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From 1983 to 1986 he served as a technical consultant for Paramount Pictures on the film Top Gun. He appears briefly in the film as Perry, a colleague of Kelly McGillis ' character Charlie. His callsign Viper was used in the film by Tom Skerritt 's character Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf.
- United States
- 3 February 1942, Glencoe, Illinois
- Pete, Viper
- United States Navy
Mar 4, 2022 · In more than 325 combat missions, Pettigrew is the only former TOPGUN instructor with a confirmed MiG kill. Through the course of his career as a naval aviator, Pettigrew made more than 500...
Jan 7, 2024 · His real-life name is much cooler: Viper. At least, that's his callsign. Rear Admiral Pete "Viper" Pettigrew lent his callsign to Tom Skerrit's character, Commander Mike Metcalf, in Top Gun. Beyond serving as the technical advisor on the film, Viper arguably made Top Gun what it is today.
- Pete Pettigrew’s Military Career
- The Us Navy’s Topgun School
- Pete Pettigrew’s Service, Post-Topgun School
- A Career in Film Soon Came Calling
- Pete Pettigrew’s Legacy
Prior to becoming an adviser on the first Top Gun film, Pete Pettigrew had an impressive career in the military. He began his service in the US Naval Reserve, and became a naval aviator in 1966. He completed Fleet Replacement Training with Fighter Squadron 121 (VF-121) and reported to Fighter Squadron 151 (VF-151), with whom he served two combat 10...
After his deployments to Vietnam, Pete Pettigrew returned to San Diego. As one of the top fighter pilots in the Navy, he was made an instructor in the Navy Fighter Weapons School, training pilots in air-to-air and air-to-ground combat from 1969-72. A signat Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, where the training was held, read, “The four-week course st...
The training Navy pilots received at NAS Miramar soon paid dividends. Prior to the program, the kill-to-loss ratio for naval aviators was around 2:1. Following the training program, it rose to 12:1. The Navy was impressed with these stats and offered up additional funding to expand the school. Pettigrew returned to Vietnam in 1972 and was stationed...
While making Top Gun, director Tony Scott and producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer were very concerned with the film being accurate, and what better way to do so than by hiring a TOPGUN instructor? This led to Pete Pettigrew becoming an advisor for the movie, and allowed him to develop a working relationship with Paramount Pictures. Pettigre...
When Pete Pettigrew ended his Navy career in 1998, he’d participated in over 375 combat missions in Southeast Asia, culminating in over 3,400 hours flying fighter aircraft. For his service, he was awarded a number of decorations: the Joint Superior Service Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals, 30 Air Medals, the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying...
Jun 17, 2022 · Rear Admiral Pete Pettigrew, callsign "Viper," served in the US Navy from 1964 to 1998, completing 325 combat missions and 529 carrier landings along the way. In one of his bios he says “I am the only former Top Gun instructor with a confirmed kill”—a MiG-21 over Vietnam on May 6, 1972.
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Jun 14, 2022 · Skerritt's character was based on Rear Admiral Kenneth "Pete" Pettigrew, who went by the call sign "Viper." When Top Gun was released in theaters in 1986, Pettigrew was in the Naval Reserve. He had also been a naval aviator since 1966 and served two combat tours on the USS Coral Sea in the Vietnam War.
The character was based on a real person: Rear Admiral Pete "Viper" Pettigrew, a former Navy aviator, Vietnam War veteran and Top Gun instructor, who served as a technical advisor on the film and also makes a cameo appearance in the film as a colleague of Charlie's.
