Quotes

Charlie: Excuse me, Lieutenant. Is there something wrong?

Maverick: Yes ma'am, the data on the MiG is inaccurate.

Charlie: How's that, Lieutenant?

Maverick: Well, I just happened to see a MiG 28 do a...

Goose: We!

Maverick: Uh, sorry, Goose. *We* happened to see a MiG 28 do a 4g negative dive.

Charlie: Where did you see this?

Maverick: Uh, that's classified.

Charlie: It's what?

Maverick: It's classified. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

Viper: Good morning, gentlemen, the temperature is 110 degrees.

Wolfman: Holy shit, it's Viper!

Goose: Viper's up here, great... oh shit...

Maverick: Great, he's probably saying, "Holy shit, it's Maverick and Goose."

Goose: Yeah, I'm sure he's saying that.

Viper: I flew with your old man. VF-51, the Oriskany. You're a lot like he was. Only better... and worse. He was a natural heroic son of a bitch that one.

Maverick: So he did do it right.

Viper: Yeah, he did it right... Is that why you fly the way you do? Trying to prove something? Yeah, your old man did it right. What I'm about to tell you is classified. It could end my career. We were in the worst dogfight I ever dreamed of. There were bogeys like fireflies all over the sky. His F-4 was hit, and he was wounded, but he could've made it back. He stayed in it, saved three planes before he bought it.

Maverick: How come I never heard that before?

Viper: Well, that's not something the State Department tells dependents when the battle occurred over the wrong line on some map.

Maverick: So you were there?

Viper: I was there. What's on your mind?

Maverick: My options, sir.

Viper: Simple. First you've acquired enough points to show up tomorrow and graduate with your Top Gun class, or you can quit. There'd be no disgrace. That spin was hell, it would've shook me up.

Maverick: So you think I should quit?

Viper: I didn't say that. The simple fact is you feel responsible for Goose and you have a confidence problem. Now I'm not gonna sit here and blow sunshine up your ass, Lieutenant. A good pilot is compelled to evaluate what's happened, so he can apply what he's learned. Up there, we gotta push it. That's our job. It's your option, Lieutenant. All yours.

Maverick: Sorry to bother you on a Sunday, sir, but thank you very much for your time.

Viper: No problem. Good luck.

Stinger: Maverick, you just did an incredibly brave thing. What you should have done was land your plane! You don't own that plane, the tax payers do! Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash. You've been busted, you lost your qualifications as section leader three times, put in hack twice by me, with a history of high speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral's daughter!

Goose: Penny Benjamin?

[Maverick shrugs]

Stinger: And you asshole, you're lucky to be here!

Goose: Thank you, sir.

Stinger: And let's not bullshit Maverick. Your family name ain't the best in the Navy. You need to be doing it better, and cleaner than the other guy. Now what is it with you?

Maverick: Just want to serve my country, be the best pilot in the Navy, sir.

Stinger: Don't screw around with me Maverick. You're a hell of an instinctive pilot. Maybe too good. I'd like to bust your butt but I can't. I got another problem here. I gotta send somebody from this squadron to Miramar. I gotta do something here, I still can't believe it. I gotta give you your dream shot! I'm gonna send you up against the best. You two characters are going to Top Gun.

Viper: [discussing Maverick] Let me ask you something. If you had to go into battle, would you want him with you?

Jester: I don't know, I just don't know

Slider: Goose, whose butt did you kiss to get in here anyway?

Goose: The list is long, but distinguished.

Slider: Yeah, well so is my Johnson.

Iceman: The plaque for the alternates is down in the ladies room.

Maverick: This is what I call a target-rich environment.

Goose: You live your life between your legs, Mav.

Maverick: Goose, even you could get laid in a place like this.

Goose: Hell, I'd be happy to just find a girl that would talk dirty to me.

Maverick: You don't have time to think up there. If you think, you're dead.

Iceman: You can be my wingman any time.

Maverick: Bullshit! You can be mine.

Charlie: What do you wanna do? Just drop down on the tile and go for it?

Maverick: No, actually I had this counter in mind.

Charlie: Great, that would be very, very comfortable, yeah.

Maverick: It could be.

Viper: Top Gun rules of engagement are written for your safety and for that of your team. They are not flexible, nor am I. Either obey them or you are history. Is that clear?

Maverick: Too close for missles, I'm switching to guns.

Goose: [flying above MiG upside down] Is this your idea of fun, Mav?

Maverick: [to Cougar and Merlin while up in the air] Any of you boys seen an aircraft-carrier around here?

Charlie: Listen, can I ask you a personal question?

Maverick: That depends.

Charlie: Are you a good pilot?

Maverick: I can hold my own.

Charlie: Great, then I won't have to worry about you making your living as a singer.

Maverick: I'm going to need a beer to put these flames out. Yo! Great Mav, real slick.

Carole: God, he loved flying with you Maverick. But he would've done it anyway... without you. He'd have hated it, but he would've done it.

Viper: How ya doin'?

Maverick: I'm all right.

Viper: Goose is dead.

Maverick: I know.

Viper: You fly jets long enough, something like this happens.

Maverick: He was my R.I.O., my responsibility.

Viper: My squadron, we lost 8 of 18 aircraft. 10 men. First one dies, you die too. But there will be others. You can count on that. You gotta let him go. You gotta let him go.

Goose: It's the bottom of the 9th, the score is tied. It's time for the big one.

Iceman: You up for this one, Maverick?

Maverick: Just a walk in the park, Kazansky.

Goose: (checking out the plaque with names of the best of the best) No, boys. There's two "O"s in Goose.

[Merlin sees the last two MiGs flying away at the end of the dogfight]

Merlin: Mustang, this is Voodoo 3. Remaining MiGs are bugging out.

Slider: [Iceman shoots down a MiG] Splash that sucker, yeah!

Goose: Great balls of fire!

Maverick: Jesus, this guy's good!

[first title card]

Title Card: On March 3, 1969 the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world. They succeeded. Today, the Navy calls it Fighter Weapons School. The flyers call it: TOP GUN.

Hollywood: Gutsiest move I ever saw, Mav.

[last lines]

Charlie: Hello, Pete Mitchell. I heard the best of the best were going to be back here, so uh...

Maverick: This could be complicated. You know on the first one I crashed and burned.

Charlie: And the second?

Maverick: I don't know, but uh, it's looking good so far.

Maverick: I'll hit the brakes, he'll fly right by.

Viper: Maverick, I flew with his old man. Tell me one thing, if you had to go into battle would you want him with you?

Jester: I don't know, I just don't know.

Maverick: Talk to me, Goose.

Radio Operator: Maverick, you're at 3/4 of a mile. Call the ball.

Maverick: Roger. Maverick has the ball.

Viper: [to Maverick] You'll pick up your RIO when you get to the ship, and if you don't, give me a call. I'll fly with you.