Jet set for Reagan library event (F-14 will be exhibited)

SIMI VALLEY- An F-14 Tomcat fighter jet will be hoisted into a permanent display area next week close to the nearly completed Air Force One Pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

The 30,000-pound Northrop Grumman aircraft will be carried by a crane outside the pavilion in a ceremony celebrating Reagan's "peace through strength" strategy and marking a milestone in the making of the Air Force One Pavilion.

"This is the last of the really large artifacts coming to the library to complete the Air Force One Pavilion," said Melissa Giller, director of communications for the Reagan Library. "Although the F-14 will sit on the Peace Plaza and not inside the pavilion, it helps complete the story of President Reagan's initiative of peace through strength."

There will be standing room only for the Aug. 22 ceremony as the aircraft is craned over a 35-foot-high outdoor colonnade viewable from the Peace Plaza.

Following the aircraft's placement, Rear Admiral David Venlet will discuss the role of the F-14 in current warfare. Venlet received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in the shooting down of two Libyan Su-22 aircraft in 1981, marking the first combat kills for the F-14.

"This incident played a critical role early on in the Reagan administration as it sent a clear message to those governments who chose to provoke the United States," said R. Duke Blackwood, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Library and Foundation. "The Tomcat went on to serve an important role in President Reagan's rebuilding of our defenses and will forever remind us of the importance of a strong military."

The F-14 will be trucked from Point Mugu to the Reagan Library overnight to avoid problems with traffic, starting Saturday, and arriving around 3 a.m. the next day, Giller said. Library officials will have to take out some light posts to bring the plane to a point where it can be carried by crane to the Peace Plaza at the Aug. 22 ceremony.

It will be placed on the surface of the Peace Plaza and possibly mounted on a pedestal there in the future, officials said.

The $31 million, 87,000-square-foot, Air Force One Pavilion is scheduled to open this fall to showcase the Boeing 707 known as "The Spirit of 76" that was moved to the Reagan library in 2003.

The 707 flew 445 missions as Air Force One for Reagan from 1981 to 1989 and was also used by presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and both George H.W. and George W. Bush.

Inside the pavilion, Air Force One sits on a pedestal as if flying out over the open hills of Simi Valley.

A catwalk leads into Air Force One just behind the cockpit, and visitors will be able to look out the cockpit windows, then tour the plane to see it as Reagan did. The pavilion will include exhibits explaining Reagan's role in ending the Cold War.

Motorcycles and a police car from the Reagan era, donated by the Los Angeles Police Historical Society, will be set up inside, representing a presidential motorcade.

The pavilion also will house a Marine One helicopter and presidential limousine.

The pavilion is visible from Tierra Rejada Road between Simi Valley and Moorpark and is built in the same Spanish mission-style architecture as the rest of the Reagan library and museum. At the entrance to the Air Force One Pavilion will be a replica of the White House Rose garden, which should be in bloom for the opening.

The F-14 Tomcat jet will be lifted into place in a program beginning at 10 a.m. Aug. 22. The event is free to the public. Complimentary parking shuttles will run on Presidential Drive throughout the day. The Reagan Library and Museum at 40 Presidential Drive in Simi Valley is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors may visit the library and scenic grounds, including Ronald Reagan's grave for free, but admission for the museum is $7, or $5 for people over 62 and $2 for children 11 to 17. Children 10 and under are free. For further information, call (800) 410-8354 or go to www.reaganlibrary.com.

Grumman F-14 Tomcat in combat

Vietnam war 1974-1975

The Tomcat was in service just in time to see the closing stages of the Vietnam war in 1975. It flew top cover during operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of US personnel from Saigon in April of 1975, just before that city fell to the north. The North Vietnamese Air Force did not interfere with the operation, but one Tomcat was slightly damaged by anti-aircraft fire.

Libya, Gulf of Sidra August 1981

On August 19th, two Libyan Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter-J fighters were shot down by a pair of VF-41 Tomcats after one of the Fitters fired a missile at the American fighters. Both kills were with the AIM-9L Sidewinder.

Urgent Fury October 1983

The invasion of Grenada, TARPS (Reconnaissance Pod) equipped F-14's provided intelligence on troop movements for invading Marines and Army Rangers.

Hijacking Italian cruise ship Achille Laura: October 19th 1985

The Hijackers had found refuge in Egypt, where arrangements had been made to fly them to sanctuary Libya aboard an Egypt Air Boeing 737. Seven Tomcats from VF-74 and VF-104 from the USS Saratoga (CV-60) intercepted the airliner and forced it to land at Sigonella in Italy.

Gulf of Sidra March 24-26th 1986

Numerous strikes were carried out by navy carrier based aircraft against Libyan targets, with Tomcats flying top cover, keeping Libyan fighters at bay and dodging Sam's

Operation El Dorado Canyon: April 14th 1986

USAF General Dynamics F-111's attacking Tripoli (Libya) while navy strike aircraft went after Benghazi. The later raid was top-covered by F-14's.

Mediterranean January 4th 1989

Two F-14A's (159437 and 159610) from VF-32 flying of the John F. Kennedy (CV-67) shot down a pair of Libyan MiG-23 Floggers.

Persian Gulf 1988-1989

There were some Sidewinders fired between US navy Tomcats and Iranian F-4 Phantoms during the oil tanker escort operations in the Persian Gulf, these launches were all well out of parameters, and scored no kills.

Desert Storm 17 January - 28 February 1991

Tomcats flew mostly CAP operations in protection of the fleets carriers and in the escort of strike packages. The Tomcats are credited with only one kill. A Mil Mi-8 Hip helicopter was shot down with an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. One F-14 Tomcat was lost in action on January 21st when it was shot down by an Iraqi surface to air missile, the crew ejected safely..

Southern Watch: 1 March 1991- 1 May 2003

During the first days of 1999, 2 USAF F-15s and 4 US Navy F-14D (VF-213) were engaged by about 13 Iraqi MiG's and Mirage F.1s above the No Fly Zone in southern Iraq. In accordance with the UN resolutions, both the F-15s and F-14s fired missiles at long distance at the Iraqi. No Iraqi aircraft were hit, but one Iraqi fighter is said to have crashed on approach to its airbase because of a lack of fuel.
After this incident the UN continue to control the No Fly Zones, undisturbed by Saddam's forces ... eventually firing at Iraqi installations if provoked.

Deliberate Force: Aug.- Sept. 1994

The U.S. Navy aircraft carriers with CVW-8 onboard were on station in the Adriatic Sea. In support of the IFOR and SFOR troops in former Yugoslavia, F-14s from several squadrons flew multi-role missions: Air-to-ground strikes against hostile targets (Close Air Support), Forward Air Control and TARPS missions.

Allied Force: 24 March - 10 June 1999

To end Yugoslavian terror NATO bombed Serbia for weeks day and night. The US send among others the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt which also ment launching F-14s. The role of the F-14s was enemy fighter suppression, forward air control, aerial reconnaissance and also precision laser-guided air-to-ground attacks.

Enduring Freedom 7 October 2001 -

On Oct. 7, 2001 aircraft carriers (CVN-65 with VF-14 & CVN-70 with VF-213) launched long-range, heavy loaded F-14 and medium-range F/A-18 strike fighters day and night while the Air Force sent long-range bombers deep into Afghanistan. Targets were terrorist bases, weapons and vehicles, training camps and Taliban military units.

On Oct. 9, 2001 VF-14 led the first long-range tactical air strike, flying over 1,700 miles round trip to Mazar-e Sharif, where Taliban aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Numerous strikes with precision guided ammunition followed from VF-14, VF-41, VF-102, VF-211 and VF-213.

Iraqi Freedom 20 March 2003 -

F-14 Tomcats took part in the war as part of several Carrier Air Wings. The deputy commander of CVW-41 (USS Abraham Lincoln) stated, that even with the arrival of the F/A-18E, the F-14 remains "the platform of choice for precision targeting." Land-based Navy F-14 Tomcats supported special operations forces on the ground during multiple strike missions over western Iraq. Details are classified

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