Written byRa Mond
The sequel to the 1986 classic that launched the career with breathtaking fighter jet sequencesTom cruiselanded more than three decades after Maverick felt the need for speed.
Like its predecessorTop-Gun: Maverickwas filmedmainly in itSan Diego, California, but also in Nevada, Utah and Washington State.
Thirty-six years after the events of the first installment, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell returns to the Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program to lead a new generation of pilots on a near-suicidal mission in this new film.
Welcome to our spoiler-free guide for everyonefilming locations fromTop-Gun: Maverick.
You can also find our wonderful article revealing all the locationswhere Top Gun was filmedfollow this link.
Top-Gun: MaverickLocations
The opening and closing scenes in the Mojave Desert hangar with the silverP-51 Mustang, which also appears in the videoLady Gaga, were filmed in theInyokern Airportin California.
This WWII veteran is actually Cruise's own plane, who is also a licensed pilot in the real world.
(You canOpen all locations on Google Mapsby clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy ofParamount Pictures-Map
The sequence with the experimental (and fictional)dark starplane, was filmed at theNaval Air Weapons Station China Lakein the Mojave Desert.
DirectorJosef Kosinskysaid that in the scene with Ed Harris, the plane destroyed the set and ripped the roof off the guard hut.
Image courtesy of Paramount -Map
The Cecil's Cafe scene after the supersonic jet crash was filmed inCafé Halfway Houselocated on the outskirtsSanta Claus.
Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures -Map
ThatTop Guntrain station
ThatTop Gunbase, nickname"Fighter City USA", was filmed in several locations including theNorth Island Naval Airporton San Diego Bay.
The aircraft on display outside the main gate is actually an A-4E Skyhawk, not this oneF-14 Tomcat captured by the filmmakers using CGI.
Image courtesy of Skydance Media -Map
ThatNaval Air Station Fallonin Nevada and theMarineflugplatz Whidbey Islandin Oak Harbor, Washington also starred in the new film.
In the 1986 film, most areTop GunThe school was filmed at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, then known as Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar)."Fighter City USA".
Image courtesy of Paramount - Maps:stand out/Whidbey-Insel
ThatTop GunBeach and Bar Hard Deck
As thelocal pressreported thatHard-Deck-Barowned by Penelope "Penny" Benjamin (played by Jennifer Connelly) was onBreakers Beach in San Diego.
In 2018, the film crew built an impressive set in less than a month at this beach, located on the grounds of Coronado Air Station.
Image courtesy of Paramount -Map
Looking at the background scenery, it appears as if the sailing scene was filmedSan Francisco Bay.
Image courtesy of Skydance Media -Map
Penny's Hausis a beautiful oceanfront home at 4000 Bluff Place inSaint Peternear Cabrillo Beach.
This is a private residence - please respect the property of the owners when visiting.
Image courtesy of Paramount -Map
As theSan Diego Union-TribuneAs it turned out, the funeral scene was filmed at the armyNationalfriedhof Fort Rosecransin Point Loma.
Overlooks this beautiful cemetery with tombstones perfectly lined upPort of San Diegoand the Pacific Ocean, has been the resting place for service members since the Battle of San Pasqual during the Mexican-American War in 1846.
At least 112,000 Army, Navy Seals, Sailors, Marines and Air Force soldiers are buried at Fort Rosecrans.
Image courtesy of Skydance Media -Map
The F-18 low level flyover scene appears to have been filmed on theUtah Test and Training AreaSalt flats are located inUtahs Westwüste.
Covering almost 6,930 km2 (2,675 square miles), this military area is the largest supersonic restricted airspace in the United States.
Image courtesy of Paramount -Map
The aircraft carrier scenes were filmed aboard theUSS Abraham Lincolnand theUSS Theodore Roosevelt.
The actors went through a three-monthrigorous flight training courseto prepare for driving in an F-18 as the producers tried to use as much real aircraft footage as possible instead of green screens and CGI.
When the dagger squadron arrives at the entrance of the ravine leading to the uranium enrichment facility, they fly over itBig Creek Bridgeon the Big Sur coast of California.
Image courtesy of Skydance Media -Map
Sea aTwitterUsers filmed the spectacular low-altitude flight formation sceneRimrock-Seewest of Yakima, Washington state.
Some other sources believe the scene was filmedKachess Lake, located about 50 miles north of Rimrock Lake.
Some of the snow-capped mountains of the unnamed villain nation have been recordedWashingtons Cascade Mountains.
Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures - Maps:Randrock/Kachess
ThatNorthgate Aviation Chico Jet Centerin Chico, CA, served as the base for a team ofFilmmakers and stunt pilotsTaking pictures of Butte County, includingSee Oroville, Feather River Canyon, and the High Lakes region.
They used gray L-39 fighter jets with computer dots painted on in various places to digitally transform the plane into the F-18 we see in the film.
Image courtesy of Skydance Media - Tickets:Nordtor/Feather River Canyon
Thatscene in the forestwas filmed at theWashoe-Meadows-State Parkis located in South Lake Tahoe (California).
Image courtesy of Skydance Media -Map
ThatSFGateinformed that filming was taking place at the destroyed airbaseLake Tahoe Airport, near the forest.
Location manager Mike Fantasia found this location with a hilltop overlooking the airport after scouting more than 200 airfields.
During production, the airport was renovated so the crew could make it look like a war zone.
Image courtesy of Skydance Media -Map
Can you help improve this article about the filming locations of ?Top-Gun: Maverick?To complete and correct this report, any feedback, information or pictures you may have are more than welcome. Thanks very much!
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30 comments:
1- Anonymous- June 4, 2022 at 9:05 am answers 3- hangman- Jun 5, 2022 9:36 am 4- Anonymous- Jun 5, 2022 12:37 p.m 5- Hammer- Jun 8, 2022 6:01 am Thank you for the information on such a well made film! 6- repayment- June 8, 2022 at 7:29 p.m
I want to know where they filmed Penny Benjamin's house.
2- Anonymous- June 5, 2022 at 8:31 p.m
Having lived in the area for two years, my guess is that their house is somewhere in or near Point Loma.
Very well done. Thank you very much.
The final WWII plane scene was filmed over the central Washington Cascade Mountains. Tampico, west of Yakima.
The house looked like Corona del Mar.
Excellent information. I used to work in Hollywood and "explored" film locations... Thanks!
7- Anonymous- Jun 9, 2022 10:42 am
I believe Penny's house is in San Pedro, California at 40th and Bluff. I just walked by there but I don't see where to attach a picture to this comment.
answers
8- Ra Mond- June 9, 2022, 11:48 am
Thanks, it's the right place!
9- Anonymous- Jun 10, 2022 at 9:43 am
Can anyone locate the "Target Valley" used in the mission?
10- cyclone- Jun 12, 2022 02:41 am
This was not filmed in Los Angeles but in San Pedro, California. The Port of Los Angeles is in our city. Anyone who knows Pedro knows what I mean.
11- Anonymous- June 12, 2022 at 11:35 am There was no one around and we had the whole place to ourselves every Sunday. It was humbling to see the bar and volleyball game where the old building used to be. If only we had known... 12- Bob- June 15, 2022, 5:10 p.m 13- Anonymous- June 15, 2022 at 11:26 p.m answers fifteen- Anonymous- June 16, 2022 at 8:37 p.m 16- Maria Hayes- June 18, 2022 at 9:32 p.m 17- Anonymous- June 21, 2022 at 11:04 p.m 18- Anonymous- Jul 4, 2022 2:54 p.m 19- Anonymous- July 16, 2022, 5:20 p.m 20- Anonymous- July 18, 2022, 3:48 p.m
Breaker's Beach was formerly the location of the original CPO Mess at NASNI. My uncle was an E-8 in the Navy in the 70's and we would often go to this very spot and swim.
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is the burial ground for all soldiers, not just the army.
Any idea where the offshore sailing scene was filmed? Certainly not San Diego, the sea conditions and the coastal background do not match.
14- Anonymous- Jul 20, 2022 at 12:33 am
I read that the sailing scene was supposed to be shot in San Pedro but there was no wind so they shot it in SF Bay instead.
Chico, California, near Butte County, 2019.
The Rosecrans CemeteryTop-Gun-Maverickis the final resting place for soldiers killed in almost every military conflict since the Battle of San Pasqual in 1846.
Don't forget Chico CA, Feather River Canyon, Oroville Lake and Butte County!
Where was the exterior scene of Cecil's cafe filmed? Because there are mountains in the background, it can't be the actual Cecil's Cafe in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Immediately following Maverick's mishap in the experimental scramjet, he is shown walking towards a diner with a mountain in the distance. Anyone know where that was shot?
Were any of the flights filmed in Mach Loop in Snowdonia?
21- Anonymous- Jul 23, 2022 at 2:49 am A lot of Navy guys (aviators) are out there in the desert, and a lot of them use the smaller private hangars at nearby Inyokern (the one in the movie), as well as Mojave and Rosamond and Lancaster. 22- Roger- Aug 16, 2022 at 2:20 p.m 23- Mark - Kent, UK- Aug 16, 2022 at 4:56 p.m 24- Anonymous- Aug 23, 2022 at 9:46 p.m
It was pretty fun sitting in the cinema and watching this movie... In the Mojave Desert, which is full of aviators and test pilots and listening to the giggles of all the locals. It was pretty much the truth though...
I believe at least part of the diner scene after the supersonic jet crash was filmed at the Halfway House Cafe in Santa Clarita.
I'm desperately trying to figure out who can supply the tablecloth in the "Hard Deck Bar" scenes... I've seen a Fighter Weapon School badge and what appears to be a schematic of an F-14, but I can't make out who other details to get one printed somewhere... Can anyone help me with my query?
This is the first amazing American patriotic film I've seen in a long, long time!!! Thank you for the most entertaining evening!!!
25- Anonymous- Aug 26, 2022 at 1:45 p.m 26- Anonymous- September 16, 2022 at 8:31 p.m 27- Anonymous- September 20, 2022, 6:19 p.m 28- 5 minutes and a clue- November 11, 2022, 5:48 p.m
The sailing scene was actually filmed in San Francisco Bay... I recognized the background setting the first time I saw it. I've lived there most of my life, I know this landscape well.
Although the exterior scene of Maverick walking towards "Cecil's Cafe" appears to use the Halfway House facade as mentioned above, the surrounding scenery was edited/photoshopped from elsewhere, likely to infer that he is somewhere in the Northwest . There are certainly no tall pines or logging trucks anywhere near Santa Clarita or Acton.
Having lived in San Diego when my husband was stationed on Submariners in Pt Loma, I recognized so much of the area after driving many of the roads, bases etc in the area. Really a great movie and still is!
The bridge scene when entering enemy territory is the Big Creek Bridge (a cousin of Bixby, also in Big Sur).
29- Anonymous- December 14, 2022, 11:36 am
Maybe Top Gun also helped recruit the USAF, but I've always heard it was a great recruiting tool for the US Navy, which is why they helped make this film. The USAF has fighters, of course, but they had nothing to do with this film, which is about the US Navy and its independent air force.
30- Anonymous- December 25, 2022, 7:52 p.m
Great job, thanks for filling in the blanks!
FAQs
Where are the flying scenes in Top Gun Maverick Real? ›
How The Top Gun: Maverick Stunts Were Filmed. Top Gun: Maverick's stunts were filmed through real U.S. Navy pilots taking actors on top-of-the-line fighter jets. They were followed by three different aircraft mounted with specialized cameras that can withstand the G-forces involved.
How were Top Gun Maverick flight scenes filmed? ›Making of Top Gun Maverick • Call signs & helmets
The goal was to capture the most true-to-life fighter pilot experience possible. Real stunts and high speed flights were captured by specially made aerial camera-systems. Real aircrafts were secured and prototypes were created from research backed designs.
The bungalow where Penny lives with her teenage daughter, Ameilia (Lyliana Wray), arguably the movie's most memorable locale (aside from The Hard Deck bar), can be found about 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles in the seaside town of San Pedro. Situated overlooking the coastline at 391 W. 40th St,.
Where was the river scene in Maverick filmed? ›In August 1993, the production requested permission to film scenes of the riverboat along the Columbia River in Washington State.
Where was the beach scene Top Gun: Maverick filmed? ›NAS North Island, in Coronado on the San Diego Bay, is home to some of the sequel's most iconic scenes. The movie's crew told the California Film Commission that they filmed on the beach there and shot scenes in various hangars, office buildings and streets on base.
Is The Hard Deck a real bar? ›You can't go to the Hard Deck, the bar featured in "Top Gun: Maverick," in real life because it doesn't actually exist.