Posted on 08/27/2004 2:25:34 PM PDT by swilhelm73
ONBOARD USS JOHN C. STENNIS, Sasebo, Japan — The U.S. Navy’s meanest, fastest and most agile fighter jet, nearing retirement, is deployed in the western Pacific Ocean for the last time.
The Grumman F-14, which entered military service in 1972, also is a movie star. At least for aviation aficionados, it upstaged actors including Tom Cruise in the film “Top Gun.”
Pilots flying the F-14s are from Fighter Squadron Three One, or VF-31, from Virginia Beach, Va. The VF-31 Tomcatters, also known as the “Felix the Cat” squadron, now are embarked on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.
The ship and squadron already have taken part in Summer Pulse ’04 and Rim of the Pacific ’04. They left Sasebo Wednesday for PASEX, an upcoming communications exercise with other nations in the region, said Stennis spokesman Lt. Corey Barker.
After this summer, the Tomcatters are to deploy once more from the U.S. East Coast, then head to the great aircraft retirement home in the desert, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Ariz.
“It’s still the best fighter jet in the world,” said Lt. Andrew McLean, a VF-31 Tomcatter with three years’ experience at the F-14 controls. “It was built during the Cold War when the Soviet Union was our major military threat. It’s one of the last aircraft built intended to have overwhelming force, and they built these jets without cutting edges … the best engines were put in them, the best radar, the best missiles … It was designed for fleet defense, and did its job well,” the pilot said.
The squadron’s jets sport logos depicting Felix the Cat holding a bomb with a lit fuse. The unit has flown F-14s for 24 years, including the current version, the F-14D Super Tomcat.
Cmdr. Aaron Cudnohufsky, squadron commanding officer, said the Tomcat rightfully has become an American legend — and not just because of the film.
“I like to compare the F-14 to a Harley-Davidson,” Cudnohufsky said. “There are a lot of airplanes out there. But none have the beauty and grace of the Tomcat. Every time I am in the aircraft, I am in awe. It looks fast just sitting there.”
The Tomcatters’ command master chief, Master Chief Petty Officer Tom Gall, called being part of a Tomcat squadron an honor. Even after 25 years in the Navy, he said, the plane’s aesthetics still leave him awestruck.
“The Tomcat just looks sharp,” Gall said. “It’s mesmerizing to watch it fly. Especially as it sweeps its wings back and goes in for the kill. I’m quite certain that many people will miss it when it is gone.”
Throughout its long career, the F-14 has performed many different missions, Gall said, making it “a true workhorse of naval aviation ... air supremacy, or ‘dog fighting,’ to reconnaissance and putting bombs on target.”
The Navy has moved to the F/A-18 Super Hornet, more a multipurpose jet praised for its versatility, rather than the F-14’s pure speed and maneuverability in a dogfight.
“Today, we’re all seeking to do more with less, so with the new jets, there are some compromises,” said McLean, whose pilot call sign is “Lick.” “They are still great, but the F-14s were built as fighters and they were the best fighters.”
The pilot said eventually VF-31 would transform into a squadron of F/A-18s, airplanes he’s had the opportunity to fly.
The F-14, he said, “is more like what you think of as a muscle car ... they have this sort of aura about them ... the F-14s are like that.”
“With the Super Hornets, you kind of get that ‘new car smell,’ like with a new Mercedes. It’s got power, but not overwhelming power, and has a lot of the luxury items and amenities,” he added.
“And the F-14s, being older, tend to take more maintenance. You’ll have Super Hornet guys working 9-to-5 shifts, when our guys are regularly working 12-hour shifts and longer just to keep the Tomcats working at top level,” he said. “But when both planes are up and running at the top of their game, there’s a lot of things the Super Hornet just can’t replace that the Tomcat can do.”
McLean said many lessons learned flying the F-14s “I’ll be able to take with me when I begin flying the Super Hornet.”
Having worked almost exclusively on the F-14s for 16 years, Chief Petty Officer Scott Hadley, an aviation structural mechanic, said he believes retiring the storied jets, even if they’re showing their age, is “the worst thing they could do in naval aviation. Absolutely.”
From the Tomcatters’ Ready Room aboard the Stennis, he said, “There’s nothing out there that can match it right now as far as capability … plus, it’s truly a gorgeous aircraft.”
But Hadley also admitted the jets are aging. “They’re getting crippled, and it’s hard to get parts.”
Still, the F-14D Super Tomcats that the squadron’s pilots fly go faster than Mach 2. They’re still the fastest fighter jet on the carrier.
“A Super Hornet can’t even get close to us,” Hadley said. “Not only is it effective, it’s just gorgeous; it’s artwork. So we carry that pride.”
ping
Hurry up and get the F-35 running...
But can the Hornet handle the Phoenix missile system which can simultaneously track and shoot down 6 targets at ranges "in excess" of 54 miles? I think not. No other fighter in the world has that kind of stand-off capability.
I think giving up the F-14 is a bad idea...
They are awesome and fearful.
Kinda sad to see it go....
It's the 21st Century. Let's equip for 21st Century threats.
Or -- here's a thought -- they could just make new F-14's!
That assumes there will never be another global power with military might at or near our level. I think that's a dangerous assumption.
I think the tooling for the F-14's was ordered destroyed. There can be no more made.
Not possible. All the tooling and die equipment needed to build them was destroyed at the orders of a Sec. of Defense named Dick Cheney.
Not exactly the graveyard. AMARC is a long term storage facility. Were the feces to ever seriously hit the rotating device most of those planes are flyable in under a week, strategically it's our third string airforce. And a really fun chunk of land to drive through.
Not only is the F-14 a great fighter, Tomcat is the coolest name ever given to a plane.
The Navy should be wise to do this phase out over many number of years until they finally get a new hot shot 'Air superiority' fighter that can take over.
I always hate it when they do that.
Isn't this another piece of weaponry that helped us win the Cold War and the Gulf War that John Kerry opposed?
|
August 2004 |
| Tightening Job Market Ahead for Aviators |
| by Sandra I. Erwin |
|
U.S. Navy aviators will see far more scrutiny of their performance and considerably more intense competition for promotions as a result of unprecedented high levels of pilot retention, officials said. The soaring retention rates, combined with overall plans to downsize the Navy, offer a mix of good and bad news, said Vice Adm. Michael D. Malone, commander of Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Having more pilots compete for a declining number of jobs will allow the Navy to be more selective in filling leadership positions, a situation which Malone described as a “unique opportunity to reshape the force.” The Navy, however, can expect to see morale suffer in the ranks, if junior officers who fail to earn promotions are forced to leave the service to which they had intended to commit their lifetime careers. Malone, who retires in August, spoke last month at the Association of Naval Aviation annual symposium, in Vienna, Va. “We are keeping naval aviators in the Navy at rates that we have never experienced before in our lives,” he said. Between 2000 and 2001, about 500 officers resigned annually. From 2002 to 2004, the number of departures dropped to between 250 and 200. Several factors have contributed to the high retention, according to Malone. Among them was the economic recession following the 9/11 attacks, which led to cutbacks in hiring by civilian airlines. A less obvious reason why pilots have chosen to stay has to do with the Navy’s new approach to leader development, Malone explained. A growing emphasis on empowering captains and commanders, making them more accountable for their decisions, has helped keep competent officers in the service longer. But while people are staying in extraordinary numbers, the Navy’s aviation units are shrinking, particularly those that fly the P-3 patrol and the Hornet strike aircraft. P-3 squadrons are downsizing as more of the aging aircraft get taken out of service. Hornet squadrons will operate 10 aircraft, down from 12, and will need only 15 pilots, instead of 17. The decline in the number of pilots and aircraft strictly is attributed to the high efficiency of modern weapons, Malone explained. “Warfare is a different calculus. It takes fewer airplanes to hit more targets.” For the first time in many years, naval aviation leaders recently conducted a “department-head screening board,” an extensive review process to select candidates for squadron command jobs. These reviews have been rare events, because typically there are more jobs available than candidates. Now, the situation is reversed. “That means some junior officers will not get the opportunity to be a department head,” said Malone. “In some communities [the P-3 and Hornet], it will be a substantial number.” |
Too expensive. Our military is laying off our pilots because the new aircraft cost too much.
5 Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires
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