Please review "The People vs Larry Flynt" (Woody Harrelson) or "The Judge" (Robert Downey Jr, Robert Duvaul). Both are older, but very underrated legal movies. I'm dying to hear your legal analysis of them
@LegalEagle If you look at the two planes you can see that the f-14 as two vertical stabilizers while the f-5 has only one. This would allow the one plane to sort of straddle the other, in that inverted position. So physically there is space for the maneuver. However can the pilots (yes both the f-5 pilot and the f-14 pilot have to cooperate to do this kind of thing) pull off the maneuver without crashing themselves? Thats a completely different question.
@@mizinoinovermyhead.7523 The cockpits are inches away from each other. The single vertical stabilizer on the F-5 is going RIGHT through the f-14. Overruled!
@@LegalEagle Ah, but that was not your point, as stated "wouldn't the tail fins just slap each other?" Which was the point of my objection. You however could rephrase and state "the maneuver as shown is impossible" which would be true. lol Still, I don't think anyone wants to try this, nor do I really think a realistic version of it would be worth the risk.
@@FornaxusCrucible This movie is actually a few years before the Don’t ask, Don’t tell policy, which was introduced under Clinton in 1993. As crazy as it sounds, it was actually a compromise on the issue at the time.
Some of the best callsigns I've heard of: "Blaze" - Caught on fire in the base kitchen "Headless" - Pilot's last name was Horstman "Hurricane" - Pilot's first name was Katrina "Legend" - Failed an exam that no one had ever failed in history "Vodka" - Pilot’s name was Smirnoff
When I was on a Tiger cruise on the Nimitz one of the pilots call signs was “Wiki”. When I asked how he got that I was told, and I quote, “ he’s like the website, he knows everything but he isn’t always right”
Yeah, callsigns are secret jokes between pilots busting on each other. And the callsign they get is never going to be "a cool callsign". There's whole videos talking about how new pilots are given their callsigns. It's hilarious. My suggestion is to ply the "naming committee" (the squadron) with a lot of alcohol paid from your wallet and NEVER, EVER, ask for a callsign.
Fun Fact: In the end credits of the movie, the military pilot consultants for the film are listed by their names, ranks and callsigns. It threw me off as a teenager, because the pilots in the movie all have cool callsigns like "Maverick" and "Iceman" and the real pilots are like, "Bozo" and "Dipshit."
@@deanjustdean7818 Nope because you’re not supposed to swear or cuss over comms. Yes if under distress (like getting actively shot at) no one within reason will call you out.
As a retired Sailor, the thing that bugged me about the celebration of the crew on the flight deck is, first, like you say, they have abandoned their posts and becoming FOD on the flight line, but second... the enlisted people up there in the colored jerseys would have ZERO clue what happened in the air. Aircraft go up, aircraft come down, none of the information about what a squadron does gets back to the ship's crew.
Exactly. They would have heard all the scuttlebutt later, but not at that time. And those pilots and RIOs need to get those helmets back on - flight ops ain't over!
Even at civilian airports; ground services know nothing. I work for an airline and had a customer come and rage at me. I'm like... I just unload your plane and put your bags on a belt. I don't fly the plane I have NO IDEA why your plane is here I just heard they need a mechanic. Plane get people and bags plane go bye bye; plane come down unload bags and people... plane go up again.
Makes you think, being a skittle probably makes you wonder what the planes youre sending out are up to. I guess in most cases you'd never know, especially if they're doing actually interesting combat patrols. Then again I'm guessing the vast, vast majority of flights are so uninteresting that they wouldnt care anyways. As long as the plane comes back who cares.
Nothing comes in the BEFORE the briefing. The upper brass need to know details first. There are many actions in that movie that makes the USA look bad. Mildly said; They have no discipline.
@@itskarl7575 I don’t believe so. There was no reasonable context to believe Devin was in possession of speed - Devin could’ve asked if he had the need for a dragon, or a brick of gold, but that wouldn’t constitute an offer or any evidence of possession.
Objection: I am a current Navy JAG and the folks at TOPGUN are Navy pilots. There is no official Navy Regulation that forbids intimate relationships between two people at the same command, unless they are committing Fraternization (e.g. leader/subordinate, officer/enlisted, etc...). The only real problem in a relationship between Maverick and Iceman would have been that same sex relationships in the military were not allowed at the time.
Speaking of callsigns, Tom Cruise related a story where during the training for Top Gun, he went with a navy pilot who's CS was "Bozo". During the flight, with a series of hard turns, Tom was starting to feel sick. He leaned forward to reach down to get his barf bag, and at that moment Bozo pulled into a hard-g climb, pushing Tom's face almost to the floor of the plane. He kept trying to call out to the pilot to ease off, but couldn't get any air to speak. Once they DID level off, Tom snapped at him and asked why he did that. "They don't call me Bozo for nothing" was all he said.
There are some cool callsigns, until you get behind the meaning Slag sounds pretty cool. Until you know it means Screams Like A Girl. Maverick could be a cautionary nickname but he's too much ego to learn Iceman could have been (accidentaly) locked in the food freezer at some point
Nicknames are allways teribble in the military, we had one guy named Dipstick because he fell into an uncovered cesspool in one of our first nighttime exercises we had, he was caught in the hole by the armpits, thus he became Dipstick. Personally i earned the nickname dragon due to loud snorring, drooling and yawning after a trip to the bar.
@@erikrungemadsen2081 Its known as a leveling mechanism in anthropology. "It acts to ensure social equality, usually by shaming or humbling members of a group that attempt to put themselves above other members."
@@erikrungemadsen2081 my spouse is an aerospace engineer and went to school with a bunch of fly boys. They gave him an honorary call sign after learning that his first time "flying" was when he went flying, head first, over the handles on his snow mobile into a snow bank because he confused the stop and the go. Thus, he became Snowpilot. He's rather proud and fond of it. It sounds cool, until you know why he got the moniker.
@@pokepress Pretty much I was no JAG but I can tell you that Lt. in the movie battleship never would have left port on any ship after that fight he had with if I remember correctly a Japanese Naval Captain who is in fact a senior officer to his USN rank.
@cak01vej Legal Eagle did it along with a group of other movies, not a stand alone. It'd be interesting to hear a JAG's take on the movie and what it got wrong (for example, there's no UCMJ article for "conduct unbecoming a US Marine" that they ended up being found guilty of violating).
You know what's even less fun then being a part of Naval Aviation? not being a part of Naval Aviation.....Plenty of cool stuff to be had Was more fun then I expected, more like Animal house + Hot Shots
Well if it was me i'd at least wanna work with aircrafts by being one of the ground crews or something Work on the birds and watch them soar into the sky And if I retire I might keep working as some sort of a mechanic at least
My former CO's call sign was Nightmare (Harrier pilot). Cool call sign? Sure. My confidence that the story behind it is actually horribly embarrassing to him on a very personal level? 100%.
A question then about callsigns - could someone assigned a horribly embarrassing callsign either request a new callsign, or simply introduce themselves by a different callsign?
My dad served aboard Enterprise during filming and was ordered to be part of that end scene crowd. He was completely pissed off about it as he had to leave the aircraft he was actively working on up on the flight deck.
A pilot friend (well, father of a friend) earned the callsign "bulldozer." It sounds pretty benign until you learn it was a constant reminder that he once left the taxiway and plowed a significant trench in the grass.
So many people think callsigns are always cool. They're usually attributed to something stupid/impetuous/accidental that the pilot/operator was involved in. However . . . my close friend in the RCAF told a great story about a petite female pilot he came up with who, as a second lieutenant and unbeknownst to her, basically swore out visiting Japanese officers (who were quite a few ranks above her). They apologized to her for the comments they made. Her given callsign was JAK: Japanese Ass-Kicker. One of the few cool/badass callsigns. Most, though, are of the Bulldozer variety. 😂
@@CH-em2wu Yep, this is how my father, a retired RAF captain, ended up with the callsign Auto. Not as in "automobile" but "au-to," the Cantonese word for 'puke,' after what he did to the back of a brand new training jet while he was in SE Asia.
When I learned that military call signs were meant to be something related to a humiliating experience, I started to justify those call signs: - Ice Man probably froze at some point in the past in a minor training exercise where he was supposed to lead the exercise -Goose, certainly his long neck -Maverick is meant to be a misnomer because he was too much of a loose cannon
"Who is this random guy driving his motorcycle on our flight line and shaking his fist at us? I'd get an investigation going at least" I feel like that was unintentional gold
Between the Two Top Gun movies, Maverick was actually charged, but thanks to a stellar defense from his JAG lawyer, Lt. Kaffee (of "A Few Good Men" fame) , he was cleared of all charges.
thank you for promoting motorcycle helmets! my uncle was killed a few years ago in a crash - he was wearing one of those little "prop" helmets that only cover the top of your skull. he ended up with a severe skull fracture beneath the back of his ear which killed him. please PLEASE always wear a helmet, and wear a high quality helmet that covers your entire head and face!
My uncle flew a few dozen feet after hitting a Fiat 125p on his Harley like 10 years ago. He'll never walk properly again. This and having a friend die from excessive speed, is why I won't ride. If I did though, I'd wear more than a helmet.
There's a reason they always tell you not to touch a motor-biker who's been in an accident and especially not remove the helmet: it could very well be the only thing holding their skull together at that moment, they're designed with that in mind as well. Call an ambulance and do whatever the operator tells you but DO NOT. TOUCH. THE HELMET.
Here in the UK in 1968, a RAF Hunter pilot broke of from his flight and flew over london buzzing the houses of parliament 3 times and flying between tower bridge to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the RAF. He was kicked out of the RAF on medical grounds and held for two days but was sent a keg of beer and later exonerated.
My Grandfather was in the RN based in Malta in the late-50s (Radio and Radar) and ran a profitable sideline fixing up old cars for resale using Navy time and resources. They also said they kept a keg of beer to quench thirst. It was a very different time. 🤷🏻♂️
@@masterofdesaster8 The Rum Ration ended in 1970, but in true military fashion it was replaced by a daily Beer Allowance which still stands to this day.
I did my Navy flight school as an NFO in 1988-1989. Some of the instructors there had been advisors or had worked on the original Top Gun. Their consensus was that Maverick would have lost his wings after the first flyby through a full pattern and the movie would have ended right there.
I'm dying! Devin building up to his Danger Zone joke and Spencer trying to figure out what law or terminology he is forgetting until Devin says Danger Zone and he just gets that "Son of a..." look on his face.
Omg. Air Force pilot's daughter here, and watching this brought me back to when I first watched this movie with my dad. He would not shut up about all the shit Maverick did lol. Thanks for taking me back y'all
I know how your dad felt. I'm retired Army watching basically any movie or series that features or is about the military is painful. From the way uniforms are worn, to insignia, to ranks, to how different ranks talk to and interact with each other. To all the stuff with weapons and vehicles. For example Hurt Locker frustrates me so much.
There is a reason I refuse to watch military based movies anymore. I spend most of the time screaming "they don't do that" or "that's not how that's done!!" at the screen.
It's kind of come full circle in a way, as I'm an equestrian and my son says he hates watching movies with me that have horses in them, because I can't shut up about all the shit they're doing wrong lol
Had the same thing happen when I watched it too. Younger me thought he wasnt nice, but watched it again before the new one was out and was like "huh... He's not actually a dick, he's just saying it how it is" 🤔 It was the same for me when I watched Jurassic Park. Thought that Jeff Goldblum's character was an egotistical dick, but again watched it as an adult as thought "oh... He's actually right and asking the right questions" 😅
@@TickleMoiPickle123To be fair I think that's exactly how he's written, the book paints him as an arrogant "rock-star academic" jerk that no one wants to hear. Problem is he was actually right
I was assigned to a ship in San Diego in 1986, the year Top Gun was made. On military bases it was illegal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet. BUT offbase in plain old California, at the time you COULD ride without a helmet. It wasn't unusual for sailors and civilians who worked on base to wear a helmet on their way out the gate, then remove it as they sped away!
In 88 or 89 when I was in Great Mistakes I saw someone go to mast for not wearing a helmet when riding off-base. Illinois did not have a helmet law at the time.
In the Air Force, not only is a helmet required, but so is a reflective garment. The services are pretty rigid about motorcycle usage, and if you're not wearing protective gear (mainly a helmet) should you get in an accident, your survivors could have your life insurance claim denied.
...and it's unclear if Maverick is on base or on a highway alongside the runway. If he is on base I'd be more concerned he is potentially riding on a parallel runway and an inbound plane is going to take him out than that he isn't wearing a helmet...
One of the LTC I had in college had the callsign "Doc" which he earned when his wife went into labor at dinner, and he delivered his child himself. Only Pilot I know with a dope callsign
Clarification for Clearance: Just because you have TSSCI clearance, does NOT mean you get to hear everything that is TSSCI. You still need to have a "Need to know" to have that information. It needs to be absolutely vital for the person to know this information. So even if someone says " I have the clearance" your response should be "Why do you need to know?"
Her job is to analyze the capabilities of the adversary's aircraft and instruct the pilots on them. That means she has need to know because she cannot possibly do that without being looped in on new intelligence like first hand observation of the craft's performance, including the context of the situation that allows her to assess that information. Maverick jumped in in the middle of a lecture to interject that he had seen the MiG28 do something that she had just said it couldn't do, and when she pressed for details of the circumstances he said "Oh, you don't have the clearance for that." Well, she does, and their CO standing right next to them knows that-- that's why he brought her there to lecture them on what are surely Classified details about opposing aircraft. Even Maverick knows it or he wouldn't have ALREADY told her that the plane can do a negative 4 G dive. He's just deliberately being a dick.
@@dongquixote7138 Absolutely! If she needed to know she shouldn't be asking in a semi-public environment. But, despite what Maverick says, I get the feeling it's operational information that (in theory) everyone present should know already and he's just being a dick. I mean, he's not called "Maverick" for actually following orders like a good officer, now is he?
exactly, my wife has clearance through her job and when she got it the first thing they told her was unless explicitly told otherwise, assume you have no right or authority to share information with anyone.
And the classified discussion needs to take place in a facility approved for that. Which if any of the locations in Maverick are, NCIS is going to have to spend weeks compiling a damage report given that everyone appears to take their phone everywhere. (One thing the original movie did correctly: nobody took their phone into a SCIF, if only because they couldn't at the time.)
My best friend older brother call name was "Badger"....cause he poked one with a stick(it didn't end well for him). His friend he served with, call name was "Bunker" cause he broke his arm falling out of a bunk bed.
My friend had a nickname, I don't know if it's a call sign or not, but his nickname is Newt he found out how toxic a juvenile northern red eft is if ingested.
No one gets a cool call sign. Tried picking my own cool guy call sign during field training at my first duty station... Was unanimously decided by everyone else that it would be princess. This was in 2003. Some of the guys I keep in touch with still call me that
@@nekonyx Its generally based on either embarrassing events or interests that become known can also be a spin off of a last name. I got lucky and got the call signs "Hammer" and later "Wolf" but I knew one with the callsign "punchout" think you can guess where that came from ;)
I served with a pilot who was call sign SHAK. It was a perfect call sign. 1. It described the gentleman. He had a large frame. 2. It tells the story in of itself. 3. It's an acronym. The military loves acronyms. Shit Himself Above Kandahar it was an honor to serve with you.
The term originated with fighter pilots. “Hard deck” was slang for an altitude (10,000 feet or so) that represented ground level during flight training exercises. If you went below the hard deck, you had hypothetically crashed and were out of the exercise.
Reguardless of what these guys are saying, I always wondered about that. If he technically crashed he should have won that exercise without continuing the chase?? He won. Why didn’t that count, why continue?? But oh yeah it’s a movie.
@@johncamp7679 Perhaps the hard deck existed only for the pilot students, they were the ones who were being taught afterall. Like you say its a movie but if hard deck simulated the ground then Tom Cruise should've stayed above it even if it mean losing the exercise
@@johncamp7679 That's correct. Maverick shouldn't have gone below the hard deck but it should have been Jester being chewed out for going below it first. Either that or Jester "crashes" in the exercise and Mav get's automatic credit for the kill by forcing Jester to do it.
@@johncamp7679 good point. If Maverick forced Jester to drop under the hard deck, Mav could’ve pulled out at the last few secs and won the battle. Of course, everybody was violating the hard deck there in the desert, sometimes below the rocky peaks around them.
Fun thing about Military law, you’ll notice that whenever they point out an event and the charges in them you may notice that there are multiple. Most often when the military really wants to actually charge you, they will throw in atleast 3 and 1 will always be conduct unbecoming because it guarantees that this charge will likely stick. In short don’t commit any crimes in the military, you won’t win.
Just like the civilian criminal judicial system. The DAs office will always file multiple charges; “conduct unbecoming of an officer” is the military equivalent of disorderly conduct.
@@TheDecoCottage that’s only for officers ie commissioned normal military ie soldiers and sailors and airmen it’s bringing the service in to disrepute it covers everything from sneezing on parade to killing the president and everything between
Basically the "Murder, arson, jaywalking" clichê. Throw some minor but easy to prove in, so it's not a "dismissed on all counts." Even if the only one the y can prove is minor, it'll go down in your record. Also, there are probably 3 levels of "buzzing the tower": one, as mentioned, during the Top Gun program, would be the least severe. Two, in an area of active tension during an official military operation, it would not only be unsafe flying, but disrupting a military operation. That's already pretty bad. IDK what the offense is called exactly, but it's already a severe one, since it can not only mean harm or death to a single other aircraft but also harm an important mission, which can easily lead to e.g. loss of the ship in question. If that offense sticks, Maverick would face dishonorable discharge and some years. The third and most severe one is in a war, whether a declared one or one triggered by an act of war. As has been mentioned, in that case, death penalty wouldn't be off the table.
I live in Arizona where helmets are not required, and I continually got mocked by one particular fellow rider because I always wear a helmet, without exception, and the law on my bike is that my passengers will too. Guess who died in a motorcycle crash while not wearing a helmet. Oh the sweet, morbid irony.
My physics instructor at the academy was teaching at the Top Gun school when this movie came out. He said that the school saw a spike in unsuitable officers being nominated to TopGun after the movie came out. He had gone to Top Gun in his day, and was about the calmest, nicest, and intelligent man I have ever met. He said that a movie about real top pilots would be very boring.
There was no helmet law in CA when the movie came out. However, on base military personnel had to wear a helmet, hard sole shoes and a reflective vest. So he violated all those regulations. And of course would have never been allowed hear the flight line.
Tbf, if they were restricting themselves to the exact laws and penalties from when the movie came out, this would’ve taken a lot longer to make… if you think researching state, national, military, and maritime law is a pain, try researching OLD state, national, military, and maritime law. Also, the Maverick x Iceman bit in the middle of the video would have been more depressing if they had stuck to historical law…
@@jackfitzpatrick8173 that is untrue. In NH if your under 18 you must wear a helmet. When I rode there in the 90's Indiana and Washington didn't have laws for that but they do now. Iowa and Illinois are the only 2 states without laws for that.
You need to invite him back more often. Your buddy is super funny. I can immediately tell he was a marine officer. Carries himself with that exact mentality. Good shit
I love how in the beginning of the movie the admiral warns Maverick, "if you screw up this much..." and then Maverick proceeds to screw up at the highest level possible. And nothing happens to him.
James Tolkan's Character is a Commander not Admiral. He's possibly the Squadron Commander or Commander of the Air Wing. But definitely not the Admiral, his Silver Oak Leaf (not a Star) is clearly shown on his Uniform.
7:40 "No one has a cool call sign like that." Judging from the _actual_ call signs of the stunt pilots that appear in the closing credits, I have to agree.
Yeah like Lt. Peter "Horse" Caulk. Say that one out loud and tell me you aren't dying of laughter. Guarantee his squadron mates were when they gave him that one. Bozo and Loner are some other highlights.
The other thread mentioned lots of punnery on names: a female pilot Katrina "Hurricane", a "Headless" Horstmann, and a "Vodka" Smirnoff. Definitely NOT Hollywood-style callsigns, but not related to any cringeworthy incidents. For all we know, "Iceman" could have locked himself in the freezer room. ;)
Totally love, love, love Spencer's dry humor. He is a terrific "Guest JAG"! I would love to see more of him _anytime_ his presence would be _at all_ beneficial.
The real Iceman was both a doctor and a naval aviator. As I recall, he grew up in Australia where his father was stationed, and he is in the Australian Music Hall of Fame. Most flight surgeons have the call sign "Doc", but when Iceman was first deployed, there was already a "Doc" in the squadron. The call sign "Iceman" was apparently given because the other aviators thought his hands were rather cold when he was conducting physical exams.
stationed where in Australia? and when? currently there are only two U.S. bases in Australia, one is intelligence (Pine Gap) and the other is communications (Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt)
I like the theory, that the US was willfully trying to provoke a war against the opposing country, by sending hothead pilots to the area, which they hoped would cause an incident which would have good scapegoats in case the incident was ill timed, or a good excuse if they were ready for war. Seriously, after stepping out of bounds so many times... who recommended them for top gun, and why?
Top gun program was started because a high ranking pilot was flying a training mission when two young pilots flying crappy planes on another training mission decided to dog fight with him and beat the higher ranking officer in a maneuver. The beginning of Nam was a clusterfuck for American fighters until they figured it out
@@nordoceltic7225 yeah I know that's why the senior officer who got beat by immediately found out who the two pilots were who beat him cause they were in a much slower non fighter bird. The officer and the new pilot came up with top gun
Fun story, I used to ride with a half top helmet because full helmets would get a little stuffy sometimes in the summer. One time when riding on a normal street, in town, doing the speed limit, a bug (I'm not sure what because it probably didn't really matter) hit me right on the cheekbone and man it felt like I got hit with a baseball. After that, I always wore a full face helmet because I wasn't a fan of losing teeth to a large beetle.
Had a full helmet on one time, got hit in the throat by a bee. Bought a leather jacket, wore it collar up. Summer? 900 degrees? I do NOT care, that's not happening again
Dad loves to tell the story about falling off a motorbike and walking away with only a small scar on his wrist - thing is, he was wearing full body, full helmet protection. The gear was wrecked; the scar happened through half an inch of leather after the road shredded it and the helmet was scratched up to the point of being unrecognisable. I get the feeling it wigs him what would have happened if he hadn't been armoured up to the eyeballs.
In a great interview with a former F-14 and F-16N pilot (Keith Nancy), he stated that although some aspects of Top Gun (the flight school) was accurately portrayed, there was no Top Gun trophy, "Because if there was, you'd have had guys killing themselves trying to win it."
@@Redmanticore Goose would have never died. That canopy would have been nowhere near him. The Tomcat used a similar canopy ejection rocket to my F-15D model, and I saw one in a video being tested for a new canopy we were supposed to be getting. That canopy left the sitting aircraft so fast the camera operator couldn't follow it well until it was well away from the aircraft. Now add a flat spin on top of it, give me a break! "Top Gun" is the biggest joke movie based on the military of all time.
@@cepeck65 Dr. Schallhorn said during his interview for the movie, he explained how a flat spin could actually happen with an F-14 and that it complicates ejection. "The aerodynamics of the F-14 flat spin affect the timing of the ejection sequence," Dr. Schallhorn said. "The canopy is jettisoned, followed by the ejection of the back seat, followed by the front seat. In a flat spin, the canopy, when it ejects, bobbles for an extra few hundredths of a second above the aircraft. That upsets the carefully engineered sequence because the guy in the back could then hit the canopy. That sequence made it into the movie."
The PhD in Astrophysics isn’t unrealistic. She could, for example, have started her career in some space related topic and acquired her first aeronautic skills as a spin off. I have a PhD in materials physics and ended up in automotive software development ten years after my graduation.
Engineering in general is broadly transferable. Mechanical, Civil, Industrial engineers; Electrical, Nuclear, Aeronautical/Aerospace engineers often take jobs in areas of engineering other than the specialty they got their degrees in. When you graduate with an engineering degree and get your first job, you don't really know what to do. I was in a panic, felt like I was totally unprepared until the experienced electrical engineer I was assigned as team leader gave his on boarding talk. That was when I learned those years in school were only meant to teach the basic toolbox of engineering, the rest would be learned on the job as specific details filled in the blanks .
The theory I've heard is that there are actual embarassing stories behind all the "cool" callsigns in Top Gun Goose - snores so loud it sounds like he's honking Iceman - locked himself in a freezer
My call sign was Gravedigger. The back story is I had surgery and was grounded for 6 months, and ended up on funeral detail for 3 months in a row, and continued getting last minute calls after I was no longer on it, usually to fill in for a fri/sat funeral several hours away the following morning. Kinda sucked but I got a bunch of day passes from the squadron commander because of it, which also turned in to a joke among the company after awhile.
@@benwillems8584 "Screams Like A Girl" ahahahaahahaha...... So you have to properly spell it "S.L.A.G." Oooh boy. I honestly think that after having seen the movie a few times, while Maverick and Iceman sound cool... they're absolutely derogatory. Iceman is for his demeanor to other pilots. He's cold and not very calculating, just mean. And Maverick... earned his because he's constantly doing stuff he knows he shouldn't do because it's dangerous and could get him kicked out of the service.
"Nobody has a cool call sign like that" There is military-wide nickname convention of someone's nickname or call sign being their shittiest trait or literally the name of what they do if they are integrated with another unit. Maverick would have been called "Napoleon" for sure. 100%. No doubt in my mind.
Maverick's call-sign actually suits him. It's his shittiest trait: he's a maverick; basically a rattlesnake's tail about how he's a loose cannon and not a good team player. Even Charlotte and Iceman comment on it. The only three who have "cool" callsigns are Iceman (pun very much intended), Sundown and Viper.
"If he were at war...he could get the death penalty." That scary moment when you realize Vader executing his officers for incompetence during a war is an actual real deal in military to an extend. (Well...minus the "no trial" instant execution thing, but still.)
All those silly frilly trials for proper justice just isn't affordable for a dude running a planet destroyer, he don't have the USA's military budget after all.😂
Good news! Summary court marshal and execution is a thing in the UCMJ! I don't think it applies to death penalties but pretty much you can be tried and convicted on the spot, or as close to on the spot as you can get in the United States.
@@Mostlyharmless1985 it probably does, treason and cowardice are both punishable by summery execution during a time of war iirc, although the cowardice one might’ve been written out of the law
I never was able to figure out how these lawyers just have all these laws memorized. I know that’s what they are taught to learn but I find it crazy how anyone can learn and memorize all this stuff. Very impressive.
I was a kid when I watched this and it left me believing for YEARS that the military was out there daily fighting off random attacks to keep our country safe.
Except they screwed up explaining the HARD DECK scene, when they got called into the CO's office the definition of HARD DECK was explained. Something they some how missed.
I liked it too. The script is written with a Capital "S". They were entertaining, but I cringed when LeagalEagle said, "So they were flying into a zone of danger."
"I object your honor!!!" As a former Navy service member I can assure you Naval Aviators are "so cringe" when it comes to the ladies. In Australia I was chatting up this young lady and all was going well. A pilot from my squadron came up and all he said was "I fly the war birds he fixes. You know, like those guys in Top Gun." She didn't speak to me the rest of the night. I also object on the grounds that Naval Aviators don't get cool call signs. While on board the USS Carl Vinson there was an F-18 pilot whose last name was Mawheeney. And his callsign was "Lick". Coolest calllsign ever!!!!
I probably would have said something like "True Buddy.... My job is to repair highly complex supersonic aircraft, and make sure you can focus on enemies and not have to worry about your life all the time because your work equipment might not work properly." And if he's an *ss and does this regularly, probably something like "How are things with the wife and kids? I heard the marriage is on the verge of breaking up after the gonorrhoea thing?"
This movie portrays the military as like some kind of wacky college fraternity where you can pull pranks on people and the dean will just give you a smack on the wrist, lol.
UCMJ is the same for every armed force. Some have articles specific to their branch, almost everything illegal in the Navy is also illegal in the Air Force. Now of people are held responsible for their actions does vary between branches. Air Force officers are.... I won't say it.
As a kid growing up, I lived in a town where a lot of teenagers drove scooters, also often without helmet. At one point, me and a group of friends was speaking with an older kid (we were probably early teens or slightly younger, so we were not old enough for scooters yet), and he put on his helmet to drive away. Someone asked him, why he was wearing a helmet, and he just calmly answered: "You only need to witness someone crash without a helmet once, and you will never want to drive without a helmet again!" - That has stuck with me! Now, a scooter does not reach the same speeds that motorcycles do by no means, but it can still cause nasty damage if you aren't wearing a helmet.
People die from falling over their Bicycle at 6mph, so he‘s completely right on that. We had a guy crash his bicycle down a rail-head at our base. He died from the injury sustained on his head. He probably would have not been injured badly at all if he wore a helmet.
@@heinzketchup4558 I knew of someone who came to a stop and had trouble getting the strap loose to free his foot from the peddle (1980s version of toe clips). Fell over and cracked his skull.
Honestly, one of the coolest things about the Stargate franchise is, the military stuff not only feels real, but also _realistically serves the plot._ Heck, several episodes actually revolved around the _consequences for military misconduct_ (like O'Neill's temporary dismissal from the service for "stealing" shit from an offworld ally)...
I loved that TV show Atlantis and even discovery ( edit sorry I meant Stargate universe ) which was canceled too soon it had a lot of potential. stealing stuff on an individual level is frowned upon, when it's sanctioned by the state, it's fine.
They had not one but two Chiefs of Staff of the Air Force displaying themselves in the series. And on a somewhat humours note. They did film scenes in the actual Cheyenne Mountain Complex. Which is now operated by the Air Force Space Command. And in Stargate they show a in-universe TV show (Wormhole X-treme) that displays a slightly silly version of the "real" thing. Allowing it to continue as plausible deniability in case of a security breach. With all that together the chance is greater than zero that there is some actual thing in some sort of ironic multilevel meta setup.
Adultery by itself can add the complication of possible compromise, particularly depending on your job security responsibility. One of the first things I remember learning is don't do anything that could lend itself to being blackmailed for informational purposes.
Reminds me of the Joke, two lawyers are stranded on an Island, after months of surviving a beautiful naked woman washes up on shore unconscious, they both sit and look at her for a while then one turns and asks "should we screw her? the other replies " Out of what ? "
"It's going to be a bad day for you if that person does not in fact have that security clearance." It'll be a bad day even if they do have the security clearance, since they would also need to have a need to know for the specific classified information they asked you for.
And, on top of all that, going around stating “I have a Security Clearance” is enough to get that privilege revoked *at minimum* for punishment. And in the Navy, every rate requires some level of a sec clx.
I did have some instructors once insist since they had Secret clearances I could tell them about my TS/SCI job and they could figure out what I could relay to the class. I instead gave a class on how to qualify for my job field instead. It was the only one that anyone took notes in, and none of our presentations were going to be tested on.
@@elli71 you don't have to be in a SCIF to discuss classified information. I used to be in CID and we did classified investigations all the time. We stored our cases in a SCIF while working then (it was annoying to have to go to the signal command HQ to put my case file in secured storage every night) but our office wasn't a SCIF and we still discussed out cases
Adultery is the security risk. Anytime somebody can have pictures of someone, which they threatened to disseminate or publish, that person now has an incentive to do something to prevent the publishing of those pictures. Prosecuting adultery, is basically an immune system against spying.
That would really only apply to TS/SCI, where even a missed credit card payment could end you. The rule is pretty strictly because of old school morals and general discipline.
YES, and I was thinking of Relationship with a spy. The other side plays dirty like that. Just to drain Pilots mind, say as simple as pillow talk. Loss lips sink ships as old saying goes.
@@ChineduOpara See: the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial. Having differing opinions on an actors’ divorce is one thing. Having a differing opinion than a surgeon on their area of expertise when you’re a layperson is another.
Some of his claims may or may not be followed up on, but to the letter he was correct. Mind you, the JAG is much more consistent than civilian lawyers because there's only one UCMJ.
I'd like to point out that when Jester dove into the Hard Deck he effectively by the rules of the dog fight NOSEDIVED INTO THE GROUND. That ladies and gentlemen is called a Terrain Kill. Maverick would have every right in that moment to make fun of Jester, a Top Gun instructor mind you, for intentionally smashing himself into the Earth just to get out of a radar lock over the radio to the effect of "How does the Earth feel Jester or should I say Crater now?' (Edited because spellig mistake :D) PS: If you wanted to really help Mavrick out of this scene he could have said 'Jester broke the rules first sir. I don't see him getting repremanded.' or you could have had Jester intentionally diving to hard deck two other times to reset the fight, Mavrick finially having enough and locking him up to prove the point adding to his defence.
Ok Firstly , Given how long the movie has been around for and the popularity of Maverick i need to point out that MAVERICK is spelt with a K Mate, you can't just put his name down as MAVERIC and not expect anyone who grew up with the movie to say anything , ok LOL............ I mean seriously if i wrote down GOOZE or EYESMAN you'd say something as well Please make the appropriate corrections and give Maverick his due respect
@@chaeairsoft Yes it is mate, This is an iconic character and honestly No one has any excuse , after this much time to spell the name incorrectly also.. How could you spell it incorrectly , Seriously i mean if you like Top gun the first thing you think of is Maverick it's like Mad Max, the first thing you think of is Max Sorry mate, this time you're wrong, Spelling Maverick's Name correctly is mandatory
You mentioned the safety of wearing a helmet... that's no joke. In fact, It's amazing what can be accomplished with proper protective gear. A buddy of mine, who is a HUGE motorcycle enthusiast, spent a lot of money on top of the line protective gear. Once, while riding his motorcycle, he got T-Boned by a car that ran a stop sign. He was hit hard enough, that he flew 15 feet from the impact point. He broke his leg, where the car hit him (his riding boots absorbed a tremendous amount of the impact) and he broke his arm, where he landed on the pavement. That was it.
A friend of mine was in a motorcycle accident in which someone turned left in front of him. He skidded down the street on his face, but the biggest injury was chipping 2 of his teeth on his helmet. If he hadn't been wearing a helmet, he would have left a long bloody marker streak along the ground.
Wearing a helmet is important. However Legal Eagle was wrong about it being the state law. As others have pointed out the California helmet law didn't exist when the movie released. Even if it did it wouldn't have applied on the navy base (federal property). I'm sure the navy would have required a helmet, but that's a different matter.
Can we get more of this guy? Maybe more military movies analyzed? Also funny anecdote, I served as a weapons technician in the air force and well funnily enough got myself a callsign due to a quite an embarrassing accident I had, I got hit to the groin by a rocket that another technician was loading into a pod, people after that called me Nutshot, which in hindsight is kinda cool but still embarrasing
@@nekonyx Never been military, but based on my experience with nicknames, likely everyone who knows the story is thinking about how to make it a permanent joke, and one guy has an idea that sticks. Then people who don't know the story hear the name, ask how you got it, and soon they've joined in.
When I was working as a delivery driver, I took a day off to go see an early showing of LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring. My boss gave me the nickname Frodo. 20 years later and I still correct people that call me a man, I'm a hobbit, dammit!
Yeah, giving someone else in your unit a motive to kill you instead of the enemy definitely sounds like it would be “prejudicial to good order and discipline”. Do not commit adultery, kids. Especially with the spouse of someone who regularly handles weapons.
At the end of the day, marriage is an agreement, and adultery is the breaking of that agreement. If someone can’t be trusted to keep his promise to his wife, can you trust him with your back on the battlefield?
I work as an Informations Tech in the navy. That scene where they talk about the clearance always annoyed me. Even if, her and every other Officer there had a TS clearance and there were no devices around that could hear/record what they were saying, they still wouldn't have the need to know. Two people with a TS could both be working together, and still not be able to tell each other a lot of things because the other person does not have the need to know that information.
@@WilliamSmith-vo8zu yeah, it's almost as cringe-inducing as "my hands are registered as deadly weapons" when nowhere does that. At most, it could be used against you in court to imply murderous intent, but even that is iffy.
@@WilliamSmith-vo8zu That is what we refer to in the navy as a "Joke", you'll hear them from time to time. I assume you are a civilian. Otherwise I assume you are a Marine or a Blackshoe as the latter two do not get issued a sense of humor prior to going on deployment.
Yeah I had TS/SCI and the briefings and NDA's you have to sign to gain access to a single program are silly, also it isn't a blanket for everything, plus you would only discuss it in a SCIF with other people verified to have access to those programs, we had badges with letter codes showing what programs we had access to
Fun fact, when the JAG said that callsigns are usually assigned by embarrassing or stupid things you’ve done, it reminded of a story that Tom Cruise told. The pilot that wore the maverick helmet and that TC flew with, his callsign was “ Bozo” 😂
When I was in Naval Flight School, I wanted my call sign to be Ice Man, because I was cool as ice (so I thought). But when I got to my first command, my call sign was just "soup," only because the first 3 letters of my last name start with "sup." I contested for a while, but I learned to live with it eventually. Well, at least it was not "stinky" (my buddy passed out drunk & $hit himself). LOL!!!
the two of you played off of one another really quite well.. the look of shock and indignation on his face at the end was sublime when he noted that they should all be actually doing their jobs, not celebrating.
You definitely need Spencer back on. I'm sure there's plenty of military themed movies for y'all to rip apart together. He adds such great, dry humor to the videos he's in.
Don't forget the fact that he doesn't use proper radio callouts, which could get him in trouble Also, interesting thing regarding the F-5/Mig-28 shown in the film. They use mostly Northrop F-5Es (re-designated as F-5Ns when being used as aggressors) and an F-5F, with modified LEXs and automatic flap system. They also appear to be equipped with AIM-9L Sidewinders, meaning the US likely equipped this Rogue Nation with weapons only a few years prior. Also, the latter part of the movie with the final dogfight has some interesting implications, Namely that France was also exporting weapons to this Rogue Nation. The reason being they mention this country having Exocet Anti-Ship Missiles. Edit: One thing that wasn't mentioned here were the scenes at Top Gun, with the aggressors. The planes used were Douglas A-4F Skyhawks, which have been stripped down and modified with more powerful engines. These Skyhawks were dubbed "Mongoose", and served as stand-ins for Mig-17 Frescos as Adversaries. By this time, I believe the US Navy and Marines Corps were still using the F-21A Lion (IAI Kfir C.1) as stand-ins for Mig-23 Floggers. Northrop F-5E/F Tiger IIs were used as stand-ins for Mig-21 Fishbeds. HOWEVER, the US did actually own a few Mig-17s, Mig-21s, and Mig-23s. However, very few pilots got to actually face them in combat, and I believe it was only AF pilots who faced them, rather than Naval Aviators. Final edit: One big thing that really bugs me about the movie is how air-to-air combat is portrayed. IRL, the Tomcat would be doing virtually everything with BVR missiles. However, that likely wouldn't make for a fun movie.
That's.... one HELL of a good question dangling out there that's worth digging at. Thank you for pointing this out as I always just kinda let the technobabble was has 'eh it's a movie' but frankly? That's.... something worth exploring. What kind of nation would get that kind of hardware support from NATO that would then turn around and bite Nato in the ass?
To be fair, as we learned in Iraq, unfortunately the US selling weapon's to a less than scrupulous client is not such a hypothetical scenario. Iraqgate if you are interested. 😬
@@singletona082 I mean, Argentina kinda did that (Argentina was supplied Exocets, Etendards/Super Etendards, and I believe a few Mirage Vs by France. The US supplied A-4 Skyhawks, and Israel supplied old IAI Neshers (renamed as Daggers))
Yeah the f-14 is most certainly not a dogfighter. It gains maneuverability and speed in odd ways through configuration changes (raking the wings back for speed, and pulling them forward for maneuverability) as such it can't fit and spurt the way the f-5 for instance can. You have access to all the capabilities of the air craft at a moments notice in a dogfighter.
@@mizinoinovermyhead.7523 Later F-14s were better. It should be noted that the F-14s shown in the movie were early F-14As, with the TF-30 engine, which was known for compressor stalls. They were later replaced with the GE F110 on the F-14A+, F-14B, and F-14D
Another thing about adultery: It would very much affect your security clearance. A foreign government with knowledge about your affair could use that as leverage against you.
Only if the affair is not public. I have heard you can fess up to tons of stuff during your clearance process with no problem, it's the stuff that they find that you didn't mention that gets you.
@@blackswanmtg It's more nuanced than this. The deciding factor is if that knowledge means an adversary has power over you. So like, if you don't want your wife to find out, it doesn't matter if you are honest about the affair on your clearance form. On the other hand, if you list as one of your references your lover, who has a husband, And you say "Yes, I know she's married. Yes, he knows about our relationship too." Once the investigator verifies everything, there's no problem.
Truth. When a service mbr is evaluated for security clearance his/her records are screened. Personnel screens their service record, and their medical records are also screened. One of the things we were told to look for was repeated treatment for sexually transmitted diseases- which indicates poor judgment, & data that could be used against them as leverage.
As a person in the military you're wrong your security clearance will be fine. As long as it's not an affair with an employee of a foreign government and you haven't broken any laws it won't affect clearance at all but it will affect your career especially if you have some kind of public facing position
There is an old, Greek, I think, myth about a soldier who was married to a beautiful woman. His superior officer wanted that woman, so he posted the soldier where he was sure to be killed. After that the superior married cette woman. Even just coveting someones wife or girlfriend/boyfriend, and not even committing outright adultery, in the military can be very dangerous.
“Why would she be speaking to them if she had a PhD in Astrophysics?” Probably cause she has a PhD in astrophysics but research grants were crap and went into a tangentially related job at Northrop Grumman that has very little to do with her actual degree but pays a lot more 😂
Also because the real-life woman Charlie is inspired by-Christine Fox-has a degree in astrophysics. She and Kelly McGillis actually looked quite alike at the time.
Stars are fluid bodies (specifically plasma), so many astrophysicists do actually need a working knowledge of fluid mechanics, in addition to plasma physics.
Its really not particularly unusual. He could've simply gotten permission to take one into the air to take some photos. If you look around this very site, you'll find RIO recorded cockpit footage and photographs.
And a real life Scenario Gulf of Sidra 1981 had a moment where a RIO was taking a photograph and giving the bird at the enemy pilots It's the thing that inspired Top Gun 1986
Regarding buzzing the tower: as we know, permission to buzz the tower was denied by ATC, because "the pattern is full", i.e. there are planes flying around the area. So Maverick blatently disregarded an ATC instruction, risking a mid-air collision.
Also, Maverick not being married, didn't know the first rule of doing something you shouldn't. That rule of course is "it is easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission." Goose was married. So he knew this rule and knew it was a bad idea.
I was a submariner, and the fact that the deck crew ran out to celebrate the return of Maverick, drives me friggin' nuts. But hey, if you want to get your ship sunk, by all means, carry on.
Fun fact, the ship being sent out to rescue the SS Layton is actually the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier also starring in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home released in the same year as top gun. A great year for the vessel and for anyone who is a Star Trek nerd
There are civilians that you do salute; they're known as Supplied Officers, and they don't have military contracts, just a set of signed orders that they're in charge of X program/exercise for X amount of time, and their own unique uniforms. But, they can kinda wear anything as long as its professional. Usually S.O.s "rank" as O-2 or O-3, which would be the equivalent of most of these pilots, so they'd be peers and not salute anyway. But if "Charlie" was an SO at O-3 then the O-2 pilots would technically be obligated to salute her.
My late father-in-law was a civilian contractor with either a GS-12 or GS-15 rank (I don’t remember off the top of my head). His civilian rank was higher than my mother-in-law, his wife, who was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force! He invented numerous different radar systems, some still used today, and also worked on the SR-71 Blackbird. The DOD and company he worked for recognized what an incredible human he was by naming a building after him before his passing. He was so well respected that he would be saluted and when he died, he was buried with full military honors. Just a side story :)
Side note: Pennsylvania overturned their law about having to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle in 2003. My wife worked in a PA hospital and the accidents she saw because of that were horrific. Please please please wear your helmet when riding even if you don’t have to.
There is a reason transplant doctors occasionally refers to motorcycles as "donor cycles" . Most motorcycle fatalities head trauma, and when some kid decides he is tough enough not to wear a helmet, his accident may provide a dozen or more nice healthy organs to keep smarter people alive.
I still to this day have no idea why people overturn laws like this. It's like overturning a law on wearing your seatbelt, it's such a minor inconvenience that prevents so many problems later on. If you aren't smart enough to take basic safety precautions, you're probably not smart enough to make the choice on whether you should overturn them
As a twenty-year naval veteran, and author of military fiction, I found this amusing. I will point out two things. 1) Your JAG friend was accurate to point out how light some of the penalties are for officers. If an enlisted member did the exact same crime, the penalties would be much higher. 2) The Congressional Medal of Honor is earned, almost always, by people who disobeyed orders. Great video. Thank you
@@Raddaya He said, I paraphrase, that if an officer did a number of offenses, they would lose wings, or be removed. Light penalties for crimes. Enlisted servicemembers would have the book thrown at them for the exact same offense. That was my point.
This may be true, and I've read about a few where it certainly is true, however there is usually a great benefit to their disobeying the order. As an example, one that I can recall from WWII the recipient's unit was ordered to withdraw while they were underfire. He said he could see the enemy's gun emplacement from where he was and advanced rather than withdrawing and then disabled the emplacement once getting in range to lob a few grenades. His actions unfortunately cost him his life but also allowed the rest of his unit to withdraw without further casualties. That is a far cry from buzzing the tower.
