Scene 41
- We're in the air control tower, with the same operator we met during the film's opening scenes.
- He's on the radio, and he tells Iceman ("Voodoo 1") that there are MiGs in the area.
- Iceman and Slider have spotted the MiGs as well.
- Maverick is waiting on deck, his air mask already on. He gently touches Goose's dog tags.
- Is Maverick going to be able to do this? We have to wonder.
- Meanwhile, it turns out that there are 4 MiGs, not two. Uh-Oh.
- Slider notices it (the audience, however, has already seen them). Then, another MiG shows up on the radar, and gets Hollywood in missile lock.
- He shots him down, but it looks like Hollywood and Wolfman have ejected okay.
- Maverick is launched, and is racing to get there to help Iceman.
- Iceman is in big trouble. There are now six MiGs. He's doing his best to avoid them, but he needs help.
- Maverick gets in range, and then there's a MiG on his tail. He avoids him, but gets caught in a jet wash again and goes into a spin.
- Uh-oh. Goose was killed when Maverick couldn't get out of a spin.
- He manages to recover, however, and Merlin is yelling at him to engage. Maverick says "it's no good," i.e. that he doesn't have a shot.
- It looks like his old problems are coming back, and that he is still isn't able to get over Goose's death.
- Stinger, and everybody else (especially Iceman and Slider), are irate. Stinger, like usual, screams, "Goddamnit Maverick!"
- Maverick asks Goose to talk to him, while Merlin can be heard yelling in the background. Finally,
- Maverick re-engages. Whew, that was close.
- He talks to Iceman, and gets the MiG on Iceman's tail in missile lock, and shoots him down.
- Maverick runs into his own problems, and Merlin tells him to get out of there. Maverick, however, has learned his lesson and will not leave his wingman.
- Iceman's turn: he shoots down a MiG before taking some bullets to his plane (he loses an engine but he's okay). Maverick shoots down another MiG, and then has another one on his tail. He lures him in close (much to Merlin's surprise), and then executes his trademark move: he hits the breaks, and the MiG blasts by.
- Now it's Maverick's turn again. He gets the MiG in lock, and shoots him down. The rest of the MiGs head for home, and the air control tower celebrates.
- Maverick, elated by his success, requests permission for a flyby, is denied, but does it anyway.
- The same guy from before is manning the tower, and he again spills his coffee.
- Back on deck, all the pilots are celebrating, including Hollywood and Wolfman, who arrive safely via helicopter.
- Iceman finds Maverick, and tells him that he's still dangerous, but that he can be his wingman anytime.
- Maverick says the same thing, and they hug.
Scene 42
- A freshly showered (it seems) Maverick is standing somewhere below deck, overlooking the water.
- The Top Gun theme is still playing as he looks at Goose's dog tags again.
- After contemplating it for a moment, Maverick hurls the dog tags into the ocean, saying a final farewell to Goose (and proving that he's ready to move forward with his life).