Cyclone
The hard deck is 5,000 feet above ground level, a parameter set not just for the safety of our pilots, but for the safety of their aircraft. 5,000 feet is not just a rule- it is a law, as immutable as gravity!
Maverick
The hard deck will be much lower for the mission, sir.
Cyclone
And it will not change without my approval! Especially not in the middle of an exercise! And that Cobra maneuver of yours, that could've got all 3 of you killed! I never wanna see that shit again!
Warlock
What exactly do you suppose you were teaching, Captain?
Maverick
That as good as they are, sir, they still have something to learn.
Cyclone
You're talking about the best fighter pilots on the planet, Captain.
Maverick
And they’ve been told that their entire career, while they’ve been dropping bombs from a high altitude with little to no dog-fighting. The parameters of this mission call for something they have never encountered, something-
Cyclone
Okay, you have less than three weeks, to teach them how to fight as a team... and how to strike the target.
Maverick
And how to come home. [Cyclone stares, surprised] And how to... come home, sir.
Cyclone
Every mission has its risks. These pilots accept that.
Maverick
I don't, sir.
Cyclone
Every morning, from this day forward, you will brief us on your instructional plans in writing. And nothing will change, without my express approval.
Maverick
Including the hard deck, sir?
Cyclone
Especially the hard deck, Captain!
Maverick
Sir.
Cyclone
What is this?
Maverick
It's a request to lower the hard deck, sir, to practice a low level bombing run, per the mission parameters.
Warlock
You could learn a thing or two about timing, Captain.
