SATURDAY 13TH MAY 2023 - VIP GUEST SPEAKERS EVENT
Building 177, 2875 Dewey Rd, San Diego, CA 92106, United States.
Are you ready to take a deep dive into the making of Top Gun and Top Gun Maverick? You will have the opportunity to meet and listen to their inspiring, breathtaking, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, adrenalin, behind-the-scenes stories from Top Gun and Top Gun Maverick:
These are the VIP Guest Speakers you'll get to meet and listen to their inspiring, breathtaking, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, adrenalin, and behind-the-scenes stories from Top Gun and Top Gun Maverick on Saturday, May 13th, 2023.
Frank "Walleye" Weisser, a veteran of the Blue Angels, is the man behind the stick for some of the most iconic scenes in the new "Top Gun Maverick" movie. He will share his incredible stories of flying the F-18 during the canyon run, the low-level Lawrence of Arabia maneuver and many other low-level flight scenes we saw in the movie.
Kevin LaRosa II, the Ariel coordinator for Top Gun Maverick, who shot over 800 hours of aerial footage for the movie, will give us a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to capture those fantastic aerial shots we all can't wait to see on the big screen. In addition, he will be sharing his experiences working with the film's stars and what it was like to be a part of such an iconic movie.
Aaron “Vern” Vernallis, the F-18 pilot who raced Maverick on his motorbike down the runway, will spill all the behind-the-scenes stories about how that scene was shot multiple times over 2 years. And get this, he even lent Tom Cruise his own flight gear for the iconic "Feel the need" picture! You'll have the chance to see his flight gear up close and personal at the event.
Amy Heflin, the real “Phoenix” of Top Gun Maverick, was an integral part of the movie's filming, serving as a safety observer for the camera crew and helping to install and set up the six cameras that bring the action to life on the big screen. She flew for Phoenix and Bob, participating in the snow scenes in Whidbey Island and the BFM in the mountains east of Lemoore, CA. You'll have the opportunity to hear Heflin's exclusive behind-the-scenes stories about what it was like to fly for the best movie of 2022 and get to fly as one of the leading characters.
CJ "Heater" Heatley, a TOPGUN graduate and former instructor, played a vital role in making the iconic movie. He will be sharing his stories, insights and behind-the-scenes of the making of the film. Not only did his photography skills and style influence Tony Scott during the filming, but they were also a key factor in the movie's creation. His aerial photography was featured in the 1983 California Magazine article "Top Guns", which inspired Don Simpson to make the movie.
Maggie Kohl, Get ready to meet the real-life 'Comanche'. As the E-2 callsign in 'Top Gun Maverick', we are thrilled to have Maggie join us as a guest speaker. Imagine hearing firsthand accounts of the movie filming from an active-duty servicewoman who was there! Maggie went from babysitting the E-2 used in the movie and the film crew to appearing in the movie as 'Comanche'. This is your chance to learn more about the E-2 aircraft and its crew directly from the person who did it for a living and in the movie.
John Semcken, a real-life TOPGUN pilot and technical advisor for Top Gun, will take us behind the scenes of the film that made us fall in love with naval aviation. As a graduate of TOPGUN, he served as the technical advisor for the film and will be sharing his experiences and insights into the making of the movie.
Jim “Jambo” Ray, a real-life TOPGUN graduate and instructor. He was part of the flight crew who flew the F-4s and F-5s as Jester and Viper in the original Top Gun movie. We’ll hear what it was like to fly as one of the aggressor aircraft for those amazing dogfighting scenes that still thrill and excite us more than 35 years later.
Javier Medina, Aircraft Director, Flightdeck Safety, aboard the USS ENTERPRISE during the filming of Top Gun and got to hang out with the actors off-set on the ship and watch many of the flight deck scenes being filmed.
They will share their never before heard, behind-the-scenes stories of their time working on the making of Top Gun and Top Gun Maverick, as well as some of the new CGI technology and the technical advisors from the military who worked on the set to pull off an amazing film.
Not only that, but we will also have some of our all-time favorite guest speakers returning to go into further detail on how things differ from our original beloved 1986 movie and today’s tricks of the trade. The event includes a Q&A session with each speaker and the opportunity to get signed photos and selfies with them.
Catered lunch and beverages are included with your ticket.
Slaters 50/50 will provide amazing lunch for you at the venue, so you won’t have to worry about leaving the event in search of food and drinks.
