Cwu36p Top Gun Maverick

[Ed Rooney]

Seriously, they needed to make this movie about ten years ago. I think the character is just too old. It’s ironic, because Thom was a few years too young to play a Navy LT in 1986.

I did the math, and assuming Mav made O-3 like a day before the events of Top Gun, he would have been commissioned in 1982. That puts him at a 1960 birth in the movie timeline. He would be approaching 60 years of age now, with 38 years of commissioned service as of May, 2020. The maximum commissioned service for a Captain is 30 years.

I think this will be one of many things that are ignored in the movie, unless they wrote in some kind of break in service in which Mav became an astronaut or a civilian test pilot or something.

 

[Flightengineer]

Seriously, they needed to make this movie about ten years ago. I think the character is just too old. It’s ironic, because Thom was a few years too young to play a Navy LT in 1986.

I did the math, and assuming Mav made O-3 like a day before the events of Top Gun, he would have been commissioned in 1982. That puts him at a 1960 birth in the movie timeline. He would be approaching 60 years of age now, with 38 years of commissioned service as of May, 2020. The maximum commissioned service for a Captain is 30 years.

I think this will be one of many things that are ignored in the movie, unless they wrote in some kind of break in service in which Mav became an astronaut or a civilian test pilot or something.

Relax, mate This is just a movie. And not a historical movie. In the first Top Gun there were many inconsistencies, which did not prevent it from becoming an excellent film that many love.
In any movie about aviation - military or civilian , for one reason or another, there are always a lot (more ore less) of bugs, but most people don't care much. I think they shoot primarily a spectacular film and not a manual on the operation and piloting of aircraft. So Mav's age does not matter

As for my opinion about CWU 36 , then it doesn't look chubby if you buy the right size. Anyway, my medium size CWU36/p doesn’t look like a ball on me, so I think Tom's jacket (may be) not tailored for order.

 

[Phrog Driver]

My CWU45. Not Top Gun, more like Top Hook, or maybe Top Hoist. Has lost a little of its loft over 38 years since issue, but still warm down into the 20's. We wore these for flying much more than G1's. For one thing, nobody cared if these got banged up while wearing flotation/survival gear. Great piece of kit.

 

[Ed Rooney]

My CWU45. Not Top Gun, more like Top Hook, or maybe Top Hoist. Has lost a little of its loft over 38 years since issue, but still warm down into the 20's. We wore these for flying much more than G1's. For one thing, nobody cared if these got banged up while wearing flotation/survival gear. Great piece of kit. View attachment 31810

I’m not sure the 36s were ever in our supply system in the Army. The 45s were much more prevalent. We got the 45 and the summer tanker jacket, which was lighter than even the 36. Unless one was in the Deep South, the 45 was much more practical from October to April. 45s also seemed to hold up better.

 

[herk115]

All of my CWU jackets could be described as "puffy." So "puffy" is the name of the game. I didn't care; I took what they issued me. Some of the puffiness goes away with wear, but still if you want the real deal, then you have to put up with "puffy." Just the way they're made. Also, if I were you, I'd get one 36 and one 45. My CWU-45P is the warmest jacket I have ever owned, warmer than an N-2B parka and warmer than my father's Moonstone hiking jacket. As far as manufacturers, there have been many and they all have their quirks, but the only two I'd stay away from would be Alpha and Isratex. Alpha just never made any CWU jackets for the government, so even if you can find an Alpha in Nomex, it's bogus. And Isratex, though a government contractor, made such horrible jackets (they fall completely apart after just a few months) that I heard the government sued them and put them out of business. They deserved it. Talk about a swindle. Oh...to further complicate things, you're going to want to order a 36 and 45 in desert tan as well. I rarely gush about an issue item, but these tan jackets look...well...bitchin'! Great color in that shiny Nomex. Also, the CWU series tends to run short and wide, so be prepared for that too. All CWU jackets can be easily found on Ebay.

 

[herk115]

My CWU45. Not Top Gun, more like Top Hook, or maybe Top Hoist. Has lost a little of its loft over 38 years since issue, but still warm down into the 20's. We wore these for flying much more than G1's. For one thing, nobody cared if these got banged up while wearing flotation/survival gear. Great piece of kit.

Cool name tag! I really like that. You guys did it right. We wore the white bordered royal blue Mardon embroidered tag. Right for the times, but no imagination in the design.

 

[anthonyhie]

All of my CWU jackets could be described as "puffy." So "puffy" is the name of the game. I didn't care; I took what they issued me. Some of the puffiness goes away with wear, but still if you want the real deal, then you have to put up with "puffy." Just the way they're made. Also, if I were you, I'd get one 36 and one 45. My CWU-45P is the warmest jacket I have ever owned, warmer than an N-2B parka and warmer than my father's Moonstone hiking jacket. As far as manufacturers, there have been many and they all have their quirks, but the only two I'd stay away from would be Alpha and Isratex. Alpha just never made any CWU jackets for the government, so even if you can find an Alpha in Nomex, it's bogus. And Isratex, though a government contractor, made such horrible jackets (they fall completely apart after just a few months) that I heard the government sued them and put them out of business. They deserved it. Talk about a swindle. Oh...to further complicate things, you're going to want to order a 36 and 45 in desert tan as well. I rarely gush about an issue item, but these tan jackets look...well...bitchin'! Great color in that shiny Nomex. Also, the CWU series tends to run short and wide, so be prepared for that too. All CWU jackets can be easily found on Ebay.

Agree for Isratex, but disagree concerning Alpha Ind., they were contractor in the 80’s with the DOD for cwu45/p & cwu36/p. Also I’ve got 2 from Alpha and they both had a DOD number that I’ve checked in the appropriate database.

 

[herk115]

Agree for Isratex, but disagree concerning Alpha Ind., they were contractor in the 80’s with the DOD for cwu45/p & cwu36/p. Also I’ve got 2 from Alpha and they both had a DOD number that I’ve checked in the appropriate database.

You're probably right. The first-issue CWUs predate me, and I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to them. My bad.