Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The last public appearance of the F-14 Tomcat
Navy news ^

Posted on 10/01/2005 12:06:14 AM PDT by mcgiver38

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-134 next last
The end of an era for an airplane that I love. I started working on it at the age of 20. It taught me many things which I use to this day. It is fitting tha 213 takes them to the end, it was my first squadron. http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=28312
1 posted on 10/01/2005 12:06:14 AM PDT by mcgiver38
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: mcgiver38

Tried to post a picture, don't do it often enough.


2 posted on 10/01/2005 12:07:06 AM PDT by mcgiver38
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mcgiver38


3 posted on 10/01/2005 12:09:49 AM PDT by F14 Pilot (Democracy is a process not a product)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mcgiver38

4 posted on 10/01/2005 12:10:49 AM PDT by Khurkris (Ain't life funny?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mcgiver38

Bump this......to the Top.


5 posted on 10/01/2005 12:11:41 AM PDT by BIGLOOK (I once opposed keelhauling but recently have come to my senses.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Khurkris

I'm not ConUs and have a bit of trouble with .mil addresses.


6 posted on 10/01/2005 12:11:41 AM PDT by Khurkris (Ain't life funny?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: mcgiver38

7 posted on 10/01/2005 12:13:33 AM PDT by Doofer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Aeronaut

Sad day ping.


8 posted on 10/01/2005 12:13:34 AM PDT by BIGLOOK (I once opposed keelhauling but recently have come to my senses.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: F14 Pilot

[sigh] Say it ain't so. Beautiful planes.

Sure, all good things must end... but damn...


9 posted on 10/01/2005 12:14:04 AM PDT by Ramius (Buy blades for war fighters: freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net --> 800 knives and counting!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: BIGLOOK

it sucks. congress killed the plane. money went to mcdonnell douglas instead. pure stupid pork politics. i could scream.


10 posted on 10/01/2005 12:16:00 AM PDT by wildcatf4f3 (admittedly too unstable for public office)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Khurkris

11 posted on 10/01/2005 12:17:58 AM PDT by Watery Tart (Pukin Dog/Buckhead in '08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: mcgiver38
Probably, the best there ever was.
12 posted on 10/01/2005 12:19:19 AM PDT by oyez
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mcgiver38
Even so, every F-14 air crew member without hesitation said they are ready to transition to the more modern and nimble Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet,

Because its that or find another job.

The Tomcat has never lost an air to air combat sim to an F18.

It was too big for the deck space, and required two to fly it. F18 was smaller and required 1 pilot. But the fist thing the Navy did was increase the size of the F18 and go to a two seat version.

13 posted on 10/01/2005 12:21:47 AM PDT by konaice
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Doofer

what a painting ! no?....


14 posted on 10/01/2005 12:22:28 AM PDT by injin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Doofer

Heh. Great painting.

I had the unique honor of having my CG Cutter buzzed by a pair of F-14's moving supersonic somewhere off the coast of San Diego some years ago. It was magnificent.

I'll never forget it. They came at us at pretty much wavetop level. They were tight together and both had to tip up slightly about a half mile out just to clear our antennas in time.

I know they were supersonic. That part is impossible to miss.

The whole thing only lasted seconds. The lookout spotted them just in time shout down the voicetube "Aircraft appro..." BAM BAM. ...and they were gone. I remember feeling grateful that they were on our side.

:-)


15 posted on 10/01/2005 12:29:41 AM PDT by Ramius (Buy blades for war fighters: freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net --> 800 knives and counting!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: konaice; oyez; Khurkris; wildcatf4f3; Ramius; Spktyr; BIGLOOK; Doofer; F14 Pilot; mcgiver38; ...
The following article basically states that the F/A-18 is simply not able to come close to filling the shoes of the venerable Tomcat. The article goes into some depth on the reasons behind the Hornet and SuperHornet basically falling far short of the F-14 Tomcat. Far short.

It seems the only Tomcats flying will be those with Iranian colors. Oh, and I just loved the proposals for the QuickStrike, the SuperTomCat 21 and the AttackSuperTomCat 21, variants that were supposed to make the TomCat have a new lease of life (and make it even mroe lethal than it already ways). The AttackSuperTomcat21 -AST21- would have been basically bad-@$$. With twice the range of the F-14D, and note the F-14D has far greater range than any Hornet or SuperHornet that ever flew -and with capabilities that would have been second only to the F-22 in A2A, and unsurpassed by any fighter in the air2mud role. Obviously they cancelled since the TomCat had to die (had the SuperTomcat 21 come out several things would have happened ....for one there would have been no need for a SuperHornet, and secondly the JSF project would have gone the way of the A12 project. Thus it was a political stinky-poo and had to be cancelled).

Here is a drawing of the then-proposed ST21 SuperTomcat:

And here is an article questioning the prudence of replacing the TomCat with the SuperHornet. This is a rather interesting article:

http://www.flightjournal.com/articles/f14f18/f14f18_1.asp

16 posted on 10/01/2005 12:38:50 AM PDT by spetznaz (Nuclear-tipped Ballistic Missiles: The Ultimate Phallic Symbol)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: F14 Pilot

Thanks, the Aardvarks!!! of VF-114!! my roomates were in that squadron. In fact I have a 8X10 of that very picture. And look at that Phoenix, my job! I fixed the AWG-9 for 6 years and taught it for another 3. Great job.


17 posted on 10/01/2005 12:42:04 AM PDT by mcgiver38
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Ramius

There was nothing like that, I saw it many times, could never believe how you could just make it out and BAM BAM! it was gone, many times sucking water up to the plane. What a sexy plane! And the saddest thing is we dont have anything today that can compete with its standoff capability. Sad, just sad.


18 posted on 10/01/2005 12:45:55 AM PDT by mcgiver38
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: mcgiver38

BUMP!


19 posted on 10/01/2005 12:46:01 AM PDT by Publius6961 (Liberal level playing field: If the Islamics win we are their slaves..if we win they are our equals.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: spetznaz

http://iiaf.net/archive/aircraft/images/F14AtaxiKhatamiAFB_jpg.jpg

http://iiaf.net/archive/aircraft/images/f14sweptwing2_jpg.jpg

http://iiaf.net/archive/aircraft/images/iiaff14s_jpg.jpg


20 posted on 10/01/2005 12:49:38 AM PDT by F14 Pilot (Democracy is a process not a product)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-134 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson