10 "Top Gun" Facts That Make Everything About The Film Seem Even Cooler

Kelly McGillis’ character is based on Christine Fox, a former mathematician at the Center for Naval Anaylses. Fox met producers before production of Top Gun and inspired them to change McGillis’ character from a groupie or gymnast to an astrophysicist. 

A few screenwriters have expressed interest in penning the sequel and the original director, Tony Scott, was interested by passed away in 2012. 

The Navy set up booths outside of movie theaters in an attempt to recruit potential members. 90% of them had seen the movie. 

Military website We Are the Mighty features “79 Cringeworthy Technical Errors in Top Gun.” For example, there is no “Top Gun trophy” and Top Gun classes are also held in classrooms, not in hangars. 

A Top Gun roller coaster was constructed at Kings Island Amusement Park in Ohio which has similar elements to an F-14 Tomcat. A ride called Top Gun was created in California at Great America. Its name was later changed to Flight Deck.

Hits like Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” and Berlin’s “Take My Breathe Away” helped bring Top Gun’s soundtrack into the Billboard charts for weeks as the number one album.

When appearing as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2014, Tom Cruise spoke about traveling the world for four months to promote Top Gun. Cruise said he visited Italy, France, and Japan, and it was he who came up with the idea of premiering films in foreign countries.

The U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, also called TOPGUN,  in San Diego was founded to combat losing the war against Vietnam. It was later renamed the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor.

While it is not in the film, the U.S. was in the Cold War during the film’s release, and may have inspired a few TOPGUN instructors to send a group photo to the Soviet Air Force. The photo’s greeting began with, “Thinking of you and yours at this joyful Yuletide Season.”

Producers were allowed to use aircrafts from The Pentagon for only $1.8 million. They earned the discount because they were willing to undergo rigorous edits to cast the military in the most positive light possible.