‘Top Gun: Maverick’ stunt coordinator shares behind-the-scenes secrets

nypost.com:

Cruise is known for doing most of his own stunts. For this film he does them all zipping through the clouds and pulling up to eight Gs — a measure of gravitational force experienced through acceleration — which is comparable to 600 pounds pressing against your body. “So just to put it in perspective, it’s a level of power that most people never get to experience,” LaRosa said.The “Top Gun” star owns his own P-51 Mustang (a World War II fighter jet) which LaRosa said the actor flies “like it’s an extension of himself.” Cruise came onto the set with a love for and understanding of aviation, LaRosa said, and really wanted to inspire that passion in his new co-stars, including Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro and Glen Powell. ‘I can tell you right now, that man can fly an airplane.

Tom [Cruise] is already an incredible aviator.’“I remember in the beginning of the movie, he gave us an incredible speech,” LaRosa said. “We felt the pressure.

But that pressure, I feel like, was our motivation.”The actors in the new film went through extensive and intense training both on the ground and in the air with LaRosa, his father (also named Kevin) and US Navy pilotsto get them comfortable in the cockpit.

The newbies began training in a 172 aircraft to learn spatial awareness, what the gauges do and how to take off and land before jumping into fighter jets.“That’s why they looked so good on camera because they’re not up there for the first time,” LaRosa said. “They’re not afraid of it.