Former F-18 and Blue Angels pilot, Scott Kartvedt, takes us behind the scenes of flying in Top Gun: Maverick.

In this episode hear behind-the-scenes stories of how some of the most realistic flying scenes are made. Scott tells us about his time in the Navy, flying as a Blue Angel and on the Patriots Jet team, and "dogfighting" with a helicopter while filming. This one is going to be cool!

Episode 40 marks the end of Season 4 of the Behind the Wings Podcast. We'll be taking a short break and will be back later this year for Season 5.

Key Takeaways:

• Scott's love of aviation started when he saw Blue Angels flying over his family's campsite. The original Top Gun also fueled his ambition to join the Navy.
• Scott started school as an accountant but later followed his dream of becoming a fighter pilot.
• In the Navy, Scott flew the F-18 as a fighter pilot and for the Blue Angels.
• All flying scenes in Maverick were performed and filmed in real time.
• Scott and his wingman Randy Howell flew as stunt pilots in L-39 jets for the final scene in Maverick. They were later edited over to match the fighters in the movie.
• While filming, Scott would often fly straight at the helicopter and pull away at the last second.
• Scott leaves us with encouraging advice to ask the question. If you don't ask, the answer is always no.

Resources:

• Scott Kartvedt's Website

In 1996, astronaut Tom Henricks became the first Space Shuttle pilot/commander to log 1,000 hours in space.

Tom tells us about his time as an F-4 pilot and F-16 test pilot, astronaut training, flying four Space Shuttle missions including two as a commander, and the challenges of flying at Mach 25. This one is going to be cool!

Key Takeaways:

• Tom's love of aviation started when he bought an airplane ride near his family's farm.
• Tom graduated number one in his weapons and test pilot school.
• After applying four times, Tom was selected to be a NASA astronaut in 1985.
• Tom flew to space four times on missions STS-44, 55, 70, and 78. They ran experiments, deployed satellites, and did some early testing that later would help build the International Space Station.
• The Space Shuttle reenters the atmosphere at Mach 25, making it very complicated to land successfully. Tom landed the Shuttle on his last two missions.
• At the time, STS-78 was the longest space mission to date at 405 hours. Later that same year, STS-80 broke its record by 19 hours.
• Tom is excited about the future of Artemis and hopes someday he may even step on the Moon.

Resources:

• Tom Henricks NASA Bio
• Tom Henricks Wiki Page

From aggressor training to the F-15, the United States military addressed several shortcomings after the Vietnam War.

Today, we are excited to speak with a retired F-4 and F-15 fighter pilot, Colonel Dick Anderegg. In this episode, Dick tells us about his time in Vietnam, the mistakes the US air military made during the war, the lessons learned along the way, and the changes that sprung from them. There is a lot to learn in this episode!

Key Takeaways:

• Dick joined the Air Force to train to be a commercial airline pilot. He quickly caught the fighter bug and chose to fly the F-4 Phantom instead.
• Dick's book Sierra Hotel: Flying Air Force Fighters in the Decade After Vietnam talks about the major changes the United States military made after the Vietnam War.
• During the Vietnam War, the United States changed the F-4 training program in an effort to acquire more pilots.
• Dick tells about his first interaction with laser-guided bombs and how it changed air warfare.
• The Vietnam era is often attributed with inadequate pilot training. Trainings would leave out several exercises due to aircraft loss concerns. Veterans from the Vietnam War later changed some of the training shortfalls by creating exercises like the Red Flag program.
• The F-15 was a vast improvement from the F-4. Dick wrote in his book that "As soon as an F-4 pilot sat in the cockpit, he noticed its efficient design."
• Regardless of artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles, Dick thinks there is a future for human fighter pilots.

Resources:

• Dick Anderegg Air Force Bio
• Sierra Hotel: Flying Air Force Fighters in the Decade After Vietnam