Making a movie isn't easy, especially one that needs supersonic fighter jets like Top Gun: Maverick. After several delays, the Tom Cruise movie hit theaters at the end of May and more and more behind-the-scenes details are emerging. One of the last was a publication by the US Navy itself, telling how it prepared its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters for the recordings.
Three F/A-18s were painted for the film and one of them, a two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, even received a special camera set, mounted on the rear seat .
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One of the F/A-18 Super Gornet used in the film. Photo: Bruce Taylor
Painting and installation work on the audio-visual (A/V) suite was led by the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW), a Navy maintenance center based at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island in San Diego. The organization is subordinate to the Naval Air Systems Command.
“When it was time to start installing the A/V cockpit equipment and the production team was at our first location at NAS Lemoore, we had meetings with the director and some of the producers, including Tom Cruise. He was very ionate about making this the greatest aviation movie of all time.” said Jonathan Ramba, head of the F/A-18's MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) engineering department, who oversaw the installation.
“The production team used new Sony Venice 6K cameras that weighed about eight pounds [3,6 kg] with one lens. The cinematographer wanted four of them to be installed in the back seat, but opted for three full mounted camera bodies and a sensor block, which acted as a fourth camera. That said, the total weight of the equipment was around 40 pounds [18,14 kg].”
Ramba's involvement with filming began in July 2018, with a call from the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265) asking FRCSW's F/A-18 fleet team to accommodate a visit from the Top Gun production team. He says that at the time he was structural engineering leader for the F/A-18 and EA-18. “So I was tasked with leading this project,” noted Ramba.
About two weeks later, he traveled to NAS Lemoore to discuss the installation and location of cameras on the interior and exterior of the aircraft. He developed a proposal and worked with Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to establish the necessary action for approval.
Filming was scheduled to begin in late September 2018, and a fit check had to be completed approximately two weeks before that.
This is great #TopGunMaverick Behind The Scenes #BTS article… Taking Flight with Top Gun: Maverick – The American Society of Cinematographers https://t.co/7jzDn20M2d pic.twitter.com/gaZij6grmc
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Knowing the effort required a top-notch team to meet deadlines, Ramba recruited aerospace engineer Tony Pacheco for his design expertise and F/A-18A-F and EA-18G Structural Analysis Division Chief Manny Hernandez , to handle stress analysis.
To assess the feasibility of the production team's camera mounting requirements, Pacheco traveled to FRC West to retrofit the Super Hornet supplied by the VFA-122 Flying Eagles squadron.
“Once all assemblies were designed and approved for use by the PMA-265 Certified Airworthiness Engineer (ACE), I coordinated with third-party workshops assigned by Paramount Studios to have all parts machined to specifications and delivered to the team. of production", he said.
“Ultimately, all the designed mounts fit together perfectly and all the filming equipment was successfully installed. After an eventful flight, Tom Cruise did a quick test flight and it was determined that the entire assembly worked perfectly.”
Next, to obtain a Provisional Flight Authorization (IFC), Pacheco developed drawings to reflect the aircraft's configuration change which included the processes of installing the struts and cameras and temporarily removing any components.
“Once all flight limits were established within the IFC by the PMA-265, I quickly became familiar with them and ensured that production personnel and crew were aware of the limits to avoid problems,” he said.
About a month before filming, Hernandez completed a crucial strength analysis for the design of the cockpit camera mounts in less than three weeks. Hernandez also analyzed the 'glare shield', a 0,063-inch-thick aluminum that held the 40-pound camera array, and subjected it to an acceleration rate of 7,5 G along various directions. For this, he used MSC Patran and Natran software.
While a team worked on installing the cameras on the fighter, six other technicians started painting an F/A-18E and an F/A-18F. The planes came from the long-term storage area.
“We replicated the paint job on that aircraft for non-flying shots and close-ups of the actors near the aircraft on the ground,” said Tommy Sapien, who serves as Aircraft Paint Line Manager.
FRCSW artisans/engineers painted one of the Super Hornets in “Top Gun: Maverick,” and led the installation design of the audiovisual equipment inside the cockpit.
After filming, FRCSE folks brought the aircraft back to mission capable status & delivered it to the warfighter! pic.twitter.com/cjaRoO9Qbq
— FRCSE (@frcsejax) May 31, 2022
After applying several coats and polyurethane decals, the project was completed in five days. “Getting the details right was a challenge because we didn't work with any project. We did the painting based on the photos we had of the two-seater Super Hornet from the film’s flight scenes.”, told Sapien
In February 2020, the F/A-18E was delivered to the FRCSE, where it underwent modifications. This jet is currently being used by the Blue Angels, the US Navy's demonstration team.
Top Gun: Maverick took approximately eight months to film in various locations, including Lemoore bases, Whidbey Island, Fallon, and Naval Weapons Station China Lake. In-flight filming was completed in the winter of 2019.
The FRCSW and FRCW teams dedicated over 1.000 hours to the film's production, while also continuing to care for and maintain the F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet.
