Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Nypsy on June 24, 2014, 06:17:55 AM

Title: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: Nypsy on June 24, 2014, 06:17:55 AM
Air show video...

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/this-throwback-f-14-demo-video-will-bring-tomcat-lovers-1593292450/+travis

Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: tmetal on June 24, 2014, 09:56:52 AM
Nice video :aok I love the tomcat.

Some great video from inside the cockpit in this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTko5vhSOa4
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: mthrockmor on June 24, 2014, 11:48:51 AM
In the entire universe of aviation there are two types of airplanes. The F-14D and everything else...!

Thanks for the post
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: Blinder on June 24, 2014, 04:57:50 PM
In the entire universe of aviation there are two types of airplanes. The F-14D and everything else...!

Thanks for the post

Yeah. Too bad everything else is still flying while gutted Tomcats are popping up as static displays at VFWs everywhere. There is something seriously wrong with this world.  :bhead

(http://www.warbirdsandairshows.com/images/penngguards/east-berlin-f-14-96w-1.jpg)
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: DaveBB on June 24, 2014, 06:00:02 PM
Why spoilers instead of ailerons on the Tomcat?  Also, they gutted the Tomcats so no Iranians could get their hands on spare parts.
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: Slash27 on June 27, 2014, 12:45:04 PM
Why spoilers instead of ailerons on the Tomcat?  Also, they gutted the Tomcats so no Iranians could get their hands on spare parts.
Well, that's one story anyway. :D
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: Rich46yo on June 27, 2014, 01:29:25 PM
Why spoilers instead of ailerons on the Tomcat?  Also, they gutted the Tomcats so no Iranians could get their hands on spare parts.

They gutted them cause it cost a fortune to maintain less capability then an all F-18 navy.

Their time came ; Their time went.

The USN, like all services, have to answer to the budget axe now that the Cold War is over. The Tomcat was a great plane and it did give us a few advantages but it wasnt worth the cost of keeping them in the air.
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: Saxman on June 27, 2014, 02:51:52 PM
They gutted them cause it cost a fortune to maintain less capability then an all F-18 navy.

Their time came ; Their time went.

The USN, like all services, have to answer to the budget axe now that the Cold War is over. The Tomcat was a great plane and it did give us a few advantages but it wasnt worth the cost of keeping them in the air.

Seems to me the Tomcat is the ideal platform for defending against projects like China's long-range anti-shipping missile.

And it's not than an all-F-18 Navy is more capable. That's entirely a matter of logistics.
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: tmetal on June 27, 2014, 03:33:08 PM
I think the spoilers were chosen over ailerons in part because it was easier to engineer that way with the adjustable swept wings, in addition to the short approach and landing assistance spoilers can provide; but I might be wrong. In the picture, I can't tell if the outer control surfaces are ailerons or just flaps :headscratch:

(http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w295/poledancingbabe/Military%20Fighters/f14tom.jpg) (http://media.photobucket.com/user/poledancingbabe/media/Military%20Fighters/f14tom.jpg.html)
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: DaveBB on June 27, 2014, 04:44:17 PM
Radar signature the size of a blimp.
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: craz07 on June 27, 2014, 05:20:10 PM
daveybb, where do you get your info from..? looks like it has better angles than the f18
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: DaveBB on June 27, 2014, 06:12:12 PM
Are you saying the F-14 is stealthy?
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: craz07 on June 27, 2014, 06:14:20 PM
read the line above davy.. read it again
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: craz07 on June 27, 2014, 06:27:38 PM
I think it is stupid how angles work, but they do
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: Halo46 on June 28, 2014, 06:04:06 AM
I think the spoilers were chosen over ailerons in part because it was easier to engineer that way with the adjustable swept wings, in addition to the short approach and landing assistance spoilers can provide; but I might be wrong. In the picture, I can't tell if the outer control surfaces are ailerons or just flaps :headscratch:

(http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w295/poledancingbabe/Military%20Fighters/f14tom.jpg) (http://media.photobucket.com/user/poledancingbabe/media/Military%20Fighters/f14tom.jpg.html)

All flaps. It had no ailerons at all. It used stabilators, aka tailerons, which were assisted by the wing spoilers at slower speeds for roll.

They gutted them cause it cost a fortune to maintain less capability then an all F-18 navy.

Their time came ; Their time went.

The USN, like all services, have to answer to the budget axe now that the Cold War is over. The Tomcat was a great plane and it did give us a few advantages but it wasnt worth the cost of keeping them in the air.

Umm, no, they were much more capable at the mission they were developed for than hornets and I believe more versatile overall than most gave them credit for. But yes, they were expensive and like many things Congress screws with, had issues.

I will always miss seeing them in the air.

  :airplane:

Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: DaveBB on June 28, 2014, 11:23:25 AM
I highly recommend the book "Black Aces High".  It is about F-14s in combat during the 1999? Serbian Air War.  While the F-14 was far more capable than the F/A-18, nearly every single carrier launch of the F-14 resulted in a component being broken.  Most of the time this was not a mission critical system.  Sometimes it was.  Some F-14s ended up needing 50! hours of maintenance for every hour of flight time.  The key assets the F-14 brought to the fight were (1)range/endurance (2)sniper pod (3)a vast array of weapons.  F-14s actually attacked a Mig airfield during the conflict, dropping specialized runway busting bombs (not durandals, some navy version).  And of course there was the famous "Sambush", where SAM sites ambushed a flight of F-14s.  The critical factor in surviving that incident was energy.  The F-14s had to fly at full burner to run the missiles out of energy.  They succeeded and had enough fuel to get to the tankers.  F/A-18s probably wouldn't have had enough fuel.

Anyhow, check out the book. 
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: Rich46yo on June 28, 2014, 03:17:05 PM
All flaps. It had no ailerons at all. It used stabilators, aka tailerons, which were assisted by the wing spoilers at slower speeds for roll.

Umm, no, they were much more capable at the mission they were developed for than hornets and I believe more versatile overall than most gave them credit for. But yes, they were expensive and like many things Congress screws with, had issues.

I will always miss seeing them in the air.

  :airplane:



They cost 50 man hours of maintenance for every hour in the air. The F18SH costs 5 to 10. What good is a platform if it isnt flight ready? The SH has an RCS of 6 to 7x less then the 14, depending. Of course there are things the TC can do better. More Load, greater range, more speed.

But the threat environment has changed. No modern navy can reproduce the threat the Soviet Navy could at the height of the Cold War with their maritime strike bombers, ASM's, and ASM boats. Modern defense systems like the SM aboard Aegis platforms have proven effective against not only Ballistic missiles but also over the Horizon super sonic cruise missiles in testing. Coming down the pipe are rail guns, Lasers, stealth, and unheard of computing power and power generation.

The lack of range of the SH has been mitigated by its reduced RCS, long range extremely accurate stand off missiles, and before long.. The F35.

Naw, she was a great bird and will forever be a symbol of the Free World making a stand. A marvel for its time. But the decision to bench the TomCat was the right one. I'll never forget the Libyans getting their lesson that the free world wasnt playing anymore. I think the Soviet Maritime strike Bomber force would have had a very bad time with the F14s. Apparently they believed it too.  :salute
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: SFRT - Frenchy on June 29, 2014, 09:56:55 PM
Get ready to see A10s on posts too  :cry
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: Rich46yo on June 30, 2014, 04:22:15 AM
Get ready to see A10s on posts too  :cry

Im still trying to figure out the logic behind that one.
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: mthrockmor on June 30, 2014, 10:28:12 AM
I highly recommend the book "Black Aces High".  It is about F-14s in combat during the 1999? Serbian Air War. 

Anyhow, check out the book. 

Just bought it on Amazon for $0.01 with $3.99 shipping. Sounds like a good read. Thanks for the heads up
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: Zacherof on July 02, 2014, 09:00:58 PM
Get ready to see A10s on posts too  :cry
My favorite modern CAS aircraft
Title: Re: For you Tomcat lovers
Post by: Slash27 on July 06, 2014, 07:41:14 PM
Just bought it on Amazon for $0.01 with $3.99 shipping. Sounds like a good read. Thanks for the heads up
I splurged and bought one for $0.16 :D