Agree 100% on the casting of the ace female pilot. She was one of the many great pilots. Nobody was having a secret love affair with her, although perhaps implied with Rooster a bit. She didn't have some BS sob story about her mother dying from a fighter attack in some third-world country. She didn't fall in love with nerdy Bob because he was the only non-Alpha, etc.
I was also trending towards Maverick sacrificing himself, but I don't think Tom Cruise has ever died in a movie, so that seemed unlikely. Plus, if you do that, there's no Top Gun 3: 10 Ways to Lose a Guy While Inverted
Life is better with a beagle