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 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.