“Top Gun: Maverick” takes us to the skies over California, Nevada, and Washington, with critical help from the U.S. Navy and extensive location scouting.

The movie’s executive producer, Tom Harper, mentioned the importance of filming where the jets were, adjusting the shoot and schedule accordingly.

Death Valley in California, Fallon in Nevada, and Whidbey Island in Washington State were the ideal regions for filming the aerial sequences.

The production also recreated a larger version of North Island’s famous gathering place, the I-Bar, which was the basis for the film’s Hard Deck bar scenes.

The recreated bar set — loaded with iconic elements from the I-Bar — was built on the beach in Coronado, near North Island, creating an immersive Navy environment.

Director Joseph Kosinski added other authentic details to the officers-club scene, inspired by a fun night at a similar club in Fallon, Nevada.