Tomcat Tales – A Documentary About the Real Top Guns!

[spazsinbad]

The 'SPEED & ANGELS' Video mentioned below is the best doco I have seen about Naval Aviation (& Tomcat of course).

Tomcat Tales – A Documentary About the Real Top Guns!
28 May 2020 WarbirdsNews

"...It’s time to strap in to hear from the real TOP GUNS, the actual U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School graduates, as they tell never-before-heard stories of what it was like flying the mighty Tomcat! This will be the ultimate documentary about America’s most beloved Navy jet fighter — the Grumman F-14 Tomcat!

Source: http://warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/t ... -guns.html

TOMCAT Tales Official Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTRoE6fbDB4

[mixelflick]

Great find... can't wait!

When I worked in insurance, I had the opportunity to visit CA in 2004. I think we were in San Diego, eating dinner at a restaurant outside overlooking the Pacific and enjoying the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen when.... I heard them. 4 F-14's rising into the air and jetting out over the Pacific against a pink, serene sunset.

The most gorgeous sunset I've ever seen, and the most awe inspiring military aviation experience I've ever had. I've been to most of the major airshows and seen everything from the early 80's Thunderbirds, Blue Angels (and every iteration since then), every teen series and both the F-35 and F-22. But nothing, nothing came close to that evening in San Diego.

Everyone should be so lucky..

[spazsinbad]

Aviation Classics Issue 13 Grumman F-14 Tomcat [2 page PDF of article attached below]
Jun 2020 Tim Callaway

"The Quickstrike to ASF-14 - The last Tomcat proposals
By 1987, Grumman realised that the potential for grow had not yet been reached by the F-14 airframe, and made a number of final proposals for advanced versions of the airframe to take the Tomcat into the 21st Century...."

Source: Grumman F-14 Tomcat Aviation Classics No.13

[aaam]

"The 'SPEED & ANGELS' Video mentioned below is the best doco I have seen about Naval Aviation (& Tomcat of course)."

Spazsinbad:

I emphatically agree. I have it. Unfortunately,it's no longer for sale as a DVD/Blu-Ray, but it's available on Amazon Prime and iTunes. Also, Megan Varley, who "starred" in it has a Facebook page that talks a lot about things Tomcat:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category ... 0294939908

Additionally, you just missed (May 20) a LiveStream event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the 'Cat with a number of heavy hitters participating. There is a replay of the event here, but you have to have a Facebook account to get to it (so I'll have to watch with someone else):

https://www.facebook.com/eranmalloch/vi ... 935568452/

[aaam]

Aviation Classics Issue 13 Grumman F-14 Tomcat [2 page PDF of article attached below]
Jun 2020 Tim Callaway

"The Quickstrike to ASF-14 - The last Tomcat proposals
By 1987, Grumman realised that the potential for grow had not yet been reached by the F-14 airframe, and made a number of final proposals for advanced versions of the airframe to take the Tomcat into the 21st Century...."

Source: Grumman F-14 Tomcat Aviation Classics No.13

Some other pics including the cockpit mockup and artists' depictions of the craft.

[marauder2048]

Thanks. I have a better appreciation for why Dick Cheney called the F-14 a "Grumman jobs program."

[aaam]

Thanks. I have a better appreciation for why Dick Cheney called the F-14 a "Grumman jobs program."

Since Dick Cheney was the one who killed the F-14 (along with other programs he personally didn't like) one would hardly expect him to be complimentary, or even objective.

Arguably, any program could be interpreted as a "jobs program". For example, and my personal opinion should not be inferred from this sentence, one could say that the F-1EX is a "Boeing jobs program".

[talkitron]

Thanks for the reference to the documentary Speed & Angels. I just watched it and it was one of the best military documentaries I have seen. Any other recommendations for documentaries of this quality?

I looked up the main subjects, Jay & Meagan. Jay lives in Midland, TX is a part-time racer and Meagan works at Amazon.

[35_aoa]

I agree, one of the better ones out there. Jay was one of my instructors at VMFAT-101 going through initial Hornet FRS training, and Megan was a 106 IP at the same time, teaching some of my friends. This would have been a year or two after the film was released, as they had since finished their initial Tomcat tours and transitioned to the FA-18. Don't know her, but he was a great guy and good instructor.

[johnwill]

Additionally, you just missed (May 20) a LiveStream event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the 'Cat with a number of heavy hitters participating. There is a replay of the event here, but you have to have a Facebook account to get to it (so I'll have to watch with someone else):

I wonder if they had a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the second flight.

[spazsinbad]

I agree, one of the better ones out there. Jay was one of my instructors at VMFAT-101 going through initial Hornet FRS training, and Megan was a 106 IP at the same time, teaching some of my friends. This would have been a year or two after the film was released, as they had since finished their initial Tomcat tours and transitioned to the FA-18. Don't know her, but he was a great guy and good instructor.

Good to know. Soon I'll post some PDF info about Megan/Meagan & the fillum.... There are links on uboob to some clips.

Two clips on first page of this 7 page PDF attached about Meagan & Speed/Angels I hope to find to put on Ubend soon....

Explanation about video below: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=20468&p=256312&hilit=meagan#p256312

This video clip is not quite the one but it has at the end the scream of Meagan during her first F-14 catshot in the fillum:

F-14 Tomcat Pilots lose catapult virginity from Speed and Angels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XvKsCYxOk8


_____________________________________________________

'Watch Me' Meagan Speed & Angels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zHRdKS6nxo


_____________________________________________________

Meagan First Catapult F-14 TomCat from SPEED & ANGELS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy0Zj0_eiPw

[aaam]

Additionally, you just missed (May 20) a LiveStream event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the 'Cat with a number of heavy hitters participating. There is a replay of the event here, but you have to have a Facebook account to get to it (so I'll have to watch with someone else):

I wonder if they had a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the second flight.

[Tiger05]

Thanks. I have a better appreciation for why Dick Cheney called the F-14 a "Grumman jobs program."

A bit rich coming from Cheney to call the F-14 "a jobs program" when the Super Hornet (a program he sets in motion) was just that, a "jobs program". Industrial base considerations played a major role in the decision to pursue the SH. McDD's military aircraft division (and especially fighters) was not in a good place in the early 90s: the A-12 had just been cancelled (another Cheney decision although this one was probably justified), the Northrop/McDD YF-23 had lost to the YF-22 in the ATF competition while the F-15, F/A-18C/D and AV-8B production lines were all facing an uncertain future as US procurement of those types was to end in the 90s. Add to this that the McDD commercial aircraft division was rapidly losing grounds to both Boeing and Airbus and the prospects for the company were not encouraging... Thus the sudden "need" for the SH which appeared out of nowhere very quickly and become an official program just a year or so after the A-12's cancellation giving McDD's fighter business a much needed shot in the arm. No competition was held. It was pure corporate welfare, much like the F-15EX today, but on an even bigger scale.

[marauder2048]

Thanks. I have a better appreciation for why Dick Cheney called the F-14 a "Grumman jobs program."

Since Dick Cheney was the one who killed the F-14 (along with other programs he personally didn't like) one would hardly expect him to be complimentary, or even objective.

Arguably, any program could be interpreted as a "jobs program". For example, and my personal opinion should not be inferred from this sentence, one could say that the F-1EX is a "Boeing jobs program".

Provided you ignore the fact that Grumman's entries in the other competitions of the era were utter duds.
They had nothing left really aside from the F-14; they would have lost the E-2 replacement competition as well.

That doesn't describe Boeing.

[aaam]

Thanks. I have a better appreciation for why Dick Cheney called the F-14 a "Grumman jobs program."

Since Dick Cheney was the one who killed the F-14 (along with other programs he personally didn't like) one would hardly expect him to be complimentary, or even objective.

Arguably, any program could be interpreted as a "jobs program". For example, and my personal opinion should not be inferred from this sentence, one could say that the F-1EX is a "Boeing jobs program".

Provided you ignore the fact that Grumman's entries in the other competitions of the era were utter duds.
They had nothing left really aside from the F-14; they would have lost the E-2 replacement competition as well.

That doesn't describe Boeing.

Well first, I was dealing with the phrase "___ jobs program". I was using the F-15EX simply to illustrate that you could call any contract with the Government s a "jobs program". Consider that AF did not particularly want the -15EX but given the way the winds were blowing they acquiesced. Like I said, don't infer my personal opinion of the -EX program from that statement.

Read Tiger05's post. I happen to be in the same camp that Cheney/DoD canceled the F-14D and ordered the Navy to buy the Super Hornet as an industrial base exercise. They wanted to keep MDD in the tactical aircraft game. Consider where they were:

They didn't get ATF. Advanced F-15s were not in the cards because AF made it crystal clear that they were absolutely not interested in anything that might compete for funding with ATF. AV-8B was a specialty aircraft with little possibility of a long production line. Classic Hornet was already scheduled to go out of production in the '90s. DoD wanted to preserve the company, partly because they really wanted C-17s. So, "“Voila!” the F/A-18E/F.

Regarding Grumman: They were a specialized shop, it's true. Regarding competitions, They won the Navy's (paper) competition to replace the A-6E with the A-6F (the other competitor was an upgrade of the Classic Hornet) That program was canceled when it was decided that the ATA/A-12 would be arriving soon enough that it was hard to justify having an aircraft developed between the A-6E and the A-12 (hindsight is 20/20). They had a program in hand for 527 D or later model F-14s. Navy had said when they pulled out of ATF that they could meet their needs until 2015 with the -14D and advanced versions. They didn't lose the competition for the A-12. They took a look at the ATA program and decided that the only thing worse than losing that contract was winning it, and so the Gov't- mandated team of Northrop and Grumman (they weren't merged yet) just walked away from the competition. Competition to replace the E-2? Note that it's still in production.

Again, with fewer programs forthcoming it's likely that DoD wanted to preserve certain companies more than others and MDD seemed a more versatile company than Grumman. That and Cheney was not a big fan of Grumman on Naval Air.

Since Boeing came up it's worth remembering that since the KC-135 they have been unable to put any new aircraft of their own design into military service except for derivatives of their commercial products. Regarding helicopters, Boeing has never put any helo, civil or military, of its own design into production. In fact, they've only flown a total of six airframes of one model of their own design (that lost its competition) into the sky in their history.