Top Gun at Fernandina Beach

As I entered the airport gate last week, I realized that I was face to face with the business end of an F/A-18 aircraft parked just inside the fence.  “What the…?”  A close fly-by revealed the harmless nature of this warbird, as it was just the cockpit section sitting on an open bed trailer.  But still, CAPT PETE MICHELL, “MAVERICK” was stenciled under the canopy in front of three smaller warplane profiles representing Maverick’s air-to-air victories in the original movie.

A bit of reconnaissance helped reveal the full story.  I met with the owner, Dewey Larson, a colonel in the Commemorative Air Force.  For those not familiar, the CAF is a nationwide organization whose mission is to protect and restore historic military aircraft, and to honor the legacies of the men and women who built, flew and maintained them.  If you’ve been to any airshow in the last 10 years, you probably saw some CAF planes either parked on static display or thundering through the skies above you.

This plane has been in Dewey’s collection since 2019 as part of his DreamBIG Entertainment company.  He has restored the cockpit to modern conditions and travels around the country, visiting 40 different airports each year to help the public feel what it’s like to sit in the ejection seat (disabled, of course!) and man the controls of a real fighter jet.  This plane was also used in promotional events surrounding the release of “Top Gun – Maverick” last year.

But this airframe was a real, hardworking asset of the American fleet before retiring to its current low-stress billet.  First put into service in 1984 with Marine squadron VMFA 115 – Silver Eagles, it flew seven years for the Marines and then three more years with the Navy VFA 204 – River Rattlers.  Then it was off to the Blue Angels for five more years from 1994-99.  Unfortunately, a hard landing caused damage that could not be repaired to flight-worthy status, so then it became a “Test Asset” that Boeing used to help develop the next generation of F/A-18s, the Super Hornet. 

After sitting in storage at a museum for fifteen years, Dewey saw the opportunity and was able to purchase the plane for his business collection.  Even this gives it a certain distinction, because the U.S. Government no longer sells the title for old warbirds but instead simply designates them as “on loan.”  Dewey’s position with the CAF, and his combined entertainment/education mission, were instrumental in helping him acquire the plane outright.

It tours the country now as part of the Top Gun Maverick Experience.  For $10 any aspiring naval aviator can climb into the cockpit, don the helmet, check the gauges, hold throttle in the left hand and stick in the right, and be on patrol looking for bogeys.  With enough imagination, you can even feel the need for speed and be going Mach 10 with your hair on fire.  It’s the closest most of us will ever get to that sensation.  Remember, it’s not the plane, it’s the pilot.

For more information you can visit the company’s website at www.Dream-Bigllc.com.  There’s not a current schedule but there is plenty more information on the history of the airplane and Dewey’s efforts to launch the Top Gun Maverick Experience.  And since he comes through town periodically to visit relatives, he may set up a special event just for us here at the airport.  If so we’ll be sure to publicize it.

To me, the plane’s history mimics that of Maverick himself: early sensation performing excellent service for its country, relegated to a flight testing role, nearly put to pasture, and then catapulting like a phoenix to show the world once again the glory of American aviation.

And perhaps when it returns from its latest sortie, there will be two additional warplane profiles next to Maverick’s call sign.  After all, now he’s an ace!