Today we hear an aviation-focused Combat Story with three pioneers in the civilian, military, and filmmaking aviation communities who were the driving force behind the aerial scenes from Top Gun: Maverick.

Many will recall our interview with Scott ‘Intake’ Kartvedt as the Accountant turned Naval Aviator who went on to fly F/A-18s, command an F-35 Squadron, fly with the Blue Angels, and now flies the Number 5 airplane in the civilian aerobatic formation flight Patriots Jet Team. Scott’s fantastic book “Full Throttle: From the Blue Angels to Hollywood Stunt Pilot” chronicles his experiences in- and outside the cockpit.

Our second guest is the owner of The Patriots Jet Team, Randy Howell, who flies the Number 6 aircraft, and who taught Tom Cruise to fly the L-39 jet for Maverick. To give you an idea of how long Randy has been flying, he has 7K more flight hours than expert aviator Sully Sullenberger, who famously landed his commercial airliner in the Hudson River after an inflight emergency. Randy and Intake made up the pair of stunt pilots for Maverick, including the intense flying in the last eight minutes of the movie, for which they were awarded the Screen Actors Guild award for action.

Our third guest is Kevin ‘K2’ LaRosa who grew up in Hollywood as an aviation stunt man, pilot, and aerial coordinator. You’ve seen him in the air in over 100 films and TV shows, including Iron Man, Avengers, Transformers, Devotion, and Maverick. He is the VP of Aerial Production for Helinet Aviation. This is a rare glimpse into flying with three experts and pioneers in the field.

We dig into so much in this episode about flying on the edge and I hope you enjoy these stories of pushing the limits of aerial cinematography with both aircraft and cameras, teaching Tom Cruise to fly jets, and the close calls and near misses that inevitably come with aviation, as much as I did.

We have a special edition of Combat Story coming up where I go flying with Intake and Randy in the L-39 in formation with the Patriots Jet Team and try not to pass out or throw up! Stay tuned!

Find Ryan Online:

• Ryan’s Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
• Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/
• Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
• Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
• Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
• Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
• Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Find Scott Kartvedt Online:

• Scott's website https://scottkartvedt.com/
• Full Throttle Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7F91JCB

Find Randy Howell Online:

• Learn More about Randy https://www.patriotsjetteam.com/Media%20Package/Pilot%20Bios.pdf
• Patriots Jet Team Instagram https://www.instagram.com/patriotsjetteam/ @PatriotsJetTeam
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/randy-howell-35347540/

Find Kevin LaRosa Online:

• Kevin's website https://www.k2larosa.com/
• Instagram @K2Larosa https://www.instagram.com/k2larosa

Show Notes:
00:00 - Intro
00:41 - Guest Introduction (Scott Kartvedt, Randy Howell, Kevin LaRosa)
02:40 - Interview begins
08:20 - Arial Coordinator responsibilities
10:27 - Arial Coordinator on Top Gun Maverick
15:07 - Camera rigging on Jets
20:06 - Getting 'Intake' on board
22:51 Intake on Top Gun Maverick
24:56 - Safety and Planning Top Gun Maverick fight scene
35:06 - Team dynamics during training
39:58 - Stick Model Practice
42:33 - Almost hitting a breaching whale
43:31 - A few tough maneuvers
49:00 - Perfecting Combat Comms
52:19 - Reminiscing on Top Gun Maverick
55:55 - Recieving a SAG award
01:00:24 - Patriots Jet Team
01:07:30 - Maintaining orientation
01:08:55 - Full Throttle
01:10:38 - Following the Arial Coordination path
01:15:31 - Close calls
01:25:04 - Sentimental Items
01:27:11 - Favorite aircraft
01:30:01 - Listener comments and shout outs