Naval Flight Officer - Popular Culture

Popular Culture

• One of key characters in the popular film Top Gun was LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, played by Anthony Edwards, an F-14 Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) teamed with his pilot, LT Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise. Several others were LTJG Ron "Slider" Kerner, RIO to LT Tom "Iceman" Kazansky; LT Sam "Merlin" Neills, LT Bill "Cougar" Cortell's RIO; and LTJG Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe, LT Rick "Hollywood" Neven's RIO.
• In the film Flight of the Intruder, Willem Dafoe played LCDR Virgil "Tiger" Cole, who served as an A-6 B/N (Bombardier/Navigator) with his pilot, LT Jake "Cool Hand" Grafton, played by Brad Johnson.
• In the film Behind Enemy Lines, Owen Wilson played LT Chris Burnett, a Weapon Systems Officer in an F/A-18F.
• In the CBS TV Series JAG, Sibel Galindez played the F-14 RIO to then Commander Harmon Rabb.
• NFOs are sometimes referred to by the slang phrase "Guy/Gal in Back", or "GIB" for short. An alternate deprecating moniker is "Self-Loading Baggage."