Trivia / Hot Shots!

• Fake Nationality: Cary Elwes (English) does a damned good Val Kilmer (American).
• Fatal Method Acting: An unfortunate fact shared with Top Gun^note The accident report can be found here. The stunt pilot was flying a Folland Gnat, inverted, mere feet above the ground for footage. The nose dipped down, and it's assumed the pilot intended to gain altitude, but instinctively pulled back on the stick instead of the opposite, causing the jet to plant nose-first into the ground, at ~400 knots. The plane and pilot were basically disintegrated by the tarmac and ensuing explosion. Due to this, in the final film no more than two Gnats are ever seen in flight at the same time.
• No Export for You: Strangely, the Blu-ray got released in the U.K., Japan and Germany, but not the U.S., its country of origin. Zig-zagged, however, since Japan and the U.S. share a region code in the Blu-ray format, so it can be imported.
• Special Effects Failure: In the bit where Ramada does a gymnastics routine off of a tree branch, a gymnastics bar is clearly visible. It's been painted to camouflage with the branches, but it's obviously not moving like one.
• Technology Marches On: It is now actually possible in some countries to get your legs lengthened, though it's an expensive and painful procedure requiring physical therapy after it's done. It's certainly not something a U.S. citizen could do casually, though the joke still mostly works.
• The aircraft used in the movie are British-designed Folland Gnats, ex Indian Air Force.
  • Ironically, given the movie's plot about discrediting American aircraft and buying foreign instead, these British aircraft flown by India became known as "Sabre-Slayers" after being successful against US-designed F-86 Sabres of the Pakistan Air Force in 1965 and 1971

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