Top Gun (1986)
Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is a hotshot Navy pilot with the "need for speed!" After his wingman's mishap on carrier mission over the Indian Ocean, he and his best friend Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) are sent off to the elite Top Gun pilot school at Naval Air Station Miramar. Here Maverick encounters Charlie (Kelly McGillis), a civilian instructor who he instantly falls for. Up against the best pilots in the world for the coveted "top pilot" honor, Maverick must overcome his reckless instincts if he is to graduate. Directed by Tony Scott, this film was granted the full support of the US Navy and thus had unprecedented access to film on actual carriers and at NAS Miramar with real pilots filming the amazing aerial scenes.
Maverick's squadron is based on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), based in Norfolk, VA. Shots in the opening scene were done with the actual carrier at sea.
The famous "watch the birdie" shot was filmed partially at Burbank Hollywood (Bob Hope) Airport. Tom Cruise was filmed on a gyroscope seat on a cockpit set constructed & filmed behind the airport's fire department hangar. This was composited with a side shot of the F-5F (standing in for a MiG-28), which was filmed by Clay Lacy from a specially-modified Learjet.
GPS Coordinates:
34.199696, -118.360668
Carrier interiors were shot on the USS Ranger (CV-61), which was decommissioned in 1993 and sent to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA. After years of petitioning to turn it into a museum, the Navy instead saw fit to have it sent to Texas and scrapped, which was completed in 2017. At the time of filming, it was stationed at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego.
The scene with Maverick riding his motorcycle along the runway were done at NAS Miramar, now Miramar Marine Air Station, north of San Diego.
The first classroom scene was filmed in the ready room in the first set of hangars to the west of the control tower at Miramar.
The second classroom scene in the large hangar was the SE hangar at Miramar Marine Air Station.
Maverick and Goose walk down a hallway in the hangars just to the east of the control tower at Miramar.
The stairway confrontation between Maverick and Iceman (Val Kilmer) was filmed in the actual Top Gun spaces in the Southeast hangars at Miramar.
Most of the flying scenes that take place over land were filmed near Fallon, NV. This is where the real Top Gun is located today.
The tower flyby scene was filmed at Miramar Marine Air Station.
The office scenes were filmed in one of the hangars on the east side of the airfield at Miramar.
The volleyball scene was filmed near the barracks at NAS Miramar. However, the court and most of the surrounding buildings in the shot are no longer there.
Charlie lives at 102 N. Pacific Street in Oceanside, CA. A few years back it was relocated to 250 N. Pacific Street and restored. Today it houses the High Pie dessert shop.
Goose and Maverick meet Carole (Meg Ryan) and the kids at the terminal at the end of Tower Ct. near the control tower at Miramar.
Maverick rides away from Charlie outside what is now the entrance to Solare Ristorante at 2820 Roosevelt Road in San Diego.
Charlie chases down Maverick in her car and they have a passionate discussion outside 519 W. Laurel Street in San Diego.
Scenes of the flight line were done at NAS Miramar.
Locker room scenes were a set constructed inside the Mission Beach Plunge in Belmont Park in San Diego.
The bar where Maverick and Goose play "Great Balls of Fire" and where Maverick meets Charlie at the end of the film was the Kansas City BBQ at 600 West Harbor Drive in San Diego. Years back, it burned down and was a total loss. It has been rebuilt at the same location. However, much of the memorabilia from the film (including the piano and jukebox) was lost in the fire.
Maverick and Charlie go for a late night motorcycle ride on North Harbor Drive in front of Harbor Island in San Diego.
This shot looks at the west end of the airfield and hangars at MMAS Miramar.
Maverick gets out of Charlie's car near the intersection of Historic Decatur Road & Roosevelt Road. The shot looks down Roosevelt toward where the entrance gate was at Rosecrans Street.
Maverick walks through the Pat D'Arrigo ARTS Center building at 2805 Roosevelt Road (now the Solare Ristorante).
The restaurant where Charlie finds Maverick was formerly the Windsock Restaurant, which has since been demolished and replaced with the Landmark Aviation building at 2904 Pacific Highway.
Mike "Viper" Metcalf (Tom Skerritt) lives in one of the houses at the Point Loma Lighthouse. His is located directly to the NW of the lighthouse.
The graduation scene was filmed at the Island Club Swimming Pool at Naval Air Station North Island.
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