Top Gun: Maverick flying instructor Charles Thomas “Chuck” Coleman has died in a plane crash in New Mexico.He was the only person on board the two-seat Extra Flugzeugbau EA300 monoplane when it went down around 2:30pm local time on Sunday, according to Sky News.Coleman was performing aerobatics when the plane crashed during the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo at Las Cruces International Airport, city officials said.
He had previously performed at hundreds of air shows and had provided more than 3,000 rides in aerobatic aircraft.As the instructor for the stars in Top Gun: Maverick, he flew more than 100 flights to prepare the cast in US Navy F-18 Hornets.RIP Chuck Coleman.
Chuck was our aerobatics flight instructor and instrumental in our preparation for Top Gun: Maverick. He was an aerospace engineer, air show and test pilot, and our friend and ally.
Chuck had a very easy going way about him and we always felt comfortable with… pic.twitter.com/93giSZdbgz— Miles Teller (@Miles_Teller) October 21, 2024Miles Teller, who worked with Coleman on the movie as the character Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, was one of the first to pay tribute on social media.“RIP Chuck Coleman,” he wrote. “Chuck was our aerobatics flight instructor and instrumental in our preparation for Top Gun: Maverick.“He was an aerospace engineer, air show and test pilot, and our friend and ally.
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