Although another review revealed that "Pensacola, Wings of Gold" was not shot in Pensacola....... We watched them shoot the 66 episodes at Miramar Marine Air base in San Diego with the marine brass strictly guiding and assisting in the accuracy of all the series episodes. This went all the way up to Washington, D.C. where the Marine corps leader General James Jones approved the overall coordination of the show and it's accuracy with the USMC. General Jones presented the show and it's exec producer James Brolin a Marine Corps award for the show's help in recruiting and goodwill for the USMC. The Segal Studios are right outside the base fences where many the additional interiors were shot for a 3 year period. The base Hornet F-111 Jets worked most all days during the shoot, with their always active pilots assisting. While jet noise or no jet noise, so did the show go on. The show was dropped in the scramble of the Viacom stock takeover of CBS and Paramount, and replaced by a cheap reality show. At the time it was showing and representing American good will in a full 39 countries around the world.

Don't know if this really counts as a spoiler or not, since by now I think everyone knows this show was NOT shot in the real Pensacola in Florida, but at Mirimar Naval Air Station, San Diego, California. As a basic military series, yes,it's well crafted, character driven, morally sound, etc. But the real Achilles heel of this show was the less than sincere attempt to pass off San Diego as the Florida town in the title. If you couldn't have it in the real Pensacola, why not just call it MIRIMAR WINGS OF GOLD, or CORONADO WINGS OF GOLD, or just TOP GUN THE SERIES? No military person who went through Pensacola was fooled in the least. They know from experience that the real Pensacola has white sand beaches, no mountains, more magnolia trees than palms, a Pensacola News Journal daily paper (not the Pensacola Post) 6 major area hospitals--the largest being Sacred Heart, Channel 3 News at 10pm (not 11)and at the time of the show---Trader Jon's Bar & Grille, not a Kate's Bucket Bar. As I recall, the local news reported the producers of the show had every intention of shooting there, but at the time the city had no active film commissioner to handle the business arrangements. So to save a lot of location hassle, they shot in San Diego, and sent out a small camera crew to take only exterior location shots of real Pensacola landmarks,like the neon Pensacola Beach sign, the NAS main gate marquee, and the Escambia County Area Transit Bus Depot. Still, I believe putting the Pensacola mask on San Diego did more harm than good for both the show and its target audience. Most Pensacola citizens today are so insulted by the outcome,they don't even want to talk about the show anymore,much less remember it. So a DVD release just might lead to a local boycott of CBS-Eyemark in the City of Five Flags. Strictly IMHO: more location homework should have been done before launching this series.

hey I'm a big fan when this show was on and i just want to know where i can buy the series from many.. i have been trying to find Pensacola: wings of gold for ages and everywhere i look that sells DVD does not have the series to it i would much appreciate it if someone could please tell me where i can get the series please. if anyone has any information on where i can get this show from please feel free to email me at any time. i like most of James Brolin shows i like this one the most cause i like army and navy show cause my family is in the defense forces many thanks Kylie. i don't know what else to write in these i have explained what i have.

The first season was excellent with its four Marines -- the Sea Dragons. The show was about "teamwork" with its exciting story lines about how four people come together as a unit. They are intelligent and respectful of one another, their superiors, and their assignments. The first season portrayed women and male/female relationships in a very positive manner, without the degrading cheap attention-getting tricks like boobs, bodies, bikinis, and the sexual innuendo that slimed across the screen in the second season. Yes, the Sea Dragons are the best of the best, and first season took my breath away.