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Old 2nd August 2015, 23:49   #31
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Re: Defender of the fleet - The Grumman F-14 Tomcat

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Originally Posted by psispace View Post
I was quite impressed with the nice detailed accumulation of info and trivia on this aircraft that, only someone with passion can acquire.

I shudder to imagine those aircraft, in this manner, atop an aircraft carrier on rough seas
Of course the navy knows that is quite a likely scenario, so there are precations. The parked aircraft are strapped down by multiple cords, in fact you can see them in the very picture you shared.



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Originally Posted by navin View Post
Sir, I think you are giving me too much credit. As a vendor we were limited in the information that was shared with us. Since we were not directly involved in the manufacture of the airframes, merely their transportation, we had no access to the kind of information you expect.

I never thought that Indians would be so interested in military aircraft of the U.S. How do you guys know so much?
Not a problem, sir, I thought you might have known more via second hand sources if not direct knowledge.

As for me, becoming a fighter pilot was my lifelong career choice/dream, and my father being a career military officer, I did have access to the army command library, wherein I spend many an evening poring through Jane's All the World's Aircraft over the years, and other publications like International Defence Review, Indian Defence Review and few others. Being a fighter nerd, I love them regardless of which country they originate from.

Thanks to friends in the other services, I have also had the privilege to visit the air force base and have an up-close view with IAF jets including sitting in the cockpit, chatting with pilots - just haven't managed to bag a flight - for that I need to be minister or president of the country !



Enjoy the glorious roar of the F-110 turbofan on the F-14 , courtesy the VF-101 Grim Reapers squadron.


Last edited by Ricci : 3rd August 2015 at 00:09.
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Old 3rd August 2015, 08:57   #32
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Re: Defender of the fleet - The Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Dear Ricci, Your knowledge of our subject is quite impressive and is clearly a passion with you. In earlier years I had read about the Phoenix long range AAM of the Tomcat not quite holding up when tested under realistically simulated conditions by objective assessors such as the Israelis (and some European NATO country). Do you know of this. On a lighter note maybe if we have enough articles on aviation one day GTO may give us our own section called 'Got KGF'. - Narayan
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Old 15th August 2015, 00:29   #33
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Re: Defender of the fleet - The Grumman F-14 Tomcat

This is a good documentary/speech by one of the individuals closely involved with the F-14 development.

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Old 20th August 2015, 14:26   #34
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Re: Defender of the fleet - The Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Ricci - Thanks for that informative post on the F-14 Tomcat. Needless to say, fitting the description you had mentioned in the opening of your post, TopGun is one of my all time favorite movies, and serves as regular re-watch content.

It was interesting to get some background on it, and though it has been replaced by newer and probably better equipment, its design is stunning.

Will you be posting about the new F-22 in time? Would be very interested to read about it.
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Old 20th August 2015, 22:50   #35
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Re: Defender of the fleet - The Grumman F-14 Tomcat

I do too ! Top Gun is a favourite of many, isn't it , despite the many flaws/shortcomings shown in the movie, as artistic liberty and technical limitations, and it sent the US Navy abuzz with a huge upswing in response to recruitment drives.

As for the F-22, probably in the coming months.
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Old 24th August 2015, 13:50   #36
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Re: Defender of the fleet - The Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Top Gun had transcended being a favorite and had become a sort of tradition. A classmate of mine from school and I would go borrow the LD from his cousin every year to watch it in his home-theater. This was well before the turn of the century, and home theaters were not as common as they are now. So it became quite the tradition every year. No specific date was set, but it happened periodically.

The next step was adding a beautiful, wooden framed, 4*2 foot, Top Gun poster to my room. This has remained with me over the years, through a change of residence. I'm not longer in the country as a result of work, but per my understanding the poster is still going strong in my room.

In 2007 though I bought myself a collectors edition of the DVD; which reminds me, its been a while since I've seen the movie.

Not that I didn't know, but when I read the piece about the decommissioning, and then went on to the subsequent pics of the F-14 aircraft stockyard/junk yard, I would go as far as saying it struck an emotional cord. Haha....

I'm fairly certain I'm gonna be listening to the Top Gun soundtrack when I get home after work today!
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Old 25th August 2015, 21:59   #37
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Re: Defender of the fleet - The Grumman F-14 Tomcat

^well, I have a 3'x2.5' wood framed poster on an F-14 myself, not Top Gun but a VF-1 Wolfpack one. And a smaller 28 squadron 1.5'x1' MiG-29. And a 1:72 scale model of the F-14, MiG-29, F-16, Typhoon, F-15, Harrier , and a smaller 1:120 F-16XL.
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