As you probably know, the F-14 has been taken out of service now after 30 odd years. Someone has put this montage together, bloody brill. Love the shots at 3:05 and 7:35 showing the tomcat really close to the water. You need ***** to fly like that (or be really stoopid!)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOogq...related&search=

 

Pretty cool ... I did 6 yrs in the Navy in support of the Tomcats.

 

When Brian was in the Navy and before, my favorite thing in the world to do was sit by the runway at Oceana and watch them, or go to the beach on weekends to watch them play games. My most favorite ever.

 

Love the Hot Shots video cameo in the first one

Here's a photo video I found done by Navy Times. It'll choke you up a bit.
http://www.navytimes.com/static.php?...ight080206.php

 

How gay is Top Gun? (not work safe due to language)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHklGtW3rwU

 

 

I love Tarantino's sense of humor.

 

My Dad was in the Navy on aircraft carriers, but that was before the time of the Tomcat, so he got me hooked on fighter jets early. I love the F14, started flying them when I was about 8 years old (okay... so it was in US Navy Fighters 97 on a computer game) I always flew the Tomcat. There were better planes but I think it was the look of the Tomcat that got me.

Everytime I see videos or pictures of fighter jets like this I think THAT is what i want to do.

sorry to see such a cool plane go, but that top gun video was funny

 

The F-14 was a bad a** bird in its day. My hat's off to all the pilots and crew who flew and worked with this bird in its 30 year career. They were the best.

Oh that Gay Top Gun video was more than a little outre, but it cracked me up.

 

Once upon a time a million years ago I lived in San Diego.
I once took a bus for 2 hours out to Mirimar just to go see Top Gun school. I got the tour and saw the tomcats and fell even more in love with this airplane.

I once was at an airshow in Norfolk where one was landing and blew a tire. Scared the bejesus out of me.

Fun Fact not in the fun fact section: I have watched Top gun Over 200 times.

 

When I lived in the San Diego area I also went to the Top Gun school. At that time they were one of my customers. Very cool stuff. And when I was in the Marines I went to the O Club there. It was as big a meat market then as it was in the movie but that's not why I went there. I think that was before Tom Cruise was born!

I had a friend who lived near NAS Miramar. Every summer we'd sit in her back yard and watch the Blue Angels during the air show. Simply amazing stuff.

And when I was in the second or third grade, way back when, I remember seeing a weird airplane at what I think now is the Coast Guard station. It was the Pogo Stick or something like that. Prop driven, it parked on its tail and launched vertically. Strange bird and unfortunately I never got to see it fly. OT I know, but I'll try to find some info about this.

Found a link. www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/convair_pogo.htm Hope it works. Weird bird but very interesting.

 

The Tomcat is THE MOST Bad A** fighting aircraft ever devised! BTW this month's Air & Space magazine has an excellent article saluting the F-14.

 

This was always my favorite squadron:

http://www.jolly-rogers.com/home2.htm


When we moved up to Hampton we lost the F14s and gained the stealths from langley, not as interesting.

 

Maybe there will be a few Tomcats flying around in the years to come. I am always amazed to see there are still F4 Phantoms flying here in the USA. I have been a Phantom Phreak for a **** long time!