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‘See Top Gun: Maverick’ star Jon Hamm take to the skies with just an iPad — almost

By Stephen Iervolino May 9, 2022 | 3:00 PM


Courtesy Skyryse

Jon Hamm will be seen in theaters opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick when it premieres on May 24, but he can be seen flying for real now in a cool promo for the flight tech company Skyryse.

The California-based company develops systems that lets people pilot aircraft with just a few lessons, and the ability to use an iPad.

Normally, flying a helicopter is a pretty difficult skill to pick up — some have equated it to balancing on a slippery beach ball — and it takes many, many flight hours to get the hang of it.

However, in the promo, Hamm is first shown being put through his paces on a flight simulator of a Bell-style helicopter, where he’s shown the basics: The flight interface “is so intuitive,” he marvels, and with a swipe or two, along with tapping in numbers for altitude and airspeed, he takes to the air in his simulated chopper.

Thirty minutes later, he’s strapped into the real thing and, using the same iPad-based procedures, with no traditional flight training, he’s able to take off, fly around and land.

“Skyryse develops technology that automates the mechanics of flight, reducing the learning curve so that learning to fly is as easy as learning to drive,” the company’s website notes.

 

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