http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070702/ap_on_re_us/shredding_tomcats

I've always liked the Tomcat. I know that some people griped about certain aspects, including weaponry, but I always thought it had sweet lines, especially for a variable-geometry aircraft.

Sad to see them go, but glad that the Pentagon is seeing to it that no parts fall into enemy hands.

Had me worried there for a second... I thought you said "Top Cat"

http://www.angelfire.com/ne/notears/topcat002.gif

http://mahboubian.googlepages.com/F14-Flyby-s.jpg

Amazing Piece of machinery. I'm sad to see it scrapped like that. I hope they keep a few intact.

-Steakboy

gotta give props to a fighter that was able to engage 6 targets from 60 miles away in 1975! The f-14 was a very beautiful craft and the only US fighter to carry long range AAMs (dont think F-18s carried the AIM54.) Sad to see the f-14s go but the mutated super hornets have already largely taken over the f-14s role and the up coming f-35 is the final nail in the coffin.

my question is are f18c's and d's still used.

It was an amazing plane to watch but I'm glad to see the Navy moving on. The big cat was getting old and the threat that it was designed for is gone.
Shredding them is a sad but understandable end for a legend.

f14 vs rs8? in the twisties?

Had me worried there for a second... I thought you said "Top Cat"

http://www.angelfire.com/ne/notears/topcat002.gif

Close friends get to call him "T.C.":)

gotta give props to a fighter that was able to engage 6 targets from 60 miles away in 1975! The f-14 was a very beautiful craft and the only US fighter to carry long range AAMs (dont think F-18s carried the AIM54.) Sad to see the f-14s go but the mutated super hornets have already largely taken over the f-14s role and the up coming f-35 is the final nail in the coffin.

my question is are f18c's and d's still used.

Production of the C's ceased in '99 but I believe they may still be in use. I think the D's are still in use too.

I personally LOVE the F-22. Stealthy with a bite.

-Steakboy

hiiiiiighwaaaaayyyy tooooo theeee dannger zoooonnnnnne!!

Here I thought you were talking TomKat ... aka Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, which, when you think about it, ties in nicely with the goodbye to the F-14 Tomcat as that's what Tom Cruise was 'flying' in Top Gun.

The 14 was an amazing bird. I was on the Nimitz when the first "kills" for the 14 were made. That was '81 and we shot down those two Libyan fighters. Pretty cool!

Sad to see them go, but it was inevitable.

NAVAIR RULZ!

Not sure if the Tomcat was ever nuclear capable like the the FA-18 (Marine pilot told me it was). I know it wasn't the most graceful thing to land on a carrier.
I watched a couple crash on flight decks when I was in the Corps.

simple awesome jet, ahead of its time.

Here's a fun fact: when a jet is retired and sent to an arizona jet "graveyard" they cut the fuselage behind the cockpit in half, then weld it back to together to, doing that prevents it from ever flying again but keeps the jet "stock" looking.

that thing was an amazing piece of engineering. Sad to see it get mangled by a shredder but if it keeps those parts out of Iran's / China's hands then I'm all for it.

What's replaced the F14? (pics plz)

Not sure if the Tomcat was ever nuclear capable like the the FA-18 (Marine pilot told me it was). I know it wasn't the most graceful thing to land on a carrier.
I watched a couple crash on flight decks when I was in the Corps.

Yeah, it was! Hell, even the S-3 was nuke capable! It could carry nuke tipped torps!

I've always loved the F-14. It always seemed cool to me how it could rotate its wings in flight. I wonder if they'll still keep a few around for Air Shows.

As others have said, it is sad to see them go, but it is an understandably necessary evil.

He's too close, I'm switching to guns!

Glad to see that other countries are still scrounging up our 30 year old technology. USA! USA!

"you never close your eyes anymore...."

What's replaced the F14? (pics plz)

The F18E Super Hornet and the F35 Lightning II http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/lmpic1.jpghttp://www.military.cz/usa/air/in_service/aircraft/f18e/fa18einfl.jpg

I used to work on the hydro's in the landing gear of these beautiful birds. It was a boring job you just sit in a room and watch a gauge all day until one day one of my reps took a few of us out to the field and I got to be up and personal with a Cat. The pictures are one thing but being right there was a life experience. You would just be amazed.

I used to work on the hydro's in the landing gear of these beautiful birds. It was a boring job you just sit in a room and watch a gauge all day until one day one of my reps took a few of us out to the field and I got to be up and personal with a Cat. The pictures are one thing but being right there was a life experience. You would just be amazed.

So, Raven, you worked at AIMD?? I was at AIMD at NAS Norfolk for 3 years and then went to VS-24 (Cecil Field, outside of Jacksonville, FLA). When I got to the squadron, they actually let me work O-level for about 3 months. I had a blast, plus I was seat and power qualified and working on becoming a line troubleshooter. Alas, I had to go back to AIMD when we got ready for our Med cruise (USS Nimitz, Aug 81-Feb 82).

Tomcats were pretty awesome to see in the air. They have a Family Day cruise on most of the carriers where everyone on board brings their family and the boat cruises out a few miles from shore. The air show is the best part of the whole day, especially the supersonic flyby from the 14 (well, 18 now)!

I also got to see the 14s target practice one day. I was on Vulture's Row (an observation deck in the tower that we were allowed to access to view flight ops-most of the tower is restricted). They were towing a target behind the boat and the 14s and A-7s were doing flybys and shooting the target. The 20mm gatling of the 14s sounded like a big, wet fart in the sky! But I sure wouldn't want to be on the receiving end!! Damn!

Nah I didn't work at AIMD. Sorry the place I worked for was called Kaiser Aerospace in Charlotte,NC.It was a smaller machine and Servo shop that specilized in jet and helicopter landing gear.We had contracts with the larger companies ( Lockhead and Boeing ), NASA, and military. I also worked on The Apache's and SR-71's.But the company sold out and moved to NY.I didn't want to follow so now I work on steam driven Turbines for Duke Energy.

Nah I didn't work at AIMD. Sorry the place I worked for was called Kaiser Aerospace in Charlotte,NC.It was a smaller machine and Servo shop that specilized in jet and helicopter landing gear.We had contracts with the larger companies ( Lockhead and Boeing ), NASA, and military. I also worked on The Apache's and SR-71's.But the company sold out and moved to NY.I didn't want to follow so now I work on steam driven Turbines for Duke Energy.

Ooops my bad! Guess I was "presuming" that you were Navy!

Can't blame you for not wanting to go to NY!!!!

that thing was an amazing piece of engineering. Sad to see it get mangled by a shredder but if it keeps those parts out of Iran's / China's hands then I'm all for it.

What's replaced the F14? (pics plz)

Even though they were amazing flying machines when they were in service before all the new aircrafts came out, I don't think the chinese would want them =/ .
http://www.softwar.net/plaaf.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_Air_Force

The F-14 is still my favorite fighter, i've been in love with it since i was little. My friend would play with his F-18 Model and i would run around and chase him with my F-14 while yelling "Pshh! Pshh! Kaa boom! Pshh! da da da da da da da da da... ka pshhh"

Has steakboy made thread about these yet? That's something I would surely want to read. Whenever people mentioned jets and things of that nature this is the one that always came to mind.

I use to have a model one that had plastic missle you could launch by pushing a button behind the missle itself, and the wings expanded and retracted, etc etc.

I would always run around the house while listening to Danger Zone and playing like I'm Tom Cruise. It was pretty cool, the plane bad a button up next to the cock-pit that would play sound clips from the movie. Fun times indeed.

Anyway, like I said I wouldn't mind reading up about these, I remember someone said the threat they were made for no longer exists wanted to know what that was, and why the wings were made to do that.

With the limited space on a carrier these days planes that are more multipurpose are far more effective for the military. The Superhornet will be able to fill the Tomkats role of air superiority but also is more effective as an attack plane (i.e. bomb truck). With the advent of the Amraams & the limited uses (only on the F14) of the AIM54C's the Tomkat's days were numbered. Beautiful plane though

still sayin the F-14's have been gone for months

Man I read the title and thought....Tomcat....no!!! Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have split!?!?!??........

Then I realized you guys all have a fascination with planes...and thought....this thread does not deliver....that is all

My dad was an actual Top Gun pilot. USNA '78. Needless to say, it's deeply saddening to us about it's departure. I understand their need to keep the 'cats out of enemy hands, but the thought of them being torn apart and re-assembled to never fly again is just awful.

Here's to my favorite airplane on earth.

Edit: Yeah, they've been out of service for awhile now, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. :(