Joe Dark is correct to say that when all men wore hats, it was polite to tip (remove the hat briefly) to show respect to someone.
The phrase tip one's hat is now an idiom and simply means to show someone respect, often in recognition of an achievement (but does not involve an actual hat). An example:
I'm impressed by your use of English. I tip my hat to you.
The phrase tip the hat as used in the film isn't an idiom, as it is not well established. It is a metaphor.
In this case the hat being tipped is a helicopter.
Bascially, tip the hat in this context means the helicopter is being tilted at an extreme angle.
Aside from common names that you mention, native English speakers can be equally unfamiliar with names of people and places. If I hear a name I have never heard before I may double-check the pronunciation, or ask how it is spelled to help me visualise and remember that name.
There really are just so many proper nouns out there that nobody could be familiar with every one, and new names are created all the time. Even familiar names of people can often have multiple variations in spelling or pronunciation. The name Karen for example is fairly common in the UK and can also be spelled Caron, maybe other ways too. I have known people pronounce either of these as 'Kar·in' or 'Kair·on'. Some names used in English are borrowed from other languages and can sometimes be spelled in an Anglicised way but retain their original pronunciation. Names are meant to be individual, and people go out of their way to make even common ones sound a bit different.
Place names can be even more confusing, especially places within the UK and the US which have roots in either old English or native American respectively. Over time many places have changed spelling but retained something of the original pronunciation. Sometimes you really have to live in or near a place to know how it is pronounced! For example, I live near a small town called Wesham which is pronounced "Wes-ham" by people that live there, but "Wesh-um" by practically everybody else. Also, many British English speakers are baffled as to how US English speakers pronounce places such as "Maryland" (apparently Americans say 'Mari-lund', not 'Mary Land' as spelling and entymology would suggest) and so even if we have read a particular name we are not always fully prepared to recognise it when we hear it spoken for the first time.
So my answer to your first question of "do native speakers of English ALWAYS understand names they've heard for the first time in their lives on the first try" has to be no we don't! However, it is probably easier for us to know when we are hearing an unfamiliar name as opposed to an unfamiliar word because the likelihood of us not knowing a word is far less likely than an English learner. We probably also grasp context a little easier and are processing our understanding in real time as opposed to constantly translating in our heads.
As to your second question of "is something I can do to bypass this problem?" - all I can suggest is that this will hopefully become easier for you with time and practice. The more familiar you are with spoken English and the different ways native speakers can pronounce common words, the more likely you are to recognise that a proper noun is being introduced. Friends of mine whose first language is not English have commented to the effect that their learning English at school did not fully prepare them for speaking it with native speakers; however after time here they have learned to understand idioms, colloquialisms, accents etc.
One interesting thing I read about the way children pick up their native language is that they learn a great deal by what some experts call "chunking" - that is they learn "chunks" of speech first, then what the individual words mean later. For example, very young children may learn to say "good morning" as a phrase, not yet appreciating that it is two words "good" and "morning". It makes sense that this is the brain's natural way of learning language. But learning a second language is quite the opposite technique. You learn the words, the rules, and it is only when you start speaking it with natives that you learn how these are commonly strung together. I imagine that as you become more familiar with "chunks" of speech you will also more easily recognise the cue for a name to be inserted into the sentence.
Best Answer
Cow Tipping on Wikipedia notes: "Cow tipping is the purported activity of sneaking up on an unsuspecting upright cow and pushing it over for entertainment. The practice of cow tipping is generally considered an urban legend, as cows do not sleep standing up, and the implication that a cow can be pushed over and not stand up again is incorrect, as, unless injured, cows routinely lie down and can easily regain their footing. The implication that rural citizens seek such entertainment due to lack of other alternatives is also generally viewed as a stereotype."
As for the conversation, here is my attempt:
Supplying evidence for some point and showing it isn't actual.
Rebuttal that something is real.
Stating that in terms of logic, it isn't realistic for a human being to push over a bovine animal. Someone with muscles and the appearance of someone that could cut down trees isn't able to accomplish this. "Lumberjack" is an occupation of someone that cuts down trees for a living often wears plaid and is thought to live in the wilderness.
The Indian character noting a problem with doing this and asking what would motivate one to try this. In India, cows are considered a sacred animal that one wouldn't harm.
Counter argument from the woman that has witnessed the Indian consume cow meat repeatedly.
Counter to the counter-argument as he attempts to have it both ways. He wants to establish that the apparent contradiction isn't really that. "You can't have your cake and eat it" would be another phrase here.
Clarification from the woman on the original point about pushing over a cow that she has a memory to admit as evidence.
Question to be asked on this as if she were intoxicated, her credibility may be compromised here.
Obvious background point of being a teenager living in Middle America where the point is that a lot of teens may drink as there isn't much else to do.
Explaining how the perception of the cow fell over because Penny lost control of her legs and fell down.
Noting that her perspective changed as even the sky went onto the side instead of being on top.