attached to the underbelly Phoenix pallets and the under wing pylons, as well as using ground mounted cameras. Late in the film, Tom Skerritt's character mentions that he flew with VF-51 off with the main character's father, and several VF-51 pilots appear in the film credits. VF-51 never flew F-4s off Oriskany, as the Phantom was too large for that carrier; VF-51 begin to fly F-4 Phantom since 1971 on CV-43 Coral Sea. Although there may be some plausibility in the claim as VF-51 were flying F-8s off the Oriskany during the 1965 cruise, the year mentioned in the photo shown by Maverick earlier in the film. In the sequel Top Gun: Maverick, the character Robert "Bob" Floyd (a WSO, Topgun graduate and mission candidate) is shown with "VFA-51" insignia and helmet bag. This is a tribute to the squadron and fictitious, due to VF-51 being disestablished rather than transitioned to the F/A-18. See also History of the United States Navy List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons References External links VF-51 History VF-51 Screaming Eagles History (Dead link) VF-51 Military units and formations disestablished in 1995