On May 13, 1986, Top Gun catapulted Tom Cruise and Navy aviation to national prominence. The movie’s popularity helped make Tom Cruise the mega star he is today, and increased Navy recruiting by 500 per cent in one summer.

To prepare for the role, Tom Cruise trained with the Blue Angels, the Navy’s elite acrobatic flight demo team, in a A-4F Sykhawk II. Now, 30 years later, the Blue Angels have invited Cruise via Instagram for a ride along in their current jet, the F/A-18 Hornet.

“Well, Maverick, it’s been 30 years since your last visit, so how do you feel about taking an F/A-18 Hornet for a spin?! Have your people call ours and maybe we can set something up…hey, even if Air Boss says no, we’ll work something out, maybe just a quick flyby,” the Blue Angels’ Instagram post reads.

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