Nicholas Iavicoli was avoiding the movie theater in the spring of 2022.  

“Top Gun: Maverick” was breaking box office records, but the aspiring naval aviator from Kalispell couldn’t bring himself to buy a ticket. It wasn’t because he never saw the original 1986 hit, though he hadn't.  

Waiting to find out what type of aircraft the United States Navy wanted him flying, Iavicoli had set his sights on tailhooks, the planes capable of taking off and landing on ships at sea. He didn't think he could bear the heartbreak of falling in love with the jets thundering across the silver screen and then getting assigned to something else. 

“I made myself not watch so I wouldn’t cry if I didn’t get it,” Iavicoli recalled.

He could have bought that ticket.  

Nearly four years later, Iavicoli spends his days inside the cockpit of an EA-18G Growler, a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet that takes top billing next to Tom Cruise in the most recent installment of the “Top Gun” franchise. Learning to fly the electronic warfare aircraft brought him to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington, which for the 30-year-old meant “getting close enough to home to see mountains again" after stints in Florida and Mississippi for training.  

“It’s a great feeling,” he said of flying the Growler. “It’s a wild feeling and I'm blessed.” 

A MILITARY career, let alone a career spent inside the cockpit, wasn’t top of mind for Iavicoli when he graduated from Flathead High School in 2013.  

After subsequently earning a criminal justice degree from Endicott College in 2017, Iavicoli pursued a master’s degree, wholeheartedly set on a career in homeland security.  

But as he started to look for jobs, he realized the type of work he wanted to do prioritized military experience above his educational accomplishments. He began to rethink his career prospects.  

He was no stranger to either aviation or military service. Iavicoli’s stepfather had retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel and gone on to fly for Delta Air Lines. His father also had experience off the ground, though Iavocoli can’t remember much of it. 

“He used to have a biplane when I was really young, but he hit a pothole on the runway and flipped that plane,” Iavicoli said. “And mom said, ‘Hey you’ve got three kids.’” 

With his stepfather helping navigate the ins and outs of enlistment and his father excited to see him get into a cockpit, Iavicoli put in to become a Navy pilot.  

“I kind of narrowed it down to the Navy and Marines and ended up going the Navy route,” he said. “They have the best options; they take care of you the best ... It felt like it was a good fit.”  

“Also, you can’t go wrong with a branch of the military based near the water,” Iavicoli added.   

His first stop after what he describes as “officer boot camp” was Pensacola, Florida, where he began flying a Cessna. After training on several different types of aircraft, Iavicoli moved up to tailhooks. He described the Navy’s approach to training as “crawl, walk, run.” 

But with jet aircraft, it’s more like “going from a scooter to a go-kart to sports car to a Ferrari,” he said.  

Still, there was nothing that could prepare him for going wheels up in a Growler.  

“You think you’re ready but that first launch your stomach goes to your throat and you’re hanging on. The first launch — I don’t think anyone is ready for it,” he said. 

IAVICOLI IS still working toward launching at sea. A lieutenant junior grade with the Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129, his days are spent getting reps under his belt and working toward the next challenge.  

“They design the syllabus to build confidence,” he said. “By the end you're able to go out to accomplish what you need to accomplish.” 

In his downtime, he plans to use his new home base in Washington to reconnect with the activities he enjoyed while growing up in Montana. He’s happy to be back on a pair of skis again, and looks forward to a summer of hiking, exploring Olympic National Park and tackling Mount Baker. He hopes to get back into fishing and might take up crabbing.  

As for his future, he’s still up in the air. Pilots sign an eight-year contract with the Navy and the service has been good to him, he said. He’s content to see what happens.  

In the meantime, Iavicoli might even find the time to get caught up on the “Top Gun” movies. 

“I gotta do that,” he admitted.  

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 406-758-4430 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.

    Lieutenant Junior Grade Nicholas Iavicoli stands beside an EA-18G Growler at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington. After deciding on a naval aviation career, the Kalispell native set his sights on tailhooks, the aircraft that launch and land at sea. (Photo courtesy the U.S. Navy)