Filming "The Final Countdown"

F-14 Tomcast

The first big-screen appearance of the F-14 was in the 1980 sci-fi adventure “The Final Countdown,” which has gained fans and respect as the years go by. We get the full story from a former Tomcat pilot who flew many of the memorable scenes in this Tomcat classic.

Al “Shoes” Mullen was a lieutenant in VF-84 who had recently completed the Navy’s TOPGUN training class when he was sent to Key West to film some unknown movie. A great story-teller, Shoes describes how the movie-makers struggled to effectively and safely film the aerial action, and gives his reaction to the famous scene where it looks like a Tomcat almost flies into the water. In addition to his role in the film, Shoes has amusing stories about his time in the Training Command and his later tour as a TOPGUN instructor.

You’ll enjoy this wide-ranging and very entertaining interview, which is loaded with anecdotes about flight training, TOPGUN, and the F-14.

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