Here is a link to a final F-14 cruise video trailer produced by the Black Lions.
http://www.alert5.com/2007/01/vf-213-final-tomcat-cruise-dvd.html
http://www.alert5.com/2007/01/vf-213-final-tomcat-cruise-dvd.html
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F-14 last cruise video
- Thread starter Intruder Driver
- Start date
invertedflyer
500 ft. from said obstacle
excellent video... I like the footage of the -14s taking on those Mirage 2000s, good find, very nice.
The A6 had some fanfare but, not being a 'movie star' airplane, not as much as the F-14. The retirement ceremony at Oceana did attract a lot of big names in aviation, especially from the Vietnam era.
I don't remember any fanfare at all for the A-7, probably because the A7 guys were thrilled at getting the Hornet. However, as I recall, the last two A7 squadrons to fly the Corsair were in the middle of the F/A-18 rag when Desert Storm was imminent, and they were put back in the A-7 for Desert Storm, and then finished the transition after the War.
The F-8 hung around a long time in Reserve photo recon squadrons, but I do remember a ceremonial last flight at NAF Andrews. Same for the F-4...kind of a quiet ride into the sunset, but none of these had the Hollywood cachet of the Tomkitty.
I don't remember any fanfare at all for the A-7, probably because the A7 guys were thrilled at getting the Hornet. However, as I recall, the last two A7 squadrons to fly the Corsair were in the middle of the F/A-18 rag when Desert Storm was imminent, and they were put back in the A-7 for Desert Storm, and then finished the transition after the War.
The F-8 hung around a long time in Reserve photo recon squadrons, but I do remember a ceremonial last flight at NAF Andrews. Same for the F-4...kind of a quiet ride into the sunset, but none of these had the Hollywood cachet of the Tomkitty.
*Ahem* "Move Star"???? .... I guess you didn't see "Flight of the Intruder" ... yes???
The A-7's exit was like it was never in the Fleet. Ditto the Vig, the Whale, and the Last of the Gunfighters. The A-4 never died ... it just kept on going and going and going and going and going .... can you say: A4s Forever ... ???
The A-6 ??? It was a BIG DEAL within the community ... but then again, the bomber community was always more concerned with getting the job done than kissing the PR asses from Hollywood to Hell and back ... and maybe that's why they died ????
We even had a "last CQ" right off the beach @ NUW ... which I got to participate in ...
... and the greatest party that the West Coast Navy has ever seen @ the last Intruder Ball ...... but it could never compare with the moaning, whining and hand-wringing that we are forced to witness with the demise of the Turkey ... which BTW, was one of the "easier" ACM opponents I faced while flying Adversary ... .... ..... Believe it.
invertedflyer
500 ft. from said obstacle
^^ Best movie ever.
MasterBates
Well-Known Member
I always liked "Flight of the Intruder". Seemed more "realistic" to a pre-teen head full-o-cottage cheese.
I think there will be a party when the 60B goes away, but they are treating it like a whole new bird, not just an overdue upgrade.
Just curious, was it treated as a huge deal when squadrons upgraded from A-6As to A-6Bs or A4E to A4F?
I think there will be a party when the 60B goes away, but they are treating it like a whole new bird, not just an overdue upgrade.
Just curious, was it treated as a huge deal when squadrons upgraded from A-6As to A-6Bs or A4E to A4F?
In a word ... NO.
We had A's, "shared" B's, "shared" C's, and "shared" KA-D's in the squadron at one time. All the time ... until "they" buried the B's and C's ....
Later ... the E's wholesale replaced the A model bombers .... no tears shed.
And the F's .... ???
Sorry ... didn't realize on first reading that yours was a two part question ... again, NO .... business as usual when a model upgrade became available and arrived.
Much anticipation ... little gain, in practice.
Just more school, more unrealized aircraft capabilities ... in general.
I thought Coontz's book "Flight of the Intruder" was about the most realistic portrayal of night low levels I've ever seen published.
My first fleet squadron had, at one time, KA-6D tankers, A6E STARM (standard arm birds on the old A6E platform), A6E TRAM and A6E TRAM/FLIR, essentially three different models (The TRAM birds were simply awaiting the FLIR components). The guys at China Lake did a year long road show in advance of the TRAM/FLIR introduction, but the fleet introduction was downplayed because VA-115, forward deployed on USS Midway, got the first ones and had them for over a year before the second fleet squadron got them, so it was old news once the CONUS squadrtns had them.
By the way, a short sea story and lessons learned, our four STARM birds were the last in the fleet, and the TRAM/FLIR birds couldn't shoot STARMs, so these were precious assets, as were the missiles themselves. During the Iranian Hostage Crisis in '79 and '80, and the first year of the IRAN/IRAQ war, we carried a live STARM missile on over half the flights. One night on Gonzo Station, one of our nuggets went single engine (and the lessons learned that were subsequently applied to NATOPS procedures were numbered in the ten's) and ultimately lost control of the airplane after a wave off and dumped it into the sea. The crew got out okay, but the plane was never recovered. However, a huge causal factor, one we aviators weren't aware of, was that on "non-threat hops," the powers that be in DC had required that the launchers carrying the STARM missiles be incapacitated so that this 'critical asset' couldn't be jettisoned under any circumstance. That was almost 2000 lbs you were stuck with, as our crew found out. That rule was immediately changed, as you can guess.
Another major NATOPS change that affected the EA-6B guys as well, was that previously NATOPS called for us to shut down an engine if you got an 80% oil light and relight it prior to landing. The A6 will run with almost no oil, but checklists are checklists, so when our nugget crew got an 80% light at midnight, the O-4 rep in Air Ops told them to shut it down until marshal. They never got a relight because the checklist didn't advise that it could take up to 60 seconds to light it off, and the crew was only giving it about 20-30 seconds, and essentially flooded the engine. Also, the LSO's weren't advised of the single engine approach until a mile and a half on final. The lessons learned go on and on.
Intruder Driver said:
We just pulled it back to idle and kept it running unless we got any other "secondaries" .... I guess the "newer" and "improved" procedures with no subsequent lightoff on the ball could be called ... progress ???
No LSO notification of a single engine until a 1 1/2 miles on final ??? If I was waving, after the all the debriefs ... I'd have myself a piece of O-4 Air Ops rep ass ... or whomever else was responsible ... and the Boss, the ship's CO, and CAG would have backed me, too ... unless it was them who screwed up the notification to the platform.
There is an Approach Magazine article about it, published in early 1981 if I recall. I found it once via Google; I'll see if I can locate it. It is an incredible story. The LSO's were never notified by Air Ops. They heard it for the first time when the B/N, at about 1.5 miles, said to paddles "you're aware we're single engine, right?" I imagine the ship's captain could have heard the 'WHAT?" that came from the LSO platform.