Top Gun Maverick question

[KangarooKenny]

Why do some of the aircraft have two people in them, and some only one ?

Because they are different types of planes!

The Super Hornets have 2, and the F-35s one. The one seaters make it much harder to film flying as there is no seat for the film crew so the hornets were preferred.

The F14 Tomcats used in the original film needed 2 crew for the aircraft - the pilot and the Radar Intercept Officer.

The F18 Hornets used in the latest film can be flown by a single person; there are 1-seat and 2-seat versions, with the latter, a Weapons Systems Officer is in the rear seat.

So that Maverick and Goose's son could each crash in Enemyland without their plane-mate dying and then share a plane home.