Mongo was able to splash one of the MiGs, while a wingman downed the other. Though his force had F-14s flying ahead to defend against possible counterattack, two Iraqi MiG fighter jets got behind the U.S. In January 1991, Mongo found himself in the first daytime strike of the war, aiming a bomb at an important military target some distance away. Mongo deployed, saying goodbye to his wife and two-week old daughter, unsure if he would see them again. Only weeks later, as Mongo was settling in with his new squadron, Iraq invaded Kuwait, and his standard rotation became an active threat rife with potential hostilities as he headed to the Red Sea. Within days of receiving those orders, he and his wife welcomed their first daughter. After six months of non-stop, comprehensive F/A-18 introduction flight training in 1990, Mongo received orders to a squadron deploying to the Mediterranean Sea as part of a normal, planned rotation.
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The same high-speed maneuverability and exhilaration that characterizes TOPGUN flights in the movie can also bring danger, and training to fly is no different. The entire incident – from controlled flight to aircraft impacting the ground – took only 15 seconds. Circling a third time, he saw the pilot on his feet, waving at him.
Circling again, he noticed a parachute about 50 feet from the plane with the pilot still in the harness but not moving. When Mongo first circled the crash, he did not see the pilot and was fearful he was still in the plane. Seconds later, the plane pancaked into the ground and exploded. Mongillo yelled over the radio for the pilot to eject. As he followed it down, he confirmed the other had lost control of his aircraft. With the mountains and valleys surrounding the Fallon, Nevada training site, it was difficult for Mongo to determine the altitude of the sinking plane. Mongo recalls a time where he was engaged in a dogfight training exercise and the plane opposite him began to slow, lose altitude, and depart controlled flight. Just as in the movie, the TOPGUN program is not without risk. As an experienced pilot and instructor, Mongo flew F-16Ns, A-4s, F-5s, and, of course, all versions of the F/A-18, working to push his limits and challenge himself and his team. TOPGUN classmates are a close-knit group that spend an enormous amount of time together, working to create excellence in their ranks and share knowledge to foster improvement. He says the environment of TOPGUN is unique and special as everyone in the program shares the goal to become the best possible fighter pilot and, more importantly, to become the best possible tactics instructor. Mongo most often flew in F/A-18 Hornets, which was his favorite to fly. The camera crews flew in helicopters, positioned atop mountain ranges, poised to catch the stunning, authentic visuals seen in the movies. They contain little computer-generated imagery, instead using recordings of real flights with actors sitting in the backseat of real F/A-18s. “TOPGUN was the hardest job I’ve ever had, but the one I loved the most.” Outside of the exaggerated egos, Mongo feels the movie is well done, especially the flying scenes. Mongo is no stranger to the realities of service. Additionally, he spent three years as a TOPGUN instructor. Mongo’s Navy career spanned nearly 28 years in tactical aviation, including 6,000 hours flown in military aircraft, 750 carrier-arrested landings, five deployments on aircraft carriers, involvement in Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM, and 25 combat missions in DESERT STORM. Six-hour debriefs on every tactical flight performed by students don’t make for an appealing movie, so producers add drama, larger-than-life characters and relationships to keep audiences enthralled." TOPGUN is simply a rigorous program filled with learning opportunities and hours upon hours of debrief after each short flight to analyze every aspect of the simulation and learn.
“There isn’t a Number 1 Pilot award for being the best in the sky as portrayed in the movie. “TOPGUN, above all else, is a graduate-level school for some of the world’s best pilots to improve their briefing, flying and debriefing skills and earn their SFTI designation,” says Mongo. While he believes the attitudes of Tom Cruise’s Maverick and Val Kilmer’s Iceman make for great drama, he notes that in reality, pilots with those types of egos wouldn’t make many friends in a real Navy fighter squadron.
Vice President, CHQ Business Development, Nick “Mongo” Mongillo, is one. Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor (SFTI) Training Program (TOPGUN) in real life find it a fun and entertaining movie. Audiences worldwide are captivated by the unfailing bravado and soaring egos portrayed in the hit blockbuster Topgun: Maverick.Įven service men and women who completed the U.S.
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