Pilots Will Love the New ‘Top Gun’
Pilots Will Love Top Gun: Maverick—It’s a Lot More Real
The aerial coordinator for the movie tells us why this sequel to an iconic aviation film was worth waiting for.
By Julie Boatman
May 24, 2022
For a movie as iconic as Top Gun, the sequel has been a long time coming. Normally, the ink is barely dry on the celluloid of version 1.0 before the next installment goes into production, ready to ride the wave of popularity and interest of that first smash hit.
But this aviation-fueled audience has waited since 1986—and there’s good reason for that. FLYING learned the secrets during an interview with top Hollywood aerial coordinator Kevin “K2” LaRosa II. He’s vice president of aerial film production for Helinet Aviation Services, and he produced the dynamic and compelling aerial ballet that comprises the heart and soul of Top Gun: Maverick.
The Backstory
LaRosa learned the art of aerial movie coordination and the professional craft of being a stunt pilot from watching and working with his father, Kevin LaRosa, Sr. K2’s a third-generation pilot, in fact. “My grandfather flew in the New Jersey National Guard,” he said. “He flew C-97s, he flew P-51 Mustangs, among other aircraft—and that is what sparked my dad’s interest in flying.”
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Story credit: Flying Magazine; https://www.flyingmag.com/pilots-will-love-top-gun-maverick-its-a-lot-more-real-kevin-larosa-i