Below The Hard Deck – Details, episodes & analysis

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Below The Hard Deck

Michaels Sherriff

Tv & Film

Frequency: 1 episode/0d. Total Eps: 6

Top Gun fans, get ready to go below the hard deck with your favorite 80's movie. We'll take you behind the scenes of Top Gun with the very people who who helped to make the film. We have exclusive interviews with the cast and crew who share their stories of what it was like making such an iconic movie.

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Data updated on 04/07/2026

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https://www.amazon.com/Topgun-Days-Dogfighting-Cheating-Hollywood
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Score global : 43%

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Discovering "The F-14 Tomcast" with Dave ‘Bio’ Baranek

Season 1 · Episode 6

Monday, November 22, 2021 • Duration 01:13:04

If you love the F-14 Tomcat then you're going to want to enjoy this episode where I sit down and talk to David BIO Baranek about his new podcast, "The F-14 Tomcast", that is 100% dedicated to one of the most iconic aircraft ever to grace the sky.

Bio was a Topgun student who went on to become a Topgun instructor. He was also part of the aircrew in the MiG-28 for the filming of Top Gun.

Bio has forgotten more about the F-14 than most of us will ever know which is why fans of this magnificent aircraft will want to tune in and listen as Dave dispels some common myths about the Tomcat.

He also be shared with us his first hand experience of being a Tomcat RIO, a Topgun instructor and part of one of the biggest movies of the 80's.

Dave has also authored 3 of the best books on the topic of the F-14. Check them out at https://topgunbio.com

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Check out "The F-14 Tomcast" on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFRAt0yTBVXjWCfJDicOcsg

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Make sure that you also catch Dave's "Tomcat Memories" video series at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHx_4P3A1ug

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Top Gun; Behind The Scenes: Segment 5 - The Real VIPER and Javier Medina

Season 1 · Episode 5

Sunday, November 21, 2021 • Duration 01:09:03

Rear Admiral Pete “Viper” Pettigrew who was hired to be the Military technical advisor (also a real MiG Killer in VN) and Javier Medina served as a Aircraft handler on the flightdeck of the USS Enterprise CVN-65 behind Tony Scott during all the shots there.

If you love Top Gun, Topgun and military aviation then make sure you join the largest Top Gun Fan group online at https://TopGunFans.com where you'll find more 'behind the scenes' stories and information about Top Gun that isn't available from anywhere where else.

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Top Gun; Behind The Scenes: Segment 4 - Keeping It Real with Bio and Smegs

Sunday, November 21, 2021 • Duration 01:04:41

In this session we go below the hard deck with Dave 'Bio' Baranek and John 'Smegs' Semcken who served in the US Navy at the time of the movie was made. Dave was a RIO and Topgun instructor who also flew in the infamous 'MiG-28' for the movie. It was him and Robert 'Rat' Willard who got flipped off during that 'inverted' scene in the movie. John was assigned as the lead liaison officer for Paramount and the Navy and was pivotal in coordinating between the two to ensure everything ran smoothly.

In this podcast we talk about one of Dave's books and here is the link to that book which is recommended reading https://www.amazon.com/Topgun-Days-Dogfighting-Cheating-Hollywood

And John mentions his incredible foundation which you can find at https://www.landofthefreefoundation.org Look out for a surprise appearance from a very special guest near the end of this session. It was a lot of fun doing this.

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Top Gun; Behind The Scenes: Segment 3 - Life Behind The Lens

Season 1 · Episode 3

Sunday, November 21, 2021 • Duration 01:31:56

In this episode we go way below the hard deck with Frank Whiteley who was the body guard for Tom Cruise and Billy Badalato who was the assistant to Don Simpson as well as being the son of Mr Bill Badalato (the executive producer of Top Gun).

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Top Gun; Behind The Scenes: Segment 2 - Background players "Blitz" and "Shoebo".

Season 1 · Episode 2

Sunday, November 21, 2021 • Duration 01:00:19

In this segment of the Top Gun: Behind the scenes event we go below the hard deck with Craig "Blitz" Steffen and Craig "Shoebo" Daniel who were RIO's in the US Navy when the movie Top Gun was being made. Both these guys appeared as extras in a number of scenes and in this session we'll get to hear their own behind the scenes stories during the making of Top Gun.

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Top Gun; Behind The Scenes: Segment 1 - The Flyers… "Bozo", "Jambo" and "Hollywood".

Season 1 · Episode 1

Friday, November 19, 2021 • Duration 01:29:53

In this segment we talk to Greg 'Hollywood' Dishart, Jim 'Jambo' Ray and Lloyd 'Bozo' Abel who were a major part of the filming in Viper and Jester’s A-4 and also the F-5’s. Bozo was the guy who got to buzz the tower for the movie. Listening this these guys you get a view of Top Gun from a whole different perspective. Both Jambo and Hollywood were Top Gun instructors at the time.

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Below The Hard Deck – Details, episodes & analysis

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Below The Hard Deck – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

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Amazon1

RSS feed quality and score

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Latest published episodes

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Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other4

Youtube2

Amazon1

Apple Podcasts

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