I was lucky enough to spend a large portion of my adult (if you can call it that) life in the rear cockpit of the F-14 Tomcat. As the DT audience knows, the Tomcat was retired once and for all last fall. Eleven former F-14 squadrons are now Super Hornet squadrons (8 F/A-18F squadrons and 3 F/A-18E squadrons).
Of all the “homemade” Tomcat retrospectives I’ve seen, I consider this one the best. It really captures the essence of life in a carrier-based fighter squadron: Great shipmates, hot wives, strong families, and one hell of a kick-ass airplane.
Tomcats forever …
– Ward
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
…it’s just not the same w/out a ‘cat on deck…
Beautiful. Just beautiful. The Super Hornet will never EVER live up to the brilliance that was the ‘Cat. Ever.
On the other hand, I doubt very much that the airframe maintainers miss having to deal with the headaches of those variable-geometry wings. I’ll feel different if we have to worry about sending convoys across the Atlantic under threat from Tu-26s, of course.
TrustButVerify:
The maintainers worked long hours keeping the Tomcat fully mission capable, but the variable geometry wings themselves were seldom the issue. Flaps and slats, CSDCs, IMUs, hydraulic leaks, on and on. My hats off to anyone who ever sweated over or under or in the “Big Fighter.” You guys will always be my heroes.
Thanks, Ward, for acknowledging the efforts of your enlisted shipmates. I was an ET not an AT, but I know how hard those guys worked. And I can still hear them grinding their teeth when “Top Gun” came out. Thank god none of you guys were Tom Cruise–Naval Aviation would have been dead in 1907.
Ward, that was a very good point. I don’t even want to BEGIN to imagine the horrors the maintainers faced when dealing with those massive wings, and all of their intricacies. I guess that just goes to show that for every significant good, there is almost always an equally significant bad (which is not to say that the good of the Tomcat massively outweighed any stress that its variable-geometry wings provided, because they did.)
Forgive my horrible grammar and syntax, but I’ve just spent the last roughly fifteen hours straight working on an essay for my Civil War History class. Fun times!
Good on ya, Aron. Nothing like a DT break when you reach academic overload.
DT ROCKS BRO….better than ever. keep it up. AND LIGHT THE BURNER!
As a Tomcat Fire Control technician for 7 years pulling down 4 Westpacs and all kinds of other sea time I can say that working on the Tomcat was, is and will be for the rest of my life the best job I ever had. I worked with some of the best people I’ve ever known on one of the best aircraft to have ever flown in defense of the United States of America.
Sure there were hard times and working 16 hour days at times even when we weren’t deployed but in the end you knew your squadron was flying one of the biggest sticks it the ACM arena.
Thanks for posting this Video it’s a winner in my book. Just remember “If it doesn’t say Grumman it ain’t a Fighter!”
Good stuff, Tracy. Thanks, shipmate.
Ward,
Thanks for the info- it’s always been my understanding that variable-geometry jets are tougher to maintain than their fixed-wing equivalents. If I find the time I’ll post some references on that.
damn shame that we seem to be losing some of the bestmilitary gear for new wiz bang crap that can’t live up to the old equipments level. Same in the Army as in the Navy. And a F-18 just doesn’t look as cool as a Tomcat!
picture this . rhe first deployment of a5c’s, f4b’s, a6a’s and the USS ENTERPRISE. YES THE 2 FASTEST A/C IN THE WORLD.
yes, it’s a great video.
to: Ward
I just watched the you tube vidio “Tomcats Forever. (Had to watch it three times) and am still very choked up.
Just my humble opinion, I think it is truly a discrace to allow these national treasures to be treated in such a manner. Sure, many still say that they are but machines,,,And the washington monument is just a big pole.
It just goes to show that those Yo Yos in D.C. have no clue of things such as HONOR and RESPECT!
Each of those birds served this country valiently, If by no other virtue than existing. They deserve a better fate than to be hacked into scrap. It was a very sad day for this country indeed when the decision was passed to retire the Tomcats. A day that I have no doubt we will live to regret.
I recall several years back when the decision was made to take all of the Navy’s Battle Ships out of active service, that didn’t last long either!
God Bless All of our Service Men and Women around the world.
To all those who flew them, and those who kept them flying I extend my heart felt sorrow for the loss and my deepest gratitude for the outstanding jobs you did.
“River Rat”
great video! brought back a flood of now old memories, most of them good: ready room, locker room, flight deck,launch, fly, recover, then eat a gutburger… we did’t know how good it was back then,just sort of took it for granted and didn’t realize that it was so above everyone else’s reality! bob chenery
Absolutely outstanding, really brought back a lot of memories,,,,,I'm fighting back tears right now. I served on the Enterprise 1973-77, everybody was proud of that plane and the squadrons that flew it.