The Making of Top Gun: Maverick | Teaching Tom Cruise to Fly | F/A-18 Pilot | Patriots Jet Team
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of Top Gun: Maverick in this thrilling episode of Combat Story. Join us as we interview Scott 'Intake' Kartvedt, Randy Howell, and Kevin 'K2' LaRosa - the masterminds behind the breathtaking aerial scenes in the movie.
Scott, a former Naval Aviator and now a member of the Patriots Jet Team, shares his journey from the Blue Angels to Hollywood. Randy, the owner of The Patriots Jet Team, talks about his experience teaching Tom Cruise to fly the L-39 jet for Maverick. Kevin, a Hollywood-bred aviation stunt man and aerial coordinator, gives us a glimpse into the world of aerial cinematography.
Dive into the world of aviation with these three pioneers as they discuss the intricacies of flying on the edge, the challenges of teaching Tom Cruise to fly jets, and the close calls and near misses that come with the territory.
Stay tuned for a special edition of Combat Story where we go flying with Scott and Randy in the L-39 in formation with the Patriots Jet Team.
Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to Combat Story for more exciting content.
#TopGunMaverick #CombatStory #TomCruise #FA18Pilot #PatriotsJetTeam #BlueAngels #HollywoodStuntPilot #Aviation #AerialCinematography #StuntPilots #AerialStunts #BehindTheScenes #MakingOfTopGunMaverick"
Today we hear an aviation-focused Combat Story with three pioneers in the civilian, military, and filmmaking aviation communities who were the driving force behind the aerial scenes from Top Gun: Maverick.
Many will recall our interview with Scott ‘Intake’ Kartvedt as the Accountant turned Naval Aviator who went on to fly F/A-18s, command an F-35 Squadron, fly with the Blue Angels, and now flies the Number 5 airplane in the civilian aerobatic formation flight Patriots Jet Team. Scott’s fantastic book “Full Throttle: From the Blue Angels to Hollywood Stunt Pilot” chronicles his experiences in- and outside the cockpit.
Our second guest is the owner of The Patriots Jet Team, Randy Howell, who flies the Number 6 aircraft, and who taught Tom Cruise to fly the L-39 jet for Maverick. To give you an idea of how long Randy has been flying, he has 7K more flight hours than expert aviator Sully Sullenberger, who famously landed his commercial airliner in the Hudson River after an inflight emergency. Randy and Intake made up the pair of stunt pilots for Maverick, including the intense flying in the last eight minutes of the movie, for which they were awarded the Screen Actors Guild award for action.
Our third guest is Kevin ‘K2’ LaRosa who grew up in Hollywood as an aviation stunt man, pilot, and aerial coordinator. You’ve seen him in the air in over 100 films and TV shows, including Iron Man, Avengers, Transformers, Devotion, and Maverick. Kevin “K2” LaRosa is a Motion Picture and Television Aerial Coordinator and Stunt Pilot.
This is a rare glimpse into flying with three experts and pioneers in the field. We dig into so much in this episode about flying on the edge and I hope you enjoy these stories of pushing the limits of aerial cinematography with both aircraft and cameras, teaching Tom Cruise to fly jets, and the close calls and near misses that inevitably come with aviation, as much as I did.
Find Ryan Online:
- Ryan’s Linktree linktr.ee/combatstory
- Merch www.bonfire.com/store/combats...
- Instagram @combatstory / combatstory
- Facebook @combatstoryofficial combatstoryofficial
- Send us messages at m.me/combatstoryofficial
Find Scott Kartvedt Online:
- Scott's website scottkartvedt.com/
- Full Throttle Book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7F91JCB
Find Randy Howell Online:
- Learn More about Randy www.patriotsjetteam.com/Media...
- Patriots Jet Team Instagram / patriotsjetteam @PatriotsJetTeam
- LinkedIn / randy-howell-35347540
Find Kevin LaRosa Online:
- Kevin's website www.k2larosa.com/
- Instagram @K2Larosa / k2larosa
Show Notes:
00:00 - Intro
00:41 - Guest Introduction (Scott Kartvedt, Randy Howell, Kevin LaRosa)
02:40 - Interview begins
08:20 - Arial Coordinator responsibilities
10:27 - Arial Coordinator on Top Gun Maverick
15:07 - Camera rigging on Jets
20:06 - Getting 'Intake' on board
22:51 Intake on Top Gun Maverick
24:56 - Safety and Planning Top Gun Maverick fight scene
35:06 - Team dynamics during training
39:58 - Stick Model Practice
42:33 - Almost hitting a breaching whale
43:31 - A few tough maneuvers
49:00 - Perfecting Combat Comms
52:19 - Reminiscing on Top Gun Maverick
55:55 - Receiving a SAG award
01:00:24 - Patriots Jet Team
01:07:30 - Maintaining orientation
01:08:55 - Full Throttle
01:10:38 - Following the Arial Coordination path
01:15:31 - Close calls
01:25:04 - Sentimental Items
01:27:11 - Favorite aircraft
01:30:01 - Listener comments and shout outs
You’re so great at interviewing. Even when sitting across from 3 legends like that, you did an amazing job. Thanks for all the content
Right before I head to bed. Look forward to this watch when I wake up!
If these guys aren't the reason for the next generation of aviators then something is wrong.
So true! Who doesn't want to go fly like this?!
When he was talking about the mustang, it made me think of when I was a kid. It was a different kind of Mustang. My neighbor had a 1968 Shelby mustang GT500 KR. We used to cruise around in it. He put a trailer hitch on it, and we hauled the boat to the lake with it. Now you hear everyone talking about them and wanting to own one. I used to drive around in 1 all the time. At the time it didn’t seem like as big a deal as it is now.
Ryan what a great interview and episode! For the guys. Thank you for making such a great movie.
Top Gun Maverick is more than just a great movie. Top Gun was a movie that influenced generations. And Maverick was the culmination of many years. I spent 20 yrs in the Marine Corps as an "Airwinger Maintainer", several deployments, USS America, USS Constellation, USS Wasp, USS Boxer. A career spent around Marine and Naval Aviation. VMFA-223 Harriers, VMAQ-1 EA6B's, C130's with VMGR-252 ( I got to ride in Fat Albert for a practice JATO launch) all at Cherry Point for 6 years. F-18's at Miramar, Hueys and Cobra's out of New River, CH-47's and CH-53's in Okinawa (HMLA, HMM, HMH). NAS JAX and NAS Cecil Field . And all of them at MCAS Yuma while Instructing at MAWTS-1 for WTI and Desert Talon. Marine and Naval Aviation was my life and career. This movie just felt so good to watch. Its like when you see an old friend that you were stationed with years ago. You just pick up right where you left off... When he see's Penny. It was automatic to know that it was Penny Benjamin. The Admirals Daughter. The resemblance of Rooster to Goose. I loved the HONDO character. And of course the flying was incredible. I've watched it over and over IDK how many times. My Wife makes fun of me when I wear my Cranial while watching it sitting in my recliner. Really...LOL!
On another note. I have a couple gripes about the movie. Which have nothing to do with these guys or the interview.
1. Any Naval Aviator would have known immediately who Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell was if they saw him in a bar and been much more respectful.
2. They would not have picked all Lt's and LtJG's to fly that mission. Just because someone graduates Top Gun does not mean they are the best in the world. In real life there would have been Lt Commanders and Commanders (also Top Gun and WTI grads) with many more combat hours than some young Lt's and LtJG's . But the Movie was also geared towards the same demographic as the first so I get it. Great work!
3. Should have had a Marine Pilot in it! LOL.
Awesome get Ryan, and thanks for so much effort putting this together
I learned a lot from them from behind the cameras to the interview itself.
Our first time listening to your show... This was great and we look forward to listening to more of your shows.
Ryan , what a great interview you have put together.....Really Good , Thanks !
Nice work was a thrill to see I miss the friendships we had. Blue skies and tailwinds .
Mike
Great interview. I listened to the podcast but just had to come here and watch the video version to get the full benefit of the content. These guys are true pro's. Well done Ryan - look forward to the next part where you (hopefully) get to throw up on camera! :)
This was fantastic, as a small plane pilot I loved it. You do an outstanding job interviewing these three.
liked the video 2 minutes into it. Too bad youtube doesn't have a "loved" button. Awesome as always! Your interviews are part of my weekly routine. Even down in Cabo for holidays, I had to watch it!
I'm dreaming of the day you'll interview General Charlie Bolden (for his experience in the Marines, the Astronaut corps, and administrator of NASA).
Hope this one comes true!
As a lifelong (as well as a retired military) aviator, this was an interview BY pilots, FOR pilots.
Make sure you share this one with any aviator in your own circle/network.
I cannot imagine any yoke actuator/stick monkey/collectively confused individual that will not find this a welcome link in their inbox.
-Doug Quayle
Dragger of Tail (LVK)
MC-130P Flight Engineer
(CSAR) (RET)
@Ryan, lest I forget to mention…
…dude, you have turned a dream of a side-hustle into an example like the ones we’ve all read about in the success self-help books or stories in seminars, where somebody’s kick-ass dream gig started out with a desire, a lot of grind (using targeted amounts of grit ), equal parts passion and perseverance…and at the end of that recipe you’ve baked a cake that resembles skilled excellence.
I know exactly what it feels like when someone says that about your work, and you can’t accept the credit in your own head because to you, it’s nothing as good as people make it sound. Because you can point out every trip and skip and fumble and tiny imperfection, which loom large in your mind.
That’s a function of Impostor Syndrome.
Just remember, Superman didn’t name himself. If he had, he’d be known as “Occasionally a tad better than average Man”.
But he’d be wrong…and we all know that to be a fact.
That preamble was necessary to the follow on transmission:
You’re getting really f’n good at this stuff, Battle.
And I guarantee I speak on behalf of pretty much everyone that has seen your finished product when I tell you to:
Charlie Mike.
This one was cool. I’m a local aviator to this field you filmed at (I’m hangared at Livermore), and these cats are well regarded around here as top notch dudes.
But I’m also a (recently) retired Army rotor-wrench (Infantryman before that) turned 3k hour Air Force CSAR CrewDogg out of Moffett, who’s collected a pretty decent “save count”, been literally all OVER the globe, and still have a ton of Bros throughout the JSOC community.
We have a metric shit-ton of pain in our world, as you well know, and I’ve 3 second saluted a LOT of departed zipper suiters throughout my time since raising the right hand in 1994.
But I’ve also got my own “couldn’t save” count…and like Kevin Costner’s character in “The Guardian” said about it, it’s very true that the only count you ever keep at the forefront of your own journey is exactly that one …
… the ones you couldn’t save.
For me, those all involve them making it home, returned with honor, and finally losing the battle at the center of a Bottle, some shit-bag Demons, and a suck-starting sidearm.
And I’ve got 8 burning holes in my gut in the vicinity of where each of them used to reside inside my heart.
My BROTHERS.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, make sure that you copy this part Lincoln Continental … 5/5:
What YOu are doing with this show …
… HEALS.
It’s getting these Heroes reconnecting.
It’s getting then remembering TOGETHER.
And it heals because it’s doing the one thing many of us simply could not figure out how to do.
It’s getting these guys TALKING.
I don’t have to elaborate on that. Every one of us understands the gravity of why that is of such PARAMOUNT importance.
And your “side-gig” is DOING that.
So by my fuzzy pilot’s beer-math on the back of this out of date sectional, my grease pencil calculations indicate that YOU currently have a “Save Count” of your own.
You’ll never find out what that number is.
But that doesn’t matter.
Just know, for an indisputable FACT, that you do indeed have such a count.
And that makes you MY Brother, as well.
(No, you can’t borrow $20 … but I WILL catch the bar-tab the next time you forget your RMO at the coin check … just this once). ;-)
You do excellent work, Sir. Be proud of that.
(Salute)
-“FARVA” - 130th RQS
🇺🇸 🫡
This is one of the greatest comments I've ever read. Means a ton to hear this not just about the show but the caliber of people we have on. So appreciative for the kind words and ongoing support!
@@CombatStory I meant every stinkin' word of it. And I share these shows with my whole network spanning the JSOC community. And we often discuss what we've watched.
We are all in concurrence on this.
All of it.
Take it to heart. It's a fact that you are doing a GOOD THING, Battle Brother.
Proud of you for it.
-"FARVA"
I think it was a truly great movie worthy of an academy award. Most likely it will never be equalled. A masterpiece. How much of Tom Cruises footage was actually him though? Is he a really good pilot, say, out of 100 how do you score him personally?
👍👍❤️❤️really enjoyed this
great interview.
Wonderful!
Nice
Awesome interview, Ryan. Your 1:1 interview with Intake is a great prelude to this interview on the stunt flying for Maverick. Looking forward to reading “Full Throttle”. 🫡🇺🇸