Flight operations were filmed aboard the USS Saratoga. Scenes of planes landing on the carrier deck were edited post-production to obscure the actual operation of the aircraft arresting gear.
The insignia on the planes Windy and Steve fly indicate that they are from Strike Fighter Squadron 14 (VFA-14), the Tophatters," the Navy's oldest active squadron. Formed in 1919, the squadron began carrier operations on board the Navy's first aircraft carrier USS Langley (CV-1) in 1926. In 1929, the squadron was assigned to USS Saratoga (CV-3). As of 2017 the squadron is still active, flying the F/A-18E Super Hornet. Their call sign is Camelot, and their tail code is NG. The motto of VFA-14 is "The Oldest and Boldest."
The search for the missing Navy airmen was called off so the USS Saratoga could take supplies and medicine to aid earthquake victims in Nicaragua. This refers to an actual 6.1 magnitude earthquake that hit the country on March 31, 1931, and devastated its capital, Managua. As many as 2,450 people were killed and another 45,000 were left homeless after a major fire swept the city. Damage was estimated at $35 million (more than $628 million in 2021, adjusted for inflation).
The sailor that "kicks" the block from under the tire of one of the planes is Charles M. Burton.