Continuity mistake: The scenes that appeared on the television that the Sheriff was watching at the beginning was from the 1970's movie, "Smokey & The Bandit". Several of the clips were out of order, not to mention jumping from the beginning of the movie, then close to the end.
Deliberate mistake: During the civilian sheriff's pursuit of the Navy car, the sheriff is occasionally visible in the passenger seat of his patrol car instead of the driver's seat.
Factual error: The scene outside the gate of the Naval Amphibious Base - Little Creek was NOT the same as the actual gate. Little Creek does not have palm trees adjoining it. The base itself is located at Norfolk, VA.
Chosen answer: When landing on an aircraft carrier, a pilot "calls the ball" by confirming to the landing signal officer (LSO) that they have the carrier, and more specifically its landing guidance systems in sight. Carriers use a Fresnel lens system which is a light only visible at a certain angle, so if a pilot sees the "ball" they are at the correct altitude and glide slope for landing.
Sierra1 ★