Stunt pilot Art Scholl was killed during the production of the movie, aged 54. He died when his Pitts S-2 camera plane failed to recover from a flat spin and plunged into the Pacific Ocean. Scholl's last words over the radio were "I have a problem - I have a real problem." The exact cause of the crash was never determined, and neither the aircraft nor Scholl's body were ever recovered. The film is dedicated to him.
Charlie's "older man" date at the officer's club is the real-life "Viper," Pete Pettigrew. He is a retired Navy pilot. He was a TOP GUN instructor, and he shot down a MiG during the Vietnam War. He served as the technical consultant on the film.
When the students are being briefed by Charlie in the hangar, Maverick explains that he gave "the bird" to a MiG. She asks how he saw the MiG up close, and he says he was flying inverted. Right then, Ice coughs "bullshit" and the guys laughed. The "bullshit" line was ad-libbed by Val Kilmer, and everyone's reactions are genuine.
Jerry Bruckheimer on convincing Tom Cruise to sign on to the film after his initial reluctance: "So they (the Navy Blue Angels) take Tom up there, and they do five Gs. They do barrel rolls, they do everything. He's heaving in the plane. He gets on the tarmac, runs to a pay phone ... and he said, 'I'm in. I'm doing the movie. I love it. This is great.'"
Val Kilmer did not want to be in this movie, but was forced to by contractual obligations. Tony Scott reassured him, "I know that the script is insufficient, but it will get better, Val. Wait until you see these jets. They take your breath away." Kilmer ended up liking the movie, saying, "All in all, [it] was both a blast and an education."