Dogfights, bombing runs, and a whole lotta g-force!

I am well aware that I truly have the need for speed. I just never thought I’d actually get the chance to embrace it Top Gun-style!

In celebration of the digital release of Top Gun: Maverick, I got to take to the skies and train to fly just like the cast of the film did. At Sky Combat Ace’s San Diego location, I got to hop in the world’s most advanced aerobatic stunt plane, the Extra 330, the exact aircraft the cast of Top Gun: Maverick used for their own training. Yes, there was a licensed pilot in the plane with me, Sky Combat Ace owner and founder, Richard “Tex” Cole, in fact, but when I tell you he actually handed the controls over to me mid-flight, I’m not kidding.

Perhaps this is a sign that I didn’t do enough research on the incredible experiences Sky Combat Ace has to offer, but before heading to San Diego, I just assumed I’d be getting in a plane and going really fast. Which still would have been super cool! But after going through the event orientation, it became abundantly clear that my flight would be far more interactive than that.

After take-off and demonstrating a few maneuvers, Cole handed the controls over to yours truly for a gun warm-up exercise before launching into a dogfight competition with another journalist. As Cole described, “Think laser tag in the sky.” From there it was on to a low-level bombing run designed to feel like the one executed in Top Gun: Maverick. And don’t worry; Cole maintained control for that one. But I did get to drop the bomb when the time came. See it all for yourself in the video at the top of this article!

One of my absolute favorite parts of cinema is how a film can pack the power to transport you to another reality — somewhere out of this world, into a situation you’d never get to experience otherwise, you name it! Top Gun: Maverick achieves just that with its highly immersive story and next-level cinematography that puts you right there in the cockpit alongside Maverick (Tom Cruise) and co. Given all the box office records Top Gun: Maverick’s racked up thus far, odds are you’ve seen the film, but just in case you’re one of the few who haven’t or perhaps you just want to relive the ride over and over, you’re in luck! Not only is it still playing in theaters, but Top Gun: Maverick is also available to watch digitally at home.

And if you’re eager to experience a flight like this yourself, you can do it! Sky Combat Ace currently has three locations. There’s the flagship in Las Vegas, the San Diego location, and another in Lake Tahoe. Cole got the idea for the facility when he was active duty Air Force flying F16s. “One of my favorite things to do in the military is take people up for incentive rides. These are people who aren’t pilots, but I’d throw them in the back of an F-16, light the afterburner, set their hair on fire.” He added, "They always came back grinning ear to ear saying that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life.” I can confirm Cole and co. are replicating that experience and reaction with the flights offered at Sky Combat Ace.

Perri Nemiroff has been part of the Collider team since 2012. She co-hosts Collider FYC, The Witching Hour and hosts the interview series, Collider Ladies Night. Perri's a proud graduate of Columbia University's Film MFA program and member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. Perri splits her time between Los Angeles and New York, but devotes every waking hour to her cat, Deputy Dewey.

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