F-14D

F-14 Tomcat pilot and TOPGUN instructor explains how he was able to nail a MiG-29 Fulcrum in a 1v1 Dogfight

F-14 Tomcat pilot and TOPGUN instructor explains how he was able to nail MiG-29 Fulcrum in a 1v1 Dogfight

“I saw his two afterburners. He is probably doing 500 knots, straight downhill, with both afterburners. And I thought, ‘Gotcha!’… Read More

3 weeks ago

US Navy F-14 Pilot explains how he was able to Land his Tomcat Without Canopy after his Backseater erroneously Bailed Out

The incredible photos in this post show an F-14 Tomcat (actually the F-14D BuNo. 164341) flying without canopy. Advancements during… Read More

6 months ago

A Kill is Kill! The story of the Iraqi MiG-23 that crashed while trying to escape from two AIM-54 Phoenix missiles fired by US Navy F-14 Tomcats

While approaching for the second landing attempt, the Iraqi MiG-23 ran out of fuel, stalled and crashed only 200 metres… Read More

7 months ago

F-14D pilot recalls that time Chuck Yeager said his Super Tomcat was “the only real fighter” featured at Edwards AFB air show

‘He asked few questions about our deployment and how it performed over Iraq, asked about me and my RIO,… Read More

8 months ago

Last F-14 Tomcat in US Navy service will be moving from Bethpage to Cradle of Aviation Museum

Felix 101, F-14D BuNo 164603, the last Tomcat in US Navy service, currently in front of vacant office building… Read More

1 year ago

F-14 RIO explains how Tomcat Crew could Outmaneuver a Hornet, why in some Mission Profiles the F/A-18 is a better Air-to-Air Fighter than the F-14 and why the Super Hornet is Worthless against China

‘As for which would have been a better air-to-air platform, it depends on what specific mission profiles you’re talking about,… Read More

1 year ago

Former US Navy Test Pilot explains why the Super Tomcat 21 would outperform the Super Hornet in every area except Reliability

There is no doubt the Super Tomcat 21 would have been the better plane but it still would have likely… Read More

1 year ago

F-14 Tomcat pilot and TOPGUN instructor tells the story of when he nailed MiG-29 in a 1v1 dogfight

Captain Sam “Slammer” Richardson forced the MiG-29 pilot to call “Knock it off.” Afterwards, he said the Fulcrum pilot could… Read More

2 years ago

US Navy F-14 Pilots explain why non-RIO must be trained ‘in doing several things’ to fly in the Tomcat back seat

Although only the F-14 pilot has flight controls in the front seat, there are a lot of things that are… Read More

2 years ago

Q&A with former F-14 Tomcat RIO: Dave “Bio” Baranek answers your questions

"I have to wonder what a fully-funded, fully-developed Tomcat would be like (…looks dreamily into space). I’m certain it would’ve… Read More

2 years ago

Former F-14D pilot tells the story of when Chuck Yeager called his Super Tomcat “the only real fighter” featured at Edwards AFB air show

There were plenty of shiny USAF fighters but I knew exactly what he meant. They didn’t count because they were… Read More

2 years ago

Cradle of Aviation Museum to receive the last F-14 to ever fly to celebrate 50th Anniversary of the Iconic Tomcat

The museum will receive for restoration and permanent display the last F-14 (BuNo 164603) to ever fly, number 711 of… Read More

3 years ago

Where have all the Tomcats gone? This F-14-Map featuring all the remaining Tomcats, their crash sites and their historic sites will give you the answer

The story behind the F-14-map “Where have all the Tomcats gone” Have you ever wondered what happened to the 712… Read More

3 years ago

F-4 Phantom Vs F-14 Tomcat: Naval Aviator who Flew Both tells which one was the Better Fighter and which one was his Favorite to Fly

The F-14 Tomcat entered active service in 1974 and started to replace the F-4 Phantom in the same year. In… Read More

3 years ago

“Abe’s” Extraordinary Odyssey: The Story of the Longest Deployment for an Aircraft Carrier in Post-Vietnam Military History

17 years ago, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) embarked on the longest deployment for an aircraft carrier in post-Vietnam military history.… Read More

4 years ago

Here’s why this F-14A Tomcat split into two pieces

“On the night of July 11th as we made our way across the pond, it was horrible night for… Read More

4 years ago

Go For Your Gun! The first F-14 Tomcat Strafe Run during Operation Iraqi Freedom

'Our primary concern during our gunnery passes was the fact that we were now well within the range of MANPADS.… Read More

5 years ago