March 12, 2002

"AFP: AMERICAN FIGHTER PILOT"

BIOS

Following are biographies of the pilots and trainers featured in AFP: AMERICAN FIGHTER PILOT, the new reality series that follows three men from various backgrounds as they train to become F-15 fighter pilots. The series premieres Friday, March 29 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Executive producer bios are also included. Biographies of pilots and trainers are based on the status of each at the beginning of the 110 days of training depicted in the series.

THE PILOTS-IN-TRAINING:

Todd Giggy

Born and raised:        Born in Wichita Falls, Texas. and raised in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Marital status:         Newly married.  Wife: Lori.  No children.

        Todd Giggy is the rebel of the class. Defying long-standing Air Force traditions, he overstates his individuality by showing up for training with platinum blond hair and talks back to instructors. He and his new wife, Lori, are like a Ken and Barbie couple -- beautiful and wildly in love. Giggy's father was a fighter pilot who went on to fly commercial jets, and he has dreamed of flying since he was a child.    

Marcus Gregory

Born and raised: Born in Cary, Ill., and has lived in Dayton, Ohio, Cairo, Egypt, Nicosia, Cypress and Columbia, S.C., which he calls home. Marital status: Married. Wife: Sunni. First child is on the way.

Marcus Gregory is a church-goer with a spiritual Christian upbringing. He knows that fighter pilots drink, swear and chase women and realizes that he must fit into this world or he will not be accepted as a fighter pilot. Gregory and his wife are excitedly expecting their first child. Unfortunately, fighter pilot training leaves little time for supporting a pregnant wife and caring for a newborn baby.

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Mike Love

Born and raised: Born in Lampasas, Texas, and raised in Grand Prairie, Texas Marital Status: Married. Wife: Mauri. Two sons, Broderick and Braden.

Mike Love is senior ranking officer in his class because he has already flown bombers. In high school, Love was the all-American boy. He was captain of the football team and married his cheerleader/high school sweetheart, Mauri. Prior to this experience, his wife and family were content with him flying bombers because he was home often. Now that he is a student again, the family time must come second to fighter training.

THE TRAINERS:

Lieutenant Colonel David Thomas Freaney

Call Sign:              "Bean"
Born and Raised:        Born in Bradford, Pa.  Moved every two to three years ever since.
Flying Data:            Command Pilot with 3,100 hours in the F-15 Eagle

        Lt. Col. Dave "Bean" Freaney serves as the Operations Officer of the 95th Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. He is the man in charge of training Todd Giggy, Marcus Gregory and Mike Love to become first class F-15 fighter pilots. Freaney, son of retired Colonel Robert E. Freaney Sr. (former U.S. Air Force, C-130 Pilot), grew up in a Roman Catholic Air Force family, was graduated with a degree in mathematics from the University of South Carolina in 1980 and joined the Air Force. He is one of the rare fighter pilots who has surpassed the 3,000-hour flying milestone. Freaney is a distinguished graduate of Officer Training School, Undergraduate Pilot Training, the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School and the U.S. Naval War College. He earned a master's degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College.

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Major Robert Garland

Call Sign:      "Shark"
Birth Date:     May 10, 1967
Born and Raised:        San Antonio, Texas

Flying Data: Senior Pilot with more than 2,000 hours in flight time in five different aircraft including 1,700 hours in the F-15C.

Maj. Robert "Shark" Garland is the Chief Weapons Instructor of the 95th Fighter Squadron. Garland joined the U.S. Air Force in 1990 as a 2nd Lieutenant and was trained at Williams Air Force Base, Ariz. He attended F-15C training in 1993 at the 95th Fighter Squadron, where he was awarded Distinguished Graduate honors and assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Japan. There, he was "Top Gun" as a wingman and a flight lead and was selected for early upgrade to F-15C Instructor Pilot. Garland was selected to become one of 12 fighter pilots in the world to train and teach as a senior Instructor Pilot at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School F-15C Division.

Additional Trainers Portrayed in Series:

Lieutenant Colonel Anthony J. Rock (call sign: "Heater") is the Commander of the 95th Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Rock was deployed to Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm during which he flew 33 combat missions and accumulated more than 170 combat hours. He was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Metal.

Lieutenant Colonel Monte Cooper (call sign: "Stump") was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in May 1969. He served on a sea combat tour in 1971 and 1972 in Udorn, Thailand. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in May 1989 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. and became an F-15 Flight Instructor. Cooper teaches simulator training classes and an instrument refresher course.

Major Dennis G. Scarborough (call sign: "Cons") is the Instructor Pilot assigned to Mike Love.

Major David S. Nahoum (call sign: "Abu") is the Instructor Pilot assigned to Marcus Gregory.

Captain Kevin Nicholson (call sign: "Divot") is the Instructor Pilot assigned to Todd Giggy.

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THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:

Tony Scott

Director Tony Scott's most recent box-office hit is "Spy Game," following his last hit, "Enemy of the State." In 1996, Scott joined a very short list of billion dollar grossing directors following the success of "Crimson Tide" and "The Fan." His other acclaimed movies include "The Hunger," "Top Gun," "Beverly Hills Cop II," "Revenge," "Days of Thunder," "The Last Boy Scout" and "True Romance." Prior to his film career, Scott partnered with his brother, Ridley, to form the London-based commercial production company RSA. He has created some of the world's most memorable commercials and has won numerous honors, including Clio Awards, Silver and Gold Lion Awards and London's prestigious Designers & Art Directors Award. Tony and Ridley Scott currently own the legendary Shepperton Studios in West London where more than 600 feature films have been made.

Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott's most recent box-office hit is "Black Hawk Down," following his last hits, "Hannibal" and the Academy Award-winning "Gladiator." In 2001, Scott was ranked #31 in Entertainment Weekly's "Power List." Scott's additional feature film credits include "RKO 281," "Clay Pigeons," "G.I. Jane," "White Squall," "Thelma & Louise," "Black Rain," "Legend," "Someone To Watch Over Me," "Alien" and "Blade Runner." Scott also directed the famous "1984" television commercial that introduced the Apple Macintosh during the halftime show of the 1984 Super Bowl. He owns the visual effects company Mill Film, based in London, which did the majority of the effects work on "Gladiator."

Brian Gadinsky

Brian Gadinsky's producing credits include "Combat Missions," "America's Most Wanted," "Fox Sports News Rewind," "50th Anniversary of the Bikini," "The Gong Show," "Strong Against Crime," "Catch a Crook," "RollerJam," "American Gladiators," "The First Men in the Moon," Missing Reward" and "Psychic Detectives." Gadinsky produced numerous Emmy Award-winning magazine series and specials while at WTVJ-TV Miami and earned five daytime Emmy nominations for "American Gladiators." He received his bachelor's degree in television-radio from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.

Jesse Negron

Jesse Negron began his film career at the UCLA Master's Film Program. While attending UCLA, he worked in the motion picture sound business -- on the movies "Heat," "Twister" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Shortly after graduation, he started his own post-production facility, Rocketwerks, where he supervised post-production and was an editor for numerous independent feature films. One of the films he edited, "Pop & Me," won an award at the Los Angeles Film Festival and made the Academy Awards Short List for Best Documentary. After that, Negron pursued directing and started Warfront Pictures. (More)
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AFP: AMERICAN FIGHTER PILOT is a Warfront/Zeal Pictures Production, in association with Scott Free Productions. Tony Scott, Ridley Scott, Brian Gadinsky and Jesse Negron are the executive producers.

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Press Contacts: Andrea Ballas           323/575-2858            andrea.ballas@tvc.cbs.com
                        Barbara Abseck  212/975-4637            beabseck@cbs.com