Watch: RAF Benson crew are top guns for Tom Cruise’s new movie Edge of Tomorrow + videos
9:00am Wednesday 4th June 2014 in News
The Puma HC Mk1 used in the opening to Edge of Tomorrow
TOM Cruise, best known for his role as Top Gun’s Maverick, relied on a team of expert aviators from Oxfordshire for his latest movie.
Futuristic film Edge of Tomorrow, out in cinemas now, shows Cruise and co-star Emily Blunt pitting their wits against an alien race hitting the earth in an unrelenting assault.
In a dramatic opening sequence, Cruise, who plays Major William Cage, is helicoptered in to London’s Trafalgar Square – by a crew from RAF Benson near Wallingford.
The crew from RAF Benson.
The Oscar nominee said: “Landing a helicopter in Trafalgar Square was one of those exceptionally cool moments in a career spent in locations all around the world. It was great fun for all of us.”
Nikki Hamilton, spokeswoman for the air base, said: “A Puma HC Mk1 from RAF Benson was tasked to support a commercial contract on behalf of Warner Brothers.
“The crew chosen for the task were some of the most experienced – Squadron Leader Brad Hewitt (aircraft captain), Squadron Leader (then Flight Lieutenant) Chris Burgon (handling pilot), and Flight Sergeant Al Clulow (crewman).”
Squadron Leader Brad Hewitt, currently Officer Commanding B Flight of 230 Squadron, said: “Working with Mr Cruise was something that I never thought I would do when I joined the RAF.
“The Puma was an absolutely fantastic aircraft for this task. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, flying into Trafalgar Square past so many of London’s iconic monuments. I think it’s a great advert for the RAF – this is what its personnel and its aircraft are capable of.”
Crews from RAF Benson have also helped in the filming of BBC productions Top Gear and D-Day: The Last Heroes.
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