Visible crew/equipment: In the final flight sequence in the F-14, the reflection of the camera equipment is in the visor of Rooster, but not Maverick. The reflections are not that of the pilot's seat or the RIO control screens in front of the RIO, ie, Rooster.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
1 visible crew/equipment mistake
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller
Deliberate mistake: During the scenes where Maverick is flying the Darkstar spy plane, his helmet is lit up on the inside, so we can see his face. In reality the light would be reflecting off the plexiglass, meaning we would not be able to see his face, and he would not be able to see at all.
Trivia: Despite long being one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, this was the first Tom Cruise film to earn more than $100 million at the domestic box office on its opening weekend. It also went on to become his highest grossing film, as well as his first film to gross $1 billion worldwide.
Question: If these were the best of the best, going on a mission crucial to world peace, why were they in aircraft that were outdated and outgunned? It mentioned several times they would never stand a chance against the dreaded "5th generation" enemy fighters. Why not use the F-35?
Answer: Just my observation, but I got the sense that the F-35 was too fast to make the adjustment to do the steep climb out, and as much as the plane needed to be fast, but it was more important it be capable to throttle lower enough to maneuver through the course, and make the climb...and that the F-35 could do one or the other...just my guess, but that's how I understood it from Maverick's initial analysis, from when he was called in to "Teach".
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Answer: The real-world answer is that F-35s only come in single-seat configuration, so there was no way to put the actors in one seat for filming while pilots flew the plane. It would also make for less of an "underdog" feel of going up against overwhelming odds. The in-universe answer is that F-18s are better suited for the kind of mission it is.