[Proyecto Anonimo]

Indy centurion here, VF-21 was before my time though. The COD could stuff 6000 pounds inside before it cubed out. Technically we could haul 10K pounds of trash. We could trap with 30 people including 2 pilots, 2 crew.

The cool think about the COD was the ability to fly 1000 miles in 3.8 hours with 6000 pounds of pony and ice cream, and then get clear of the LA like any other airplane in CAG 5.

AND... since our two airplanes were too big to spend the night on the boat, we could tell all the chicas on the beach that we flew F-14s -— and there were no Tomcat guys around to tell them we were lying.

[USNBandit]

In fall of 97, I was in VF-154 and the morning of the flyoff my chief pulls me aside and advised me to walk really early to my jet. The sea state had been too high over night to run the elevators and a bunch of our jets were still downstairs. My RIO and I hung back while everybody headed down to breakfast, and then we bolted for the PR shop. As we cruised through Maint. Control all the chiefs, including mine were all smiles. It turned out my chief had changed the lineup, as well.

When we got up to the deck, it was a complete mess, high winds, high waves and a COD trying to bring parts aboard. After a couple wave offs for pitching deck and a sketchy hookskip bolter they sent him home. At that point the Boss tossed the launch plan in the circular file and told anybody that was ready to call up. We were closest to the cat and got to go 2nd behind an S-3 off the waist. As we taxied up to cat 4, I saw the skipper's head pop up from the cat walk. He seemed stunned to see us getting ready to launch and my RIO gave him the ultimate Forrest Gump wave.

That was winning. -Benny