Top Gun
Top Gun mistake picture

Other mistake: In the opening scene is a paragraph describing why the Top Gun school was started. The word "insure" is used when the word should have been "ensure". They wanted to guarantee the U.S. had superior pilots, not take out an insurance policy.

imshiffman

Other mistake: During the final dogfight, the same shots of missiles flying through the air are used several times.

David Mercier

Other mistake: When Maverick is doing the fly-by at the end of the movie, you can notice the crew watching for the F-14's to fly by the carrier. It's obvious the fly-by was set up, otherwise the crew wouldn't be waiting to watch them fly by.

Ken Hogan

Other mistake: During the dog fight at the end the officer questions the status of Willard and Simpkin, previously designated the pilots on alert on catapults 3 & 4. The reply was "both catapults are broken". But carriers have four catapults - nobody even considers using nos. 1 or 2.

Other mistake: The guy in the tower drinking coffee works at both Mirimar and the Enterprise? It is the same guy. Identical looking, hair color, wearing the same exact style of sun glasses, etc. The second scene, the air boss seems to refer to the first scene as well, making a statement of "g** d*** that guy!" and laughs after having spilled the coffee, as though this has happened before. Seems to me they are making it pretty clear its the same guy. I would think the air boss on a land based training facility would be a different person that the one assigned to the Enterprise.

oldbaldyone

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: He got reassigned in the 8 weeks.

Other mistake: When they go into the flat spin, Maverick is unable to pull the ejection handle due to high Gs. But in the F-14, there is an alternate ejection handle between the legs of the pilot.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: He is pinned forward, which is a peculiarity of the F14 as the pilot sits more aft than say an F/A18. Doesn't matter where the ejection handle is, he physically can't reach it.

stiiggy

Other mistake: Maverick and Goose were reprimanded at the beginning of the film and told, "you are number 2, Cougar is number 1. Cougar lost it and turned in his wings. You guys are number 1." This implies that Cougar and Merlin were going to Topgun. However, during their assisted carrier landing led by Maverick, their canopy is shown, and those inside are already wearing Topgun patches. This contradicts the statement given during the reprimand in the CAG's office previously mentioned.

Continuity mistake: At the end, a victorious Maverick is hoisted on the shoulders of the guys. As he goes up, he isn't wearing sunglasses. His head goes out of the shot, and when he comes down, he's wearing a pair.

More mistakes in Top Gun

Iceman: The plaque for the alternates is down in the ladies room.

More quotes from Top Gun

Trivia: Goose's real name is Nick Bradshaw. This is visible after he dies among his belongings that Maverick goes through. It also appears on the canopy of the F-14 he and Maverick are assigned to.

More trivia for Top Gun

Question: This is probably a stupid question, but I know nothing at all about how these kind of aircrafts are flown. What exactly is the purpose of the guy sitting in the back of the plane? All they seem to do in the film is look in all directions for enemy aircrafts.

Answer: These aircraft are extremely complex; the presence of the backseater, variously known officially as the Weapon Systems Operator or Radar Intercept Officer, allows the pilot to focus on the immediate needs of flying the plane, as his backseater can take on many of the other tasks required. They serve as navigators, tacticians, bombardiers, weapons systems operators and, of course, as we see in the film, an extra set of eyes; they use their discretion in passing information to the pilot, ensuring that the pilot has only data that's important to the situation and isn't swamped by trivia. Without the distraction of having to fly the plane, they can often be better placed to coordinate between multiple planes, leading to situations where the backseater can be placed in command of the mission.

Tailkinker

More questions & answers from Top Gun

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.