Sanchez makes naval history(F-14 Tomcats being phased out)

The Bee-Picayune ^ | July 2, 2004

[Long Cut]

I know, I've seen the old photos of the SUNDOWNER's paint scheme, and most of the others of the era.

I'm not convinced that the modest decrease in observability was worth the sacrifice in unit morale that the descision caused.

We're going back to a "glossy" paint scheme on the ORION, along with full-color tailfeathers on the skipper's birds. It looks great and gives everyone a point of pride.

Colorful birds didn't seem to hurt Richthofen, or Chennault's boys. And nose art sure didn't hurt the 8th Air Force. Such displays are a sign of morale and pride in ownership, as well as enthusiasm.

I always thought that bans on such things were driven by blackshoes with an envy complex.

[Veloxherc]

I do not know about F-15, but sometime you need the AC to cool all the electronics or they will overheat. You are right about one thing fighter pilots (pilots in general) can be wimps about certain stuff sometimes. All joking aside we are all in this together.

[Long Cut]

My personal favorite was VF-84's "skull and bones" logo.

[Pukin Dog]

My personal favorite was VF-84's "skull and bones" logo.

Jolly Rogers?

Those guys are pussies.

[Long Cut]

You're biased!

[Pukin Dog]

We never believed those Eagle guys. We figured they found out they were going to be taking on the Pukin Dogs and flipped some switches so they could bow out.

[Pukin Dog]

No, those guys are flying Super Hornets now, wishing they still had their Cats. They wont say so publicly, but corner one in the O-club, and they will give you an earful.

[Pukin Dog]

I'm not convinced that the modest decrease in observability was worth the sacrifice in unit morale that the descision caused.

I agree, it was stupid.

Whats the point of having a kick-ass CAG bird if it looks like a bucket of spit?

[Fred Hayek]

I thought all the tooling was scrapped. Wasn't Cheney behind that decision?

[Long Cut]

If that's the case, I pity them. However, they'll probably claim that it's all that and a bag of chips. They have to now.

[Squantos]

I thought they were all gonna be carrier capable regardless of service assigned ?

Stay safe !

[Pukin Dog]

Cheney had a bad day. The Tomcat is super expensive and the Hornet was killing us on readiness ratios. We could not compete with their modular packages, when duct tape was our best tool.

[Long Cut]

NEGATIVE, Ghostrider!

It wouldn't cost the taxpayer nearly as much if they did that.

[Mr Rogers]

Can't speak to the original F-111s...but in their old age they had a M1.2 speed limit on the TFR because the TFR didn't see far enough ahead to do calculations for higher speed.

That said, in VFR, I hit M1.6 on the deck in an F-model...it was still accelerating nicely, but we were out of supersonic airspace.

I'm hard pressed to believe either the B-1 or F-14 would be easily accelerating at M1.6 & 500 feet.

[Pukin Dog]

I told a Super Hornet driver last week that TopGun was going to start teaching tactical-tanking. He almost believed me until I started talking about how they were going to have to do a successful tank inverted. I've got a great dead-pan.

[Pukin Dog]

Sea level B-1B = 920 knots.
Sea level Tomcat = 900 knots.

[Long Cut]

Gawd. That thing sounds like a real fiasco. Wonder how long it'll take the press to find out. Scandal, here we come.

[ASOC]

Being honest don't get you promoted by LBJ, thats for sure....

[Squantos]

http://www.jsf.mil/IEFrames.htm

OK I'm learning...... we're talking JSF 35 right ??

Stay safe LC !

[Mr Rogers]

Don't have the formula on hand, but roughly speaking...M1.6 x 600 kts = 960...and we were still accelerating with ease. But the ground was probably around 4000', not sea level...

Pity we can't go out over the ocean with an F-14 & F-111F and find out what they would really do! Any other model of the F-111 would lose, but the F-model had some real get up and go. And soon, the Tomcat will join the F-111F as history (Aussies still fly the 111, but not the F).

I'm getting old, Pukin Dog. I can remember seeing 150 F-4s on the ramp at George AFB alone. That's more firepower than any european country save Britian can muster - and it was just one base.