pukin dog, aeronaut, thought you guys might like a ping to this post.
Posted on 04/08/2005 2:35:53 PM PDT by smoothsailing
Farewell and welcome on Oceana's runways
The Virginian-Pilot © April 8, 2005
Few sights compare to that of an F-14 Tomcat soaring through the blue sky above Virginia Beach.
Residents and tourists alike delight in glimpsing the jets wheeling and plummeting over the ocean, or rocketing full tilt from the NAS Oceana runways, their distinctive delta-winged shape more reminiscent of a sci-fi fighter plane than a U.S. Navy workhorse.
The F-14's grace and elegant design almost always elicit a pause, a sigh, a pointed finger or a sense of wonder at how a triangle can fly.
The Tomcat is an endangered species, facing extinction within five years. The habitat of all 54 remaining F-14s is Virginia Beach. They are being phased out in favor of a more sophisticated model, which officially arrived at Oceana last Friday. Farewell, Tomcats. Welcome, Super Hornets.
While some Super Hornets have been trickling into Oceana since last fall, the first operational squadron — 12 planes — arrived last week from training in California. The new jets won't cut strange silhouettes in the Hampton Roads sky. They look similar to their Hornet cousins already here, familiar lawn-dart shapes buzzing around the Oceana hive.
The lucky souls who fly the new fighters sing their praises. While their hearts are with the Tomcats, they say they appreciate the refinement and thoughtful design on the 25-year-younger replacements.
In addition to having larger fuel tanks than Hornets, Super Hornets are so advanced that they can diagnose their own problems, a definite improvement over the Tomcats. While their sound has been the subject of much debate in Virginia Beach, it's unclear whether residents will actually find the new jets to be louder than their predecessors.
Locals can look forward to the Super Hornets' daily displays over Hampton Roads, and to showing off their updated jet-identification prowess to visitors.
And before the Tomcats head to their new destinations as museum displays and historical models, we'll drink in every remaining sight of the steely gray fighters, wings spread to touch the runway or tucked back for swiftness, during their long, soaring good bye.
© 2005 HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com
I live bear Pax River Naval Air Station and some days I hear the air virtually torn apart by the noise of Jet Engines, I call it the sound of freedom. Glad to hear it.
F-14 ping
Thought you might be interested.
And a wonderful sound it is.
I ived in Virginia Beach most of my life and my family still has a home there.The jets out of Oceana rattle the windows.
We could always tell the tourists,they were the ones who complained about the noise.
It always gives me great pleasure to smile and say "what you hear is the sound of Freedom".
PING!
You can tell that its definately the Blues Angel season here at NAS Pensacola. You can set your clock by the blues taking off at 830 on monday to wednesday mornings. Gota love sitting in ground school and hearing them fly over.
pukin dog, aeronaut, thought you guys might like a ping to this post.
If I recall correctly, the Super Hornet is actually almost a totally new aircraft. It's bigger, to give it more fuel capacity (range was a problem with the original Hornets), it has more weapons hardpoints, new systems, all sorts of differences with the A- through D-model F/A-18s.
}:-)4
I think those intakes just sucked up my band width!LOL
You must be getting close to those wings by now!
Now, that is funny!
The Cat is beautiful, but a beautiful BEAST. I'm glad the Super Hornet can diagnose it's own problems, but it doesn't take a computer to know when you are OUT OF GAS.
Bigger tanks don't mean crap if you make the airplane a fat cow at the same time. The Super Hornet is pretty; pretty gutless. The engines are a poor match for the airframe, it is slower than the original Hornet, but it's stealthy! Oooh!
The Navy already regrets the Cat's demise.
I had the opportunity to paint a Hornet for a static display so I got to see how big it acutally was. Last night I had the chance to walk around a Super Hornet last night. When walking under the wing of the Hornet Ive banged my head sometimes forcing me to hunch over, but under the Superhornet I could barely touch the wing. What a wonderful plane, I hope i can ride in her.
Right after the two Tomcats scared the Beejesus out of Ghadafi back in the 80s,the most popular sandwich in Virginia Beach was called the Sidewinder!
Im only halfway through NFO primary, VT-4 Warbucks. I go back to the flight line next week to start the Insturment Flights. I wont get winged for atleast another year.
http://www.raahistory.com/military/navy/pictures/c35-1672-10.jpg
That is unusual!! :^)
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