Children recreate scenes from classic 80’s film Top Gun at Luton Airport

A new easyJet recruitment campaign features children recreating scenes from the classic 80’s film Top Gun in a bid to dispel stereotypes around aviation jobs.
By Olga Norford
Published 11th May 2022, 13:32 BST
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The Europe-wide campaign aims to tackle job stereotypes and inspire more young people to consider a career in aviation, including encouraging more girls to become pilots.

The film has reimagined scenes from 80s blockbuster classic, Top Gun, in which the lead pilot roles were played by an all-male cast.

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The new parody film titled ‘Calling all Mavericks’ sees roles reversed, with Maverick and Goose played by seven year-old Rei Diec and nine -year-old Oliva Joohee Ridington, supported by a cast of cabin crew, engineers and ground operations staff.

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    The shoot at London Luton Airport saw seven year-old Rei (Maverick) riding her motorbike en route to easyJet’s Flight School.The shoot at London Luton Airport saw seven year-old Rei (Maverick) riding her motorbike en route to easyJet’s Flight School.
    The shoot at London Luton Airport saw seven year-old Rei (Maverick) riding her motorbike en route to easyJet’s Flight School.

    Shot at London Luton Airport, with a cast of children of easyJet staff aged between seven and 12, the film recreated some of Top Gun’s most iconic moments, including Tom Cruise’s motorbike scene, the classroom, and the infamous ‘It’s time to buzz the tower’ scene.

    The launch of the campaign follows new research by easyJet which revealed that Brits believe gender stereotypes are still plaguing Hollywood films and limiting children’s job aspirations.

    With still around only 6% of pilots worldwide being women, easyJet has been consciously trying to tackle this industry-wide gender imbalance for a number of years and has doubled the number of female pilots in its ranks since 2015.

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    Johan Lundgren, easyJet’s chief executive, said: “Top Gun is one of the most famous aviation films of all time. So, we wanted to create our own rendition of the movie that was both entertaining and inspiring to a younger audience, to show young people that they don’t have to be limited by outdated stereotypes of jobs in the industry, as well as highlight the fantastic career opportunities that easyJet has to offer.”

    Top Gun characters Maverick and Goose encounter seven year-old Elizabeth O’Brien, who recreates the role of Kelly McGillis’ Charlie in the classroom. The pilots then make their way to an easyJet Airbus aircraft to undertake their first ‘flight’.Top Gun characters Maverick and Goose encounter seven year-old Elizabeth O’Brien, who recreates the role of Kelly McGillis’ Charlie in the classroom. The pilots then make their way to an easyJet Airbus aircraft to undertake their first ‘flight’.
    Top Gun characters Maverick and Goose encounter seven year-old Elizabeth O’Brien, who recreates the role of Kelly McGillis’ Charlie in the classroom. The pilots then make their way to an easyJet Airbus aircraft to undertake their first ‘flight’.

    Rei Diec aged seven, who played the leading role of Maverick, said: “I’ve always loved flying and getting to be a pilot for a day was the best day ever and a dream come true.”

    The recruitment campaign has been released ahead of Top Gun 2 which features a female pilot for the first time.

    To find out more about the opportunities currently available with easyJet including in Engineering. Cabin Crew and more, visit careers.easyJet.com. For more information on becoming a pilot with easyJet visit becomeapilot.easyJet.com.

    Related topics:Luton AirportEuropeTom CruiseHollywood