Character Analysis
Junior Lieutenant Ron "Slider" Kerner is Iceman's slimy partner in crime, his radar intercept officer (RIO). What Goose is to Maverick, Slider is to Iceman. He's not in the movie a whole lot, and he's around mostly as a foil.
He talks a little more smack than Iceman (the first thing we hear him say in the film is "Goose you're such a dickhead"), and likes to go out of his way to rub Maverick the wrong way. For example, at one point he thinks Maverick has failed to attract Charlie's attention and says:
SLIDER: Crashed and burned huh Mav?
Little does he know that Maverick has just been invited to dine with Charlie.
Slider is in just about every scene that Iceman is, and he's clearly really good at what he does, even though he may sweat a little more than the other guys. He's got an ego, and he acts like a big shot on the volleyball court, and in other scenes (after the first hop, he reminds Maverick and Goose that there are no points for second place).