Described as a “love letter to aviation” by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the new box office sensation “Top Gun: Maverick” is receiving critical acclaim for its state of the art cinematic sequencing and putting actors inside the cockpit of F18 Super Hornet jets, leaving audiences spellbound. But who was actually at the controls of the twin-engine Boeing fighters during the making of the film? While Tom Cruise is known for executing his own stunts, for this production, he had to rely on the help of the US Navy to achieve the aerial excellence that is creating so much buzz.
Enter Frank “Walleye” Weisser, a retired Navy Commander and former pilot of the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron. Weisser is one of several Navy pilots that worked directly with Paramount Productions to fly the aerial sequences that are so heavily featured throughout the film.
In this brand new interview, Cdr Weisser will publicly reveal for the first time how he was selected to assist in the production of “Top Gun: Maverick” and how his affiliation with the Blue Angels played a significant role. Walleye will shed light on what it is like to work as a stunt double for Tom Cruise including a humorous misunderstanding with a makeup technician on set. The interview will also provide behind the scenes insight into the iconic scenes that are featured in the trailer as well as his experience flying Tom Cruise in his backseat throughout the production.
The scope of the discussion extends beyond Cdr Weisser’s involvement with Top Gun. Graduating from the Naval Academy in 2000, Weisser goes into detail about what life was like serving in the Navy after the attacks of September 11th and the combat deployments he served on before making the decision to submit an application to the Blue Angels, where he was selected as the team’s Narrator for the 2008 season.
Detailing his time on the Blues, Cdr Weisser shares how he leveraged his role as the Narrator to enhance his transition into the demo as the team’s Opposing Solo for the 2009 season. He also provides insight into the key differences between the Opposing and Lead Solo roles and which one he enjoyed more. He later discusses how he was recalled to the Blue Angels several years after his initial tenure in the wake of the tragic loss of Capt. Jeff Kuss and the challenges he had assimilating back into the team.
Cdr. Weisser also served in a critical role assisting the Blue Angels with their recent transition to the F/18 Super Hornet. In this interview, you’ll hear how Cdr. Weisser was charged with the seemingly impossible task of figuring out how to extend the life of the incoming Super Hornets by making adjustments to the demo profile to limit G-strain on the aircrafts while not dramatically changing the presentation in front of the audience.
Special thanks to the Blue Angels Association and Frank Weisser for making this interview possible.
Conversation Time Stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:07 Attending the “Top Gun: Maverick” premiere
3:01 US Naval Academy experience
4:40 Serving during September 11th, 2001
7:45 T-45 Goshawk flight Instructor
8:25 Combat deployment
9:03 Landing on an aircraft carrier at night
10:26 Applying to become a Blue Angel
11:31 Blue Angels Narrator
12:43 Blue Angels Opposing Solo
13:40 Managing G-force as a Blue Angel
15:51 Differences between Lead & Opposing Solos
17:36 Life after first tour with the Blue Angels
19:40 Returning to the Blue Angels
22:05 Most challenging maneuver
23:23 Transition to the F/18 Super Hornet
27:28 2022 Blue Angels
28:20 Getting the call to fly in “Top Gun: Maverick”
32:10 Behind the scenes of filming the movie
34:23 Safety on set
38:32 Flying Tom Cruise in the back of a Super Hornet
Interview conducted and edited by Ryan Nothhaft
Filmed on Riverside.fm video conferencing platform
Visual Resources:
Paramount Productions: “Top Gun: Maverick” footage
DVIDs: Still images and video of US Navy aircraft and facilities
Ryan Nothhaft: Blue Angels airshow footage
source
I grew up with the Blue Angels practicing when they would fly out of Wright Patterson. They would fly over the lake as we were sailing! Great interview
I love how he pointed out that he's not doubling as Tom, but it's Tom doubling as him.
Just a quick thanks. That was a terrific interview, extremely informative and interesting. I was in Helicopters during the Vietnam era, later transitioned into fixed wing and flew airtankers on wild fires, hence greatly appreciating the low level work. Again thanks totally enjoyed the talk!
kinda sad they didn't allow Tom Cruise to pilot, at least Tom, but never mind.
Hello?? These two guys haven't realized 8+1 slash 10+1 "sneak attack" is a big, ruling clan contrived pile of steaming BS? Oh yeah, they both profit from the lie. "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on him not understanding it." – Upton Sinclair. "All we need is right major crisis, and the nations will accept the new world order." – David Rockefeller. "If my sons did not want war, there would be none." – Rothschild. "By deception we make war." – Mossad. "World events do not occur by accident. They are made to happen, whether it is to do with national issues, or commerce; and those who hold the purse strings stage and manage most of them." – Denis Healey (former U.K. Secretary of State for Defense). "The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the larger centers has owned the government ever since the days of Andrew Jackson." – Franklin Delano Roosevelt (to Col. Mandell House). "I really look with commiseration over the great body of my fellow citizens, who, reading the newspapers live and die in the belief that they have known something of what has been passing in the world….I will add, that the man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them; inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors." – Thomas Jefferson. "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country." – Edward Bernays. "There will be in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak….Producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire socities, so that, people, will in fact, have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel, by propaganda, or BRAINWASHING enhanced by pharmacological methods…..And this seems to be the final revolution." – Aldous Huxley (purportedly wrote Brave New World, the "fiction" novel of totalitarian ruled future society, and political advisor). "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." – Eric Arthur Blair (purportedly wrote 1984, "fiction" novel of totalitarian rule future society).
whoa, this blows my mind. even after watching this, civilians still won't understand.
this guy deserves all the respect in the world
I don't know the jargon but when the air show comes the local people, the people in the know, line a back road with trucks and cars bringing their coolers and chairs waiting for the jets to come. The first time I was there and I could see one of the jets coming screaming at me I was jumping and screaming back in excitement but couldn't hear myself. I turned as it went so close over my head and there I believe the afterburner (?) engaged and I felt such amazement and pride… Everyone was standing and cheering but you couldn't hear anyone lol. Probably ear protection would have been the way to go but the first time it was such a mixture of excitement and pride getting the full experience was worth your ears ringing lol. Thank you all for who you are, what you do, and for your service to our country.
After all that's the problem with most Americans anymore you want to live in America but don't even speak your own language and then you want to tell others where they should be how to fit in and how to act I can't honestly tell you when I stood face to face with a real man was somebody that would say that what was on their mind tell the truth and give it to you straight nope most of them are just trying to please their buddies or trying to use fear and intimidation to scare women or just can't come through with the things that they say you all Billy badasses when you standing in teams but believe me my fight if you don't understand it then get the hell off my Battlefield and get out of my way because my stories are real my life has been real and I'm not going to let you stand in the way manipulate try to manipulate my mind or try to get me distracted on something else so if you ain't got nothing to say about the things that I'm talking about then just please shut up step aside so that maybe I can get this message out there
There's not been a sunrise or sunset where I wouldn't rather stand alone speak my mind tell the truth about what I'm saying stand behind what I believe and make sure everybody's hearing the same thing that I'm saying believe me no matter who I was standing in front of I would use the same voice say that use the same words and say the same things can you say that for yourselves
And just some food for thought for all you annoying people who want to talk in riddles and speak in tongues or use your little digital Warfare to try to manipulate other people's minds to either make them depressed or otherwise don't be so sure you won't get some counter-terrorism tactics used on you guys for your ridiculousness
I wouldn't even call you good Americans when you're using digital Warfare and chemical warfare on the people who live here in the US but hell what do I know
So if and when I decide to start looking in to your playbooks how much grant money or funds you were given to be able to behave in such ways if it harms people or you keep people from being able to express the freedom of speech or you use it for your political benefit well you can bet your ass someday you might be questioning where you also stand with me
And then I'd ask you do you do this to your own families do you do you use those types of behaviors with your kids and your wife
And then I would also say that if you did get funding or you got grant money then I would not only question you but the person that approved it because then I would question if you guys were seriously voyeurs or if there was any real benefit into what you guys really thought you were doing or if you guys are just sick and maybe need a mental health evaluation yourselves
And I think they even have like a club in Las Vegas like a voyeur Club where you can go and watch people I mean since some of you are so obsessed with that
Fantastic and well-done interview. Educational and yet holds a viewer's interest in hearing 'the inside the cockpit' perspective of a career military jet pilot! Thanks for putting this one up for all of us who want to 'know' more about Top Gun Maverick and the challenges presented in filming it.
Hey Tye, loved seeing your add on YouTube! All the best, Alan Moore
Top Gun Maverick….it was only a movie !! I liked it so much I actually seen it twice….but it was a MOVIE . I live in an adult world where we understand the difference between fiction an non-fiction. Why is everyone so critical about this movie ,??
Many of the first Blue Rhino team were E/F pilots in the Fleet. Must have been interesting to [a] transition from E/F to legacy C/D for initial year(s) on the team, then [b] transition "back" to the E/F.