dodgy-alan 1,587 Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 Someone asked what the VC was like on that F-14. Hope this awnsers the question! Virtually every switch works! It really is an amazing peice of work. Superior in many ways to expensive payware models. Thanks for viewing 1 Link to post Share on other sites
ddavid 149 Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 Going 'cruisin' in you new hat, Al'? Take it easy, Mate! We get 2 or 3 of these b*gg*rs over us most days. Nice engine note, except when they're turning at Machynlleth fo another circuit. Have a good one! Cheers - Dai. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
dodgy-alan 1,587 Posted December 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 They have sadly been out of service a while now. What you are seeing are the F-15s out of Lakenheath. I have freinds and relatives in the area and we've seen them many times. My friends farm at Myddffai regularly gets buzzed by them. http://www.lakenheath.af.mil/ Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 Only Iran has any F-14s left in service, dating from the Shah of Iran era, and their condition and capability is very doubtful. In the Iran-Iraq war they mostly used them as a mini-AWACs because the F-14 radar was head and shoulders more powerful than anything else either country had at the time. I'm not a jet man but have always liked the Tomcat. It was only toward the end of its service life that they converted it for the ground attack role. For most of its time in the fleet it was pretty much an air-air platform. John 1 Link to post Share on other sites
dodgy-alan 1,587 Posted December 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 In my opinion they were probably the coolest looking Naval aircraft ever built. Everything about the f-14 just looked right. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
ddavid 149 Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 Oops - thanks for the correction! Cheers - Dai. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Timothy Brooks 9 Posted December 24, 2014 Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 Nice looking aircraft, Alan. Always loved the Tomcat. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted December 24, 2014 Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 In my opinion they were probably the coolest looking Naval aircraft ever built. Everything about the f-14 just looked right. Agree, Al. It was also the only aircraft configured to carry the AIM-54 Phoenix missile, which was retired when the Tomcats were. The two had a potent stand-off air defense capability, aimed mainly at Soviet-era bombers carrying long-range anti-ship missiles. The primary role of the Tomcat for most of it's career was defense of the carrier against air attack. I've seen several at airshows, including one jaw-dropping 45 minute long, single-ship flight demo on a bright, clear day. The guy flying it appeared to be having the time of his life. One of the most awesome maneuvers was a corner-speed 360 degree, 90 degree bank turn completely on airport property, while only a couple of wingspans above the ground. Despite the bright sunlight, when looking up the exhaust pipes you saw bright orange afterburner flames. He also demonstrated a carrier approach and bolter, followed by a vertical departure to an out-of-sight altitude, slow rolling all the way up. On the other end of the spectrum, saw one late in the day on the last day of an airshow, sitting in the middle of an ocean of oil-dry, leaking fuel like a sieve, looking very down in the mouth. Word was they were going to have to fly a maintenance team in the following day to make it right before it could be flown out. Not a great PR day for them. John 1 Link to post Share on other sites
dodgy-alan 1,587 Posted December 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 Have any been kept in flying condition? It would be a real shame if they had all been grounded. Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted December 24, 2014 Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 It's not publicly known, though I'm guessing the folks at Ft. Meade, Maryland know. Of course what passes for flying condition in Iran these days may not be so pretty. John 1 Link to post Share on other sites
dolf8857 640 Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 Nice shots Alan, great bird you got there! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 I believe I read that when the Navy retired theirs the DoD mandated that they be utterly destroyed to prevent spares being diverted to Iran, which is always looking on the black market trying to get maintenance materials for theirs. I believe several are in museums - have seen one at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola FL and one that looks to be almost flyable at the Tico Warbird Museum at KTIX, in Titusville FL, near the Kennedy Space Center. John 1 Link to post Share on other sites
dodgy-alan 1,587 Posted December 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 I'd be tempted to pack the remaining ones that are parked out in the desert, pack them full of explosives and then send them out as remote guided flying bombs against ISIS! Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 If you mean the Iranian desert that might be possible. I don't think any remain at Davis-Monthan. If I understand correctly, after the last active USN squadron stood down, they were all promptly destroyed to prevent any parts being diverted to Iran. John Link to post Share on other sites
rob16584 42 Posted December 30, 2014 Report Share Posted December 30, 2014 That looks better (graphically) that the iris tomcat I reviewed for computer pilot a few years ago 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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