CGI-ed, jets.
The physical strain of high performance flying showed in TG:M. I know what 9gs feels like. The strained breathing under gs were real. Immediately right before a maneuver, you tense your entire lower half, focusing on your diaphragm because you need to hold your breath, then throughout the maneuver, you must time your exhale/inhale to try to keep as much air as possible. You exhale then inhale at the precise moment the g-stress eased. Short and quick. The body movements were also real. Especially on the head/neck tilts. There were slight exaggerations, of course, but I would write that off as because the actors were not regular pilots. For high performance flying, military and civilian stunt pilots, they got strong neck muscles. Immediately right before a maneuver, you tense your neck muscles else the g force would definitely slam your head against the canopy hard enough to knock you out even with a helmet. Tilting your head is a side action to help focus on the horizon and the actors kinda enhanced that motion a bit. As a side note, not every fighter pilot are physically, shall we say 'handsome', like TG:M beach football scene. Believe it, the slightly chubby guys with high blood pressure excels at withstanding high gs. Normally, we want to see a 'six pack' abdominal, for the ladies, and at least regular blood pressure for long term health reasons. But that high(er) blood pressure is a side benefit to withstand high gs and reduce the odds of GLOC. High(er) blood pressure is genetic and mine have never been 120/80.
Increased heart rate (HR) is a reaction to head-to-toe gravito-inertial (G) force. The anti-G straining manoeuvre (AGSM) is the crucial technique for withstanding a high-G load. Previous studies reported the main effects of HR only or AGSM only on G tolerance. We assessed the combined effect of...
www.nature.com
AGSM consists of two components: forced respiration (also called Valsalva manoeuvre) and lower body muscle strain. In the respiratory component, pilots take a preparatory breath to inflate the lung and forcefully exhale against the glottis to increase intra-thoracic pressure. Then, they make a rapid air exchange every three seconds to provide oxygenation. Simultaneously, aircrew execute an inward squeeze of lower body muscles to prevent blood pooling in the lower extremities.
Short and quick breaths under g.
G force decreases individuals’ arterial blood pressure and impedes blood perfusion to the brain. Blood redistribution is sensed by aortic and carotid baroreceptors and activates cardiovascular responses such as increases in HR, cardiac contractility, and peripheral resistance.
So...If you got high(er) blood pressure, under high gs, less blood will leave your brain, plus your physical training, plus your anti-g pressure gear, making you slightly more alert under maneuvers and longer duration. This little factoid is not widely published, for obvious medical reasons that we do not want pilots to be scarfing down doughnuts, steaks, and chops all the time.
So this is why I like TG:M better than TG. I think TG:M is a better movie overall.
