TOPGUN Options CEO and former Navy fighter pilot, E. Matthew ‘Whiz’ Buckley, breaks down flying scenes from movies including “Top Gun,” “Pearl Harbor,” and “Behind Enemy Lines.”
“The Breakdown” is a digital seriesproduced by GQ Magazine featuring experts in their respective fields analyzing popular Hollywood movies. In this episode, Buckley breaks down military aviation scenes, discussing how realistic – or unrealistic – the portrayal of the craft and actors are done. Other guests of the popular series have included pro skateboarder Tony Hawk, racing driver Danica Patrick, and pro golfer Brooks Koepka. Buckley’s episode was the 27th of the first season, and the video can be watched directly on YouTube at
“Hollywood knows how to put on a good show, but they don’t always get it right, shared E. Matthew ‘Whiz’ Buckley, former Navy fighter pilot and CEO of TOPGUN Options. “It was a fun experience, and I look forward to doing it again.”
Buckley graduated from Jacksonville University and was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy, where he was selected for flight training. He flew the F/A-18 Hornet for the United States Navy for 15 years, graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOP GUN), and flew 44 combat sorties over Iraq off the aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Kitty Hawk. Buckley left active duty from the Navy in late 2000 yet continued flying the F/A-18 Hornet for the Naval Reserve out of Naval Air Station Fort Worth. During his time in service, he earned many honors, including two Strike/Flight Air Medals by the President of the United States.
ABOUT E. MATTHEW ‘WHIZ’ BUCKLEY
E. Matthew ‘Whiz’ Buckley is a decorated retired Navy fighter pilot turned CEO, published author and renowned speaker for fortune 500 companies including AT&T, GE, and Cisco. Whiz is also the founder of the TOPGUN Fighter Foundation, whose mission is to support veterans. He applied his combat knowledge into his business, TOPGUN Options, and was able to grow it to a multi-million-dollar options trading school. Prior to TGO, he was an F/A-18 Hornet Instructor and flew 44 combat missions over Iraq, being awarded 2 Strike/Flight Air Medals by the President of the United States. He combined his unprecedented experiences in the military and corporate America in the writing of From Sea Level to C Level: A Fighter Pilot’s Journey from the Front Lines to the Front Office.