Errors Made in TOP GUN(1986)
Factual Errors
- Numerous violations of standard Navy operating procedures. - Numerous errors of fact regarding Navy equipment and their capabilities. - There is no such aircraft as a "MiG-28". - It is impossible to fly two aircraft inverted so closely together. - The main rear cockpit display in an F14 is a Tactial Information Display, not a PPI scope as indicated. - Navy pilots fly with sun visors down. - When Maverick is launched to help Iceman, he is more than 110 miles from him. Claiming he'll be there in 30 seconds, he would have to travel at 13,200mph (Mach 18). His F-14's top speed would be Mach 2. - All Navy pilots wear NOMEX flight gloves. - * When Maverick tells Goose " I'm going to hit the brakes (air) and he'll fly right by." He inadvertently throws the throttle straight forward which actually would have sent him into afterburner and thus the speed brakes would not have actuated. - * The "Mig 28's" Maverick and Goose encounter are actually F-5 Tiger II which the Navy now uses primarily as adversaries in training pilots in dogfighting. - *** In all of the scenes where you see the supposed heads up display, all of the graphic targeting markers are incorrect. The only plane that had a semi realistic marker was the jet flow by Viper when he was using cannons. Also real Heads Up Displays (HUD) , have airspeed indicators, compass readings, altimeters, and depending on weapons setting, range and percent effectiveness. - In the scene where Maverick's Tomcat goes into a flat spin, it can clearly be seen that just prior to the spin as well as during the spin the plane is nowhere near any water. But as soon as Maverick & Goose eject from the plane they magically appear over water. - The markings on the supposed Mig-28 's were North Korean, but the Battle Group was in the Indian Ocean. There is a great distance between North Korea and the Indian Ocean so it would have been impossible for the Mig-28 's to go that far to engage a ship. - ****** When Maverick lands on the aircraft carrier and then decides to go get Cougar he pulls back on the throttle instead of putting it at full power.
Continuity
- Stinger's ribbons on his chest. - The armament of the F-14s change in midair. - The distance between the aircraft after Goose takes the picture. - The squadron markings on both Iceman and Maverick's tomcats change a few times. Both of the original markings are not real tomcat squadron markings. - Merlin says from the back seat "we're running low on gas'', and then taps the fuel guage in the front seat. - Maverick's tailhook retracts too quickly when he decides to rescue Cougar. Additionally, it is subsequently visible in a later shot. - In the ladies room scene Charlie loses the lipstick she was holding. - Charlie gains her folder when exits the ladies room. - Iceman suddenly appears next to Wolfman in the locker room. - Maverick's hair during the elevator scene. - Numerous positional inconsistencies during the volleyball game. - Charlie is wearing a grey skirt in the classroom which turns black when she approaches Maverick on the motorbike. - Amount of ice in Maverick's glass in the airport bar. - Viper's sunglasses after Maverick's first landing after the accident. - Supposedly the final dogfight happens over water, yet a mountain is visible in the corner of one shot. - Maverick fires the same missile from the same wing station at least three times. - The lettering on the front of Sundown's helmet disappears once he and Maverick are back on the ground after their first flight together. - Maverick's sunglasses are (not) on when Slider picks him up after they return to the carrier. - **** When Maverick and Goose are in the bar talking to Ice Man and Slider, Maverick puts a beer bottle up to his mouth. When they show him from the back it disappears and when they switch back to a front view it's there again. - ***** In the bar scene at the airport just after Maverick has quit Top Gun, the waitress never comes back with Charlie's ice-water.
Interesting Facts
- * The scene with Maverick and Charlie in the ladies room of the local bar. In reality that restroom is a mens room in the USO building on the Recruit Training Base (Boot camp) in San Diego. The restroom now carries a brass plaque on the door simply reading "This restroom used in the filming of Top Gun." - The only planes currently used at the Top Gun facility are F-5 's, F-14 's and F-18 's. - The Navy claims that it actually rented actual F-14 A's to the people at Paramount Pictures.
Mistakes made on this page
-
In a flat spin the aircraft moves laterally, therefore a blown canopy would never hang in midair
suspended above the cockpit so Goose could conveniently impact it with his head. The canopy
would instead fly off when caught by the wind and away from the gravity-affected Tomcat.
-
Ejection seats are built to be higher than the helmets of the crew. Goose's head would not have
hit the canopy when his seat went off the rail. The top of the seat would have
absorbed/deflected the force of impact and Goose would float safely to the ground.
-
Although the above two statements seem realistic, it has been pointed out to me that they are
obviously flawed! This is due to the fact that in the scene where Goose is killed, in fact an
actual F-14 pilot was killed during the filming of this scene, the pilots name was Art Scholl. As
a result at the very end of the credits for this movie the following is displayed "In memory of
Art Scholl".
If you have any other mistakes I have not mentioned Please E-Mail me atMy E-Mail in the meantime.