One of the big questions about “Devotion,” the Korean War feature film inspired by the true story of Navy aviators Jesse Brown and Thomas Hudner, was how the movie’s flying scenes would look after we all spent the summer with the thrills of “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Actor Glen Powell is the most obvious connection between the films. Powell played the cocky young aviator Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin in “Maverick” and the much more levelheaded Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Thomas Hudner in “Devotion.”

There’s another connection between the films that might be equally important. “Top Gun: Maverick” flight coordinator Kevin LaRosa took the same job on “Devotion” and worked with a talented team of technicians who located vintage aircraft used in the film and aviators who have mastered the art of flying these museum pieces.

“Devotion” has far more footage of real airplanes than anyone could have imagined. The technology used to film these planes didn’t exist just a few years ago, and it’s likely that none of these planes will be airworthy just a few years from now. It’s the exact right moment to make a movie like this, and director JD Dillard, son of a Blue Angel veteran, seems to be the exact right choice to make a movie that emphasizes this kind of aerial footage.

Related: Director JD Dillard Was Inspired to Make Korean War Movie ‘Devotion’ by His Blue Angel Dad

We spoke to LaRosa about his experience of working on “Devotion,”…