F-14 Tomcat Makes Ceremonial Last Flight

[Eugene]

F-14 Tomcat Makes Ceremonial Last Flight
By SONJA BARISIC, Associated Press Writer
4:35 PM PDT, September 22, 2006

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The F-14 Tomcat, the dogfighting Cold War fighter jet
immortalized in the movie "Top Gun," made its ceremonial final flight Friday
in a display that suggested the timing was right for retirement.

Pilot Lt. Cmdr. David Faehnle and radar intercept officer Lt. Cmdr. Robert
Gentry gave a final salute from inside their cockpit before aircraft no. 102
taxied downthe runway and out of sight at Oceana Naval Air Station.

The plane that actually took off as thousands applauded and whistled, however,
was aircraft no. 107, with Lt. Cmdr. Chris Richard at the controls and intercept
officer Lt. Mike Petronis in the back seat.

The first jet had mechanical problems -- "a common occurrence with the F-14,"
said Mike Maus, a Navy spokesman. The second jet had been on standby just
in case.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-tomcat-farewell,1,1506719.story

[razors edge]

1. decent aircraft but

I wonder what it's overall cost from inception, to decommission, verses successful intercept and destroy ratio would be. A billion to one or something close?

[SenorSanchez]

2. beautiful aircraft

She was beauty. The F-14 was a force to be reckoned with in skies. Too bad the military decommissioned her, but the cost of keeping her alive would have been enormous and with the joint strike fighter coming out soon it would be unnecessary.