In the beginning of the movie when Maverick and Goose are flying above the MIG inverted, notice the lettering on the canopy of the F-14. You can clearly read Maverick and Goose's rank, names and call signs.

"What's the big deal about that?" you say. Well, when the F-14 is back right side up, then that same lettering would be upside down.

Pretty thoughtful of those Navy airmen to paint the names upside down so that your not-so-friendly neighborhood MIG pilot would know who was keeping up "foreign relations." Or, maybe Mav's plane captain knew that he hot dogged it so much inverted that that was the best way to read their names (heh, heh).