F-14 Tomcat retires from USN service today - 22 Sep 2006
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F-14 Tomcat retires from USN service today - 22 Sep 2006
Last flight of the F-14 marked today in ceremony in my home state. What a remarkable aircraft the Tomcat has been for the Navy. 
More on the ceremony and history here
Data and more history on the F-14 here
By Sonja Barisic
ASSOCIATED PRESS
4:30 p.m. September 22, 2006
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The F-14 Tomcat, the dogfighting Cold War fighter jet immortalized in the movie “Top Gun,” made its ceremonial final flight Friday in a display that suggested the timing was right for retirement.
PHOTO
Associated Press
Pilot Lt. Cmdr. Dave Faehnle and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Cmdr. Robert Gentry taxi their F-14 along the tarmac, past their ground crew, as they taxi toward a final takeoff from Oceana Naval Air Station, Friday, Sept. 22, 2006, in Virginia Beach, Va., at the end of the F-14 Tomcat Final Flight Ceremony.
Pilot Lt. Cmdr. David Faehnle and radar intercept officer Lt. Cmdr. Robert Gentry gave a final salute from inside their cockpit before aircraft no. 102 taxied down the runway and out of sight at Oceana Naval Air Station.
The plane that actually took off as thousands applauded and whistled, however, was aircraft no. 107, with Lt. Cmdr. Chris Richard at the controls and intercept officer Lt. Mike Petronis in the back seat.
The first jet had mechanical problems – “a common occurrence with the F-14,” said Mike Maus, a Navy spokesman. The second jet had been on standby just in case.
Before the flight, Adm. John Nathman, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command and a former F-14 pilot, said the retiring jet with the moveable, swept-back wings was “sometimes tough to fly” and tough to fix – but it was resilient.
“The legacy of this aircraft is not the 'Top Gun' movie,” Nathman said. “The legacy is found in America's commitment to win the Cold War.”
Built by what was then Grumman Aircraft Corp., the F-14 joined the Navy fleet in 1972 and originally was intended to defend U.S. aircraft carriers from Soviet bombers carrying long-range cruise missiles.
Its dogfighting capabilities were glamorized in the 1986 film “Top Gun,” starring Tom Cruise, but the need for such aerial feats dropped steeply when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
The Navy retooled the F-14 as a ground-attack jet, and it dropped bombs over Bosnia and Kosovo in the late 1990s, and helped support ground troops in Iraq as recently as this year.
The jet's replacement is the F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter. The Navy's last 22 F-14 aircraft deployed came home to Oceana in March, but one squadron continued to flying the jets until this month.
Gentry likened retiring the Tomcat to “losing a member of the family.”
“It's a bittersweet moment to look and realize that pretty soon you won't be flying that aircraft,” he said. “There are few aircraft that elicit such a strong bond between the air crew and the maintainers and the people who build them.”
About 3,000 guests – mainly former aviators, mechanics, suppliers and builders – were on hand for the jet's official retirement. The last flying F-14s will go to museums such as the Virginia Aviation Museum in Richmond, which received one last week.
Mike Boehme, the museum's executive director, expects the F-14 to be a big draw. “There's a certain mystique about it,” he said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
4:30 p.m. September 22, 2006
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The F-14 Tomcat, the dogfighting Cold War fighter jet immortalized in the movie “Top Gun,” made its ceremonial final flight Friday in a display that suggested the timing was right for retirement.
PHOTO
Associated Press
Pilot Lt. Cmdr. Dave Faehnle and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Cmdr. Robert Gentry taxi their F-14 along the tarmac, past their ground crew, as they taxi toward a final takeoff from Oceana Naval Air Station, Friday, Sept. 22, 2006, in Virginia Beach, Va., at the end of the F-14 Tomcat Final Flight Ceremony.
Pilot Lt. Cmdr. David Faehnle and radar intercept officer Lt. Cmdr. Robert Gentry gave a final salute from inside their cockpit before aircraft no. 102 taxied down the runway and out of sight at Oceana Naval Air Station.
The plane that actually took off as thousands applauded and whistled, however, was aircraft no. 107, with Lt. Cmdr. Chris Richard at the controls and intercept officer Lt. Mike Petronis in the back seat.
The first jet had mechanical problems – “a common occurrence with the F-14,” said Mike Maus, a Navy spokesman. The second jet had been on standby just in case.
Before the flight, Adm. John Nathman, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command and a former F-14 pilot, said the retiring jet with the moveable, swept-back wings was “sometimes tough to fly” and tough to fix – but it was resilient.
“The legacy of this aircraft is not the 'Top Gun' movie,” Nathman said. “The legacy is found in America's commitment to win the Cold War.”
Built by what was then Grumman Aircraft Corp., the F-14 joined the Navy fleet in 1972 and originally was intended to defend U.S. aircraft carriers from Soviet bombers carrying long-range cruise missiles.
Its dogfighting capabilities were glamorized in the 1986 film “Top Gun,” starring Tom Cruise, but the need for such aerial feats dropped steeply when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
The Navy retooled the F-14 as a ground-attack jet, and it dropped bombs over Bosnia and Kosovo in the late 1990s, and helped support ground troops in Iraq as recently as this year.
The jet's replacement is the F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter. The Navy's last 22 F-14 aircraft deployed came home to Oceana in March, but one squadron continued to flying the jets until this month.
Gentry likened retiring the Tomcat to “losing a member of the family.”
“It's a bittersweet moment to look and realize that pretty soon you won't be flying that aircraft,” he said. “There are few aircraft that elicit such a strong bond between the air crew and the maintainers and the people who build them.”
About 3,000 guests – mainly former aviators, mechanics, suppliers and builders – were on hand for the jet's official retirement. The last flying F-14s will go to museums such as the Virginia Aviation Museum in Richmond, which received one last week.
Mike Boehme, the museum's executive director, expects the F-14 to be a big draw. “There's a certain mystique about it,” he said.
Data and more history on the F-14 here
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I still say that if it wasn't for Top Gun that the Tomcat would not be viewed in the same way by the general populous.
It's a nice jet but has a serious amount of hang ups.
I do like it though.
It's a nice jet but has a serious amount of hang ups.
I do like it though.
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She started my love affair with all things aviation.... and to me, still remains the sexiest bird ever made.
Goodbye 'cat.
DelaneyT - The Phoenix was retired a few years ago, since then the cats were only carrying Sidewinders for A2A as they were never wired for AMRAAMs and I don't think there are in Sparrows around in the USN. So they were strictly A2G aircraft.
No phoenix has ever been fired in combat, and no one outside the USAF ever operated them. It was originally designed for the (later cancelled) F-111B, but moved to the 'cat which replaced it.
As for how 'good' it was, well, we'll never really know but then again it was designed to bring down Soviet Bears and (correct me if i'm wrong) Badgers with bad intentions.
Goodbye 'cat.
DelaneyT - The Phoenix was retired a few years ago, since then the cats were only carrying Sidewinders for A2A as they were never wired for AMRAAMs and I don't think there are in Sparrows around in the USN. So they were strictly A2G aircraft.
No phoenix has ever been fired in combat, and no one outside the USAF ever operated them. It was originally designed for the (later cancelled) F-111B, but moved to the 'cat which replaced it.
As for how 'good' it was, well, we'll never really know but then again it was designed to bring down Soviet Bears and (correct me if i'm wrong) Badgers with bad intentions.
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Originally Posted by BombayDuck
No phoenix has ever been fired in combat, and no one outside the USAF ever operated them. It was originally designed for the (later cancelled) F-111B, but moved to the 'cat which replaced it.
I believe the Iranians received a small batch of AIM-54s before the fall of the Shah and then reverse engineered and manufactured their own after the revolution. I also believe some were used against Iraq in the 80s, although with what success rate I don't know.
Ironically, and perhaps a reflection on the reason for the F-14's retirement, the aircraft tagged to make the final official flight last Friday went u/s and an alternate had to make the flight instead!
Bye Bye Baby!
Magoo
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
on January 5, 1999 two F-14Ds from VF-213 fired two AIM-54 at Iraqi MiG-25s that had ventured into the Southern No-Fly Zone. The Iraqi jets turned north and were making run home by the time the the missiles were fired. There are varying claims as to the result including a kill or one of the MIGs running out of fuel evading it in a supersonic dash, which could be claimed as a crew kill, if not perhaps for the missile.
On September 9, 1999, two Iraqi MiG-23s flew south into the southern No-Fly Zone from Al Taqaddum air base. An F-14 from VF-2 engaged with an AIM-54, but the missile went into the ground, which may be your report.
There any several books and articles reference the Iran-Iraq war where the Iranian pilots claim kills. See Iranian Service here.
On September 9, 1999, two Iraqi MiG-23s flew south into the southern No-Fly Zone from Al Taqaddum air base. An F-14 from VF-2 engaged with an AIM-54, but the missile went into the ground, which may be your report.
There any several books and articles reference the Iran-Iraq war where the Iranian pilots claim kills. See Iranian Service here.
Last edited by ORAC; 25th Sep 2006 at 11:14.
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A few inacuracies about the Tomcat and her weapon load:
Phoenix was fired in anger during GW 1, but failed due to maintenance errors.
The USAF never owned / fired any Phoenix.
After the Phoenix was retired (due to maintenance costs) the AIM 9M and AIM 7M were both part of the Air to Air weapon load, plenty of Sparrow's around in the USN. Despite 'Bombay Ducks' expert knowledge, Tomcats of all variety carried the brunt of fleet air defence until the end with a 022+ loadout.
The F-14D was wired for and compatible with the AIM 120 AMRAAM, but the USN neglected to fund carriage and release trials so it was never part of the Tomcat loadout.
At least that was the case during my exchange tour a couple of years ago. Maybe Magoodotcom and Bombay Duck have more relevant experience!
Phoenix was fired in anger during GW 1, but failed due to maintenance errors.
The USAF never owned / fired any Phoenix.
After the Phoenix was retired (due to maintenance costs) the AIM 9M and AIM 7M were both part of the Air to Air weapon load, plenty of Sparrow's around in the USN. Despite 'Bombay Ducks' expert knowledge, Tomcats of all variety carried the brunt of fleet air defence until the end with a 022+ loadout.
The F-14D was wired for and compatible with the AIM 120 AMRAAM, but the USN neglected to fund carriage and release trials so it was never part of the Tomcat loadout.
At least that was the case during my exchange tour a couple of years ago. Maybe Magoodotcom and Bombay Duck have more relevant experience!
So, I was wrong. What's new? 
(thanks for the corrections though... now i need to find out where I purportedly got my original 'information' from and go whack the guy with a big stick).
Still, sad to see them go.
Well, that upgrades the Flanker to #1 on my sexy-and-still-in-service list....
(thanks for the corrections though... now i need to find out where I purportedly got my original 'information' from and go whack the guy with a big stick).
Still, sad to see them go.
Well, that upgrades the Flanker to #1 on my sexy-and-still-in-service list....
