I flew the Tomcat for over 10 years. It was the best plane in the Navy. I had the best plane crew that kept my bird in the air. So many times I remember thinking I had the best job in the world and I did. My time went by so fast but the memories of my service to this great country and the plane that carried me. I miss those days but know that the Soviet pilots that came up to challenge us knew they could never get close enough. Once we locked on at over 90 miles away, they knew F-14's were nearby, and they bugged out. I was here at the final flight at Oceana with members of my former squadron in the VIP section, it was a great day but sad this great airplane was finished.
Thank you for your service. I wanted to be an F-14 pilot as soon as I graduated high school. But with a history of asthma, disqualified me. My dream crashed and burned. It wasn't pretty. Though as a kid at an airshow on Guam in '92 they had an F-14 available for kids to come up and sit in the pilot seat for 1 min. My eyes lit up as I was being put into the cockpit. I was mimicking the salute and thumbs-up gestures pilots did just before take-off AND I was doing Maverick's signature "I'm gonna hit the brakes and fly right by." move as well. I was such a dorky kid with big dreams of hoping to pilot my very own day. But as you know, that didn't happen. For that one minute of sitting in the cockpit of the F-14... Bliss.
@@Leonhart306 Very cool. Although I never got to go for a real ride in a Tomcat, as an Avionics Tech (AT) my job was to troubleshoot and test Avionics systems in the aircraft - with power ON!!! I worked in both the front and back seats, which are TOTALLY different. The RIO CANNOT fly the plane, they are along for the ride. I thought is was sooo cool sitting in the cockpit of the Navy's premier fighter jet. Most of my service was working below decks, fixing the avionics systems when they did fail. I then taught, then worked as a civilian overhauling avionics test stations. Worked on EVERY aircraft carrier on the east coast. I built out shops on TR, ABE and GW.
DCS “ Digital Combat Simulator” sim game has a Tomcats and it’s an absolute blast. My dreams of flying one finally ? I have fueled several Tomcats in my younger days the best jet ever !
1977 I was stationed there at NAS Oceana. I was attached to VA-34 BLUEBLLASTERS. A-6 intruder squadron there. We worked off the JFK CV-67 and broke in brand new Dwight D Eisenhower CVN-69. I have to say, the tomcat was my favorite and still is. Great memories.
The F-14 Tomcat looks like a bird of prey. F-14 top speed 1,544 mph, range 1,841 mi. F-18 top speed 1,190, range 500 mi. F-35 top speed 1,200 mph, range 1380 In its day, the F-14 did its job better
I just loved how the crowd whooped and hollered when they announced the tomcat flying overhead. That to me shows just how big of a crowd-pleasing legend she is. I'm a damn proud maintainer of the A model, first with VF-101 and then VF-142. I've accomplished quite a bit in my professional life since leaving the navy, (which was the most collosal mistake of my life), but no matter what I've achieved nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, ever gave me the satisfaction of watching my birds fly knowing I had a hand in putting them up there. When I was a kid, I'd talk about certain boxers or ballplayers whom I had seen and would enthusiastically support. The old guys would turn to me, smile, and shake their heads. "Yeah, they're good kid," they'd say, "but you never saw Koufax, or Louis, or Sugar Ray Robinson, or Marciano, or Josh Gibson, or Satchel Paige." Now, I'm the old guy and young kids go on about the hornet or some other jet. I turn to them, smile, and shake my head. "Yeah, they're good kid," I'd say, "but you never saw the Tomcat fly." Long live the F-14 Tomcat!!!!
The best analogy I heard by a top Navy brass was from supercar to a minivan. The minivan does everything a supercar does and gets the job done, but saves a lot on the cost when Mach 2.4+ blistering speed and 60,000 lbsf of thrust were considered "overkill" post cold-war. That is the story congress sold to the Navy while being in Hornet mafia's pocket while Navy was screaming back at them "we want new F-14D Super Tomcats built because that is what we need". Read Randy "Duke Cunningham's appeal to congress on why Navy only wanted the Tomcat (Top Gun program director and Navy veteran since Vietnam)Navy was right and today, everyone agrees not having a super fast pure air superiority fighter/long range interceptor to counter the China/Russia threat makes Navy hugely vulnerable.
Proud to say I was in the Navy when the Tomcats flew. The sweet sound of that raw power would raise the hair on your neck like no other! I miss that adrenaline pump. Thank you for sharing this video so that the true fans can keep the Almighty F-14 Tomcat alive. 🇺🇸
F-15: Shit, we’ve been replaced by the F-22... oh wait, they’re giving us the opportunity to get an upgrade and hang around for a complimentary role? Wow, thanks! F-16: They’re giving us an upgrade with “F-22 and F-35 DNA” so we can stick around? Wow, thanks! F-18: Hey, another upgrade so we can “replace” the 14 in fleet defense, even though we can’t really do that? Wow, thanks! A-10: We were built to kill T-72 tanks in the Fulda Gap, but they're using us for ground support in 2019? Wow, thanks! B-52: The Soviets are long gone, but we’re still up here flying and might hit 100 years of service? Wow, thanks! F-14: We started racking up kills in mock dogfights against the F-15... but they said no to our proposed upgrades, prematurely retired us and chopped almost every single one of us to pieces so we couldn't even fly air shows. Uhhhmmmmmm.......... what the FUCK?!
The sexiest and most effective fighter that's ever flown especially once it had the GE engines. If only the tomcat had an air-to-ground game. It's multirole or bust these days...
Was just thinking that, and saw your comment. Grew up when F-14s were everywhere. Now seeing a single one is "special". Seeing a video like this, with multiple ones, is "weird"
13:02 Worth the Cold War price of admission just for that there move. Started out as a pure Air to Air combattant, retired as the premier Navy precision strike platform. There were guys that would rather puke than drop bombs from Tomcats. The LANTIRN(Low Altitude Navigation Targeting Infrared for Night) Tomcat is wearing a LANTIRN pod of her starboard glove pylon. Tomcats got LANTIRN in 1996. In December 1998 during Operation Desert Fox VF-32 first used the LANTIRN Targetting System or LTS.. Was used well in the Balkans. LANTIRN 40,000 was an excellent upgrade as it allowed F-14s to bomb using precision guidance on targets located at high elevations. The newer 40,000 ft capable laser was needed to stay above surface threats in highly elevated Afghanistan during the opening operations of OEF. Day 1 of Op Iraqi Freedom(OIF) F-14s dropped JDAM for the first time. The LANTIRN and the rear seaters new PTID (a 10-inch Programmable Tactical Information Display screen)allowed better target resolution than Hornet C/D legacy and E/F Super and even the early Strike Eagle and there were times where Tomcats buddy lased targets for those tactical fighter aircraft. Tomcats even generated targeting co ordinates for a B-52 that dropped some CBU103/105 Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser(WCMD). She was a nasty Kitty!
During OIF, the Tomcat became the preferred aircraft for ground attack missions, had longer legs, could carry a heavier payload and loiter on target longer than the Hornet could.
After watching the interview with Kurt Schroeder these F14D's should still be flying and have not been replaced with the F18 Super Hornets . How the Navy still wanted to fly the the F14 B and D. It's a shame when politics get involved.
Dick Cheney: The Navy doesn’t need the F-14! It costs too much to maintain and the Soviet threat is gone! There’s no need for such a fast Interceptor anymore! US Navy 16 years later: *Hehe. I’m in danger!*
I hate how the F-14s were phased out as soon as they started outperforming F-15s and F-16s in mock dogfights. The super tomcat 21 would’ve destroyed F-22s
@@VeeAreSixed1 not really, the F-14 had higher sustained turn rate than F-15s or F-18s, it’s only the F-16 that had a higher STR. The tomcat even did an MRT in 19 secs
What would have an F-14 done that an 18 couldn't have 06-present? Burn more DoD dollars for less performance? Pricey maintenance, bad gas mileage, and heavy maintenance even if upgraded.
@@nikovlogs9837 longer range, carry more weapons, actually be able to hit targets further out away from the carrier group! Now apart of the proposed Upgrade the Tomcat would been lesser maintenance super cruise more hours on the airframes too! Yes it would’ve cost more that’s what they looked out
Is the "D" version considered the "Super Tomcat" version, the one with those better engines that allow the throttle to be used more aggressively and the newer ground attack avionics?
Yes!!........To answer your several different questions at once. Also, look at the Large, (wide), metal exhaust petals.........just like the one's in this video as opposed to the original, (smaller), one's indicative of the P&W engine's which were SEVERELY Under-powered for the Size & Weight of this aircraft, the F-14. The LARGER Exhaust petals, (with that Dull off-silver colour suggesting Titanium being used for it's High-temprature tolerance), indicating that these are the MUCH More Powerful GE F-110's. And furthermore, Many Navy pilots agreed that FINALLY an Engine powering the F-14 that allowed the aircraft to full-fill it's Long Awaited Potential!! No kidding!! The original Pratt & Whitney's were not only severely Under-powered, but they suffered from Chronic compressor stalls!! Many skilled Pilots' were lost as were a number of F-14's, mostly attributed to those terrible Compressor stalls!!!
@@obailey8586 The F-14D was indeed called the operational Super Tomcat there were also future Tomcat model proposals from Grumman such as the ST-21 which used the term Super Tomcat.
@@redginaldsanders6122 At speed both engines produced similar installed thrust hence the similar top speed, though Tomcats were operationally limited Mach 1.88.2.0 in the later 70's. What the GE F110 did bring was levels of acceleration during launch/takeoff and ACM. The f110 outpowered the TF30 so much that afterburner launches off the boat would overpower rudder authority in an engine out case at slower speeds. The F110 outputs at Military power what a TF30 does at 3/5's or Zone 3 afterburner. The newer engines also featured a FADEC(full authority digital engine control) which allowed for much better lower/mid speed acceleration and reduced compressor stalls allowing for more aggressive applications. A majority of Tomcats were envisioned by Grumman to have the better engines when in reality most Tomcats were indeed TF30 powered.
If i didn't know anything about jet fighters i would think it was the F14 replacing the F18 ... my lord how puny and weak the F18 looks next to a F14 and even the jet exhaust sound is epic in a F14 compared to a F18 .... I'm still upset 17 years later and the loss of Dale snort snodgrass a little over 2 years ago. Rip to two legends 🇺🇸🙏🙏
14s have gotta be thinking of the 18s...anything you can do, I can do better, farther, higher, heavier, faster, and shoot down anybody else that gets in my way. F-14D was super bad a$$. Just ask any Eagle driver that got "shot down" by one.
Nope, the sweep wing was too expensive to maintain. Don't get me wrong, the F-14 was a great aircraft but after the fall of the USSR it's purpose wasn't very nessecary anymore.
I love the F14 Tomcat. I saw the F14 tomcat in the late 80s and very early 90s at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland during their annual air show. I was to young to appreciate this airplane now but thanks to RUclips I can relive the excitement that I had then as a kid. One memory sticks out for me though. The pilots were doing their routine then disappeared. I vaguely remember the announcer sayings there was an engine issue and they headed over the lake to dump fuel but never returned. Crazy but cool in a way...
I was there for this show just for the F-14 and was very disappointed the they only did the fleet flybye and division bombing run..... Too much hornet....
Funny thing is that US congress was sold on the idea that the F-14 was too expensive to maintain. Yet IRAN can keep the same planes flying some 44 years later. That is not like the F-15 model planes that have been in service almost as long. The F-15 model is still flying but the Eagles in the sky today never touched the sky back when the F-15 was introduced. Yet the troublesome hard to maintain Tomcat is still flying the original fuselage that we delivered to IRAN in 1976. And they went to war for 8 years with Iraq while flying those same planes. That is unicorn status for fighter jets. Those planes would have been retired long long ago and replaced with newer versions in the USN. Hell, they are using the TF-30 A models in IRAN.... US Congress sucks when it comes to making decisions. Some how the marines were able to tell congress to 100% redesign the Harrier. The ones we were flying a few years ago were 100% ground up redesigns using newer materials and methods to improve every aspect of them. The F-18 has had so much money spent on it to get it anywhere close to the effectiveness of the F-14. Could have spent that money on just maintaining the D models or spent it on upgrading to a Super Tomcat.
That is exactly what it was. Congress/Cheney being paid a lot by the Hornet lobbyists to put Grumman out of business and not giving the required funding Navy asked for to get brand new 155 F-14D Super Tomcats built they needed and fund the R&D for the AST-21 (advanced super tomcat 21st century), which would have cost a fraction of the $5+ billion it did for the slow, laggard Super Hornet.
I was an Air Traffic Controller in the Navy and stationed on the USS Constellation CV-64 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was the last deployment of the Connie and it was also the last deployment for VF-2 Bounty Hunters using the F-14. When we got back they began the transition to the Super Hornet. Glad I got to see an F-14 break the sound barrier once in my life. Best damn thing I have ever seen in my life!!!
I used to work on all types of aircraft engines and powerplants, but this particular bird has the most unique and impressive sound that I miss soo much!! TOMCAT 4EVER!!!
No joke, the F-35 is the closest I have heard/experienced that reminded me of the f-14. Check them out if you haven't yet for an in-person fly-by with afterburners.
I wished they had updated the Tomcat instead of retiring them, as good as the F18 is, I still think the F14 if it had been updated would have been the superior of the two.
If the A-10 can still be in service today, why not the F-14 Tomcat? I'm sad the Navy didn't leave a few still active for use at airshows at the very least. That salute was awesome! Didn't know they could do that! #TomcatLivesMatter 0:40 Tomcats Taking Off 1:35 Tomcats Fly with Hornets 4:20 Tomcat Flyby 1 6:35 Tomcat Flyby 2 12:45 Syncronized Canopy Opening 13:00 Tomcat Salute
As you know, I LOVED the F14 too. But, it WAS a maintenance hog. It took a LOT of man-hours to keep it flying, and it was VERY expensive to keep them on carriers. And the F14 came out to mitigate the threat of the Soviet Union. With the cold war over, that cold war "warrior" was not needed in the eyes of Dick Cheney, VPOTUS at the time. So it was decided to decommission ALL of them. Also, the F14 Tomcat was sold to the Iranian Imperial Air Force, and adversary today. They wanted Tomcat parts to keep their fleet up and running. So ALL F14's that were NOT in museums were destroyed, along with spare parts. So if you want to see an F14 Tomcat fly again, watch "Top Gun", "The Final Countdown" or various videos like this on You Tube.
Cheney was just the long arm of a rival military complex that fought over manufacturing and supply contracts. There was supposed to be a competition between a prototype super hornet, and the proposed super tomcat 21, which obviously never happened. Long story short, tricky Dicky and company got what they wanted. A less capable and over hyped aircraft made 35% larger would serve as the backbone of the US navy for the next 30 yrs. Another determining factor for the demise of the F14 was reports surfaced that showed Russia had sent a special request (with a little $$ involved) to the Iranian government to look at one of their less capable F-14's, which from what I've heard, they kindly obliged.
The best analogy I heard was from supercar to a minivan. The minivan does everything a supercar does and gets the job done, but saves a lot on the cost when Mach 2.4+ blistering speed and 60,000 lbsf of thrust were considered "overkill". That is the story congress sold to the Navy while being in Hornet mafia's pocket while Navy was screaming back at them "we want more F-14D Super Tomcats built because that is what we need". Navy was right and today, everyone agrees not having a pure air superiority fighter/long range interceptor to counter the China/Russia threat makes Navy hugely vulnerable.
I can't believe that we still had them doing missions at distant battlefields in 2006, and a few mere years later, no flying examples exist. It's hard to believe.
Silly question, when the F-14 Tomcat was retried in 2006, how many years would it have been prior when they stopped training New F-14 pilots before it was withdrawn from service?
@@Hot_Sky_Astronomy The thing I regret I life, is never seeing an F 14 tomcat at airshow, I grew up in the UK and my dad was in the Royal Air Force and I did see several airshows during the years when I was an RAF kid with some foreign planes visiting, but sadly no F 14 tomcats.🙁
@@warwickbull5559 They dropped in VERY occasionally when a carrier happened to be in the general area at the right time, Leuchars '89 had them if I remember right.
They had a problem with people selling their parts on the black market to iran so they had to scrap them because Iran only got the basic version and they were selling it's secrets to Russia for sure and probably China also. So they didn't want them getting their hands on the real deal.
All you need is a lot of parts and a crew that won't get pissed off after it's first series of maintenance.....very pretty planes but the inter-workings make mechanics wish they had been a shooter instead...
Great video! Now, I just want to point out something interesting that stood out in this video; when the VFA-11 Rhino division was taxying by crowd line, the fourth one has a different Tail Code than the other three have. RIPPER-107 wears the "AA" Tail Code for Air Wing-17, while RIPPER-100, 101, and 106 wear the "AC" Tail Code of Air Wing-3.
"Tomcat is a maintenance hog, costs too much.". ... "Ok, instead, let's spend billions in a plane who suffers numerous issues and go back to the F15 EX..."
How beautiful and sad at the same time, the bow was awesome, brought tears to my eyes even when I'm not American, the Jedi Knights of our time and Galaxy, elegant swift defense and justice, at least in principle; I'm not pilot nor military but I salute you pilots O7Thank you for your service to Humanity How sad Americans are so unenthusiastic about it
We should never get rid of these aircraft, keep them all and we would have one hell of an air assault (yes i know technology and everything but come on understand what im saying
WORST COMMENT EVER!!! concorde was unique in the west and even soviet union have TU144 this was miles and miles away from concorde.....F14 never was the best airplane in USA....USAF F15 was the best....also soviet union have MIG 29 and SU 27.....the first one is comparable and the second one much better.....also there is european fighter like mirage tornado and gripen very comparable too. dont get me wrong i love F14 but concorde is just the best passenger aircraft made ever!!! F14 is just one more fighter
I flew the Tomcat for over 10 years. It was the best plane in the Navy. I had the best plane crew that kept my bird in the air. So many times I remember thinking I had the best job in the world and I did. My time went by so fast but the memories of my service to this great country and the plane that carried me. I miss those days but know that the Soviet pilots that came up to challenge us knew they could never get close enough. Once we locked on at over 90 miles away, they knew F-14's were nearby, and they bugged out. I was here at the final flight at Oceana with members of my former squadron in the VIP section, it was a great day but sad this great airplane was finished.
Thank you for your service. I envy you for getting the opportunity to fly such an incredible aircraft.
Thank you for your service. I wanted to be an F-14 pilot as soon as I graduated high school. But with a history of asthma, disqualified me. My dream crashed and burned. It wasn't pretty.
Though as a kid at an airshow on Guam in '92 they had an F-14 available for kids to come up and sit in the pilot seat for 1 min.
My eyes lit up as I was being put into the cockpit. I was mimicking the salute and thumbs-up gestures pilots did just before take-off AND I was doing Maverick's signature "I'm gonna hit the brakes and fly right by." move as well. I was such a dorky kid with big dreams of hoping to pilot my very own day. But as you know, that didn't happen.
For that one minute of sitting in the cockpit of the F-14... Bliss.
@@Leonhart306 Very cool. Although I never got to go for a real ride in a Tomcat, as an Avionics Tech (AT) my job was to troubleshoot and test Avionics systems in the aircraft - with power ON!!! I worked in both the front and back seats, which are TOTALLY different. The RIO CANNOT fly the plane, they are along for the ride. I thought is was sooo cool sitting in the cockpit of the Navy's premier fighter jet. Most of my service was working below decks, fixing the avionics systems when they did fail. I then taught, then worked as a civilian overhauling avionics test stations. Worked on EVERY aircraft carrier on the east coast. I built out shops on TR, ABE and GW.
@@billfitzgerald8705 That's awesome! Thank you for your service as well.
You had the incredible opportunity to fly the best fighter jet in the Navy.
So awesome.
God I miss the Tomcat so much.
You're not alone :-(
Same! Best fighter jet that ever existed
DCS “ Digital Combat Simulator” sim game has a Tomcats and it’s an absolute blast. My dreams of flying one finally ? I have fueled several Tomcats in my younger days the best jet ever !
It still hurts! What a crime to not have a few flying for the sake of keeping history alive at air shows.
1977 I was stationed there at NAS Oceana. I was attached to VA-34 BLUEBLLASTERS. A-6 intruder squadron there. We worked off the JFK CV-67 and broke in brand new Dwight D Eisenhower CVN-69. I have to say, the tomcat was my favorite and still is. Great memories.
The F-14 Tomcat looks like a bird of prey.
F-14 top speed 1,544 mph, range 1,841 mi.
F-18 top speed 1,190, range 500 mi.
F-35 top speed 1,200 mph, range 1380
In its day, the F-14 did its job better
I just loved how the crowd whooped and hollered when they announced the tomcat flying overhead. That to me shows just how big of a crowd-pleasing legend she is.
I'm a damn proud maintainer of the A model, first with VF-101 and then VF-142. I've accomplished quite a bit in my professional life since leaving the navy, (which was the most collosal mistake of my life), but no matter what I've achieved nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, ever gave me the satisfaction of watching my birds fly knowing I had a hand in putting them up there.
When I was a kid, I'd talk about certain boxers or ballplayers whom I had seen and would enthusiastically support. The old guys would turn to me, smile, and shake their heads. "Yeah, they're good kid," they'd say, "but you never saw Koufax, or Louis, or Sugar Ray Robinson, or Marciano, or Josh Gibson, or Satchel Paige."
Now, I'm the old guy and young kids go on about the hornet or some other jet. I turn to them, smile, and shake my head. "Yeah, they're good kid," I'd say, "but you never saw the Tomcat fly."
Long live the F-14 Tomcat!!!!
The best analogy I heard by a top Navy brass was from supercar to a minivan. The minivan does everything a supercar does and gets the job done, but saves a lot on the cost when Mach 2.4+ blistering speed and 60,000 lbsf of thrust were considered "overkill" post cold-war. That is the story congress sold to the Navy while being in Hornet mafia's pocket while Navy was screaming back at them "we want new F-14D Super Tomcats built because that is what we need". Read Randy "Duke Cunningham's appeal to congress on why Navy only wanted the Tomcat (Top Gun program director and Navy veteran since Vietnam)Navy was right and today, everyone agrees not having a super fast pure air superiority fighter/long range interceptor to counter the China/Russia threat makes Navy hugely vulnerable.
Proud to say I was in the Navy when the Tomcats flew. The sweet sound of that raw power would raise the hair on your neck like no other! I miss that adrenaline pump. Thank you for sharing this video so that the true fans can keep the Almighty F-14 Tomcat alive. 🇺🇸
You can be proud of the Tomcat. Greetings from Switzerland
F-15: Shit, we’ve been replaced by the F-22... oh wait, they’re giving us the opportunity to get an upgrade and hang around for a complimentary role? Wow, thanks!
F-16: They’re giving us an upgrade with “F-22 and F-35 DNA” so we can stick around? Wow, thanks!
F-18: Hey, another upgrade so we can “replace” the 14 in fleet defense, even though we can’t really do that? Wow, thanks!
A-10: We were built to kill T-72 tanks in the Fulda Gap, but they're using us for ground support in 2019? Wow, thanks!
B-52: The Soviets are long gone, but we’re still up here flying and might hit 100 years of service? Wow, thanks!
F-14: We started racking up kills in mock dogfights against the F-15... but they said no to our proposed upgrades, prematurely retired us and chopped almost every single one of us to pieces so we couldn't even fly air shows. Uhhhmmmmmm.......... what the FUCK?!
Yeah Congress in the 90s after the Cold War was the worst. Damn you Dick Cheney. We had 450 F-14 when he started his agenda to get rid of it in 1989.
The sexiest and most effective fighter that's ever flown especially once it had the GE engines. If only the tomcat had an air-to-ground game. It's multirole or bust these days...
The US Navy should have kept six F14's for airshow demo's, still one of my all time favorites.
I spent mey teenage years growing up near some of the runways at Oceana...I cant believe I didnt realize what I was seeing.
Was just thinking that, and saw your comment.
Grew up when F-14s were everywhere. Now seeing a single one is "special". Seeing a video like this, with multiple ones, is "weird"
The F-14 was such a crowd pleaser. When it did a full AB takeoff, it had such a low deep roar you felt it in the chest. I miss.
Bring back a couple of F14D squadrons. They were the baddest planes ever! Anytime, anywhere baby!
Tomcats forever!
Best Looking fighter ever, the F-14...
The tomcat has a unique roar to it when approaching low speeds with full afterburner which is only unique to the F14 and that just sounds awesome
2 things made the show... 1) the F-14 and 2) the Blue Angels were there!
13:02 Worth the Cold War price of admission just for that there move. Started out as a pure Air to Air combattant, retired as the premier Navy precision strike platform. There were guys that would rather puke than drop bombs from Tomcats. The LANTIRN(Low Altitude Navigation Targeting Infrared for Night) Tomcat is wearing a LANTIRN pod of her starboard glove pylon. Tomcats got LANTIRN in 1996. In December 1998 during Operation Desert Fox VF-32 first used the LANTIRN Targetting System or LTS.. Was used well in the Balkans. LANTIRN 40,000 was an excellent upgrade as it allowed F-14s to bomb using precision guidance on targets located at high elevations. The newer 40,000 ft capable laser was needed to stay above surface threats in highly elevated Afghanistan during the opening operations of OEF. Day 1 of Op Iraqi Freedom(OIF) F-14s dropped JDAM for the first time. The LANTIRN and the rear seaters new PTID (a 10-inch Programmable Tactical Information Display screen)allowed better target resolution than Hornet C/D legacy and E/F Super and even the early Strike Eagle and there were times where Tomcats buddy lased targets for those tactical fighter aircraft. Tomcats even generated targeting co ordinates for a B-52 that dropped some CBU103/105 Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser(WCMD). She was a nasty Kitty!
During OIF, the Tomcat became the preferred aircraft for ground attack missions, had longer legs, could carry a heavier payload and loiter on target longer than the Hornet could.
greatest facepalm moment in history was giving up on the f-14 all together
I wish they would’ve kept a couple tomcats for airshow demonstration.
After watching the interview with Kurt Schroeder these F14D's should still be flying and have not been replaced with the F18 Super Hornets . How the Navy still wanted to fly the the F14 B and D. It's a shame when politics get involved.
Dick Cheney: The Navy doesn’t need the F-14! It costs too much to maintain and the Soviet threat is gone! There’s no need for such a fast Interceptor anymore!
US Navy 16 years later: *Hehe. I’m in danger!*
No kidding!
F-35 cost..........
@@jamesedenfield5039 ….. a little less to operate than a 14. What’s your point? Sustainment costs are set to continue to fall as well.
Looooove the TOMCATS!!!!! They are much louder and cooler sounding than the F18s
Love the F18s still and they too are cool fighter jets
I was there. I was 7 years old. Now I’m 22
I was 5, still have vague memories being there with my dad.
I hate how the F-14s were phased out as soon as they started outperforming F-15s and F-16s in mock dogfights. The super tomcat 21 would’ve destroyed F-22s
F-14 isn't anywhere near as good a dogfighter as F-18, F-16, F-15's It's role was long range fleet defense.
@@VeeAreSixed1 not really, the F-14 had higher sustained turn rate than F-15s or F-18s, it’s only the F-16 that had a higher STR. The tomcat even did an MRT in 19 secs
The F-14 could have been upgrade to the most amazing fighter bomber ever made.
What would have an F-14 done that an 18 couldn't have 06-present? Burn more DoD dollars for less performance? Pricey maintenance, bad gas mileage, and heavy maintenance even if upgraded.
@@nikovlogs9837 longer range, carry more weapons, actually be able to hit targets further out away from the carrier group! Now apart of the proposed Upgrade the Tomcat would been lesser maintenance super cruise more hours on the airframes too! Yes it would’ve cost more that’s what they looked out
Everything
The F-14 Tomcat the crowd pleaser.
Is the "D" version considered the "Super Tomcat" version, the one with those better engines that allow the throttle to be used more aggressively and the newer ground attack avionics?
The F-14A had the silver tipped PW TF-30 engines. The F-14B and D had the better GEF110
No the super tomcat was still on the drawing board when the tomcat was done away with from what I understand
Yes!!........To answer your several different questions at once. Also, look at the Large, (wide), metal exhaust petals.........just like the one's in this video as opposed to the original, (smaller), one's indicative of the P&W engine's which were SEVERELY Under-powered for the Size & Weight of this aircraft, the F-14. The LARGER Exhaust petals, (with that Dull off-silver colour suggesting Titanium being used for it's High-temprature tolerance), indicating that these are the MUCH More Powerful GE F-110's. And furthermore, Many Navy pilots agreed that FINALLY an Engine powering the F-14 that allowed the aircraft to full-fill it's Long Awaited Potential!! No kidding!! The original Pratt & Whitney's were not only severely Under-powered, but they suffered from Chronic compressor stalls!! Many skilled Pilots' were lost as were a number of F-14's, mostly attributed to those terrible Compressor stalls!!!
@@obailey8586 The F-14D was indeed called the operational Super Tomcat there were also future Tomcat model proposals from Grumman such as the ST-21 which used the term Super Tomcat.
@@redginaldsanders6122 At speed both engines produced similar installed thrust hence the similar top speed, though Tomcats were operationally limited Mach 1.88.2.0 in the later 70's. What the GE F110 did bring was levels of acceleration during launch/takeoff and ACM. The f110 outpowered the TF30 so much that afterburner launches off the boat would overpower rudder authority in an engine out case at slower speeds. The F110 outputs at Military power what a TF30 does at 3/5's or Zone 3 afterburner.
The newer engines also featured a FADEC(full authority digital engine control) which allowed for much better lower/mid speed acceleration and reduced compressor stalls allowing for more aggressive applications. A majority of Tomcats were envisioned by Grumman to have the better engines when in reality most Tomcats were indeed TF30 powered.
Love the big cat. Retired WAY too soon.
Should`ve been modernized instead, like the Eagle: F-14EX !
@stefanhernold345 There was a proposal to make the super Tomcat 21 and a Stealth super tomcat making it even more stealthier then F22 Raptor.
0:44 Yeah Baby 😆
It's too sad that they retired the Tomcat ,such a beautiful Aircraft
Coming from an equally legendary fighter.
If it wasn’t for Iran,we would still have some flying air shows.
Darn it Iran!
If i didn't know anything about jet fighters i would think it was the F14 replacing the F18 ... my lord how puny and weak the F18 looks next to a F14 and even the jet exhaust sound is epic in a F14 compared to a F18 .... I'm still upset 17 years later and the loss of Dale snort snodgrass a little over 2 years ago. Rip to two legends 🇺🇸🙏🙏
Love how even when the hornets are taxing by, you can still hear the tomcat in the background
14s have gotta be thinking of the 18s...anything you can do, I can do better, farther, higher, heavier, faster, and shoot down anybody else that gets in my way. F-14D was super bad a$$. Just ask any Eagle driver that got "shot down" by one.
AWESOME, now you got that song in my head, "ANNIE GET YOUR GUN". YES, I CAN, no you can't, YES, I CAN, YES, I CAN... YES, I CAN...
And still, the airframe is so good and capable, an upgrade would have been the better option, no F-18, no F-35
Nope, the sweep wing was too expensive to maintain. Don't get me wrong, the F-14 was a great aircraft but after the fall of the USSR it's purpose wasn't very nessecary anymore.
The best looking fighter ever built.
I love the F14 Tomcat. I saw the F14 tomcat in the late 80s and very early 90s at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland during their annual air show. I was to young to appreciate this airplane now but thanks to RUclips I can relive the excitement that I had then as a kid. One memory sticks out for me though. The pilots were doing their routine then disappeared. I vaguely remember the announcer sayings there was an engine issue and they headed over the lake to dump fuel but never returned. Crazy but cool in a way...
I was there for this show just for the F-14 and was very disappointed the they only did the fleet flybye and division bombing run..... Too much hornet....
F-18 - I'm still around - F-14 yeah, but i'm cooler than you will ever be.
You do not forget that still about 75 F14's of Iranian airforce are at service now. The most beautiful fighter that still exist is the F14.
Funny thing is that US congress was sold on the idea that the F-14 was too expensive to maintain. Yet IRAN can keep the same planes flying some 44 years later. That is not like the F-15 model planes that have been in service almost as long. The F-15 model is still flying but the Eagles in the sky today never touched the sky back when the F-15 was introduced. Yet the troublesome hard to maintain Tomcat is still flying the original fuselage that we delivered to IRAN in 1976. And they went to war for 8 years with Iraq while flying those same planes. That is unicorn status for fighter jets. Those planes would have been retired long long ago and replaced with newer versions in the USN. Hell, they are using the TF-30 A models in IRAN.... US Congress sucks when it comes to making decisions. Some how the marines were able to tell congress to 100% redesign the Harrier. The ones we were flying a few years ago were 100% ground up redesigns using newer materials and methods to improve every aspect of them. The F-18 has had so much money spent on it to get it anywhere close to the effectiveness of the F-14. Could have spent that money on just maintaining the D models or spent it on upgrading to a Super Tomcat.
F-14s make the F-18 look like the budget platforms they are.
That is exactly what it was. Congress/Cheney being paid a lot by the Hornet lobbyists to put Grumman out of business and not giving the required funding Navy asked for to get brand new 155 F-14D Super Tomcats built they needed and fund the R&D for the AST-21 (advanced super tomcat 21st century), which would have cost a fraction of the $5+ billion it did for the slow, laggard Super Hornet.
The super hornet is no budget aircraft lol
I was an Air Traffic Controller in the Navy and stationed on the USS Constellation CV-64 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was the last deployment of the Connie and it was also the last deployment for VF-2 Bounty Hunters using the F-14. When we got back they began the transition to the Super Hornet. Glad I got to see an F-14 break the sound barrier once in my life. Best damn thing I have ever seen in my life!!!
Wow the Tomcat was gigantic!!!
BIG BAD AND HONKING
Saddest day, when F14 took its last flight
I used to work on all types of aircraft engines and powerplants, but this particular bird has the most unique and impressive sound that I miss soo much!! TOMCAT 4EVER!!!
No joke, the F-35 is the closest I have heard/experienced that reminded me of the f-14. Check them out if you haven't yet for an in-person fly-by with afterburners.
So true
I love that idle whistle!!!
I wished they had updated the Tomcat instead of retiring them, as good as the F18 is, I still think the F14 if it had been updated would have been the superior of the two.
I totally agree with you on this one.
You know what’s unfair is the F-15 gets an overhaul and is similar to the tomcat. If they could upgrade the F-15 then they can upgrade the tomcat.
@@galexymitzelplik9560 yes your right the latest f15 is the x
The ST21 or ASF14 would've been even better than the Ds which were equal to F15Es
I was there 👍🏻 flew from Spain for the show, invited by VF-31
If the A-10 can still be in service today, why not the F-14 Tomcat? I'm sad the Navy didn't leave a few still active for use at airshows at the very least. That salute was awesome!
Didn't know they could do that!
#TomcatLivesMatter
0:40 Tomcats Taking Off
1:35 Tomcats Fly with Hornets
4:20 Tomcat Flyby
1
6:35 Tomcat Flyby
2
12:45 Syncronized Canopy Opening
13:00 Tomcat Salute
As you know, I LOVED the F14 too. But, it WAS a maintenance hog. It took a LOT of man-hours to keep it flying, and it was VERY expensive to keep them on carriers. And the F14 came out to mitigate the threat of the Soviet Union. With the cold war over, that cold war "warrior" was not needed in the eyes of Dick Cheney, VPOTUS at the time. So it was decided to decommission ALL of them. Also, the F14 Tomcat was sold to the Iranian Imperial Air Force, and adversary today. They wanted Tomcat parts to keep their fleet up and running. So ALL F14's that were NOT in museums were destroyed, along with spare parts. So if you want to see an F14 Tomcat fly again, watch "Top Gun", "The Final Countdown" or various videos like this on You Tube.
Didn’t know they could do what?
Cheney was just the long arm of a rival military complex that fought over manufacturing and supply contracts. There was supposed to be a competition between a prototype super hornet, and the proposed super tomcat 21, which obviously never happened. Long story short, tricky Dicky and company got what they wanted. A less capable and over hyped aircraft made 35% larger would serve as the backbone of the US navy for the next 30 yrs. Another determining factor for the demise of the F14 was reports surfaced that showed Russia had sent a special request (with a little $$ involved) to the Iranian government to look at one of their less capable F-14's, which from what I've heard, they kindly obliged.
Awesome show! Both f14 and Hornets are spectacular jets!
Would do things I wouldn't be proud of just to ride in an f14.
Haha I know right!
Bittersweet, watching the beautiful jet fly her last airshow, then bow out.
Actually worked this airshow. Was in VFA106E/F side
Wow - what a show - wish I could have been there!!!
Truly the end of an epic era of the super fighter...
I feel the need……the need for speed!! 🇺🇸👍💪
The Tomcat a true fighter & a plane of beauty & power
Rest In peace Tomcat 🇺🇸
THE F-14 D TOMCAT THE BIGEST STICK IN THE NAVY! BRING THEM BACK NOW !!!
Not gonna happen.
But how Awesome if they did !!!!
They won’t even bring back the f22 😂
was in F-14 community at sea n land for 7 years, crying shame the GE engines weren't there from beginning...........
Traded in a Corvette ZR1 for a fully loaded Camry. SMH.
More like a Corvette to a Camaro.
The best analogy I heard was from supercar to a minivan. The minivan does everything a supercar does and gets the job done, but saves a lot on the cost when Mach 2.4+ blistering speed and 60,000 lbsf of thrust were considered "overkill". That is the story congress sold to the Navy while being in Hornet mafia's pocket while Navy was screaming back at them "we want more F-14D Super Tomcats built because that is what we need". Navy was right and today, everyone agrees not having a pure air superiority fighter/long range interceptor to counter the China/Russia threat makes Navy hugely vulnerable.
@@2ZZGE100 Don't worry. Now the Navy are having F35 to get the job done a better way
@@rockiesecho8518 f35 is not permitted to go super sonic last I read.
What an aerodynamic perfection, I mean the Tomcat!
ANYTIME BABY....
I live in Japan I love Tom Cat! Thank you for the coolest video!
The F14 what a BEAST
Are all four F-14s from this video really the F-14D ?
I hope two of the F-14s are not the F-14Bs ?
The F-14 Tomcat fighter is awesome. It's really cool.
2:39. Some eyes out g there in the Superbug.
the cute little hornets should always fly the wing of tomcat. never the other way around.
Long live the Tomcats 👍🏼🤠🇨🇦
We can always go to Iran and see them flying.
0:44 "yeah baby" hey I would've said the same thing!
Didnt know the F-14 was that ugly. Oh that's an F-18 !
So sad to see the Big Cat go! She'll be missed dearly and we'll cherish her memory forever. At least there's still a lot of them on display at museums
I can't believe that we still had them doing missions at distant battlefields in 2006, and a few mere years later, no flying examples exist. It's hard to believe.
The Super Tomcat would had been bad ass if the Navy went with it
That's when they did REAL amazing airshows!!!
Heartbreaking to see the farewell of the Tomcat 😭
I never noticed, the D(elta) didn't have the overhead pulls for the ejection seats. I guess just the lower handles.
i bet the us navy now regrets putting the us navy's most powerful weapons platform out to grass in the desert,what a beautiful beast
actually they were put to the shredders. no desert storage for them :-(
Any time baby! !.. ...my father usto work for Grumman aerospace. ..Mainly the f-14 tomcat .....awesome video sir!
love u tomcat
0:42 Tomcats take off
1:36 Tomcats fly with hornets
4:23 tomcat fly by
6:36 also tomcat fly by
13:01 Tomcat Salute.
Awesome video! I sure miss the F14's . Such a beautiful aircraft. Ever.
O f14. Tomcat é IMPONENTE!!!! Uma pena ter se aposentado forçadamente!
1:58 PHOTOBOMB 😅😅😅😅
Silly question, when the F-14 Tomcat was retried in 2006, how many years would it have been prior when they stopped training New F-14 pilots before it was withdrawn from service?
Not really silly, thats a really good question.
@@Hot_Sky_Astronomy The thing I regret I life, is never seeing an F 14 tomcat at airshow, I grew up in the UK and my dad was in the Royal Air Force and I did see several airshows during the years when I was an RAF kid with some foreign planes visiting, but sadly no F 14 tomcats.🙁
The last “FNGs” showed up about 6 months prior to our last deployment in 2005
@@warwickbull5559 you and I both regret not seeing an F-14 in an Airshow!
@@warwickbull5559
They dropped in VERY occasionally when a carrier happened to be in the general area at the right time, Leuchars '89 had them if I remember right.
Sure, retire the Tomcat but the fact almost every single one were scrapped/stripped to the point of not being able to go to fly shows is horrible.
They had a problem with people selling their parts on the black market to iran so they had to scrap them because Iran only got the basic version and they were selling it's secrets to Russia for sure and probably China also. So they didn't want them getting their hands on the real deal.
You can thank Iran for that... it was intentionally done to ensure there would be no parts hanging around for Iran to keep theirs going
THE 'CAT RETIRES WITH CLAWS OUT!!!!!!!😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎
Recommission the f14!!
All you need is a lot of parts and a crew that won't get pissed off after it's first series of maintenance.....very pretty planes but the inter-workings make mechanics wish they had been a shooter instead...
Smokin'!!!
I love how it distorts the mic
Great video! Now, I just want to point out something interesting that stood out in this video; when the VFA-11 Rhino division was taxying by crowd line, the fourth one has a different Tail Code than the other three have. RIPPER-107 wears the "AA" Tail Code for Air Wing-17, while RIPPER-100, 101, and 106 wear the "AC" Tail Code of Air Wing-3.
Tom cats are the best ever ❤❤❤❤❤❤ gosh I love the sound they make when they go by , pure power can beautiful combat jet
"Tomcat is a maintenance hog, costs too much.". ...
"Ok, instead, let's spend billions in a plane who suffers numerous issues and go back to the F15 EX..."
How beautiful and sad at the same time, the bow was awesome, brought tears to my eyes even when I'm not American, the Jedi Knights of our time and Galaxy, elegant swift defense and justice, at least in principle; I'm not pilot nor military but I salute you pilots O7Thank you for your service to Humanity
How sad Americans are so unenthusiastic about it
Best F- 14 ace in the world, beside Maverick, is a Iranian air force figther pilot Jail Zandi. 11 wins: 4 Migs 23, 2 Migs 21, 2 SU-22 and 3 Mirage F1.
WHAT AN AWSOME, AND POWERFUL VIDEO!
Got to care for Deltas in vf101 in the late 90s.
We should never get rid of these aircraft, keep them all and we would have one hell of an air assault (yes i know technology and everything but come on understand what im saying
I would somehow compare the Tomcat with Concorde, the best and missing in the sky..
Not even close......concorde is just the best passenger aircraft.....F14 it is nice but there is F15, SU 27 and Mig 29 same as good and beauty.
WORST COMMENT EVER!!! concorde was unique in the west and even soviet union have TU144 this was miles and miles away from concorde.....F14 never was the best airplane in USA....USAF F15 was the best....also soviet union have MIG 29 and SU 27.....the first one is comparable and the second one much better.....also there is european fighter like mirage tornado and gripen very comparable too. dont get me wrong i love F14 but concorde is just the best passenger aircraft made ever!!! F14 is just one more fighter
@alexanderdyk
Mig 29 and SU27 aren't doing to well in Ukraine.
Russian aircraft were all show and no go.😊
President Trump - America called, and they want their F-14 back!
I AGREE... MAGA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can’t. They all have been scrapped.
Why would anyone with half a brain call that turd.🤡💩
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤f - 14 d last
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ navy 🔥power demo at ❤❤❤❤ oceans 2006
🌟187 ציפיות
לפני 8 שנים .
#Uf , 31
Brings a tear to my eye seeing the old and new generation of fighters flying together. Like seeing a veteran father sending his son off to basic.
I like the F-18 a hornet, but the F-14 tomcat man what a badass of a plane.
I agree, Switzerland took the F-18, I would have liked to have your awesome Tomcat in our sky instead..