So after high schoolI joined the Navy to be a Jet Mech. I Was hoping to get shore duty/aircrew on P-3's but instead ended up in a pretty cool F-14 outfit. Fighting 84, The Jolly Rogers!


I started out as a line rat / plane captain. Working on the flight deck of the Nimitz was the coolest job I ever had.


VF-84 was selected to "star" in the film, "The Final Countdown" I got to go in the detatchment to NAS Key West to film the flying scenes.


This is my skipper CDR Emory Brown doing the max performance takeoff for the opening scene of the film "The Final Countdown".
A buddy and I drove a tow tractor out next to the runway for a closer view. He did a total of 6 takeoffs for that one shot. We had to Hot-Fuel between takeoffs #3 and 4. The F-14 Tomcats burned 2000 pounds of fuel per minute in zone 5 (maximum) afterburner.


Not as hot as Bagdad, but Key West in June is Freakin HOT as you can see by my sweaty back. Note the 2 Jap Kill Flags on 203.


Yours truly as plane captain with the "Japanese" Zeros in the background.


A water damaged shot of the modified Mitchell B-25 camera plane from Tallmanz Aviation. If you've seen a movie with an air to airshot, chances are these guys filmed it.


Here's the nose of the B-25 with a list of movies it filmed.


The B-25 needed gas (80 octane?) that wasn't avaliable at NAS Key West so they had to go on a fuel run. About a dozen of us sailors piled into the B-25 for a ride. The back of the B-25 was wide open, no window, no bubble, no nothing, just a nylon strap to keep the cameraman from falling out! This is a shot of Key West from the nose of the B-25. Yeah I got a ride in a mother f***ing B-25!!!


Three Jap "Zeros" even though only 2 were in the movie. They were actually modified T6 / SNJ's from the Confederate Air Force.


I got to sit in Archie Donahue's (RIP) Zero. Archie Donahue was a Marine Ace who flew the F4U Corsair in the Pacific Theater and had 14 Kills!
Later, I got to drink a beer with Archie Donahue!!!   Yes that haircut was UA.
Archie's Bio http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/Donahue.htm


No photoshop. during the 2 weeks of filming We had 5 to 7 birds for filming, all numbered 202 & 203. Unlike "Top Gun", we didn't fly with no stinkin' blue training missiles:)


Here you can see the scene where the Senator's boat gets blown up way out in the middle of the pacific ocean. That's Katherine Ross, Charles Durning, & Neil Ronco in the water.


Katherine Ross! I'm still in love with her. Charles Durning and Neal Ronco are in the back ground.


More Katherine Ross!!! Kate invited me out to an intimate and romantic dinner, then we went up to her hotel room, and then I woke up from my dream



Key West flight line in the rain.

A couple of photos I wish I had taken:
We enlisted were staying in a barracks on the other side of town. We had a Navy school bus to commute back and forth to the base. One afternoon on the way home we went through a Drive Through liquor store in the Navy school Bus! It was awesome! It was a hoot for the employees there as well as the onlookers.

Hollywood types eat well, incredibly well. The film company hired these caterers that were gayer than a handbag full of rainbows but they served up the most amazing gourmet meals. Officers and enlisted ate the same stuff. We all gained weight. I wish I had taken some shots of the food, it was borderline unbelievable.

I wish I had a picture taken with Archie Donahue.

Great post. A+++

Cool pics.

Great movie...


FREAKING AWESOME POST!

This!!

VERY cool OP...

Awesome post is Awesome

Post of the year that was really awesome

Neat thread.

I really enjoyed that movie.

"Splash the Zeroes"

Most excellent.  Thanks for the behind the scenes photos.

awesome post, i love this movie!

yes, thank you for sharing these with us.

Katherine Ross is still Hot to me!

Awesome OP.

OST

KBye

Sweet Pics OP!

Awesome pics Whamo.  Really enjoyed that..

Great pics, great story.

eta: and lol at your avatar.

Very cool, OP. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing.

I thought that I was alone in my secret love for that movie.

Awesome pics thanks for sharing!!
I need to watch the movie again its been along time

Hats off to you good sir! Excellent post of your most excellent experience! Thanks for sharing!

Outstanding!  Thank you for sharing your pictures!

Didn't they make fun of this movie on Mystery Science Theater 3000?

EDIT: nope, the movie I'm thinking of is The Final Sacrfice.

Great pics and story, thanks for sharing!

"...gayer than a handbag full of raibows..."

That is funny right there.

OP, Thanks for sharing.

Greatest Post Evar!!!!!!


Childhood memories of awesome movie + Tomcats + Tomcat with Jap victory flags = WIN

Awesome post! Thanks for sharing!

Yup, I agree.. great story and great pics... thanks for sharing your very cool experience.....

great post. I bought this on DVD a few months back. watched it on tv when I was a kid. VERY cool movie.

This was awesome, thank you! I still think the full color graphics on the Tomcats was the coolest paint scheme. Great movie too!

Thanks for sharing!

This has got to be one of the coolest posts ever.

I still remember when my Dad took me to see the Final Countdown in the theater. It was a great "father-son day" and the movie is quite sentimental to me .

LOVED that movie as a kid! For years (right through High School, in fact) I dreamed of flying for VF-84.

Alas, it was not to be.

Haven't seen that movie in ages. I need to pop in the CD. AWESOME flick!

"Gonna let the Japs do it again..."

best post since i've been here

Thank you for sharing!  I have not seen the movie, so I have something to look forward too!



I would love to spend 1 day in your shoes at the time, I love aircraft and the smell of jet fuel, esp when you can smell BBQ at the same time.



Thank you for your post!

Great!  Thanks for posting.  That's a 10 all the way.

You've been here 3 years and are just now posting this..................

BTW, I officially hate you...............Nah, just jealous.

You've never seen that movie.  Get a copy now!

One of my absolute favorite movies.

You've done well, sir. Keep it up!

Thanks for awesome post!

10/10  Great post

Awesome awesome awesome!     I've seen that movie a thousand times, always loved the Tomcat footage.  Very cool that you were there!!

Outfuckingstanding post/pics.

That movie is one of my all time favorites, I loved that movie, and it actually is the reason I fell in love with Military aviation (nevermind the fact I had two uncles that flew in the Navy and Marine Corps..lol)

Thanks for sharing, and PM me if you've got any VF84 goodies you'd like to sell.

sweeeeet

Nice post, and a great movie!  

This is one of the coolest threads ever in arfcom GD.

Thanks for the photos.  I loved that movie as a kid.

Thanks for all of the kind words!
Here is something else to add: I went to the Oshkosh Air Show back in 1995  and got to see a bird from VF-84 for the last time. I ran into the air crew, and pilot call sign "Bullet". I got sick to my stomach when he told me that VF-84 was going to be disestablished. Being a firearms enthusiast, Bullet  hooked me up with this:

My Safe Queen

 Great post, and the 1911 tops it off!

NICE!