![This Kalamazoo Civilian Had a Real-Life Top Gun Experience](https://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2022/06/attachment-Ivan-Gomes-Jet.jpg?w=980&q=75)
This Kalamazoo Civilian Had a Real-Life Top Gun Experience
Was this Kalamazoo man the first civilian to fly a U.S. Navy F-14 fighter jet?
In 1986 the F-14 Tomcat gained popularity because Tom Cruise's character Maverick flew that fighter jet in the first Top Gun movie. The sequel hit theaters nearly 40 years later, "Top Gun: Maverick." As everyone is all a buzz about this movie, they're also talking about the fighter jets used in the new Top Gun movie, which led to a local discovery.
![WKFR logo](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2021/03/512.jpg?w=100)
We recently asked Facebook this question, "What would your call sign be if you were in Top Gun?" One person by the name of Ivan Gomes responded that his call sign was 'Academy,'
When I was flying the F14 Tomcat as the only civilian in the world who did it, mine was "Academy". They gave me that probably because I was fresh out of a flying academy and wasn't military. Yes the only living civilian in the world who did real top gun lives in Kalamazoo.
The way Gomes describes it, it was like a joyride with a qualified F-14 Tomcat instructor. He was a 20-year-old in a flying academy doing commercial flying training at the time.
The F-14 Tomcat is a United States Navy fighter jet that can reach speeds up to 1,544 MPH and can land and take off from aircraft carriers according to Wikipedia. In other words, when this Kalamazoo native Ivan Gomes "had a need...a need for speed."
10 Binge Worthy Movies Or TV Shows Filmed In Michigan
10 Things You Should NEVER Do In Kalamazoo
More From WKFR
![Community Alert: Why Are Helicopters Circling Portage, Michigan?](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2024/07/attachment-helicopter-portage-michigan-1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Popular Breakfast Joint in Downtown Kalamazoo, MI Announces Sudden Closure](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2024/07/attachment-berries-downtown-kalamazoo-1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![A Piece of Kalamazoo Will Live On At American Sign Museum in Ohio](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2024/07/attachment-tot-to-teen-american-sign-museum.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Retailer Big Lots Confirms Closing of Portage, Michigan Store](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2024/07/attachment-big-lots-closing-soon.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Duff Beer in Michigan? Maybe The Simpsons Lived Here After All](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2024/07/attachment-michigan-duff-beer.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![We Finally Know What’s Set to Replace Fricano’s in Alamo Township](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2024/07/attachment-fricanos-joe-shmoes-kalamazoo.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Kalamazoo’s Miller Auditorium Gets New Look Ahead of 2024-25 Season](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2024/07/attachment-Miller-Auditorium-Renovation.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![One Of Michigan’s Smallest Towns Now Named ‘Fastest Growing City’](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2024/07/attachment-Untitled-design-2024-07-26T085835.318.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Michigan Restaurant Now Named ‘Best Chinese’ Spot In The Nation](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2024/07/attachment-Untitled-design-2024-07-26T073441.618.jpg?w=980&q=75)