The real US Navy Top Gun fighter school is nothing like the movies

But Britain did have a plan for new carriers, and they did eventually arrive. The United States Navy agreed to blend British sailors into its own training programme as preparation for this.

The first of our aviators to arrive there was then-Lieutenant Stephen Collins RN. After coming top of his class in his initial training, Collins was sent to fighter attack squadron VFA-14 “Tophatters” at NAS Lemoore, California, then on to learn aggressive dog-fighting tactics.

A seven-month deployment in Nimitz-class supercarrier USS John C Stennis followed, flying close air support sorties over Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Piloting an F-18 Super Hornet, Collins took part in air strikes in support of troops fighting on the ground. His callsign, awarded by his fellow aviators, was ‘Lothar’ – which stands for Loser Of The American Revolution.

Lothar did so well that he not only was picked to go to Top Gun, he came top of his course there too. Only a small percentage of US Navy pilots graduate the course and wear the Top Gun patch. Coming top, to use a phrase familiar from the films, makes Collins the best of the best indeed. Now a Commander, he is a major asset for the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm.

Over 40 British pilots have now completed flying training in F-18s with the Americans, at about half the cost of conducting it here. Others have done well too, and Top Gun last year suggested that a second Fleet Air Arm pilot would be a suitable candidate for its world-famous course. The Royal Navy confirms that pilot will be attending.

British carrier strike has had its issues, including flood, fire and having to spend millions fixing ships’ propellers.

Yet the Fleet Air Arm, training alongside our friends and allies in the US, has shown that British naval pilots are among the best of the best – and consistently out-perform their RAF and Army colleagues.

So far, so good.

But there’s only so much cosying up that can happen between the military and Hollywood.

Despite its close involvement in the development of both films, there is one boundary that can never be crossed at Top Gun.

Anyone quoting from the movies is immediately awarded an on-the-spot $5 fine.