Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and Tom "Iceman" Kazanski are neck and neck in their quest for the coveted Top Gun trophy. Ice and Slider (his RIO) have a chance to pull ahead in the standings when they are assigned to fly a (training) mission with Maverick and Goose. Although Ice has the lead position, he cannot get the shot on the opposing force aircraft. He has to break off to let Maverick take the shot. In his frustration he cuts across Maverick's flight path causing the F-14's engine to flame out putting Maverick and Goose in a flat spin. They have no choice but to eject and abandon the aircraft. Because they are in a flat spin the canopy does not clear the aircraft and Goose is thrown into it breaking his neck. The fatality and crash result in and investigation and Maverick's aggressive flying style is under the microscope. Eventually he is cleared to fly, but must exorcise the demons of doubt and guilt. In the end he gets his confidence back, the girl and shoots down some Ruskies to boot. Maverick decides to become a Top Gun instructor. All is well that ends well.
The real conflict (and dare I say it... a better movie) might have been to examine how Iceman, who flew by the book and never made mistakes, let his ego get in the way of his philosophy as a pilot and a warrior. What lessons can we learn from his failure to stick to his core beliefs?
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