U.S. Navy Commander Frank Weisser is a two-time Blue Angels Pilot who was deployed in combat three separate times, including to Afghanistan and Iraq. He flew in the front seat as pilot for some of "Top Gun: Maverick"’s most memorable scenes, including the one in which Tom Cruise blisters through a twisting canyon uncomfortably close to rocky cliffs and the ground at lightning speeds. By completing that canyon course in 2:15 in the movie, Cruise was able to show his Navy bosses that, in fact, the combat mission his pilots were tasked with could be completed. Cruise looks like he is flying the jet; in reality, it was Weisser.

A native of Atlanta, Ga., Weisser joined the Blue Angels in September 2007. He has accumulated more than 5,000 flight hours and nearly 500 carrier arrested landings. He earned a masters degree in Systems Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School in September 2009. His decorations include multiple Meritorious Service Medals, Strike Flight Air Medals and various personal and unit awards. He is type rated in the Gulfstream 450/550 and resides in a private airpark in the North Georgia Mountains.