Stupidity: When Cougar (and later, Maverick and Goose) report to Stinger's office at the beginning of the film, a photo of an F-5 in flight (or possibly a T-38) appears on the wall beside his desk. However, the F-5s that appear in this movie are standing in as MiGs. Of all the aircraft photos the set designer could have selected for this scene, it seems strange to use one of an "enemy" aircraft.
Top Gun (1986)
1 stupidity
Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Tim Robbins, Tom Skerritt, Anthony Edwards, Michael Ironside, Kelly McGillis
Visible crew/equipment: When Charlie walks down to the front of the class in the hanger, Jester is the only one at the front. Look at the reflection of Maverick's glasses, and the reflection shows lots of people standing in front of him, likely film crew. (00:26:20)
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Question: I would like to know from a real Navy pilot if the scene is correct where Maverick's F-14 is right on Iceman's tail and he tells him to fly hard right to get out of his way. This leaves jet wash in his flight path and the jet goes down. Wouldn't a real pilot be trained to avoid this kind of danger from happening with the jet wash?
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Answer: The original F-14A used the TF30 engine which was prone to compressor stall. This problem was fixed in later aircraft. https://theaviationist.com/2014/12/12/f-14b-engine-goose/.