As we have already seen with The Flight of the Phoenix, stunt flying for the movies can be a hazardous occupation, and plenty of stunts were required for Top Gun, Tony Scott's hugely successful 1986 action drama starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer as rival pilots (or lovers, if you read into the homoerotic subtext). Even today the scenes of aerial action are incredibly impressive, and Scott was ably assisted not just by the US Navy, who were happy to supply him with much of the hardware we see on screen, but also a team of exceptional stunt pilots. Renowned pilot Art Scholl was called up to perform a flat spin and capture it on camera - mid-stunt Scholl radioed through saying, "I have a problem," and, unable to recover, he crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Neither his body nor his plane were recovered - Top Gun is dedicated to his memory.
