The REAL 'Top Gun: Maverick' F-18 Pilot | He Flew as Maverick During Filming | Frank Weisser
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- Опубліковано 9 січ 2023
- Long before Hollywood came calling looking for a pilot who could achieve the death-defying flying they needed for the blockbuster movie "Top Gun: Maverick", Commander Frank “Walleye” Weisser already had a distinguished career under his belt.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Weisser would go on to fly combat missions in both the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of war. He would transition from combat to flying for the famed Blue Angels, inspiring future generations of aviators.
When the producers of "Top Gun: Maverick" needed real-life pilots to help fly the actors while filming, Weisser was one of the few with the skillset needed to pull-off the incredible stunts. He would fly in the front seat, while Tom Cruise filmed in the back seat during many of the movie's most dangerous scenes.
Interview recorded on November 5, 2022
Video Credits:
Interviewer - Greg Corombos
Director of Photography - Jon Hambacker
Editor - Daniel Taksas
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Pp oil łoo,??,
Had the privilege to serve with this man while on the Blue Angels. Insanely talented and humble wouldn’t even be the right term to describe this man. He is for sure one of the best.
I'm also a blue angel and a navy seal and ladies I'm single 😉
Great interview, period. 👍🏻😉
Yu Cappin bruvvvvvv on gawddd
Actually Tommy Tran was with the Blue Angels. “Navy Aviation Support Equipment Technician Petty Officer 1st Class Tommy Tran, a 2006 Stony Point High School graduate and Round Rock native, is assigned to the Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels. “
@@joshdudley3453 well don't look me up. my positions are classified so that's probably why you won't find any corroborating information on my statement. Just trust me.
This guy is an awesome example of integrity , brains , and down to Earth humble... I envy his kids.
Yes, I pick up the same sort of thing. A bright and level headed guy, the sort any of us would be happy to work with.
100%. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few weeks back after he gave a talk to a large group. I just think it’s hilarious that his callsign was from a Top Gun spoof and he ended up flying Maverick in the sequel.
@Buster 928 - almost like a lot older, middle age veterans.
Just experience, and brains of course -> which a lot of younger soldiers lack when they express some points of view (no disrespect here, just an observation based on experience too, also outside of military).
Envy? Naw man, you got it wrong. Find inspiration and make a name for yourself!
@@danielmartin7838 HE IS their inspiration , and I already have mine....thank you
This is my cousin Frank. The most humble, kind, intelligent and wonderful human being. I have known him my whole life and am so proud to call him family ❤
An unbelievable man, pilot and officer. I had the pleasure of serving with Mr. Weisser before he got back to the angels for the second time. He really is this awesome and humble!
I served with many Aviators like him.
Like I said above, he needs to be in office for the good of the country.
@@briancaldwell1568 Well you said nothing "above" and what do you mean by in office. He's a Commander in the Navy he can't run for any office.
@@briancaldwell1568 I really hate to burst your bubble, Brian, but as a former pilot, I can say that while we fly very well, we suck when it comes to dealing with politicians. They do NOT understand honor and duty. I had to work with these bastards (politicians) on a regular basis after my confirmation to B.Gen. and my level of disgust with ALL of them is barely quantifiable. I would rather piss broken glass than ever work with another politician much less an entire committee.
@@itsjustme8947 you, Sir, are an “O” with a lot of integrity.🫡 Bravo Zulu / Sine Pari.
There's something really nice about listening to a person who is at the absolute top of their game. What a guy.
As a t37 usaf flight instructor 1972 to 1975 I appreciate your subtle expression of a pilot’s attitude. You only get one fatal accident per lifetime so if you move out of your comfort zone be damn careful. Well done brother.
You are right. You only get one fatal accident. That is why they call it fatal.
I serviced with a man that rode three (3) aircraft into the ground so they wouldn't injure innocent people. Unfortunately, the last one he rode into the ground was one of mine and the first aircraft over Lybia during that conflict.
@@jameshelm2847 sorry sir, whaddyou mean it was yours? You own several aircraft on loan to naval aviators?
And you "serviced" with that considerate life-saving pilot? I hope you mean "served"....?
@@MsLizziebeth1 Don't be dumb. When aircraft are part of a squadron, all the service people of that squadron are responsible for that aircraft. Hence they are ours. In a sense, we loaned out the aircraft to each pilot that flew them, and each pilot's safety was our responsibility. In this sense, I was responsible for over possibly 35 aircraft during my time in the service. They were mine.
Fun fact, most of the actual Naval Aviators you see in the movie are helo pilots. They filmed the bar scene aboard NAS North Island, which is home to 17 helo squadrons, and invited pilots from these squadrons to be extras.
What a beautiful interview, calm, cool, collected, intelligent, empathetic and respectful, no wonder this man got to the top of the aviator world. Calculated fearlessness. Man with this character makes this world a better world to be in. Thank you for the inspiration and example.
What an absolute gentleman! Take lessons kids..THIS is the type of personality and humbleness that gets you to the top of the world. Nads of steel in an unassuming package.
So well said. I love your comment. You sound like a talented writer. You nailed that one in just a few sentences
"I almost rejoined". Thank you Sir for your service! Hearing these words coming from you shows that this movie is a really big help for the recruitment.
Why would we want to recruit people for World War 3. Does it not cross your mind that it might be a bad thing for even a second?
A very humble and impressive man. Great interview.
The best, brightest, and wisest are always humble.
This guy had a HELL of a career. Thank You for your service.
I wish I could give this video 10 thumbs up. The level of professionalism, skill, enthusiasm and dedication of this man to his craft is awe inspiring.
Superb! Well Done on that amazing flying, and for not killing yourself and Tom Cruise!
I've watched this man fly firsthand while he was with the blue angels.
They are all top notch drivers
While at pitch inverted, he was looking at people with a hand in wave, big grin on his face.
Gonna miss your style at seafair commander
All the best man
Navy pilot, from this old Navy Seal need I say more. Loved getting shake ang bake, thank you very BIG.
So many people talk about the roll over the top/inverted scene with Mav/Rooster and say it was composited CGI....and when I first saw it I was "nope...they did that."
Now I have my validation. :)
Love to listen to these guys. I did three Vietnam deployments on the USS Oriskany CVA-34 (1971-1974) as a member of the cat crew. In the original Top Gun movie, Oriskany was mentioned by Tom Skerrit "Viper". Although the Oriskany did not host F4 squadrons, the fact that the O-Boat was mentioned, made it my favorite movie. Top Gun Maverick was incredibly well done too. If you want to read or listen to a great book that really defines what the Vietnam pilots dealt with get "Bloody Sixteen" by Peter Fey . I did get a ride as a passenger on a COD (Grumman C-1 Trader).(launch and recovery) That was a kick. I fell in love with aircraft during that time and got my pilots license after my stint in the Navy. If I had a "bucket list", getting a ride in a military jet would be #1.
Assuming you saw them, how did it feel seeing pictures/video of Oriskany being sunk to make an artificial reef?
3:34 time: That is pretty cool. I was a Marine there in Iraq in 2005 (OIF 3). We were doing convoy security. I remember a few times that we had F18's on the comms looking ahead for us. He may have been one of them, pretty awesome to think about . Do you know how badass you feel when you have that type a overwatch!
Yeah it's real badass to risk your life and watch your friends get their legs blown off for Israel to get an oil pipeline built meanwhile Americans got nothing out of it and our country is in shambles with tent cities all over the place.
Thank you for your service!
What? No love for the Air Force? I flew 700+ missions in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 15E which INCLUDED convoy overwatch, lol! I'm sad now.
@@itsjustme8947 Where do you think the heroin and fentanyl comes from? From China, yes, and through the border, yes, but where did the opium poppy fields grow? If you guess anything but Afghanistan, you would be wrong. The reason you served in afghanistan was to defend drug fields. The same drugs which are weaponized against your own country.
I want you to have a look at a map and see which countries border Afghanistan. There you will find that China is a bordering nation to Afghanistan. Are you starting to piece it together yet?
@@graalcloud GTFO with that conspiracy theory crap. Ain't nobody liking your comment but you.
Damn, what an impressive guy. The flying sequences in the film were spectacular. I'm so glad that they were able to get the exceptionally talented pilots & personnel to participate.
This is the BEST interview I've seen. And I've seen A LOT of these "Top Gun: Maverick" interviews, having seen the movie 8 times. Great catch getting the pilot.
Awesome interview. Thank you for your dedication and your great skill as an amazing pilot.
The “inverted” scene in TG:M was real! (Mind Blown!)
I truly enjoyed this video. Listening to Walleye speak about how his career started through to filming TG:M. Professional, humble and a wealth of flying knowledge this man is.
Yeah, that really surprised me as well. I thought it was 2 planes taken on different takes and then "joined" in post-prod, never thought they would have done the maneuver for real !
Such a nice and talented pilot. Thank you sir, for your service, and thanks for helping (in an enormous way)to create such a fun movie.
Fun movie? In what way was this movie fun? As I mentioned in another comment, this movie was a remake of the first movie scene by scene and in practically the same order.
@@jameshelm2847 You must be "fun" at parties.
@@AviatorMike777 Actually, I believe I am. And how does not liking this movie because I saw it 30 years ago make me not fun? Just because someone is willing to say something you might disagree with and can back it up with examples makes them not fun? That could make an interesting conversation. Something that is sorely missing in today's world.
Imagine being the kid in school whose dad officially pulled off the sickest live action jet acrobatics ever seen on film and all your friends have seen it in IMAX quality.
Thanks for you service Cmdr. I was stationed at NAS Pensacola in the 80's. Crash Crew for T-34's . I was able to see the Blue Angels almost daily. What a gift, Great movie :)
Great interview with Cmdr Weisser. It truly provides me with a greater appreciation for both the movie and the dedication of the men and women who fly for our services.
In 1978 I was stationed at Griffiss AFB Rome NY... my job was in administration, my unit was a research and development laboratory, the largest in the AF at the time... I had absolutely nothing to do with flying, and yet when 49 FIS, Griffiss AFB, NY, took top F-106 honors at the William Tell trophy (William Tell was an air-to-air weapons meet), it didn't matter what unit you were assigned to, everyone on the base felt a sense of honor and pride... Our guys were the best of the best, I'm sure a lot of young men get that same kind of feeling watching both Top Gun movies and want in on the action. I have no doubt this will benefit the Navy big time and wouldn't be surprised if it also gave the Air Force a lift in recruitment. The 49th FIS won the competition again in 1982, one year after I transferred to Ramstein GE. Just thinking about it now 45 years later, that sense of pride is still there.
Great guy. It's nice to see that we have some true professionals flying for us. I wish him good luck in the future.
Such an impressive person and interview!!
Loved the movie of course, but hearing these kinds of stories from our pilots adds a ton of dimension! Thanks for this!!
Fantastic interview. Well worth the 25 minutes to listen to such an experienced yet humble pilot.
Beautiful job, much respect and your service is appreciated. Godspeed🙏
Very well spoken man. Great interview
Very smooth and professional. Thank you for showcasing Naval Aviation in your unique way. Thank you for your many years of service.
Ex-Navy jock, first hit the boat in 1963 in my T=2 Buckeye..
This was a great interview! Thank you
Thank you for your service; that was a great interview👊🏼👍🏼💪🏼🙏🏼🇺🇸
Incredible behind the scenes aspect of a real Top Gun. Thanks for this!
The best of the actual best. Enjoyed this upload a lot.
Thank you for your service. We are proud of you.
Thank you for your support. I worked at McDonnell Douglas / Boeing and supported the F/A-18 so proud of you!!!
Awesome interview “Walleye”. Well done, shipmate! I started out as a pilot and I was pathetically bad 😂. Transitioned to Surface Warfare, to keep from being swept up off the runway, and spent 23.5 wonderful years on active duty, after graduation from USNA in 1976.
I was impressed with his calm demeanor. Then he mentioned working with senior officers that were so calm. Very impressive flying in the movie! So enjoyable to watch! Thank you!
Thank you for your service and help in making a Beautiful and patriotic movie that we desperately needed!
I'm so impressed with this info about the making of the movie. Been a fan since I saw the original decades ago. And to know more of the technique behind things just makes me even happier. I love it all! And am so impressed with the flying and realism. The production went through so much trouble to be actually opposite of the original. In that, some things weren't imitated. Like the inverted scene in the original. Or even Cruise riding a motorcycle. In the original the straps can be seen showing he was being towed.
Maverick has great hommage to the original. From the opening scene and the text (adding women in is a good touch) to even the two color filter. Those that know the original will catch so much in Maverick. Which is just icing on the cake. And it's ingenious to include a Blue Angel! Whoever thought of that probably boosted this movie more than they realized at the time.
Bravo to ALL involved with the making of Top Gun: Maverick!!!! 👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾
I enlisted in the Army in 2003 and got out in 2017, and I'll be honest - if I was 18 getting ready to join the Army and saw this movie, I would've walked into that Navy recruiter's office instead.
This movie made me wish I could go back in time and change my military service!
nevertheless, thank you for your service
Great interview with this pilot. I’ve seen the Angels and Thunderbirds in the past and their skill level is incredible. Well done.
Great interview!!! Thank you for your Service!!
There are MANY Americans like this. Unfortunately, the media doesn’t want us to know about them because…’America bad’…in their eyes.
Amazing person, I like the fact that he is down to earth and very humble!
Awesome, thank you for your service Commander.
What an awesome guy. You can tell this person is just quality. Great video.
I have a great RESPECT for this humble man.
Absolute great interview
So fascinating! Enjoyable loved hearing about the behind the scenes!
I deeply admire this gentleman. Well done! 🙏🏼
This is a great interview, haven’t seen new Top Gun yet, definitely watching it tonight!
Taking my young boys to next air show in SF!
Very interesting background and perspective. Thank you for your service.
In order to remember your smile, I desperately press the shutter in the heart
What an amazing & incredible man!!! WOW!!! I am proud to know that someone who was so involved in flying for America!!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Thanx!!
What a great man. Top Gun Maverick is an incredible movie. Thank you, Sir, for your service.
This was fantastic to watch. Just comes across as a very humble human being but also incredibly capable.
Impressive individual. Thank you for your service.
When you watch a movie and then want to watch it soon (sometimes immediately) after, you know it’s an amazing movie. Both Top Gun movies were spectacular!
Excellent story! Great interview!
Certainly one of America's Best! His service and dedication is greatly appreciated! 👍
Thank you for your service sir.
G'day Walleye, from the land down under (Perth, Western Australia). What a great interview. I really enjoyed hearing you share stories about your naval aviation experience. I never got to fly as any kind of military pilot (health issues 😞) but kudos to you & the many men & women who did get to achieve their (and my) dream. Well done on a great sequel. While I missed the mighty Tomcat, what you guys did with the Rhino was super-impressive.
Walleye - Thank you, sir, for doing all you did to make an awesome movie, but even more so for everything you did before that--all of which made it so I could sit home and comment on videos.
Thank you for your service, sir !!
Such a nice guy that thinks well and speaks well with levels of humbleness
First of all, thank you for your service, you are an inspiration.
Top Gun growing up was my favourite movie and Maverick the movie rocks 👍🇦🇺
Super interesting! Great video - good questions and Frank is amazing!
What an intelligent and articulate professional.
Wonderful interview.
LOVED your work!!!
Top bloke this man. Salute and respect!
You are the man 🙌🏻 nothing but 💯🇺🇸 RESPECT ✊🏻
That low level scene…….Next LEVEL.
Why are there so few Americans like this anymore .? This is what a role model is , this video should be shown in every school.
Great interview!!!
KUDOS! ALL AROUND FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY 🇺🇸 AND THOSE WHO ALSO FLEW FOR THIS MOVIE! I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I'VE WATCHED IT, & IT NEVER GETS OLD! THX A BUNCH!
I had the pleasure of working with many many professionals like Commander Weisser. Go Navy!
Excellent interview.
Fantastic interview!
Sir, Thank you for your service!
AMAZING interview
Wow, absolute legend! Total respect from the UK!💪😎👍❤👏👏👏👌
What a great interview!
Thank you for your service sir
Great interview!
The MIG pilot in the first Top Gun movie was Captian "The Rat" Wilard. He was the CO of the U.S.S CARL VINSON when i was stationed aboad that ship. Thanks for sharing this interview.
Vice Admiral Willard was the commander of the Pacific Fleet during the 2000's. Not sure if it was him or not. He was on the USS Blue Ridge. I was an ABE on the shitty kitty...looked it up it was him. The 7th fleet had the best pilots.
@@asahisagoiboi3517 it could be possibly the same person. I was on the Carl Vinson from 92-96
There were several pilots/RIOs who flew the F-5s/"MiG-28s" including then LCdr Bob “Rat” Willard, Maj. Ray “Secks” Seckinger, Lt. Dave "Bio" Baranek, Lt. Michael 'Vida' Blue, Lt. Peter 'Horse' Caulk, Maj. John 'Player' Cushing, Capt. Dennis 'Sunshine' Dilucente, Lt. Gregory 'Hollywood' Dishart, Lt. Michael 'Flex' Galpin, Lt. Ricky 'Organ' Hammonds, Capt. Terrence 'Circus' McGuire, Lt. James 'Jambo' Ray, LCdr. Thomas 'Sobs' Sobieck, Lt. William 'Tex' Spence, Capt. Michael 'Boa' Straight and Lt. James 'Jaws' Winnefeld and Victor Spadaro whose call sign and rank are not mentioned.
@@rpmwizard yeah, I believe that was him. After he left CVN-70, CAPT. (Admiral) David Crocker took command. That’s when I was on the Vinson via squadron. We were still 7/11.
He gave the best reason for having a human pilot in the loop deciding what needs to be done.
AI can’t do that kind of sensing.
This interview improves the Navy Aviation's public perception even more than the movie.
He is so awesome, and humble. Definitely one of America's finest..
Wonderful interview. Such a humble human with incredible skills and bravery. One of many in our military of whom we're so proud.
Love Tom and all the pilots that contributed to Top Guns success!
great interview thx
This just proves what I always say: fighter pilots are the coolest and best people in the world. Wish I could have been one.
Was a member of VFA-97 from 2000-2005. Miss it everyday!
Just a great interview.
Respect to everyone involved in that movie
I was dead certain they'd used CGI for those low aircraft separation shots. I'm VERY impressed that the Navy let them do those acrobatics that close, even with a BA (pick whichever acronym definition you want; they both fit) pilot behind each stick.
Geezus. Inspiring. Humbling.