021 - The Real 'Viper'

* * * Update June, 2024: We just learned of the passing of one of our guests on this episode, Pete Pettigrew. Rest in peace, kind sir. * * *
Few pilots ever have an opportunity to meet an enemy aircraft in aerial battle. Fewer yet come out victorious. And even fewer still-in fact, only one-then go on to be involved in arguably the most influential pop culture aviation film of all time.
That man is retired US Navy Rear Admiral Pete “Viper” Pettigrew.
Climb aboard this week’s episode and hear the harrowing tale of Viper’s shootdown of a North Vietnamese MiG-21 with an untrained RIO in the backseat of his F-4 Phantom. Then learn how he took the call to assist Hollywood as the military adviser to everyone’s favorite flying movie, Top Gun. Think it’s a coincidence that Tom Skerritt’s character-the CO of TOPGUN-was callsign ‘Viper’?!
After the interview we had a little extra time and so answer listener questions such as how likely it would have been in the real world for Maverick’s engine flameout to have occurred by flying through another plane’s jet wash, which cockpit arrangement I liked better between the F/A-18 and F-16, more on aircraft paint schemes, how Approach magazine was regarded, and the defining moment in my career I look back on with the most pride.
If you enjoy these episodes, please subscribe to our KZbin channel. For exclusive Fighter Pilot Podcast content and behind-the-scenes material, check out our Patreon Page: / ftrpltpdcst .
Episode art by Gary Meyer. Bumper music by Jaime Lopez.

[@mlbbark]

It is an honor to call you my friend Sir. Was Pete's Ops Yeoman at VF-302. Always treated me with respect and took me under his wing. Many entries in his flight book. Miss you Pete.

[@CristianValenzuela2155]

Wow, Petigrew???? SERIOUS!!! Only legends here on FPP! This is sooo cool

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

He's a character.

[@simflier8298]

I could have listened to him for 4 hours straight. Loved his story. One of the Top Gun mistakes that really jumps out is Cougars approach to the ship. He was everywhere and should have been pickled off. I guess that's Hollywood LOL

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

No doubt about it--on both accounts.

[@RCAvhstape]

Eph Phours, Phearsome Phighters, Phantoms Phorever!

[@billdewahl7007]

My favorite part about this podcast is that the stories these people tell are documented. If we continue as a civilization uninterrupted, this will be there for future generations. They'll know what it was like. I really appreciate what you guys are doing and I really appreciate what you guys have done. (podcast but mostly service speaking, thank you sirs, and mams, anyone who has served reading this)

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Kind of you to say so, Bill.

[@bat2131]

Awesome interview. Many thanks to those Naval Aviators (and NFWS) who in the late 60's helped preserve the art of ACM.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Indeed.

[@elykeom1]

I remember when I first listened to this in college this story is still a blast to listen too!

[@QXZ9027MKII]

Wow, thanks Jell-O, really apprecited, Viper what a call sign, thanks guys for your efforts and service.

[@Whitesp44]

Absolutely fantastic! Thank you

[@bearowen5480]

After the movie was out and fabulously successful I had a personal brush with one of the guys who must've worked with Viper on the military team which gave technical advice. I was flying recce Phantoms as a retread Marine infiltrator into the 173rd TRS, NEANG out of Lincoln, Nebraska, a helluva great flying unit. We were at one of our annual training exercises for two weeks, operating out of the ANG base at Gulfport, Mississippi. Through one of my USMC contacts, Dennis "Gator" Gately, a protogee from my days on the staff at the NROTC unit, University of Colorado where he was a midshipman. Gator was in one of the VMFAs at Beaufort. He and his flight lead, Major "Sex" Sechinger brought two F/A-18s over from MCAS Beaufort to Gulfport to provide dissimilar defensive air combat training (DACT) support against our RF-4Cs during low level navigation and photo reconnaissance missions. We were flying against them with Hornet two a days. it was great training for both parties, and great fun at night hitting the fabulous seafood joints in the Gulfport-Biloxi area. Over dinner one night, Sex mentioned that he had been involved in the filming of "Top Gun", I think it was the low-level dog fights in the mountains near Fallon with A-4 adversaries against the Tomcats. I think he said that the idea was to trade Navy flying asset support for the filming in exchange for technical direction in order to prevent Hollywood from making a movie so unrealistic that every Naval Aviator, past and present, wouldn't pan the film when it hit the theaters. He told the story about how the shots of Tom Cruise were filmed depicting him racing the F-14 down the runway on his Harley. This was actually shot with a Harley frame bolted to the back of a flatbed truck! He also mocked the takes of Cruise in an actual F-14 cockpit in flight (him in the backseat) with a rear-facing static-mounted camera for the closeups of him rolling off the perch into a two-G transition. According to Sechinger, they had to shoot multiple takes to get a wrap because Cruise kept getting sick from the two-G maneuver, etc., etc. It was fun to hear about it from somebody that was involved in the filming first hand while gorging ourselves on fresh shrimp and enormous oysters! it made us feel vastly superior to ground-bound actors even though they made a helluva lot more money at it than we did.

[@robmorgan1214]

Great conversation!

[@grizzworld]

Thank you for this truly amazing Podcast

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

You're welcome!

[@dmutant2635]

I like your videos because you're talking to folks I'd like to talk to and you're asking questions I'd like to ask. And more importantly you're asking questions I wouldn't know to ask.

[@RobertSantos-rw8dy]

Greeting from Thailand.. Enjoy the program... cheers mate.

[@cbspock1701]

That was awesome

[@paulbarrett9951]

Don't know if this will get an answer on here . So here goes, they used viper as a call-sign in topgun but did they give Tom cruise the name Pete after the real viper ? Love all the pod casts , thank you for bringing this show to us jell-O

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Hmm, good question. Viper did not specifically mention it so my guess is it was coincidence.

[@bret9741]

Awesome!

[@modscientist9793]

What a great episode thanks jello

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

You’re welcome 🤩

[@robmorgan1214]

Man this guy's wife seems to be a REAL volleyball fan! I get it now. The movie was ok but didn't do much to fuel my passion for the sport, until recently when I caught a few matches on ESPN... The quality of modern beach volleyball has improved! Those girls sure are ...ummm ...tall. Penny Benjamin: ... making a high speed pass over an admiral's daughter is a great way to get shot down.

[@MongooseTacticool]

Needs 10 times more likes! :)

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Thanks!

[@asganaway]

"I'm 76 y.o. " God bless Sir you sound younger than me

[@couchfighter]

HA The real Viper had a cameo! I stopped and went and watched that clip real quick! how awesome!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

🤩

[@pontiacGXPfan]

He was also an instructor in the first Top Gun

[@tabascoindy5005]

There is 9feets of space between 2 engines of F14 Tomcat.

[@modscientist9793]

When are we going to get Ep.xxx: "The Real Jello!" ? 😊

[@boisecityplanes]

An early video, awesome!

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

...sssshhhhh--it's a secret!

[@IamN0-1]

The one dislike has to be Harry Potter😉

[@Audfile]

Man, I need a next gen simulation of the F4 Phantom with ground detail better than Red Dead Redemption 2. Gimme that beast loaded with sidewinders, a super smart Wizzo AI, and every switch and dial present, with a 200 page manual, in VR.

[@kuiper921]

It's coming to dcs so your wish has been granted!!!

[@garethfox5118]

Loving this channel keep up the good work did you ever fly with the Royal Navy or the R.A.F

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Thanks, Gareth--will do! Another episode releases on September 1st.

[@garethfox5118]

@@FighterPilotPodcast look forward to it thanks

[@alpteknbaser7773]

🙏👍

At 32:20 2020 killed that comment like a sidewinder detonating at the seventeenth compressor stage.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

I'm glad to not know the future--that would be scary.

[@slow9573]

No, Hollywood is terrible. Real life is very compelling. Hollywood constantly adds nonsensical embellishment that makes movies less enjoyable. Watch Sully and tell me that isn't a compelling movie. It's very real to the actual events and is a fantastic movie.

[@Dan-qp1el]

The only callsign cooler than "Viper" would be "Hog- Nuts"

[@hoghogwild]

"HogWild" good enough?