Goodbye F-14 Tomcat

[Akilae]

Hey Guyz,

As an admirer of the F-14A/B/D Tomcat, I found it appropiate to say goodbye to our

most respected Fighter... By posting some pictures of the F-14 to keep the memories

burned in our memory...

So as one of the first, I'll be posting some of my fav images of the F-14:

Any chance of 1280x1024 versions of those?

[rnurmin]

Doh, I meant to say "Speed of Sound"

You are right, Apollo Leader

Don't you mean speed of sound? Otherwise I knew the F-14 was fast, but I didn't know it was that fast!

I ordered some stuff through the Tomcat Sunset site today... the Paypal payment went through, but I have yet to get a comfirmation and there is nothing in my account when I log in indicating that I have an order on hand, so be careful when using the site.

[ghostryder]

call the ball!

Roger. Maverick has the ball .

[Godzilla]

Roger. Maverick has the ball .

Remember, the F-14 Tomcat was the basis of the VF-1. The Tomcat will live on. For now, I'd bid farewell to my most favorite plane and jet fighter of all time.

[rnurmin]

I wonder if BBI has plans for a 1/18 Tomcat in their product pipeline.

Considering they have 1/18 Hornet and Falcon, it just makes sense to release the Tomcat. With the retirement of the F-14, it's a free marketing campaign for them

[Nightbat]

Remember, the F-14 Tomcat was the basis of the VF-1.

*BuzzzZZZZzzzzz!!!!*

"Sorry, that answer has just taken away your chances to go to the final round

the correct answer is...........:"

the F-111

(not saying there are no similarities to the F-14,.. but the basis was the F-111)

[KingNor]

valk looks more like an f-14 than a f-111, no mater what it was based on.

[Apollo Leader]

The F-14 of course was the end result of the failed F-111B program, but this is the very first time that I have heard that it was the F-111 and NOT the F-14 which influenced Kawamori in designing the VF-1.

[David Hingtgen]

Look at the nose.

Anyways, I think the story goes:

It was originally based off the F-111, but by the time he got done with the overall design it looked more like an F-14, so he incorporated all the little F-14 details, like the beavertail and glove strakes.

Anyways---while I don't have any pics of it flying (I was taping it) here is one of my own pics of the only F-14 I got to see fly (drove 6 hours across 2 states, and got there while it was starting its engines!)

F-14D, VF-101 AD167, Bu No. 163417, back-up demo plane for the Grim Reapers. Converted from NF-14D, VX-23 SD231, did a lot of weapons testing for the Bombcat program in the 90's. After I saw it they transferred it from demo duty to front-line, and served with VF-31 in Afghanistan as AJ112.

If you want a really cool pic not taken by me of it flying:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0347196/L

[KingNor]

i guess i'm lucky, as a navy brat i've lived on navy bases and got to see dozens of f-14s fly in their prime!

[David Hingtgen]

Those of us in land-locked states had few opportunities to see Navy planes... F-14 never did many airshows (1/4 that of the F-18 it seemed).

[Maxtype]

Those of us in land-locked states had few opportunities to see Navy planes... F-14 never did many airshows (1/4 that of the F-18 it seemed).

Yeah.There was a big airshow at Peterson AFB (Colorado Springs)in Autumn 1991 in honor of Desert Storm.All kinds of hardware but the Tomcat was parked while an F-15 did put on a lackluster demo.However,being right on the fenceline when the Blue Angels started up and took off past my brother and I...20 feet away from the Diamond,Baby!

[Skull Leader]

Well, I attended the ceremony starting on thursday and leaving on Sunday. All the parties were awesome, the symposiums were even better, the final flight was.... awesomeless.

Long story short: The ceremonial Tomcat everyone saw taxi down to the end of the runway was NOT the Tomcat that flew. VF-31 was bound and determined to have "Felix" on the tail of the final flight jet, despite what the admiralty told them. VF-31 had a jet already spooled up waiting down in the arming area by the runway... when the ceremonial jet taxiied down there (out of sight), they shut down and the VF-31 jet continued on to the runway. Despite rumors, there was no problem with "Bandwagon 102", it was merely the squadron's way of sticking it the way fighter pilots are wont to do. Then we get ONE lousy flyby at low speed as the Tomcat flies of to NAS Norfolk...

I was VERY glad to be there and to shoot photos of the whole event, but they could've made it so much better...

[Mercurial Morpheus]

Being as my grandfather worked on B-17s during WWII, I've always been more partial to prop planes in terms of design like the afore mentioned P-47 and P-51. The B-17 will always be my favorite overall. As a kid, I didn't really find jets all that cool, looks wise or other. I thought most of them looked the same. I still get a smirk out of this one pic I have of a B-24 with a sign in its nose turret that said "Jet's are for kids".

Still, it's said to hear a plane with such an illustrious career. I'll admit that it's far better looking than some of the new fighters. Maybe it's the Macross influence.

I do have an F-14 model in the wings waiting to be built. I was even thinking of customizing it to Macross at least decals wise.

[Dobber]

Yeah.There was a big airshow at Peterson AFB (Colorado Springs)in Autumn 1991 in honor of Desert Storm.All kinds of hardware but the Tomcat was parked while an F-15 did put on a lackluster demo.However,being right on the fenceline when the Blue Angels started up and took off past my brother and I...20 feet away from the Diamond,Baby!

I've been fortunate to see the Tomcat fly on many occasions. The best of them was at NAS Cecil in Jacksonville FL.in '94. That F-14 did things that I didn't know a Tomcat could do! Growing up military I got to see Airshows at both AFB's and NAS's. I gotta say that the Navy ALWAYS put on a better show. If you watch the flight demos of the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds there is no contest....the Blues win hands down, I've even had Air Force Buddies grudgenly agree with that Don't get me wrong the Thunderbirds are still impressive to watch, but the Blues are so much better.

There's a saying about the difference between AF pilots and Naval aviators...... The Air Force has a book of do's (meaning, You can do this, this, and this) The Navy has a book of don'ts (just don't do this or this) I tend to agree with that statement, and it definately shows in the flight demo's that you see at airshow's or at different services Air Bases.

Chris

Edited September 27, 2006 by Dobber

[Godzilla]

*BuzzzZZZZzzzzz!!!!*

"Sorry, that answer has just taken away your chances to go to the final round

the correct answer is...........:"

the F-111

(not saying there are no similarities to the F-14,.. but the basis was the F-111)

Excuse me I meant the "for" not "of". Just leave me alone. I am having a bad week. GF dumped me...

[Maxtype]

Being as my grandfather worked on B-17s during WWII, I've always been more partial to prop planes in terms of design like the afore mentioned P-47 and P-51. The B-17 will always be my favorite overall. As a kid, I didn't really find jets all that cool, looks wise or other. I thought most of them looked the same. I still get a smirk out of this one pic I have of a B-24 with a sign in its nose turret that said "Jet's are for kids".

Still, it's said to hear a plane with such an illustrious career. I'll admit that it's far better looking than some of the new fighters. Maybe it's the Macross influence.

I do have an F-14 model in the wings waiting to be built. I was even thinking of customizing it to Macross at least decals wise.

When I was a kid,I used to feel sad I was born too late to be a Marine Corps Corsair ace,so I know what you mean about classic warbirds.

I'm building a Hasegawa 1/72 F-14D with Macross markings.I'm inspired by the Tomcats in Mac 0 Ep.1,But I'm doing a different squadron.There are enough extra markings in the Valkrie kits(especially if you have 25+ )to make a UN SPACY Tomcat.I want to take advantage of the kit's design to show it on a catapult and I'm looking at ways to make just enough of the cat track to display the kit.

[David Hingtgen]

Need a pic of the catapult track itself?

[Maxtype]

Need a pic of the catapult track itself?

Sure,that would be great,thanks!Never too much reference material .I was thinking of laying down a brass channel with styrene strip detail and styrene sheet decking around that.

[David Hingtgen]

The only up-close pic I've ever seen of the track itself. (Every other pic is always the shuttle)

[Maxtype]

The only up-close pic I've ever seen of the track itself. (Every other pic is always the shuttle)

Thanks,David!That picture will be a great help with the track.It's easy to find JBD's and,like you said,the shuttle,but thats the best picture I've ever seen of the track.

[doodler7]

Having discovered Robotech in the Philippines as a kid, I was hooked. Then after moving to America in the mid 80s I discovered Macross and a lot about military jet fighters; I fell in loved with the F-14 ... to me, that plane was the VF valkyrie.

Then I was really excited after seeing Macross Zero, and that the mecha designer of the original valkyries looked at the F-14 as a model reference.

After reading this post, I like to share some stuff specifically on the JSF.

For you Macross Plus fans, check out the DVD or VHS (if it's available) of the JSF program, the Boeing's X-32 versus Lockheed Martin's X-35. The show is the real life Macross Plus without the battloid mode and love story. Two companies fighting for the military contract; each with their badass jet fighter that can hover like a harrier and still break Mach 2.

Of course you all know that the X-35, now F-35, won the bid...but I was really excited after seeing that program. The History Channel, PBS, or Amazon may have the video/dvd.

Sample clip of F-35 which some of you peeps have seen already:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrEYmBNpzVI...ted&search=

I was like, "wow, all this awesome sci-fi sh*t is taking place now while I'm alive, during our time!"

Edited September 30, 2006 by doodler7

[KingNor]

when we were stationed in the Phillipines we could walk out to the street and watch the tomcats take off from the strip there.

Every once in a while we'd get to see them drop flairs and chase each other around.

I was probably 6 or 7 at the time.. definately hooked.

[David Hingtgen]

It's fairly well known that Macross Plus was based off of the YF-22 vs YF-23 competition. Especially with the YF-21 being based off the YF-23.

A lot of the controversy over the YF-23's loss lead to changes, which is why we had X-planes, and not the YF-24 and YF-25 for the JSF competitors--because they weren't officially competing. They were merely "experimental test planes for the same idea".

[KingNor]

Here's a cool f-14 tribute video i found on youtube

at 1:15ish in there is some amazing footage of a chase plane following a early tomcat over a beach, i've never seen that footage before.

Edited September 30, 2006 by KingNor

[Skull Leader]

This is the 2004 Fighter Fling Video. They did one of these every year from about 1988 until 2004 (after which there were not enough Tomcat squadrons left to really do a full video). 2003 and 2004 are about the only videos truly worth watching out of the entire set (I picked up the DVDs a while back... damn near impossible to find these days except on Ebay, and be prepared to PAY)

Cruise videos for each squadron are cool to watch too (I've got DVDs of both VF-103's and VF-32's last Tomcat cruises).

[Shawn]

Picked this up at my Barnes and Noble this weekend

http://www.amazon.com/Grumman-F-14-Tomcat-...TF8&s=books

Really good book-pictures are just amazing. Text is mainly snippets of commentary from those who have flown her-some are just insane. You can pick it up and read from anywhere. Highly recommended! smile.gif

http://f14tomcatbook.com/ByeByeBaby.html

Shawn

[Gaijin]

Picked this up at my Barnes and Noble this weekend

http://www.amazon.com/Grumman-F-14-Tomcat-...TF8&s=books

Really good book-pictures are just amazing. Text is mainly snippets of commentary from those who have flown her-some are just insane. You can pick it up and read from anywhere. Highly recommended! smile.gif

http://f14tomcatbook.com/ByeByeBaby.html

Shawn

I ordered that from Amazon...it came yesterday! Agree it's a great book.

[Skull Leader]

I pre-ordered that book a long while back. They released a special edition limited print (one print for each tomcat ever made), so I got the one that had the BuNo of the Tomcat I take care of (161598)... painfully expensive, but it IS a good book.

[Max Jenius]

Man, I remember the F-14 being one of the coolest planes growing up. Makes me feel very nostalgic.

[David Hingtgen]

Finally found "Bye Bye Baby", had to drive to the B&N 30 miles away. Bought it more for the anecdotes than the pics.

[DARKWIND]

I tell you, there was nothing like being underway getting up at dawn and watching those beauties launch off the bowcats from vulture's row.

Watching the traps at night from above and below at the jet shop and fantail, Sweeet!!!!!!

The air shows the pilots put on at sea are even more breathtaking, NO RESTRICTIONS, NO SPEED LIMITS!!! " BOOM!!!"

Edited October 26, 2006 by DARKWIND

[Skull Leader]

I tell you, there was nothing like being underway getting up at dawn and watching those beauties launch off the bowcats from vulture's row.

Watching the traps at night from above and below at the jet shop and fantail, Sweeet!!!!!!

The air shows the pilots put on at sea are even more breathtaking, NO RESTRICTIONS, NO SPEED LIMITS!!! " BOOM!!!"

... and no one to tell them that they couldn't "fertilize" the deck when they vent fuel in the overhead break, lol. A good friend of mine that served in "crash" on the USS Independence and later the Kitty Hawk said many a deck crew would look to the sky and tell the overhead Tomcats that "they were number one" as the Tomcats would break into the landing pattern while dumping fuel over the carrier deck...

In all fairness, evidently the Hornet community did it some too, but the Tomcats did it much more often... or so I am told.

[DARKWIND]

True, but those are the things that make being an at-sea firefighter all worth it.

DC, ABH, HT its what we do, hope for the worst and laugh at the rest. . .

But seriously I've gotten "fertilized" at Atsugi before.

Prior to a Bad weather/ low hyraulics trap. . .

But yeah I was on board the Indy stationed in Japan from 93 to 95, on many occaision it seemd to be the best tour of my life. . .

There is nothing like being aboard a real warship and seeing it flex muscle. . .

[Excillon]

Eh, I always thought the F-18 Hornet was cooler anyway...