How Much Did Top Gun: Maverick Cost the U.S. Taxpayer?

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[@TodayIFoundOut]

Play World of Warships here: wo.ws/3VG1e5b Thank you World of Warships for sponsoring this video. During registration use the promo code WARSHIPS to receive a huge starter pack including a bunch of Doubloons, Credits, Premium Account time, and a ship! The promo code is only for new players who register for the first time on the Wargaming portal.

[@lukeboyuk83]

Suggestion. movies made the Us military didnt like. I know they hated Crimson Tide.

[@robot336]

DOWNLOADING TOP GUN NOW = GUNNA GET ME SOME OF THAT SWEEEET US MILITARY PROPAGANDA MATE 😃😃

[@JIMDEZWAV]

US milyary propaganda make me feel warm and fuzzy inside like everything's going to be ok in the end , it's better than any drug don't you dare take that away from me ! , I don't care if it's not real all the time .

[@lukeboyuk83]

@@robot336 Its soooooo cheesy..... i only made it 40 mins in

[@ragingmonk6080]

That guy that said the cost of the jet... number of life hours... he is full of shite. We retired the F-117 in 2008 and still have a fleet of them that are ready to roll.

[@ARIXANDRE]

After Top Gun, I wanted to be a Navy pilot but I was turned down because I can't play beach volleyball.

[@ayuchanayuko]

Beach volleyball makes a team, sir

[@chrismaggio7879]

ARI... please don't give up. You can go Air Force if your air hockey skills are good enough, Marines if your badminton game is up to par, and Army if you can juggle nerf balls. Coast Guard only needs a signature. Good luck. Make us proud.

[@jaylu7021]

I wanted to be a Navy pilot too, but the nickname goose was taken. So I decided I should name myself mongoose.

[@mattt233]

​@@jaylu7021 callsigns aren't chosen. They're given. And usually not for good reasons.

[@carastone3473]

😂😂

[@unholyrevenger72]

Director"what's the hardest mission you can think of? " Navy "Death star Trench run"

[@benn454]

Just makes Luke that much more impressive of a pilot.

[@rightousIke]

Death star trench run twice☝️

[@pogo1140]

@@benn454 The Navy consultant had to train to do it at night.

[@Shadx27]

Or, "Ever play Ace Combat version of a trench run?"

[@Svensk7119]

​@@benn454 Agreed!

[@JamesFromTexas]

I knew a bunch of guys in the army who were in Transformers 2 when they filmed in White Sands. All those Bradleys were from a unit I was assigned to right after filming. Missed it by 2 months! Oh, and they got paid $1,000 per diem for 2 days of which they only "worked" for about 1.5 hours, most of which was just staging vehicles. Otherwise they all had great photos with Optimus Prime truck form and all the stars in those scenes. Also, all they could eat catering.

[@jkent9915]

I knew an airman that was involved with the first Transformers. From what I’ve heard though, it wasn’t the most unproductive waste of money in the military by a long shot. A lot of this stuff doesn’t even cost money, like stadium flyovers, because pilots have to get stick-time anyway.

[@antiisocial]

Cool

[@jasonlarue5694]

My friend was stationed on the USS Shoup, and her shipmates disposed of the Decepticons remains at the end of Transformers 1.

[@ILikeGoodFood]

@@jkent9915 "A lot of this stuff doesn’t even cost money, like stadium flyovers, because pilots have to get stick-time anyway." I keep saying this about the Air Ambulance services in the UK. All of them are charities, most workers volunteers, including pilots. Flying an air ambulance could easily count as training for reserve or active militray pilots, as could some of the medical roles for army medical personel. It litrally costs almost nothing, and saves lives, but isn't being done.

[@THE_MOONMAN]

​@@ILikeGoodFoodit costing nothing doesn't mean it actually doesn't cost anything though. Like these vehicles don't just fall from the sky right

[@Macilnar0Anquietas]

The US Air Force liked Stargate SG-1’s portrayal of them to the point that Air Force Chief of Staff, General Jumper played himself on the show, as had the previous Air Force Chief of Staff, General Ryan. Richard Dean Anderson was granted the title of 'honorary brigadier general' by the United States Air Force because of his positive portrayal of them as his character Colonel Jack O'Neil.

[@mehere8038]

yup, they apparently initially contacted them to see if there was any chance of exterior shots of the mountain & were put onto the media department, that they didn't even know existed & given WAY more support than they could have dreamed of & they loved it, loving even stuff like the support on what to do with Sam's hair as it grew & was too short to put up, but too long to be off the collar, so I guess that was a match made in heaven, with a production crew & cast lapping up everything on offer & asking for more & willing to take onboard everything they were told, plus having the military play the heroes. Military dream show & show's dream to have access to basically any equipment & knowledge they ever wanted. Was a great plot point for them too with the inability to have their 2 leads in a relationship, therefore keeping up that tension all series in a way that so often doesn't work for shows (and being scifi, they could still get around it with the occasional groundhog day or amnesia allowing the relationship to go further :))

[@douglasbillington8521]

Air Force doesn't get much love it seems. Many of us Gen-Xers enjoyed Stargate, so it sounds like a win-win

[@jasonhawkins6888]

Top Gun was probably THE reason every US fighter pilot got their commission in the 80s and 90s. And the Military knows this. Movies like that and Black Hawk Down were crazy effective recruiting tools for Military service. Believe me, the armed forces wastes a ton of money, but this might be the best investment they could possibly make (for them)

[@dianapennepacker6854]

Yeah I know many who joined due to video games and movies. Not a SINGLE person due to their shit commercials with the exception of the SEALS. Yet I'd argue people who want to be a SEAL aren't due to the commercial but their portrayal in media. Who joined the army because they saw and heard "an Army of One!" "Be all you can be". Also if they relaxed minor drug use and would show people how much soldiers get paid or not pay for? Maybe more would join.

[@TheSniperGTO]

Yeah. That’s what you want from the people operating dangerous machinery and carrying loaded weapons in a war zone. Minor drug use.

[@darkermatter125.35]

@@dianapennepacker6854 and for some reason a ton of marines joined after Full Metal Jacket, despite it being an anti-war movie. I'm guessing it is that "I'M BUILT DIFFERENT" mentality.

[@tturi2]

​@@TheSniperGTO well not during actual work hours of course, even a blind man can see the distinction

[@Bozbaby103]

I joined the Navy in ‘93 due to Top Gun, as did many others I went to boot camp with, so it’s reach wasn’t limited to a few years after its release. I wanted to be a fighter pilot, but was told women aren’t allowed. I was pissed, but joined anyway, eventually leading to a background in material science and working with radiation, ultrasound and magnetics. Yeah, didn’t see that one coming. Fascinating stuff. Found out years later that there was a pilot program (no pun intended) for female fighter pilots when I joined. Pissed all over again, especially since by then I had kids. At ten years old, I saw Top Gun for what it was: a fictional tale of an exciting time in one pilot’s early career. Yes, I saw it with rose, umm, camo-tinted glasses, of fun and excitement, but as I went through my teen years I saw it differently, though the adrenaline-inducing excitement was still very much present. I never saw it as a recruiting tool, before or after my twenty-two year Naval service, but it sure didn’t hurt recruitment. ~ US Navy, Retired

[@balecalduin1993]

"I joined the Navy in ‘93 due to Top Gun" " I never saw it as a recruiting tool" Well stealth recruiting tools are the most efficient ones...

[@Bozbaby103]

@@balecalduin1993 What I didn’t say was I was going to join the military anyway; Top Gun only showcased what Navy life was like more or less. There were many Army and Marine movies to gain insight, but not many post-WWII Navy movies. Rural midwest held nothing exciting for me and my parents couldn’t afford college tuition. Tuition assistance information was scarce, even with the guidance counsellor. (This was pre-internet.). I wanted OUT of Nowhereville. I wanted to travel, meet people and experience more of life, not get stuck like so many in my area, too scared to step outside their county and neighboring counties; to do so was a story for months, sometimes years. No thanks. It didn’t hurt that I received money to go to college, too. Win all around. I CHOSE the Navy because it was not 100% land based, had more options to travel, especially in those days (pre WOT), better and more varied toys aaaaand there wasn’t as much running required. Running to run isn’t my thing, especially with additional weight. Gimme team sports and I’ll run all day long, running without brain stimulation is not me. So, yes, Top Gun was an unintentional recruitment tool, but it had no basis as to why I ultimately chose it over my brethren branches. Edit: Sorry if I sound defensive. I reread your comment and saw that you may not have been (mildly) trolling me.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

@@Bozbaby103 People around here seem to have magic omniscience of other people’s capabilities to be swayed, aka as projection via the Dunning Kruger effect. Don’t waste your time. They’re true believers & can’t be convinced otherwise, yet can’t see the irony in that. Thanks for your service!

[@JS-wc4xs]

@Christina B thank you for your service

[@UnicornsPoopRainbows]

​@@Bozbaby103 I'm also from Nowhereville, Midwest and my cousin joined the navy around 2015 for exactly the same reasons. He has bad eyesight and a messed up shoulder too so Navy was the only branch that would take him but he loved it. Plus, so many people told him he couldn't join period so he had to prove them wrong and be excellent at the same time 😅 Honestly, most people I know that joined some Armed Forces branch because it was the only way out of their Podunk hometowns. That being their only option is an entirely different problem but at least they had one option.

[@amandajones661]

As an Army Soldier, I was an extra in the movie Glory. FT Stewart allowed a lot of Soldiers to be extras in Glory. We got paid by the US Army to hang out on set for a week. 😃

[@cherrydragon3120]

Sounds nice to just chill and get paid

[@dudeimbusy]

Stuck in the hole?😅😢😊

[@StrongDreamsWaitHere]

Part of the appearance of military aircraft in the movies and at sporting events is a legitimate training exercise. If there is going to be a mission that requires you to be over Baghdad at exactly 6:01 AM local time, hypothetically, that mission can be trained for by appearing overhead at a sporting event at some exact specified time. The skills involved, like route planning and midair refueling, are the same in both situations.

[@jeffk464]

Basically, pilots need to keep their hours up.

[@ayuchanayuko]

Pilots need to fly all the time so they dont get rusty. Might as well do it for something too (entertainment, marketing, shock & awe, soft power projection)

[@JamesFromTexas]

Plus training the "new guy" on formations and maneuvers.

[@mehere8038]

hmm that's interesting & makes sense actually. I was at the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics when the fighter jet "blew out the flame". It was incredible! No-one, not even the cameramen saw the actual flame go out, everyone's eyes were fixed on the jet that seemed like it was only metres over our heads. 6:01 for a sporting event doesn't really sound that accurate, but that Olympic flame had to be right to the second, if not less than a second, so having experienced that, I can see how it would be ideal training. The news did manage to find footage of the flame going out later btw & broadcast it, there was a fixed camera set on it, because it was considered so important, but every moving camera in the stadium followed that plane cause of how incredible it was

[@eodyn7]

Top Gun movies are great ads for the military.

[@seasn5553]

no one is joining the military anymore. that’s an idiots game

[@marcushynek7075]

​@@seasn5553not counting the woke shit. But film is culture and signing up for the military service is politics. Politics is down stream from culture. If you are looking for something that will inspire the youth for 3 decades whether they know it or not you make the original film Top Gun. The second top gun put me to sleep to be honest

[@notaspy1227]

Lol judging from the recruiting numbers it actually wasn’t.

[@pugachevskobra5636]

What does “not counting the woke shit” mean? It sounds dumb as fuck but I wanted to confirm that before moving on with my life.

[@notaspy1227]

@@marcushynek7075 both Top Guns were boring. They didn’t even make a Warthunder joke in Maverick.

[@usonumabeach300]

I wonder what the movie Jarhead did for the Marine Corps. Most non-miliary people I know didn't care for it, but most enlisted veterans I know loved it for being one of the most accurate portrayals of non-combat life for junior enlisted life (before NCO)

[@skyden24195]

Saw that movie. Good movie. Fyi, I was a USAF born dependent. lol. Go figure.

[@DarkenedSilhouette]

bro i watched that when i was like 9 and it really fucked me up but i loved it. came back to watch it like 5 years later and honestly one of the main reasons i never thought twice about NOT enlisting. Having said that, ill defend to the death, not attack though thats silly.

[@badluck5647]

I just heard how Marines complained about how unrealistic the movie was.

[@FearHimself666]

I find it interesting whenever there’s a movie that apparently there’s a movie the army doesn’t like but vets do. I heard the army HATED Jarhead because of how honest boring and pointless the war was. Similar thing with Crimson Tide showing a captain being trigger happy with nukes.

[@A13X_H_22]

Only thing I remember about this is the director paid like $30,000 for them to just turn an aircraft carrier

[@notaspy1227]

Navy should have turned the wrong direction and charge another $30,000 to turn the right direction.

[@glenngriffon8032]

This just makes me remember the story of the guy on an aircraft carrier who had the sun in his eyes while having breakfast. Instead of getting up to a different seat he calls the bridge and asks the to adjust heading ever so slightly. The guy telling the story describes the beam of sun slowly moving off the man's face and going to the wall and how the dude just redirected several tonnes of steel and equipment to get the sun out of his eyes.

[@SnkobArts]

I remember that story lol. Biggest meta flex possible 😂

[@Galm02]

@@glenngriffon8032 I guess that’s one way to do it 😂

[@Cheiff117]

1st film iirc?

[@jghogg6570]

Simon... you guys totally missed a good one to poke fun at... Battleship. I was stationed onboard USS Hopper during filming - also why the character's name is Hopper - though the ship depicted was JOHN PAUL JONES. We got a special screening and I remember looking around and lots of us trying not to laugh at how ridiculous some of the stuff was. It was an interesting experience to be there for the filming and screening though.

[@skyden24195]

USAF dependent here. I couldn't get past the first fifteen minutes of that movie (Battleship) because of how ridiculous it was. Honestly, I felt insulted on behalf of all U.S. military organizations by the way some of the naval personal was being portrayed, especially the main character and his absolutely ludicrous antics as well as the Navy's responses to his extremely far-fetched and even real-world-intolerable behavior.

[@TheScrubExpress]

@@skyden24195 lol I was in DEP for the Navy at the time that movie was released. My group's recruiter brought like 12 of us to see it. It was uh..definitely a thing.

[@Hillbilly001]

And starring an agent of the Lizard Overlords. Allegedly. Cheers

[@RHCole]

OGBB

[@TheMoonRulesNo1]

A friend of mine was an ape sergeant in the planet of the apes remake. They used a bunch of soldiers from my old unit in the 10th Mountain division as ape soldiers, and he told me it was a bit of a nightmare. They had to wear loads of makeup, and prosthetics that took awhile to put on, then run around in heat pretending to battle all while getting nothing but regular military pay, and uncredited roles in the film.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Whatever it cost, it was worth it. God knows no one else in Hollywood takes filmmaking seriously. I go to movies to be entertained, moved, & possibly made to think, not proselytized.

[@chasel.9704]

He says, in a video about how the US government paid a lot of money to tell people that the military is great.

[@actiondork]

lol, you don't mind the gummamint doing the proselytizing.

[@Astronetics]

Learned a new word today: 'proselytized' Thanks, chatter!

[@DonVigaDeFierro]

​@@chasel.9704 The Prince of Egypt is an outright religious film, and is still regarded as one of the greatest animated films of all time. Top Gun 2 isn't even an outright military film compared to, say, Iron Eagle (which is utter crap).

[@someone_stole_my_handle]

I want movies that make me think- he says in the same sentence that he defends what the United States government itself admits is propaganda

[@Brian_in_Indiana]

In addition to recruiting, it's also worthwhile to consider retention. From what I've heard, it's costs about $12 million to train a U.S. fighter pilot. If a single U.S. fighter pilot decides to stay in the military rather than go fly for Southwest Airlines due to the movie, then the U.S. military's investment in Top Gun: Maverick has been worthwhile.

[@cameron398]

As someone who now on my 25th year on active duty in the Army can agree with putting out the positive image on service. Growing up through the 80s and serving in the late 90s. Wish that kids today would realize how good military service can be. Now I am going to retire with somewhere about 80 or 90K a year for the rest of my life with throwing in free health-care for me and the family it adds up quick. I did spend four years in the desert during my time but really I worked several years in the civilian world. You will work just as hard with half the pay and benefits. Good luck to the next generation as I plan on relaxing with a easier government job making over 200K a year. Think about it.

[@Raz.C]

Show how the military deal with war crimes??? Why? It's not like the USA or the UK or France or the USSR was EVER held accountable for the horrific war crimes they committed!! In fact, if WWII taught us anything, it's that only those who lose a war are ever going to have to face repercussions for their war crimes. Also, those who win the war can not only ignore all of their own war crimes, they can help cover up the war crimes of enemy scientists, if they think that the scientist has interesting ideas that can give their own nation a technological edge

[@Sandy.J.Lloyd.Sr.]

Daven: Which plane is your favorite Simon? Simon: I like turtles.

[@badluck5647]

Simon's answer would be ever be whatever is on the teleprompter. [Insert Anchorman Meme Here]

[@Sandy.J.Lloyd.Sr.]

@@badluck5647 I don’t know why that old meme popped into my head but I thought it was funny and went for it. But you can’t when them all so all I can do is try.

[@dmisso42]

Understandably, you'd have to be pretty confident of the temperament as well as ability, of someone you put in control of an asset worth between $78 and $129Million.

[@terryshrk]

The DoD is also working closely in this same fashion with video game creators. Which is super interesting because a video games is arguably orders of magnitude better at creating an "immersive experience " than any film,..LoL

[@DonVigaDeFierro]

America's Army was an alright video game series. I can't see the US military sponsoring anything like the original Modern Warfare 2. Maybe that's why Activision made the MW reboot so fucking bland... To get some fed cash...

[@chasel.9704]

@@DonVigaDeFierro Every single Army recruiting station after MW2 came out had a TV, a PS3 or XBox360, and a copy of MW2 for folks to play while they’re waiting. It isn’t about whether or not the game has a 4-star general as the bad guy - it’s about how awesome that game made using military equipment.

[@alejandronopasanada5302]

I was a recruiter and we had a garbage game with replica small arms. It wasn’t fun at all and we had to check it out as an aid from battalion(regional office). Very cumbersome to set up and generally an embarrassment and waste of time. Did I mention the freezing.

[@alejandronopasanada5302]

@@chasel.9704What are you even talking about and why are you talking?

[@chasel.9704]

@@alejandronopasanada5302 I’m sorry, who are you and why should I begin to care?

[@nooneknows3520]

Thank you for trying to stay as objective as possible with this discussion. The matter of fact nature of your videos is definitely my favorite part.

[@THE-X-Force]

Excellent Excellent video. Very well researched and put together, with a ton of information and varied perspectives. Nicely done.

[@thatguy66199]

Simon in his knitted sweater. Did he record every video released in the last couple months all in one day? Or does he just really like that sweater? I'd like to think it was just one work day and he destroyed his queue of videos to record, like a legend

[@lordcrayzar]

I’d rather my money go toward Tom Cruise movies than pretty much anything else ha

[@seanlectka6269]

Similar to the wind talkers, My grandfather repaired allied code machines in WW2, he had a "driver" with him who had orders to kill him if they were captured.

[@NetherStray]

It's pretty brutal but honestly, really understandable. I mean a big reason the Enigma code was cracked was because a machine was simply captured and wasn't destroyed as was protocol. And cracking that code had a big impact on the war. So when the "code machine" is an actual person... Yeah, kind of rough.

[@johnbarr9857]

people tend to forget that a military simply going on Maneuver is still good training. Do something as simple as going from A to B as training has killed people by accident.

[@Wooferman]

The first and second Top Gun movies were recruiting videos for the US Navy. The cost of doing this has been paid for out of the Navy’s recruiting budget as advertising. So the Defense Budget has this cost factored into it. There actually is an increasing need for more pilots and support people in all military branches.

[@DanakarEndeel]

5:12 "And well, now that is awkward..." Not really as Tom Cruise did NOT continue on with any subsequent Top Gun movies until 30 years later! He could have easily gone like Terminator/Rambo and have Top Gun movies come out every few years (to the detriment of the franchise most likely; just like Terminator went down the drain); but he didn't. It took 30 years before we got Top Gun Maverick and it felt like a very nice closure with him and his first love interest flying off into the sunset. I have both movies here on bluray and they are immensely fun to watch. What's more; thanks to Top Gun Maverick it made me interested in model planes and ships depicted in those movies so I picked up several models including the carriers featured in both films. I can't wait to put them together and paint them so I can put them on display in my living room.

[@grapeshot]

They're willing to spend any amount of money for that good old military pornography.

[@RAS_Squints]

I like how the first 10 minute of Top Gun: Maverick was an ad for Lockheed Martin Skunkworks. Probably the benefits out weight the cost in recruiting. Hell even the Airforce tried to use Top Gun: Maverick to recruit (and all sailors who saw that laughed)

[@allenhumphries7610]

My understanding is that every flight scene in the movie was of a real aircraft doing a real maneuver. The CGI was only used to make one aircraft appear to be a different type of aircraft. What appeared to be an Tomcat was a real aircraft, it was just "skinned" to look like a Tomcat. Other scenes composited images so the aircraft appeared to be much closer than the actually were, but still real aircraft. To loosely say it was CGI is to do discredit to the movie and to the aviators who flew the aircraft.

[@skyden24195]

A unique bit of U.S. military recruitment scenarios that I was personally aware of: My dad was USAF for 20yrs; thus, I spent my childhood up to my mid-teens on USAF bases. The final base that my family was living on, at the time of my dad's retirement from the USAF, was Scott AFB, IL. Being that the base was in an area of the USA where there were no nearby naval bases, one of our neighbors was actually an enlisted US Navy recruiter assigned to the US airbase since the USN still had a need to recruit from areas of the country that were far removed from military naval ports. The further unique thing about this navy-guy being on an air force base was that he was married to a Canadian woman who had two sons from a previous marriage: both sons as well being of Canadian citizenship. A few years after my dad's retirement and when the elder of the two Canadian-born sons (his name being "Dave") had turned 18, he applied to and was accepted into the USMC. After his basic training, Dave was assigned to 29 Palms USMC base in California, which was only about an hour and a half's drive away from where my family was living at the time.

[@AbbyNormL]

I much prefer the US government spending money to make movies like Top Gun: Maverick instead of wasting it as they usually do.

[@Galm02]

Same here

[@magicmillz]

@@Galm02 Surely its better spent makin the country better for all?

[@NinJestre]

​@@magicmillz Looks very much like both can be true

[@Galm02]

@@magicmillz that’s not what they usually do at all though

[@bananapeel7636]

Spending money to make a mid movie like Top Gun: Maverick is a complete waste of time and money for the military.

[@JS-wc4xs]

Even though I never served in the military, I so very much wanted to. The original film of Top Gun was highly Impressionable on a young child, and helped to cement my life-long support for the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice that so many men and women have willingly put down so I can live in such a free country. I greatly support and appreciate all who have served and make it a point to thank veterans for their service. It's respectful and they deserve nothing less. (I also have had people in my extended family and those in the past who have also served, but since their stories were not as exciting as a big Hollywood movie, I appreciated the movie more so at that time. However as I got older I loved hearing the stories from my elders, appreciated being able to tour/visit vehicles/boats/aircraft, and stay on Airforce bases thru Boy Scouts.) The use of DoD in movies generally helps to make stories more authentic, however as it's said many times "its not just black and white". I agree fully.

[@scottrok13]

Before I joined the military, I used my uncle’s Vietnam stories, Stripes, Apocalypse Now, The Boys In Company C, The Deer Hunter, Catch-22, and all versions of M*A*S*H as examples of what might happen in the military. Turns out STRIPES was the most accurate for me in the late 1980’s😂

[@FreedomCompatriots]

Bloooown Up Sir!

[@mehere8038]

I had a similar experience when a fool of a neighbour took me to court over a pile of bs she made up. I researched as much as I could, with all the proper docos & sources, but it turned out Judge Judy is what I should have been watching to prepare for my case :) (judge threw it out btw, after giving her an earful)

[@tankeater]

12:58 That's called fraternization!!!

[@LonMoer]

TC owns the P-51 Mustang, the 1973 Porsche 911 S that Penny drives and all motorcycles seen in the hanger.

[@RogueCylon]

He probably owns the whole Hanger as well.

[@DMJoeBing]

I graduated high school in 1997. I can assure you that my interest in the U.S. Navy, and in becoming a naval aviator was soundly from the first Top Gun movie. Vision and a head injury kept me from joining in the end, but all my interest was from that movie, period. EDIT: Prior to that movie, I was interested in becoming an astronaut, which many come from the ranks of the aviators in the Navy and Air Force, so there may have been an inclination to join when I got older, but I did not know that until I was older. At that time, in 1986, Top Gun sold me on the Navy.

[@claytondennis8034]

Strange that the DoD objected to stealing gold teeth in Wind Talkers, but it was very prominent in the Tom Hanks production of The Pacific.

[@straighttalkwithkyle7947]

Wind Talkers came out during the term of a very pro military president. The Pacific did not. One of them wasn't okay with making the military look bad, the other was.

[@PetrSojnek]

Just a thought. Do you know if in The Pacific military did help them? From what I understand, it's not like film portraying army badly can't get made... only it doesn't get support from military in doing so.

[@badgerello]

No such thing as bad publicity. After watching Top Gun a became a professional beach volley ball player and Scientologist.

[@tfs203]

O.S.A? I.N.T? SeaOrg? C.C.?

[@marcelopacheco2479]

There's a video of an F16 incentive flight with Mike Goulian as the recipient of the flight where he does get to control the aircraft, including doing loops, rolls and other aerobatics. However Mike Goulian is a civilian professional aerobatics pilot. I'd say Tom Cruise was never at the controls of the flights for shooting Top Gun Maverick was simply because he didn't had the skills to perform the needed manuevers. In an incentive flight the recipient of the flight gets a chance to fly the aircraft if he/she so desires, under the supervision of the actual pilot in the front seat. Incentive flights are awarded to recipients that did something worth of a big reward, but usually goes to members of the same military branch, like flying the best USAF/USN/USMC aircraft mechanic of the year.

[@chrisj8452]

I have always loved your insight into every subject you have made a video about, but this was the best. You are correct on every single aspect, and most impressively, spoke about all the different aspects that are important. Many people gloss over the real cost vs. the military stated operational cost per hour. Others call it a colossal waste because they can't find the associated spike in recruitment. One thing you barely mentioned I think deserves more weight however: deterrence. You said it, but only for a second. Most regular people in other countries form their opinion on the US military based on what they see in movies. The average person knows it's not 100% real, but also comes away with a better knowledge of just how fearsome US military COULD BE. If you add up (and you really can't) all the people who would harm the US, a US citizen, or one of it's allies, and those that have been discouraged from doing so because of what they saw in the movie Battleship for example, you could see how it potentially saves the US probably Billlions of dollars in actual warfighting, for wars and conflicts that DONT HAPPEN. I am an Army veteran, and I can attest that some countries see the US's capabilities as almost godlike and mythical, and that is much more from movie influence, as they have never seen a soldier in real life until I showed up. We spend a ton on bullets, gas, and operations to actually fight even a small conflict. And in my mind, most importantly, if it saves a bunch of lives on both sides, that alone would be worth the cost.

[@ivorjawa]

Pilots gotta make hours. Same with the football flyovers.

[@jasonlarue5694]

As a 20 year Navy Vet, Yup! One thing I'd like to add though Any time operating a a plane, jet, or vehicle is training. You're only allowed so many flight hours as an individual, and so many using the vehicle. So training is training, even for the Maint Officer that's got to get the bird in the air. And if Hollywood will help pay for the fuel, all the cheaper. And while adding the initial cost of the jet itself would make Hollywood pay more. Training is training, and why not have someone pay for the gas. :)

[@wavygravy63]

Great video. Really enjoyed the background information

[@Plaprad]

I never got bothered over the taxpayer costs. When you actually see how much the military spends anyways, it's not much more. And contrary to popular belief, it is pretty much all used as training. My squadron did plenty of things for local media so they'd have footage for their stories. We always used it as an excuse to train. "You guys want footage of the engines starting? OK, bring me all the Airmen who need training for engine runs. We'll use this plane for it since we need to do a power run anyways." "Want footage of combat landings? Ok, what flight crews need them for currency?"

[@IanAlcorn]

Legal Eagle did a video about Laws Broken in Top Gun. He had a former JAG officer go through it with him. Amazing how much time Maverick should have spent in jail.

[@kiwipewe8048]

Death penalty, actually.....

[@funveeable]

Nah, legal eagle has about as much legal expertise as the Bee Movie. 99 percent of his videos are speculation that ends up wrong.

[@fidjeenjanrjsnsfh]

And the fine. Collect that fine first.

[@globaladdict]

​@@funveeable are u a lawyer?

[@funveeable]

@@globaladdict I know you're not.

[@ItsHyomoto]

All I can say is: pilots love Top Gun.

[@DonVigaDeFierro]

I think you get fined if you quote the original movie in aircraft carriers and training bases.

[@dustyloafers7448]

Cool video. Very informative. How much does protecting a political money laundering operation cost the US taxpayer?

[@c1ph3rpunk]

All of it.

[@hofx666]

Worth it.

[@ziguirayou]

I watched Saving Private Ryan and that made me get into a time machine to 1943 and enlist in WW2.

[@TomSramekJr]

So Maverick and Rooster "flew" a literal museum piece!

[@emmettturner9452]

My older brother got a motorcycle and signed up for the Navy a year after Top Gun.

[@emmettturner9452]

No mention of the crash that happened during the filming of Top Gun and how much accidents like that might add to the cost?

[@neuropilot7310]

It was a stunt plane with a camera mounted with Art Sholl flying it, not a DoD aircraft, that crashed.

[@emmettturner9452]

@@neuropilot7310 thanks

[@mehere8038]

@@neuropilot7310 ok, so what would have happened if it had been a real DoD plane? I'd never thought about it before, but now I'm curious, I mean they shouldn't crash, but if they were to, would it be as per normal, or would there be a clause that meant the studio had to pay?

[@neuropilot7310]

@@mehere8038 I'm not a Navy JAG lawyer....or even a lawyer.. but.... I'd say it would depend on the contract. Same as when SpaceX uses NASA launch facilities, or a defense contractor flies, and occasionally crashes a DoD owned aircraft. The contract may or may not require the contractor, or the studio/production company to have insurance of a certain amount, say $100m. This is also why the DoD has strict requirements on doing PR photoshoot flights involving DoD aircraft. They had a mid-air between a XB-70 and a F-104, for little or no benefit to the DoD, and just PR for General Electric who made the engines. This mishap involved one serious injury, two fatalities and a destroyed prototype aircraft plus another fighter destroyed. I don't think they had an insurance requirement at the time.

[@mehere8038]

@@neuropilot7310 ah, ok, that makes sense. I was wondering if it would be in the contract or not, but insurance makes sense. That would add a lot to the insurance premiums for the studio though wouldn't it? I mean these are dam expensive planes!!!!!!!

[@tankeater]

It's the same as an American Fly By in sports... They do that during a training exercise AND the Government looks at it as boosting patriotism!

[@katmandoism]

I was in boot camp when they shot the movie "Tribe". It was at the rifle range. We had to sign wavers. But since there wasn't any closeups you really can't identify any one person.

[@pamelamays4186]

Top Gun bought lots of cash to San Diego. Kansas City Barbecue, where the scene where Tom Cruise serenaded Kelly McGillis was film, is still benefiting financially.

[@jkmil4981]

Since you're talking about recruitment costs here's part of an article about what the patriotic displays at professional sports events coost the tax payers: The fact that teams like the New York Jets had taken military money to honor hometown troops was revealed this spring, but a report released Wednesday shows that the spending was much larger and much more widespread than originally believed. In all, the DOD spent $10.4 million on marketing contracts with teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS. This does not count sponsorships in NASCAR, which could total as much as $100 million.

[@charleseinarson]

The funny thing about accounting is that it is easily manipulated. The initial cost of the aircraft can be amortized across the life of the airframe or it can be considered a fixed cost regardless of flight hours. Every pilot needs to fly a certain number of hours for currency and those hours are not always of a tactical nature. Variable costs include hourly rates that are distributed across an annual usage number. That may include fuel, maintenance, ramp fees, handling fees, etc. How many fees are already accounted for and are considered as sunk cost regardless of the number of flight hours? I’ve spent my entire life either serving in or supporting the military. There is no other animal that it can compare to….

[@c1ph3rpunk]

I’ve always been surprised that the DOD doesn’t ask for a percentage of the movie they’re used in. I suspect there’s some “law” preventing this, but when has something like a quaint “law” stopped them. I’m sure Congress could pass some new bill to cover any legal issues, if so motivated with, say, 5% of anything a movie like Maverick returns.

[@alfredlear4141]

Tax law is fun

[@undergrounddojokeyboardcag701]

Their payment is effective propaganda that convinces a US population that war is awesome and we're not the worst actors across the globe..

[@dustyhurd424]

It's because it total chump change to them, duh. They go through almost a trillion dollars a year and don't even track their spending. They've tried to do audits and they're just like ummm... we think we spent this much... but we don't really know. They would rather make it cheaper to make military films because it makes people want to do what the movie stars are doing.

[@-TBH-]

The US pays movie makers and gives them shiny toys to use in their films in exchange for positive portrayals of the US military. Why would movie makers pay them?

[@cyanmage1]

trust me once the taxes are paid they got it back

[@timothyhouse1622]

Top Gun Maverick wasn't a movie, it was a 2 hour long recruitment advertisement.

[@joelellis7035]

​@Cancer McAids check your pulse.

[@kosher4418]

23:50 Tom Cruise gets used to overloads on the Mig-29ub

[@tankeater]

As an ARMY Combat Infantry Veteran I call BS on realism! I can point out DOZENS of things wrong in almost every military film.

[@Istandby666]

Growing up around Edwards Air Force Base. I got to see a lot of movie's being made. A lot of times, when you see a sign in a movie saying Edwards Air Force Base. It's actually Mojave Airport. At California City Airport, down from our hanger. Was friends who owned a company that built mock-ups airplanes for museums and movie's. I got to help build the F-117 for the movie Executive Decision. Which would be sold to the production for the movie Philadelphia Experiment 2. There's a story around this F-117 and 4 Black Hawk's flying over California City Airport.

[@jamesmatthew1903]

The next Top Gun will basically be the same movie but Cruise is out of the closet finally.

[@TheWhiteTrashPanda]

39:28 i wondered if Good Deal Dave would get a mention in this video

[@NileBrittanyFoShow]

WhistleBoy- I hope you were able to experience this Audio Visual Perfection in IMAX

[@jmanj3917]

If any movie could be considered a recruiting tool, it would be Full Metal Jacket. There's not a US Marine alive who can't recite the first half of the movie verbatim.

[@George_M_]

Thereby proving the usual complete ineffectiveness of "anti war" films at their intended purpose.

[@joelellis7035]

. . .🤐

[@alejandronopasanada5302]

@@George_M_So true. I’m an Infantryman retired but I can tell you, the amount of morons who’s brain just turn off and can repeat over and over dumb movie quotes wanting to be like them is staggering. If you are someone who really thinks, you don’t see that hero crap, you see these immature mindless clownish drunks just wanting to be a part of a phony lore. It’s disgusting really. I watched their movie set pieces be the trampling of innocent lives both taking them and bullying.

[@MrJimheeren]

To bad all the Vietnam scenes look so bad. No matter how many palm trees you plant, you can’t make an abandoned factory in England look like Vietnam

[@miketan4803]

Don't forget the impact of projecting soft power with such movies ...

[@tonifakerman9639]

I appreciate you putting the sponsorship right at the beginning. Thank you

[@anthonyC214]

If you want to know life on a carrier is all about read the books by Ward Carroll, a retired F14 RIO.

[@claytonberg721]

and/or visit the USS midway in san diego.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

The documentary Theaters of War (2022) says that more than 2,500 films and TV shows have been supervised by the military, as well as the security services.

[@grejen711]

@2:27 This is how the tobacco industry was created. In the '70s a television show was inadvertently used to create the cruise industry.

[@Darryl_Frost]

They get it all back in recruitment.

[@jehoiakimelidoronila5450]

Sir Simon, the thumbnail is hilarious to look at when you added yourself in disbelief and Tom cruise laughing in the foreground 🤣

[@Bombsuitsandkilts]

In the air force and we hired army helicopters to practice for a week, we used them constantly throughout the day and they said they did about as much training as they would normally do in a year, what usually happens is you are given a day to practice so many landings or maneuvers or loading/unloading fuel, and they usually do it once and then just fly around for a while, but since we were paying by the hour we were loading and running ops with 6 different teams all day long.

[@IYAOYAS24]

The original got me in the navy working on hornets back in 07

[@gunengineering1338]

Tom Cruise' statement compared to action actually makes sense. Top Gun: Maverick was made for a newer generation who have internet access and the war in Iraq behind them and is directed towards aviation inthusiests who have a more mature outlook on military aviation than kids of the 80s. Basically, the audience has changed since 1990. For all the madness in scientology, the way they made and marketed the new top gun was actually very well done.

[@tturi2]

I think that's excellent that they can classify some of the military usage as "training" or "advertising". Good training and advertising is actually really hard to accomplish in the military, more the merrier in my opinion. Not a fan at how they don't include the cost per hour (limited hours per vehicle) of the initial purchase.

[@DecanFrost]

''well, that's a bit awkward'' 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@rickhouston2144]

The first top gun definitely influenced me!

[@CtheBernwickle]

I gotta say Simon, it’s your face man, I download your podcast but just can’t get into it like I can your videos, I just need your face in my life I guess. Keep factoring fact boy.

[@McWillis]

I wanted to join the military because of video games. But realized there wasnt any respawn points.

[@kaizen5023]

25:00 Movies = cheap recruitment advertising. Nailed it.

[@garyb9167]

COurage Under Fire was also denied military support

[@luannnelson547]

My dear relative who was a fighter pilot for many years: call sign SNOT.

[@garyschlagheck4871]

Yup military taught me discipline that my family never got around to.

[@tankeater]

My military nicknames were: Angry Henning and SoCal Hillbilly... But, I am uh Bad@$$. ThunderThighs, Dink, Little Squirmy, is definitely the norm TBH 🤣🤘

[@KorokHaze93]

To be fair I've seen several navy men say that even if you do decide to join there's a good chance you could go through your whole deployment and never once get the opportunity to actually fly a plane. That and the fact that SO MANY military men tell you about how much the recruiters will lie to you is what discouraged me from ever joining.

[@cyanmage1]

My buddy spent his entire time in the Navy on land, he made the mistake of signing up for guard duty at Gitmo then once that ended he got assigned to a ship that was dry docked he was so pissed he just wanted to be on the ocean

[@jmanj3917]

39:40 Duh. That's why they're the instructors. And this seems to be a pattern at most USMC and USA schools, at least.

[@Crioten]

Starfishes really like this... the recruiting process is so weird in the US, was a fun time tho...

[@pamelamays4186]

Daven, another awesome script!

[@particles343]

One of the things about the movie I didn't like was ejecting at over Mach 10. Unless he was in a capsule you'd just turn into mush. Even then he'd be tossed and turned and turned into.. mush.

[@jimbojones9665]

I watched a video recently in which a hunk of meat was placed into a supersonic wind tunnel. It was charred in seconds.

[@rubiconnn]

Also the entire part where they spend way to much time dodging missiles. Like you don't dodge missiles, they can maneuver way better than a 15 ton aircraft. They also can lock aircraft and fire from potentially hundreds of miles away. Also the missiles travel like mach 3 so you can't outrun them lol.

[@partygrove5321]

Of course a hypersonic plane would have a whole escape capsule.

[@Goalsplus]

Suspension of disbelief is needed to enjoy many movies. Bollywood movies (I need English subtitles to watch them) are fantastic if you can just accept them for a story.

[@bl8danjil]

It was probably a capsule as you mentioned.

[@Scruffy-LookingNerfHerder]

Goose is probably the most realistic callsign in the movie lol

[@jraluark]

For future reference, people in the Navy, Air Force, and Marines are not soldiers. Navy personnel are Seamen. Air Force are Airmen, and Marines are Marines. Only the Army has Soldiers.

[@rafaelriveramestre7976]

I'm sure Saving Private Ryan had something to do with that decline

[@amandajones661]

There are a bunch of Navel and Marine bases near Los Angeles. I know those Sailors and Marines get called to be extras a lot!

[@Emanemoston]

Heartbreak Ridge, the Marines landing in Grenada was 2/8 doing some training in Porto Rico. So it cost the US nothing, as they were training anyway and just allowed them to film the training.