After 34 Years in service, The US Navy is retiring their main carrier defense aircraft on Sept 2006: the F-14 Tomcat. In a time of multi-role capable fighter requirements, technology and practicality have outgrown the need for this aircraft. With its vaunted AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, the main purpose of the aircraft was not to go searching for the enemy, but rather to act as a guard dog to either carrier fleets or attack aircraft on strike missions.

Aside from the fact that it was a very reliable high performance aircraft that could knock anything out of the sky, what endeared it to its many civilian fans was the fact that the F-14 looked very macho with it’s variable wing design and twin tails. This was even before time that the plane was made famous by Tom Cruise in the movie Top Gun (Tomcats from VF-111 Sundowners were used in that Movie).

One of the most famous variants of the Tomcat in popular culture were that flown by the VF-84 Jolly Roger Squadron based off the USS Nimitz. Long seen in movies such as the Final Countdown, Executive Decision and the Philadelphia Experiment were the Black Twin tails of the F-14 with the Skulls and Crossbones emblem of the Jolly Roger Squadron. Prior to the retirement of the F-14 from Military Service, the Jolly Roger Squadron had earlier been retired in 1995. The Jolly Roger Squadron however has gone on to its next manifestation in its service to the US Navy, as the VF-103 Sluggers have renamed themselves to carry on the proud tradition of the Jolly Rogers.

So Long Tomcat!, you’ve served your country well. On a personal note, I remember fishing my brother’s 1:48 scale F-14 Model Plane from his trashcan when he grew tired of it. Of course, model kits were suppossed to be displayed and not played with, but the swing-wing feature of the plane was just too hard to resist for a young boy not to play with.

Drop by the Tomcat Association for more info about the aircraft and great tales of bravado.

 Tags: F-14 Tomcat

“I like to dream yes, yes, right between my sound machine
On a cloud of sound I drift in the night
Any place it goes is right
Goes far, flies near, to the stars away from here
Well, you don’t know what we can find
Why don’t you come with me little girl boy
On a magic carpet ride
You don’t know what we can see
Why don’t you tell your dreams to me…”

Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf

I wonder what he dreams about when sleeps?… that’s the two hours inbetween bottle feedings… *snicker*