My father worked on Hellcats, the day he retired he touched the first Tomcat on NAS North Island. Hard to believe its all over now.
Posted on 02/21/2006 6:52:00 PM PST by MindBender26
A chapter in naval aviation history drew to a close aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) with the last recovery of an F-14 Tomcat from a combat mission.
Piloted by Capt. William G. Sizemore II, commander, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, Fighter Squadron (VF) 213's aircraft 204, was trapped at 12:35 a.m. February 8, and marked one of the final stages of the Navy's transition from the F-14 to F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet.
"It's the end of an era and it just kind of worked out that I was the last trap," said Sizemore. "This is one of the best airplanes ever built, and it's sad to see it go away. It's just a beautiful airplane. It's powerful, it has presence, and it just looks like the ultimate fighter."
Lt. Bill Frank, a VF-31 pilot, also took part in the last mission, and is credited with being the last pilot to ever drop a bomb from an F-14 Tomcat.
The decision to incorporate the Super Hornet and decommission the F-14 is mainly due to high amount of maintenance required to keep the Tomcats operational. On average, an F-14 requires nearly 50 maintenance hours for every flight hour, while the Super Hornet requires five to ten maintenance hours for every flight hour.
The F-14 entered operational service with Navy fighter squadrons VF-1 Wolfpack and VF-2 Bounty Hunters onboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) in September 1974. The Tomcat's purpose was to serve as a fighter interceptor and it eventually replaced the F-4 Phantom II Fighter which was phased out in 1986.
From its initial combat air patrol mission during the 1975 U.S. Embassy evacuation in Vietnam, to its recent missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Maritime Security Operations in the Arabian Gulf with VF 31 and 213 of CVW-8 the F-14 Tomcat has played a vital role with the Navy for 32 years.
During its first 17 years of operational service in the Navy, the Tomcat played a vital role as an interceptor with its air-to-air capabilities. However, during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the need for the Tomcat's air-to air-capabilities diminished as air-to-ground capabilities proved to be more effective.
Shortly following the Persian Gulf War, Navy leaders decided to devise removable bomb racks for the Tomcat's to allow them to carry MK-80 "dumb" bombs. With its new upgrades the Tomcat's were soon dubbed as the "Bombcats."
Shortly following the addition of bomb racks, Tomcats were equipped with Low-Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) targeting system to allow for delivery of laser-guided bombs. During the proceeding years the F-14s took on a new, more effective role as a fighter-bomber.
"I will never forget flying a 'Show of Force' over a city in Iraq where our troops were taking fire from insurgents," said Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Knepper, a VF-31 pilot referring to a recent Tomcat mission.
"After making a high speed/low altitude pass over the shoot-out, the insurgents fled and hopefully we saved the lives of some of our soldiers."
In keeping with its history of being adaptable to new challenges, the Tomcat soared to a new level during its last deployment when it became the first Navy aircraft to make use of the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receivers (ROVER) system in December of last year.
The system allows for ground forces to view video via laptop computers which gives them the ability to view their surroundings from the aircrafts' point of view in real time, and ultimately provides better reconnaissance and target identification, which are essential to combat air support missions in Iraq.
Previously ROVER had been used by the Air Force, and with a few modifications from personnel of Naval Air Station Oceana, Va., and members from NADEP Jacksonville, Fla.; it became one of the last great modifications to the Tomcat.
VF-213 pilots who are making the transition to the Super Hornet will begin F/A-18F (double seat) training in April, and the squadron will be operational, or "safe for flight," in September. VF-31 pilots who are making the transition will begin F/A-18E (single seat) training in October, and the squadron will be safe for flight in April 2007. This will make VF-31 the last official Tomcat squadron in the Navy.
Last of a line of great Grumman fighters.
My father worked on Hellcats, the day he retired he touched the first Tomcat on NAS North Island. Hard to believe its all over now.
We lived in VA Beach from March 2001-Dec 2004, and my best memories of living there involve driving past NAS Oceana and seeing the Tomcats rip the sky to shreds. Hate to see these pretty birds go...
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The multi-mission F/A-18E/F "Super Hornet" strike fighter is an upgrade of the combat-proven night strike F/A-18C/D. The Super Hornet can carry approximately 17,750 pounds (8,032 kg) of external load on eleven stations.
Tomcat technical data.
Maximum external weapons load: 14, 500 lbs.
> The are for sale on the artist's website.
Thank you VERY much!
I will always love the Tomcat.
Among the fondest memories of my life are the times I stood behind the CO's chair on Connie... just a little NX Div squiddly lurking in the shadows... and watching a Tomcat go off of Cat 3 at AB-5.
God, what power!!!!
The Super Hornet is not an upgraded Hornet. It is, for all intents and purposes, an entirely different airplane whose performance does not equal that of the Hornet.
In order for the Super Hornet to match the combat range of the Tomcat several of those 11 hardpoints have to be loaded with fuel tanks.
Same here, but from 1979 to 1983. I was stationed at Dam Neck and loved my commute around the backside of Oceana on London Bridge Rd.
I flew the F-9 and its variants in flight training at VT-26 in Beeville, TX. One day a stud (student) could not get his gear down. He landed the a/c along side a runway on the dirt, grass and weeds. The plane flew the next week. Grumman was called "the Ironworks" for a very good reason.
Wow! I had no idea the Tomcat was that venerable. In my opinion, this is the way a fighter airplane is supposed to look -- mean, menacing, broad-shouldered, and a blur standing still.
I'm gonna miss that plane ...
Here's a webpage on the Tomcat, with a link to a page comparing the F-14 with the F18.
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/8629/f14.htm
The headline editor should bother to read the story. As the last paragraph indicates VF-31 and VF-213 continue to fly the Tomcat. It hasn't been retired, yet.
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