Built by Bolliger & Mabillard and designed by Werner Stengel, the roller coaster made its debut on March 20, 1993, as Top Gun.

After Paramount sold off its Great America park to Cedar Fair (now Six Flags), the roller coaster was rebranded as Flight Deck.

The planned acquisition would see the transfer of four theme parks owned or operated by the Kings Entertainment Company under the Paramount brand, which included Great America.

It was expected Paramount would develop rides based on films and franchises such as Top Gun, Star Trek, or The Addams Family.

The Top Gun attraction would be a steel inverted roller coaster, have a length of 2,260 ft (690 m), and feature an elaborate themed queue.

[7] After Paramount sold off Great America to Cedar Fair in 2006, the Top Gun theming was removed and the name changed to Flight Deck.

[5][11][12] Flight Deck is a custom Inverted Coaster model manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) and designed by Werner Stengel.

[15] A large mural was created depicting "Fightertown, USA", an homage to Miramar's Air Station, on one side with an aircraft carrier on the other.

A passenger on the roller coaster was also injured, sustaining injuries to their hand and legs when the employee retrieved an item in the train's path.

[6] Susan Young, a writer for the Oakland Tribune, noted how she felt an adrenaline rush through the queue area's theming and overhead roller coaster.

[14] Debra Salonen, writing for the Merced Sun-Star, positively noted the roller coaster's smoothness, speed, and excitement, simply concluding it was a "wow".

[15] Leah Smith, a reporter for the Press-Tribune, commented on the roller coaster's "breathtaking" elements alongside the in-depth theming that guests could expect waiting for the ride.