Sponsored by Ryan Aircraft, this promo film produced for the United States Navy aims to bring ideals of the American West into the “space age” with bold narration and footage from the Navy’s 4th annual (and final) Aerial Weapons Meet, known as “Operation Top Gun”. This was held at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona, between 30 November and 4 December 1959. Douglas A4D / A-4 B Skyhawks, Douglas AD-7 / A-1J Skyraiders, McDonnell F3H / F-3 Demons,, Douglas F4D Skyrays, Douglas A3D / A-3B Skywarriors, and Vought F8U / F-8 Crusaders make notable appearances (TRT: 14:34).
A sunrise. Narration evokes the era of westward expansion, “law and order” and “dedicated men” with a “willingness to fight for those ideals with deadly accuracy.” These are referred to as the “top guns of the west” (0:06). A new “frontier,” a cloudy sky. Waves crashing on a seashore (0:36). A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. Aircraft flying in formation (0:59). Opening titles: “Operation Top Gun, presented by Ryan Aeronautical Company with the cooperation of Commander Naval Air Forces, Pacific Fleet; Fleet Air Gunnery Unit, Pacific; Mobile Photographic Unit, Pacific” (1:30). Narration mentions the purpose of the meet is to promote the training incentive and foster a competitive spirit (2:02). Film and television video cameras are prepared for the event. A team of airmen and ground crews get ready for the competition (2:42). Douglas A4D Skyhawks in flight. A weapon is released and detonated. 2.75 FFAR rockets (3:55). Douglas AD-7 Skyraiders in the light attack prop range (5:07). Douglas A3D Skywarriors form the heavy attack team. Pinpoint target bombing and navigation-based bombing runs. A radar antennae dish rotates (5:34). Contrails stream across the sky (6:27). Douglas F4d Skyrays in the all-weather fighter category. A towed target (6:40). Types of targets: Air to ground craters. Air to air banner tow targets (7:23). A Ryan KDA-4 Firebee drone. F-8U Crusaders, F3H Demons, P2V Neptunes (8:28). Firebees are launched from an airfield at San Diego’s Point Mugu. Ground control. A launched missile hits a Firebee (9:03). Demons carrying Sparrow 3 missiles on the Pacific Missile Range. KDA Firebees are launched. Missiles are fired at the target. Hits and misses. (9:57). A surviving Firebee uses a parachute to land in the sea. It is retrieved to Point Mugu, where it is hosed down (11:16). Explosions and Sidewinders. Air to ground weapons in montage. A scoreboard ranks competing pilots (12:10). Vice Admiral Clarence E. Ekstrom of the Pacific Fleet Naval Air Force (12:47). Planes flying in formation. More Firebee footage shows a new transonic model. Anti-aircraft missiles. Narration sums up (13:05). “The End” with a “Ryan” logo (14:24).
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
