F-14 Flight Ops on CVN-69

This video is about F-14 flight ops as viewed from the flight deck of CVN-69 USS EISENHOWER. It was filmed about 1999. I wish I could remember all of the names of the maintainers in the video, if you recognize some of them, please add it to the comments section.

[@-nixwite-]

BRING IT BACK!!!!! BRING IT BACK!!!!

[@FireDude13]

My office was under the starboard forward JBD... we could tell what aircraft was launching just by the noise lol. The Tomcats were brutal...

[@Inspadave]

I always thought the Prowlers were worse.

[@sigmamale7241]

@@Inspadave Yeah, I know! That P & W J52 P408 had an extremely irritating whine! I should know...I spent 6 + years around them in the Marines {Douglas A4M}

[@oldgoat142]

Ike was my ship from '83-'86. I served with the VF-142 Ghostriders. We were retired in '96. I was an aviation electronics tech. What an absolutely beautiful jet! I loved every minute of working on her. This posting brings back so many memories!

[@Duetmaster2]

I was with ya on the '83 cruise. VF-143 Airframes from '81 to '84. Did two cruises: '81/'82 and '83. There was nothing in the world like a cat shot at night with a F-14A. I never got tired of it. I retired in '98.

[@oldgoat142]

@@Duetmaster2 We had some good times in those days didn't we? Wish I had been smart enough to do the full ride. Biggest regret of my life hands down.

[@Duetmaster2]

@@oldgoat142 Yes, we did. Worked hard. Played hard. Enjoyed most of it. 😊 Those kinds of decisions are hard to make when you're in the middle of it and it's easy to second guess later.

[@oldgoat142]

@@Duetmaster2 I do take some comfort in that pov, but if I had listened more and talked less, I would've definitely made better decisions.

[@scottbuildsthemall5124]

Thanks for posting the video! Ike was my first ship, and I reported onboard just a few weeks after Top Gun was released in theaters. The Tomcat will likely be my favorite aircraft of all time, and I am glad to have been able to serve on carriers when they were flying!

[@Stryker176]

This was my time in the Navy. I was on the USS independence, Forrestal and Saratoga. I was with VA 176 and VA 85. I dont remember the F-14 squadrons that were with us on those cruses but they were bad ass. Fair winds and following seas brothers. I will never forget that bird blasting off of the cats!

[@HiTechOilCo]

Thank you for posting this, on the finest fighter to ever grace the skies. She needs to be brought back with the Super Tomcat 21. With a stealth coating applied, such a plane could dominate the skies.

[@jankan4979]

stealth cessna would be more badass

[@JasonSuminski]

@@jankan4979 I submit my tax money to that idea. It has full backing.

[@Th3Rambler]

*2nd most beautiful fighter to grace the sky..the F-4 is at the top of that list!

[@keithcornell692]

i assume the blue prints/drawings are still about in grumman's office's to resurrect this aircraft

[@mathewglatt6645]

That’s crazy man. I was on this boat for 5 years and did two deployments. And worked on the flight deck as an ABE on waist. Shit is really crazy to watch

[@matteopesce1627]

Meraviglioso! Grazie per averlo condiviso. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. Tomcats Forever!

[@navyveteran7435]

I was with VA-72 and did a med cruise on her in 88, left and went to Brig Duty in 89.

[@lloydhlavac6807]

Navy pilots, and the F-14 Tomcat. Both the best in the business!

[@stijnvandamme76]

very cool break at 15m. love the video , the real sound

[@multisoundmusicnl]

Thanks for posting! Great🙂

[@ColbyLee2004]

Favorite bird of all time

[@TrainTracker911]

I so miss flying. Age can be a detriment.

[@andrecandrade]

most amazing fighter jet ever!

[@BullGator-kd6ge]

It feels strange watching this without some 80s synth or guitar. But you won't see me object.

[@AirTales]

You even get the squeaks of the ships radar zapping my camera...

[@RightCenterBack321]

Well, it was the '90s when this video was shot...

[@stijnvandamme76]

@@AirTales I love the original audio.. not everything needs shitty music :D

[@mtumeumrani376]

@@stijnvandamme76 yes, Music ruins history.

[@stevelikesrhino]

"ah cmon" I know right?

[@jkaposi]

Great vid. Former Aussie Navy Blue Shirt here.

[@SpaceGaucho_]

that radar interference on vhs ❤️

[@saifbargaoui1006]

Dangerous job .

[@CapLAGOS]

very nice!

[@Spring-ni4vq]

ONE OF THE FINEST FIGHTER JETS KILLED BY THE POLITICS.

[@LitoGeorge]

Really enjoyable.

[@captainfap3358]

Great video myself I am a full time DCS pilot. The Tomcat is real plane non of that fbw the tomcat will test your pilot skills

[@igorzeitgeist5153]

The Boss! Anytime baby!

[@kennyfountain8529]

Anytime baby! Love it

[@atriobistro9529]

Amazing

[@allgood6760]

Awesome 👍

[@MrJimFox79]

Was this filmed during the actual cruise or the workups? I was a maintainer in VF-11 at the time.

[@AirTales]

Hi Jim, what shop were you in? I might have you on video some where. I think this video is work up's, but I do have some video I shot on cruise too. I wasn't very good about putting dates on the videos, so I am saying 'about 1999' for example. If you recognize any of the maintainers, could you add their names in the comments?

[@frankbailey6013]

Awesome.

[@alexv3357]

Nice

[@wurzzzz]

If this was filmed in 2009, the gov't has some 'splainin' to do

[@AirTales]

Thanks for the catch, what year is it now?!?

[@2ksnakenoodles]

@@AirTales lol

[@chandrachurniyogi8394]

clearly the best maritime carrier borne variable-sweep winged fighter by far . . .

[@billkrolikowski2960]

King on deck

[@michaelskidmore5086]

What were your F-14 squadrons at the time? I know one was VF-143 “Pukin Dogs” but I wasn’t sure on the other squadron.

[@AirTales]

This was CVW-7, which was VF-143 and VF-11.

[@michaelskidmore5086]

@@AirTales thanks for the reply. I appreciate your service.

[@VibeXplorer]

Those beautiful Tomcats look like they launched without afterburners engaged? I can't imagine that's true, but they didn't seem to be lit. Maybe the picture quality made them hard to see?

[@AirTales]

The F-14B and F-14D did not take-off on land or the carrier in afterburner because they had more powerful engines than the F-14A. If the B or D lost an engine on take-off while at slow speed and in afterburner, the differential thrust could not be compensated by the rudders and the jet would lose control and crash if the pilot did not react fast enough. So they were 'prohibited' from using AB on take off.

[@billkrolikowski2960]

Pilots checking the holes

[@pigybak]

what is the meaning of flying by with the tail hook down?

[@AirTales]

These are all a/c coming into the break except for the 2 F-14s at 1:50 that were making a spacer pass before they strafed and bombed the wake, their hooks were up. For all the other aircraft, the hooks were down for landing. It is standard practice to lower the hook when the mission is complete and you are returning to the ship even though you may be far away from the ship. You will see a/c doing fly-bys of the ship with their hook down. They are either about to recover, or lowered the hook to look cool. A lowered hook also lets other aircraft know you are returning to the ship for landing, that helps the 'launch' aircraft sort out the 'recovery' aircraft, and in the rare case you lose your radio, you can join up on an a/c with a lowered hook and they will bring you back to the ship.

[@jacksaloman9513]

Lol at the shit hot break just to go around.

[@hawkeye681]

IKR!!! Hero to zero in 5..4...3..2..1...DAMMIT!!!🤣🤣🤣

[@billkrolikowski2960]

Yeah Tomcat days early 80s Enterprise 😎

[@seankennedy6676]

Did on of the tomcats have a Hornet for a wingman?

[@AirTales]

We would routinely have mixed sections; 1 F-14 and 1 F/A-18C for operations over Iraq and Afghanistan, that would allow us to take advantage of the different systems on the different airplanes and make a more effective fighting force. We would also train in dissimilar air combat; dogfighting. So you would see a 14/18 section coming back to the ship after training. And, if there were 'singles' overhead the ship waiting to land, they would join up to come into the break together, it made the landing pattern easier to manage.

[@yodaisgod2]

Did the F-14 always aim primarily for the #2 wire?

[@AirTales]

No, aiming for the 3-wire was the standard

[@michaelmappin4425]

Fly 3 Tomcats on the shelf. It was easier to park than 4 Hornets.

[@billkrolikowski2960]

You do you Tomcatter

[@ds_nugz0047]

I enjoyed the tomcat growing up:( she was unreliable in low level high speed maneuvering. As well as high altitude, her engines were upgraded in 1990, with 30 percent more power.

[@billkrolikowski2960]

Hornets were inferior then

[@Tomcat71]

Hurry up and wait, I was in 8 years , Miss the fuck out of working on the flight deck.