Factual error: Iceman is hit by cannon fire and has to shut down the right engine as a consequence. Later on, when Iceman and Maverick return to the carrier, Maverick asks for a flyby, which both tomcats perform as if nothing had happened to Iceman's plane. This violates regulation, essential safety protocols and it contradicts both Maverick and Iceman's personalities. The first thing you want to do when flying with only one engine (because your plane is damaged) is to make sure you land as soon as possible, you don't perform flybys, you don't even consider it. The remaining engine could fail too, turning the tomcat into a glider, that would mean the loss of the plane and it would put the lives of both pilots at even more risk. Maverick wouldn't allow this after losing Goose and Iceman has that nickname and reputation because he's a perfectionist, he plays utterly by the rules he wouldn't act like a fool when flying a damaged plane in that context. Also, Iceman performs that flyby with both engines running, which is absurd. (01:39:20 - 01:40:00)
Visible crew/equipment: When they return to Enterprise after their successful mission, Iceman points and shouts, "You!" at Maverick. In the shot facing Maverick as he turns his head, the reflections of the camera and large reflector screen are visible on Maverick's sunglasses. Also, note the lack of a crowd of people behind Ice in the reflection. (01:40:45)
Deliberate mistake: In the locker room scene after the final dogfight, Wolfman's helmet is seen hanging in Hollywood's locker. Hollywood's helmet is blue. (01:42:15)
Continuity mistake: The scene where Cruise is holding Goose's dog tags before he speaks to Meg, his thumbnails are tightly groomed, but the next shot his hand is open and the thumbnail is different. (22:36:00)
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.
Factual error: Tom Cruise says of the song 'Sitting on the Dock of the Bay' "my folks loved it". However, his father died in 1965, his mother died "shortly after him", and the song wasn't written until 1967.
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.
Factual error: Before "classes" begin, the pilots are told that they would be flying against planes that are faster than their F-14's. The F-14's top airspeed is over 500 mph faster than the F-5's, and more than DOUBLE that of the A-4.
Continuity mistake: During the whole elevator scene with Mav and Charlie, her earrings change.
Suggested correction: They are the same earrings the light just hits them at different angles.
Revealing mistake: Near the end of the movie, when Maverick's plane is about to be launched, there is a quick closeup of an F14's nose gear, which is quite obviously not hooked up to a catapult or anything else.
Continuity mistake: In a scene soon after Cruise's partner dies, when he's flying with his new partner, you can see his call sign on his helmet, but when they get on the ground and he's talking to Cruise, all the letters on his helmet are removed.
Revealing mistake: In the last dogfight, we see four MIGs circling around Iceman, trying to get him down. A few moments after, Maverick gets to the scene, and the same shot is being used.
Continuity mistake: In the final dog fight scene, Maverick is flying with Merlin as his co-pilot. Merlin's helmet is purple and can be seen many times behind Maverick. In one scene though, the helmet behind Maverick's is orange, which is Sundown's colour.
Visible crew/equipment: When Goose and Maverick are in the sea after their plane crashes, look carefully, there's a thin black rope latching onto Maverick and the camera crew's boat.
Suggested correction: There is a thin black line, but it's not necessarily connected as described. Life rafts have a sea anchor (basically a nylon basket which drags in the water) in order to slow their drift and keep them oriented with the sea behind the occupant (which is where that line is). So, it could be visible movie equipment, or it could be the sea anchor (or maybe they used the sea anchor attachment for the crew boat?).
Continuity mistake: Throughout the film Maverick's plane has the number "114" on it. However, at the end when he is waiting on deck, the number has changed to "104". This is actually Iceman's plane, which has already taken off. When Maverick launches, the number has changed back to "114" again.
Continuity mistake: The Navy allowed only two live missile shots (one AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-7 Sparrow) for the filming of the movie. Maybe that is why we see so many missiles fired from an empty rack.
Continuity mistake: In the volleyball scene, Maverick can be seen looking at his watch because he has a hot date with Kelly McGillis, however while they are actually playing, it is easily noticeable he is not wearing his watch in some of the shots.
Revealing mistake: In every in-flight cockpit scene a brass hand wheel is visible on the right side of the headbox of the seat. The only time this hand-wheel is installed on the seat is to disconnect the seat from the aircraft and to disarm the seat. Therefore, the plane and actors in those scenes were on the ground with a moving camera because there is no way that an F-14 would be allowed to fly with "dry" seats.
Continuity mistake: In the elevator scene with Maverick and Charlie, Tom Cruise's hair keeps changing. Both Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis were working on different movies when they added this in. Kelly had her hair dyed a different color and Tom's hair was longer.
Continuity mistake: In the final battle scene, which takes place way out over the water, in some of the F-14 shots, mountains can be seen in the background.
Suggested correction: How is this a mistake? The aggressors would have to come from a land base so there is every possibility of mountains being visible.
They are based in San Diego, Miramar Naval Air Station. Mountain can be seen from there but not what was filmed. Mountains shown are in Nevada.
