Top Gun: Maverick’s Realism Praised By Retired Marine Fighter Pilot

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is closer to reality than you may think!

Retired Marine fighter pilot and Top Gun instructor Dave Berke, speaking with ScreenRant before the 40th anniversary of the original film, commended the sequel’s depiction of a carrier launch. He praised its accurate portrayal of the tension, organized chaos, and authentic naval aviation procedures involved. Berke specifically noted that the film’s communication and terminology during the high-pressure sequence were “exactly right.”

I have to say, after really looking at Top Gun: Maverick, it’s clear it’s still a movie, and Tom Cruise isn’t actually flying real combat missions. But what really struck me is how well it captures the feeling of what modern fighter piloting is like – it’s a surprisingly accurate reflection of reality, and they did a brilliant job with that.

Dave Berke believes the movie accurately portrays the experience of launching from an aircraft carrier. He praises the filmmakers for their attention to detail, noting the weeks of preparation leading up to the launch are well-represented. Specifically, he highlights the realism of the communication, language, and terminology used in the scene.

Before each launch, a careful process unfolds. Every pilot and plane confirms readiness, and the ship does too. Only then does the commander authorize takeoff from the flight deck. You could actually hear the catapult engage as each of the four jets launched. The entire crew knows when the jets are airborne and beginning their mission. The filmmakers did a fantastic job building suspense, knowing the jets are about to attack their target. This entire sequence is incredibly realistic and vividly captures the feeling of being on an aircraft carrier in an F-18.

A particularly believable part of the movie was the main mission: the crew’s attempt to destroy a hidden uranium plant in a canyon, making it invisible to enemy radar. This required the pilots to fly incredibly low – around 50 feet above the ground – at speeds exceeding 660 knots. They had to execute a risky “pop-up” attack, quickly rising from the low altitude at the last moment to fire on a small target nestled between the mountains.

According to Burke, the movie’s plot is “pretty realistic,” and he explained that real-life missions often require fighter pilots to fly below radar detection for as long as possible. While some of the most impressive visuals in the scene are created with CGI – pilots likely wouldn’t fly under bridges during these low-level missions – Burke again commended Top Gun: Maverick for doing a “really good job” portraying the reality of such dangerous stunts.

In Top Gun: Maverick, a central idea was building a mission that forced the pilots to fly extremely low to the ground. The challenge was that the target they were attacking had strong defenses, specifically surface-to-air missiles with radar. This radar was designed to detect the four F-18s, meaning the pilots realistically had to fly very low to avoid being hit, and that’s reflected in the film’s storyline.

The aircraft are flying incredibly low to the water in this scene – just a few feet above it. This accurately reflects real-world missions where pilots need to evade detection for as long as possible. While the movie takes some liberties with things like flying under bridges – those are clearly CGI effects – it realistically portrays the tactic of flying as low as possible in a fighter jet like the F-18 to avoid being detected. It’s a good depiction of how pilots actually try to stay hidden.

Both Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick are available to stream on Paramount+.

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2026-05-13 19:52