F-14 Tomcat
Posted by: 
Blue Man
N 29° 03.456 W 081° 17.281
17R E 471962 N 3214401
An F-14 Tomcat located at the Deland Naval Air Station Museum.
Waymark Code: WMH5B
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/12/2006
Views: 100
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a United States Navy supersonic, twin-engine, swing-wing, two-seat variable geometry wing aircraft. It also performed tactical reconnaissance and close air support. It was built for the VFAX/VFX Naval Fighter (Attack) Experimental requirement for an agile air superiority fighter and also incorporates the AIM-54 Phoenix missile as a fleet air defense interceptor against bombers and missiles. The F-14 Tomcat was the first and best known of the new highly successful generation of US teen-series air superiority fighters which were designed incorporating the experience of air combat in Vietnam against Migs.
It entered service in 1972 with the USN, replacing the F-4 Phantom II, and the abortive F-111B. It was later exported to the Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) in 1976. The USN is replacing the F-14 with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in 2006. The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) will remain the only air arm flying F-14s.
General characteristics
Crew: 2 (Pilot and Radar Intercept Officer)
Length: 18.6 m (61 ft 9 in)
Wingspan: 64 ft unswept, 38 ft swept (19 m / 11.4 m)
Height: 16 ft (4.8 m)
Wing area: 565 ft² (54.5 m²)
Empty weight: 19,000 kg (42,000 lb)
Loaded weight: 28,000 kg (61,000 lb)
Powerplant: 2× General Electric F110-GE-400 afterburning turbofans
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 2.34, 1,544 mph at high altitude (2,485 km/h)
Range: 576 mi combat (927 km)
Service ceiling: 50,000+ ft (16,000+ m)
Rate of climb: 45,000+ ft/min (230+ m/s)
Wing loading: 113.4 lb/ft² (553.9 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.88
Armament
13,000 lb (5,900 kg) of ordnance including:
Guns: 1× M61 Vulcan 20 mm Gatling Gun
Missiles: AIM-54 Phoenix, AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air
Loading configurations:
2× AIM-9 + 6× AIM-54
2× AIM-9 + 2× AIM-54 + 3× AIM-7
2× AIM-9 + 4× AIM-54 + 2× AIM-7
2× AIM-9 + 6× AIM-7
4× AIM-9 + 4× AIM-54
4× AIM-9 + 4× AIM-7
Bombs: GBU-10, GBU-12, GBU-16, GBU-24, GBU-24E Paveway I/II/III LGB, GBU-31, GBU-38 JDAM, Mk-20 Rockeye II, Mk-82, Mk-83 and Mk-84 series iron bombs
Avionics
Hughes AN/APG-71 radar
AN/ASN-130 INS, IRST, TCS
Unit cost
Unit Cost: US$38 million
This particular aircraft belonged to the Grim Reaper squadron, which was based at the Oceana Naval Air Station in Virgina Beach. The late Vice Adm. James H. Flatley Jr. established the first Grim Reapers in 1942 at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego. When it was formed, the Grim Reapers flew the F 4F Wildcat and became the only squadron during World War II to deploy in Wildcats, Hellcats and Corsairs. That came about though efforts to bolster fighter pilot moral and confidence in the F 4F Wildcat against the Japanese Zero. It was Flatley who designed the now-famous insignia showing the Grim Reaper as a skeleton, carrying a scythe, who cuts off people’s lives as though he were harvesting grain. He designed it, along with the motto “Mow ’em Down”, during a slow transit from the South Pacific.
Type of Aircraft: (make/model): F-14 Tomcat
Tail Number: (S/N): 103
Construction:: original aircraft
Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): museum
inside / outside: outside
Other Information::
The museum's website is http://www.delandnavalairstation.org
Access restrictions: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)
Tell why you are visiting this waymark along with any other interesting facts or personal experiences about the aircraft not already mentioned.