F-14 Tomcat’s Decades of Awesome

In the second episode of a new channel series, Ward reviews the history and impact of one of the most popular and capable fighters of all time: the F-14 Tomcat.
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[@johnmetcalfe4999]

Ending this segment by thanking the maintainers and flight deck crews for everything they did was gracious and thoughtful. Thank you for remembering them.

[@zam6877]

Yes! Thank you!

[@williammitchell4417]

Absolutely, my hats off to all of them.🙏

[@BBBrasil]

Reminded me of the creed of Rafale pilots. KUDOS!

[@haiimfunnnnnyy1211]

God is good, God is great, God is an Aviation Boatswain's Mate 🙂 Thoughtful shoutout.

[@cpdevon]

Agreed.

[@jeremymoore2835]

Thank you for the kind words towards the maintenance crew. I was an AD3 (Aviation Machinist Mate Third Class) in the PowerPlants department with VF-111 Sundowners. CVW-15, CV-63. USS Kitty Hawk.

[@TheChad138]

The F-14s were kind of dangerous to my personal health. When you’re on the flight deck of a carrier you’re supposed to “keep your head on a swivel” but I often found myself mesmerized by the f-14s.

[@its_jjk]

As a former maintainer, those final words were much appreciated

[@Native_love]

Thank you to all the Chiefs and their crews for maintaining this race horse! THE KING OF THE OCEAN SKY'S!

[@ypaulbrown]

What a great shout out to the Enlisted crews and all they do, Bravo

[@samsignorelli]

I was gonna say the same (USAF E-4 here)

[@jesseleblanc989]

I will second that comment! Thanks!

[@luacreskid]

I agree. Those kids work their buns off so those planes can fly. My experience is that Second Class POs (E-5) are the heart of the Navy's "gett'er done" attitiude.

[@veeli1106]

A very humble officer indeed!

[@andrewjund543]

The F-14 Tomcat One of the most Iconic Fighters of all time for a reason.

[@maximilliancunningham6091]

There's no argument that the bird had beautiful lines, and was a good example, that if it looks good, it will fly good.

[@dukecraig2402]

In 1983 I was in training in the Army to be an air defense gunner (Vulcan), when we moved into our aircraft recognition phase of our training and the F14 came up on the screen the instructor said "Gentlemen, this is the F14 Tomcat (as if it needed an introduction), it's an air superiority fighter, what that means is if something is flying around in it's area of operations that's because IT'S ALLOWING IT to fly around in it's area of operations".

[@jyy9624]

@@dukecraig2402 4 ways to die

[@dannyd1213]

I was on the roof of the JFK with all three of the Navy fighters. F-14's from VF-14 and VF-32, F-4's from VF-202 and F-8's from VFP-63. One night all three launched one behind the other: Two F-14's, Two F-4"s and Two F-8's. That was the greatest show on earth.

[@RickBeato]

This is great Ward!!

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks, Rick!

[@DSherman911]

Rick, thanks for helping make Mooch awesome at YouTubing.

[@benjaminperez7328]

@@DSherman911 Nothing succeeds like success!

[@rnistuk]

It is WAY cool when two of my favourite KZbinrs interact! (And of course, as soon as I saw the name of this episode, I thought of Rick!)

[@AlbaAdventures]

What?? This is so cool that Rick Beato follows you!!!

[@fermd83]

Like the way you talk about maintainers, the least visible part on aviation, but a critical part of it.

[@LegionOfEclaires]

Best looking plane we've ever built.

[@philslaton7302]

Part of Adm. Connelly's testimony to congress was approximately, ''All the power in Christendom could not make that aircraft - F-111B - a fighter.'' Pretty cool declaration out of a flag with a career to lose ... and he did lose it. Robert "Strange" McNamera burned him for it. And, McNamer's real middle name was "Strange."

[@georgesykes394]

McNamara worked for General Curits E. LeMay in WW2 for a section called Statsical Control. He was nothing more than a bean counter and he was utterly detested.

[@duanepierson4375]

McNamara was the chief architect of the US’s failure in SE Asia. He also almost killed Ford Motor Company w/ boring cars. Lee Iacocca saved the day with the Mustang, just like Tom Connelly saved the day w/ the F-14.

[@georgesykes394]

@@duanepierson4375 Didn't care for McNamara's work at Ford but before the Mustang the Falcon was a decent car. His chief attribute was analyzing data and making linear decisions based purely on his limited knowledge. He didn't like criticism and wasn't fond of alot of the old Admiral's and General's that fought in WW2. When I watched The Fog of War I damn near broke my TV whenever he spoke.

[@COIcultist]

Robert McNamara a man so bright he could prove to you that 2 + 2 = 5. The genius behind McNamara's morons in Vietnam.

[@jyy9624]

@@georgesykes394 military industrial complex taming was the logic but applying statistics effectively requires knowledge of the subject matter, which means combat - this was learned effectively

[@kenwilson3304]

As a TARPS technician, I really appreciate the callout to that often overlooked system, and thank you for your appreciation of the maintainers.

[@Viper-fl4vx]

I will second that. The work VF-84 and VF-41 did in the 90’s is known only to a few. I was thankful to play a small part with the pod. To all the black shoe PH’s and IS’s and every line rat I ever had guidance from thank you.

[@trance34]

@@Viper-fl4vx I was in 41 Tarps shop in the 90's We took over for 84 as they were decommissioned.

[@michaelinsc9724]

Another fantastic episode! I REALLY liked your last point, particularly the humility and the credit you gave to those who are all too often overlooked, yet are absolutely essential. Well done Mooch!

[@jockellis]

Many race car drivers have said the same thing about their crews. They’ve also noted that the race volunteers are vital, much like the black shoe Navy that makes the ship go.

[@marclederman6206]

Could not agree more!

[@stephenbrickwood1602]

It is why Mr Putin will always fail, he takes everything from his people and at the point of a weapon. The bigger the technology, the bigger the teams that make it work.

[@Mako-sz4qr]

Totally agree ! Now that’s respect in every way possible 👍🏻

[@olentangy74]

I deployed on the WESTPAC of 1976-77 on board Enterprise (CVN-65), and I remember well VF-1 and VF-2. I especially remember VF-1's Wolfpack logo on both the horizontal stabs. I also remember the early morning incident when a Tomcat from VF-2 had control issues on final causing the crew to eject after boltering and barely avoiding crashing into parked A-7's. Later, I worked depot level maintenance on the mighty Tomcat for several years at the NARF at Norfolk. I worked the environmental control systems which provided AC for the crew, as well as cooling for the weapons systems. I spent hundreds of hours in the Tomcat's nose wheel well, where all the ECS lines intersected. The F-14 was one of the Navy's most capable and sexy warplanes ever, but she was hard to maintain, especially as the airframes got older. I still work for NAVAIR, but all of the young guys have worked on the Hornet. I am proud to be one of the "old timers" who was a Tomcat fixer.

[@messedupfmj]

"Like being able to tell time vs. being able to build a watch", refreshing to hear this sentiment Ward.

[@dougrobinson8602]

Pilots know how to operate an aircraft. Mechanics know how an aircraft operates. When both act as a team, the effect is synergistic. Thank you Ward, for the shout out to your maintainers!

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Thanks Cheney, he had a huge hand in killing many systems. His leadership paved the way for the Navy to lack the airframes they need to protect the Carriers. Modern anti ship missiles need to be kept out of range of the Jets and F-14 range would give the Carriers a fighting Chance to survive.

[@dougrobinson8602]

His kid is a real piece of work, too.

[@yodaisgod2]

@@dougrobinson8602 He was a.....dick.

[@GreenCurryiykyk]

@@dougrobinson8602 yeah, but at least she's sticking it to those traitors.

[@CoDWiiPS3Gameplay]

What the P-51 was for piston aircraft, the F-14 was for jets for me. What a truly phenomenal aircraft. Doesn't hurt that like the Mustang she was quite the looker too!!

[@ISpinUWin]

Agree! 👍👍👍👍👍

[@jpotter2086]

@@ISpinUWin Well said. Always thought the same.

[@11bravocrunchie22]

Thanks for the shout-out to the enlistedmen, Mr Carrol. In my military career (I was an Army 11B, Light Infantry), I never once heard an officer thank us grunts for accomplishing the mission, or tell us that without our expertise, the mission wouldn't have happened. I think in too many cases these days, officers forget that a large portion of the men (and women) in their charge are just as educated and intelligent as they are, whether they're just at different points in their lives (age), made different career choices for whatever reason, or just simply had different opportunities prior to entering the military.

[@Hoffy1138]

One of the F-14Bs, seen in his flight log at 12:41, is BuNo 163409. That plane survived the mass shredding of Tomcats in 2007. It's still at The Boneyard in Tucson, Arizona. Also, another F-14B seen in his flight log at 12:38 is BuNo 162912. That one is on static display at the Grissom Air Museum at Grissom AFB in Indiana.

[@R.Sole88109]

Still can't believe the sadistic cunts done that. Poor faithful Tomcat.

[@benjaminperez7328]

Let’s pass the hat and pull her outta there. 💰💰💰💰💰💰💰 Fix her up like the B-29s “Doc” & “Fifi.”

[@cykeok3525]

I read that there are only a total of eleven F-14 that exist in the US now, meaning only nine more aside from the two mentioned there. A damn shame about what happened to the F-14 fleet, and the reason sounds silly (to me). I mean, what are the odds Iran would be able to somehow steal F-14 parts from a secure boneyard on US soil owned by the military, and then somehow bring them back to Iran? O_o

[@Hoffy1138]

@@cykeok3525 There are actually ten more in China Lake. They're all F-14As.

[@jeremybstudentpilot5315]

@@cykeok3525 they scrapped it so it wouldn’t give the F-35 competition.

[@bullnukeoldman3794]

I was stationed on an escort for the Enterprise initial cruise with F-14s onboard. I immediately noticed that it didn't have the howling moan of the Phantoms we'd been seeing for years - LOL! A lot of issues with the Tomcat were worked out during that cruise. My kids remember a little airshow at Miramar in the mid-'80s where the F-14 display for the military dependents (no civilians were permitted) was much closer to the crowd than normally permitted. One of the displays was a low speed left to right with a quick turn left away from the bleachers and lighting up burners to Zone V closely followed by a pitch up to close to a vertical climb. The heat/noise/blast was impressive and even the kid's mother was impressed. Hell, I'd been watching them during cruises for years and I was and still am impressed.

[@mako757]

Thank you sir for the nice compliment for the maintenance, and line teams, all worked hard to keep them flying!

[@motomedic72]

Outstanding sir! While stationed at Luke AFB, AZ I knew a Lt. Col. 'Four Quarts' Gallon who 100% showed his appreciation for the ground crews after every debrief. He would buy sodas or Gatorade for anyone who wanted one and would sit and talk about service life and what it was like in the Viper. Great officers don't need respect. They command with it.

[@jedibusiness789]

Gods speed and Rest In Peace F-14 Tomcat…Thank you Ward for the salute to your maintainers. Kind words and truth told from a 60 year old former Marine Hornet fixer, got just “a little” misty. I served in two RAG squadrons and “learned” by the best Navy mechanics. Kind Regards

[@michaelkennedy5803]

F-14, Cadillac of the sky!! I have often wondered what the F-14 would've looked like if the RAF bought them.

[@Thunderer0872]

Loved the F14 Tomcat from my days building plastic kits of military planes late 1970's early 1980's the Film Final Countdown was one of my favourite films before Top Gun.

[@jn-ny8bh]

I made an F-4 model that came with extra decals. As a kid I put the bomb cat decal on it because I thought it looked cool.

[@josephkugel5099]

@@Menaceblue3 As was the GI-Joe Skystriker

[@nowlaj]

Don’t forget the hasbro toy. The transformers had a F-14 toy called Jetfire. Also, I am a huge anime fan from my jr high school days in the early 80’s. The Veritech fighters were all F-14’s. Roy Fokker’s plane was painted in the skull and crossed bones livery. Just saw menaceblues post. Hat tip.

[@Jeff-Vader_head_of_catering]

Agreed! I built a couple of Monogram F-14's, as well, but botched them a bit, as i was only 7 or 8 years old. The rest of the toys were fullfilled as birthday and Christmas wish items, over the years. I had the G.I. Joe Skystriker (was my coveted possession). I had the Hasbro Jetfire Transformer, as well. I wanted the Veritech fighter (especially with the skull & crossbones) but it was too expensive, at the time. Great memories! I remember my sole purpose in life, at that age was watching Battle of the Planets (G-Force, or Gachaman in Japanese), He-Man and G.I. Joe. When I got that Skystriker, I played with that thing day-in and out! Still have it in the attic, somewhere. Though, it resembles a neglected F-14 in the "Boneyard" now.

[@gregcampwriter]

Now you and Rick Beato need to do a series, titled "What makes this song about an airplane (car, train, boat, etc.) great?"

[@WardCarroll]

Not sure we'll do that, but we have more collaborations planned for the future.

[@pi.actual]

Thanks for the salute to the enlisted ranks. I served 72-76 when the Tomcat was brand spankin' new.

[@tolson57]

Thank you Ward. Tom Olson AQC/ATC (AW) Retired. AIMD Miramar, USS Constellation, USS Kitty Hawk, and USS Ranger. 20 years keeping the Cat flying and fighting.

[@WardCarroll]

Thank you, Chief!

[@oldgoat142]

Sir, I just want to say thank you very much for the shout out and recognition. I am very proud to say that I was an avionics technician for this beloved jet, assigned first to VF-101 under Commander Hank Kleeman, and then VF-142 under Commander Mick Sumnick, and Commander Steve Letter, in the 1980s. I have come to realize that in spite of all my accomplishments since becoming a veteran, the highlight of my professional career was my time in the navy working on this jet. The men I worked with were just phenomenal, especially the seniors who were old Vietnam guys. They taught me how to handle stress and how to deal with adversity; advice I have used since and have passed on to so many others. Things like, "Work the problem, don't let the problem work you," and "Take care of those under you because you ain't nothing without them." Things like that. Honestly, to this day, there are men who I would run through burning walls under fire for, (although at my age it might take a bit longer). Again, thank you, Sir. Anytime Baby!! Long Live The Tomcat!!

[@singletona082]

As some internet rando: glad to hear gratitude to the support staff. No machine no matter how awesome can be fielded or come home without them.

[@johnb7490]

As a former F14 AE, I appreciate the recognition to all maintainers.

[@pepperjack6421]

Thanks for calling out the ground crews. The unsung hero’s of the Navy for sure.

[@travisbrewer5391]

I am one of the civilians who admire the F-14, and a neighbor of mine is a former Tomcat pilot

[@On-Our-Radar-24News]

The F-14 was my childhood favorite. Air Shows at Miramar and movies like Top Gun were the order of the day. Thanks Ward.

[@lftysmit]

Most beautiful bird to ever grace the skies. I grew up seeing the Tomcat at numerous air shows and flying all over the Imperial Valley. Last time I saw one fly was at the Chicago Navy Pier air show at dusk in 2002. I’ll never forget those GE engines in burner and how graceful, and powerful that bird was in sky. Like many good things we have loved and served good, it was gone too soon. Still have the memories, pictures, and models that I build to this day. Thank you Cdr for sharing all your experiences and info on an aircraft we will eternally love and remember.

[@markwray3905]

Appreciate the shout out for the enlisted folks

[@marclederman6206]

Mooch, great video once again! As a former USMC EA-6B ECMO, I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment and shout out to the enlisted folks who are such an integral part of Naval Aviation. Without these dedicated men and women, we don't get to do our part. Though my friends in the Navy call the F-14 "turkeys" they are, as you call it, "muscular and beautiful" machines! Semper Fi shipmate!

[@2ZZGE100]

F-14 Tomcat. One of the best fighters ever made. "Anytime Baby!"

[@alantoon5708]

"Mr. Chairman, all the thrust in Christiandom could not make a fighter out of that airplane..." ADM Conolly's response to Senator Stennis concerning the F-111B. Too bad the F-14 did not receive the engines it was designed for until the A+. There was no reason why the F-14 could not have been developed to the standard of the current Air Force F-15E(X).....

[@marclederman6206]

General Electric F110-GE-400s FOREVER!

[@brandonclark435]

Uh, the engines that were in development, the P&W F400s were kind of crap to weren't they?

[@alantoon5708]

@@brandonclark435 the engines that were supposed to be installed after the 67th airplane were cancelled as a cost cutting measure in 1974. They were similar to the F100 engines that have been used in the F-15 and F-16 for many years.

[@brandonclark435]

@@alantoon5708 No, I thought those engines were developed and installed on a Tomcat and found to be unsatisfactory.

[@josephkugel5099]

@@brandonclark435 They were not crap they just didn't perform as well as expected, they were still FAR superior to the TF-30s

[@Andrew-ep4kw]

Two things that convince me the US Navy is the best in the world: First, Vice Admiral Connolly took it upon himself to check the F111B and risk his career to keep a substandard plane from being forced on the Navy. Second, Ward "Mooch" Carroll highly valued the enlisted men who supported his mission as RIO. This strong mutual respect between officer and enlisted is one of the great strengths of our navy.

[@12345fowler]

For those interested, there are videos out there from a previous Tomcat designer explaining some of the design choices that has been made with this airplane, notably some clever structural design to minimize dead stucture weight when not carrying the Phoenix missile. The airplane was huge but was highly manoeuvrable in all dimensions which was not a small task to acomplish at the design phase. The rest is history as brillantly shown in this video.

[@johnbobbitt6872]

See referenced KZbin Videos from Peninsula Seniors and Western Museum of Flight

[@B-in-Norva]

Outstanding episode, with one glaring omission: The AIMD support. Through 22 years in AIMDs afloat/ashore, I saw first hand the talent behind the Tomcat support - AWM-23 (AWG-9 AIMD Test Bench Suite) techs, the VAST techs (VASTards), and without fail, the TARPS/LANTIRN support techs. Me? I was an IFF Interrogator (APX-76) tech supporting the E-2C interrogators(RT-988), but fixed my share of VF-11/VF-31 RT-868's, Switch Amps, Synchronizers and Interrogator control boxes. All with pride - I still have a copy of my first I-Level MAF supporting a VF-11 IFF Switch Amp - gripe is "IFF blanks the DDD" - all fixed with a few parts and a lot of learning. Those AWG-9 transmitters, CSDCs, and "Glove Vane boxes didn't fix themselves. Thousands of I-level techs supported TEC "AFWA" and beyond in the Tomcat's reign. HUGE shout-out to the I-Level Ordies keeping the pool of LAUs and guns ready too! Once again, OUTSTANDING episode!

[@rael5469]

12:24 I was at one of the Chicago Air and Water shows once when we saw this exact sight. People were watching the flight demos and slathering on sun screen and such......then along comes the Tomcat doing exactly what we see at 12:24. A knife edge pass while sweeping the wings. The crowd of hundreds of thousands got up on their feet and jumped up and down and cheered. It was totally amazing. No aircraft was ever as impressive as the F-14 Tomcat.

[@pappyodanial]

1969 brought us both the greatest band of all time, Led Zeppelin, and the greatest aircraft of all time, the F-14 Tomcat. What a year. Also, didn't know that about Cheney... add that to the pile of reasons to despise that despicable family.

[@pappyodanial]

@Ari GSD How that corrupt heartless bastard gained power, I have no idea.

[@AA-xo9uw]

@Ari GSD The Tomcat was killed for good by Cheney - aided and abetted by NAVAIR - in 1991, including Tomcat 21. It's fate had been sealed long before Cheney became VP in 2001.

[@danielvogel5252]

@@AA-xo9uw Cheney was SECDEF at the time so I'm pretty sure he had a hand in not only killing the Tomcat but Grumman as a whole.

[@ruiliu4157]

At least half of Top Gun Maverick’s box office ($700M and still counting) should be attributed to the Tomcat. It really puts butts in seats at the theatres.

[@Native_love]

I love the F-14 Tomcat! The F-14 Super Tomcat would have been AWESOME! THANK YOU F-14 aviators, maintenence staff, deck flight crews, and the people who made it!

[@Yooyangs]

Thank you for giving the maintenance crews a thumbs up. I was USAF but it is nice to hear appreciation for the unsung folks.

[@maartentoors]

13:05 that analogy made my heart fill a little more.Thank you for recognizing and respecting the engineers. This channel is how one shows what pride means.

[@robtodd4726]

What a great summary and tribute to the whole team and process Ward! Ah yes, the mystique! Flying industrial art. The Ferrari 250 GTO of the sky! Let me digress….. I was in my very early 20s and playing outfield at a game in shorham LI when from the left two tomcats with wings back banked hard and low and I swear I made eye contact with the pilot. I was sold ever since.

[@SmokinGoodd420]

I grew up near the grumman factory . Loved visiting the Tomcat memorial as a kid , now with my own children. Shes seen better days but that aircraft will always have a special place in my heart. Great Video! I really appreciate all your content and channel!

[@speed-of-heat]

nice summary of an amazing bird, thanks Mooch

[@frankbutta9344]

I saw the F-14 in Popular Mechanics when it first came out. I was in high school, and that plane got me hooked on aviation!

[@leonwhittington1773]

I see an F-14 with burners on and full wing sweep every day...when I look at my only tatoo on the under side of my right forearm. Mystique, damn straight.

[@georgeb424]

Another great video! Thanks! And thank you for the shout out to the enlisted. It's greatly appreciated! A black shoe engineer, MM3, Engineering Dept. / Auxiliaries Division (A-Gang) / Aircraft Elevators / USS NIMITZ, 1985-1990. CAW 8 with VF-41 & VF-84 and CAW 9 with VF-24 & VF-211.

[@Mako-sz4qr]

I refuel a lot of Tomcats on the Southline on NAS Pensacola FL. When I was 19yrs old working for Maytag Aircraft Corp. fuel farm and probably when you was in VT-10 and VT-86 going through training. It was so awesome seeing these tomcats come in for a piss and go … refuel and then watching them take off at 0200 full afterburner straight up I’ll never forget them days working as a jp5 fuel truck driver , I met alot of awesome men and women jet pilots but the Tomcat pilots were special and the jet up close and touching it is something I’ll never - ever forget. Best Regards sir !

[@sharizabel2582]

When I was going through the F-15E RTU at Seymour-Johnson, our class went up to Oceana to cross talk with the Tomcat folk. It was a great time learning from each other.

[@jonathanshumpert9549]

The most awesome flight demo I have ever seen was a Tomcat. I was in Diego Garcia 88-89. My CO was transferring out and there was a carrier group in the Indian Ocean. They sent an F14 and F18 to do a little show for the CO. The Hornet went first and was impressive, but the Tomcat did some stuff that couldn't be done in the U.S. The most memorable was flying perpendicular (across the flight line) towards the hangar we were standing in front of. He was very low and very fast. When he pulled up, he lit the burners and we were left staring straight up at the rear end of a Tomcat going vertical. It was the loudest, and coolest thing I have ever seen. I know the pilot is long since retired, so I am not worried about him getting fired. If he reads this, I want to say thanks for an amazing memory. The Tomcat is by far my all-time favorite aircraft. I didn't get to see many during my 10 years in the Navy because I was associated with the P3 community. At least I can say I flew in a few P3's.

[@12345fowler]

Agree, the military flying demos when done exclusively for the troops have just nothing to compare to regular public shows. 35 years after such a demo I still have my hairs get raised on top of my head for what I have witnessed, which was nothing short of beeing just mad mad mad.

[@jonathanshumpert9549]

@@12345fowler Two of my most awe-inspiring memories involve aircraft. The first was the Tomcat I mentioned and the second was the SR-71. After Diego Garcia, I was stationed at Kadena AFB in Okinawa. That was where the last operational SR71 was based. When they retired it from service, I got to witness it's last take off from Okinawa. It was around dusk and shortly after lifting off they lit the burners and were gone. Not quite the same as staring up the aft end of a Tomcat, but really amazing.

[@steveanderson9290]

The all Navy airshows were the best. I still, to this day, get goosebumps when remembering the introductory airshow of the F-14 on Navy day at Miramar. Unfortunately they didn't have their tailpipes pointed directly at us on the flightline (Too much brass around I'm sure), but they did an afterburner climb at the runway midpoint that could drive long dead patriots in cemeteries to stand up and cheer. The gut wrenching rumble was so loud that it took quite a long time to realize that everyone standing around us was cheering at the top of their lungs.

[@disabuser]

I spent most of my time maintaining P-3s as well but I ended my tour with a short summer deployment working on A-6s. I was lucky to work nights when it was cool out and I loved watching the Tomcats launch. The afterburners at night look amazing but it got pretty hot behind them when launching, even with the jet blast deflectors.

[@georgeb424]

I was on the USS NIMITZ deployed to the Indian Ocean in '88-'89. If that Tomcat came from our deck, it was either a VF-24 or VF-211 bird. Though I was a black shoe (Machinist Mate PO3, A-Gang Engineering), I was glad that my small contributions to the Tomcat was maintaining the aircraft elevators so that we could get the birds from the roof to the hangar and back. Tomcats Forever!!

[@Mariner311]

Tomcat was always a part of my life - I was 10 when she entered service and 11 when I got my first model to build. She was often in the news as I grew up. My little brother's NROTC sophomore cruise included a visit to NAS Miramar with a hop aboard VF-1 (he brought me a t-shirt). We were on alert during Desert Shield/Storm as CSAR/SAR for possible Tomcat crews down. Then in the later 1990s I was off of frigates and working aboard the carrier - dealing with the VF-213 and their TARPS, LANTRIN, and Bombs - I even was aboard Vikings a few times during tanker missions.

[@paulprucnal7482]

Thank you for remembering those who maintained your aircraft. My time spent in the Line division & airframes was all about our air crew making mission capable & returning home safely.

[@brianblake1968]

The closing statements show a level of humility that isn't common today. Damn good video, as always.

[@returnofthenative]

Absolutely gorgeous & iconic silhouette. Thanks for the vids Mr Carroll, & now here's a hot tip on making your mess of cables dust free. Use ordinary fabric softener, the kind you have in your laundry, just dampen a cotton rag thoroughly without saturating it, & run your cables through it when making connections. It forms a long lasting electrostatic barrier that expels dust particles rather than attracting them. It was designed to prevent electrostatic charge build up, therefore limiting spark release on on synthetic fiber garments. Works a treat anywhere dust build up is a problem in the home.

[@Jerry74]

Really awesome to give credit to the guys who kept them armed and flying. Wasn't just an aircrew but a real team effort!

[@nephrodoc4120]

40 year after seeing one, its still my favorite fighter!

[@justice3865]

thumbs up for the great call-out to the enlisted!

[@brockjennings]

Thanks for recognizing the enlisted force in your video. From the maintainers to the top deck crew and the scope operators in the CIC, they are the unsung heros and backbone of accomplishing the mission.

[@stephenbritton9297]

The US Military's greatest asset is its middle enlisted personnel. Across the branches their skill, knowledge and dedication are the X-factor in what makes the US so hard to get the better of.

[@kennethng8346]

Great episode. Thank you for highlighting the flight crew. I've never served, but I always thought the people who service the planes were just as important to the mission success as the pilot and rio.

[@tadlockje]

One of the memories I will keep forever involves a Tomcat. On the final Tomcat cruise with VF-32, I was on the flight deck for the flyoff home and aircraft 100 was taxiing to the bow cats. I was standing at the foul line with several people and next to me was Chief DiMarino. As 100 taxied past us, "Dino", as he was called, said "She may be the oldest girl at the dance, but I'll be damned if she ain't the prettiest!". I could not agree more.

[@darinhusk366]

Great tribute to the plane and the men and women who kept it in the sky. Thank you sir!

[@powerpiggy141]

Commander Carroll, As a Retired USAF C-141 Crew Chief I wanted to thank you for your kind words regarding Aircraft Maintainers. Whether Navy, Air Force or those lovable Leathernecks, we've all got grease under our fingernails for life. Nice to get a nod from a satisfied customer. Fair winds and following seas, Sir.

[@jonw6662]

Growing up as a kid in the 90s the Tomcat was THE image me and my cousin had when it came to US power projection. A stunning airframe, it was the the cream of the crop in all that was cool. truly an awesome aircraft.

[@user-xc6jz6oz5g]

As a retired Air Force maintainer it's nice to hear what you said about maintenance. A running joke for us is "It takes a college degree to break it but a high school diploma to fix it". So often air crew did not bother to learn how their airplane works just what switches to flip. The good ones always do/did.

[@robtodd4726]

It crashed on approach to Grummans Calverton runway out on Eastern LI. Built in bethpage, assembled and tested at Calverton.

[@robertsprague853]

Although we saw many F14's in and out of Bethpage, the hydraulic failure crash happened out at Grumman Calverton.

[@alandaters8547]

Yes-earlier in the video you can see it pass over the Long Island Expressway a few seconds before the crash. It was great that the crew was able to safely eject and the only damage on the ground was to a few trees.

[@matthewj3390]

Absolutely.!

[@hoghogwild]

@@alandaters8547 That was a very close ejection, flight number 2.

[@bobshalala3443]

BZ for the shout out to the maintainers...this officer get it.

[@johnathonmullis4234]

I’ve loved the tomcat since I first saw it at vf-124 in 1985. I remember hearing that the f18 cost $7m and the f14 was $35m and that also would have influenced things. If that was true at the beginning the cost sure changed quick. I wish the tomcat had been upgraded and kept in service. Thanks for recognizing those of us who maintained that aircraft. It was an honor and privilege to be a part of the community. My officers were some of the best role models I could have asked for. You guys were giants. Fly Navy

[@thomaschumley3904]

During my 4 years onboard Ike, watching F14 flight ops from vulture’s row was my go to way to decompress! Will always be my favorite military jet!

[@danmurphy9173]

Ward, obviously the F-14 is a magical icon to all of us - and I really loved your shout out at the end to the crews that kept them running and on schedule. It’s a stand up move to credit the unknown, the un-glamorous, and the behind-the-scenes experts that made it all possible.

[@dorianleclair7390]

The f14 was the most impressive plane at the air show I saw. The sound of the engines was awesome.

[@ericelander9936]

Once a week in 7th grade English we had to give a speech. 73-74. Still remember one of them that I gave about the Tomcat based on an article in Reader's Digest. Been my favorite plane of all time ever since. Nothing looks like it to this day. Cheney was an idiot.

[@davidcampbell4174]

What a nice tip of the cap to the support crews. You’re a class act. Great video.

[@francisschweitzer8431]

The hardest part about being an enlisted jet mechanic… in my case as a Crew Chief ( USAF ) was dealing with Junior Officers that were newly assigned to that jet.. They always pulled the “ I am a College Graduate and I am the pilot…card “. The best part about the job was working WITH and FOR the Senior pilots…. The “ BEEN THERE/ DONE THAT” pilots that, like you Commander…. KNEW who was working on the jet. I was 19 years old when my Flight Chief handed me a stencil with “ ASST C/C A1C SCHWEITZER” for me to paint my new position on the fuselage of my … YES … “MY” KC-135A. I had just been indoctrinated into a small and special… often unseen by many, Air Force Community of often grease and soot covered creatures that resides in the shadows…. The Crew Chief. We as chief of the jet… took pride in our work… 12 hr days were the norm for shift work… and the Assigned Crew Chief would come in 6 hrs prior to crew show to pre flight ( KC-135A : 2 Man x 6hrs =12 man hours) and launch… basically an 8hr day ( night missions depending). You come in.. PF .. Crew SHOW .. Launch.. go home and come back in to rinse and repeat in around 8-10 hours….. BUT, if you were flying on the jet … The work never really Stopped. It was brutal and I loved every moment… and I’d do it again even now that I am 60 years old

[@marbleman52]

Hey there, Francis. I was your counter-part in my Navy squadron; a Plane Captain for 'my' ERA-3B Skywarrior aircraft; called the B-66 Destroyer in the Air Force. But the Navy A-3's didn't have ejection seats like the B-66 had.

[@francisschweitzer8431]

@@marbleman52 Plane Captain in the Navy is a pretty awesome job… I think you had more responsibility then us chiefs in the USAF.

[@marbleman52]

@@francisschweitzer8431 I was in the Navy from 71-75. Well, I do not know for sure which had more responsibility. I do know, however, that back when I was in the Navy, it looked like all of the A.F. Crew Chiefs had headsets by which they could talk to the cockpit. We Plane Captains didn't have that "fancy stuff"..lol...we had to use hand signals to talk with the pilot. And as to working on the ERA-3B's, and except for the daily and pre-flight inspections, then post flight checks, the only work that I had was fueling and checking & adding oil to the jet engines when needed. The A-3's had big drag chutes that were used and I untangled the chutes and re-packed them into what looked like a way too small canvas bag, but when the chute was folded correctly and the risers were correctly prepared, it all fit inside that little bag. I would watch and help occasionally when the various shops were doing maintenance, and tow the plane in & out of the hangar when needed. But I didn't turn any wrenches or any other actual work. My best buddy was a jet mech and he taught me how to start the engines. I can still remember most of the sequence to starting them. Quite often, I and my friend Mike, the jet mech, would have to tow the plane over to the high power area so he could make the adjustments on the engines while they were running. Sitting in the pilot's seat and running the engines was a real thrill for me. Mike and I had the plane secured to the concrete with a lot of tie-down chains. When the engines were running at near military power, you could feel and hear the plane shaking and roaring, like a cornered wild beast trying to escape it's chains. That was incredible...!! I had taught Mike how to run the engine starter, called the 'Huffer'..I think...and he had taught me how to start the engines from the cockpit, so it was just us two who would go to the high power area. That was a big responsibility, but we were both very good at what each of us did and the 'higher ups' knew that. So, yea, I loved my job and those ERA-3B's were "my" planes ! Each plane had it's own personality and it's own little quirks and I treated each of them accordingly.

[@M80Ball]

Crew chiefs aren’t mechanics.

[@matthewj3390]

My dad was a civilian navy inspector at Bethpage. Cool stuff in those days

[@SkyhawkSteve]

Cool photo of the Douglas A-3 serving as a testbed for the AIM-54 and radar! A lot of work goes into developing these sophisticated systems!

[@skykeg4978]

Ward…….as a former weapons specialist that served in the Air Force ( circa 1980-84 )…..THANK YOU!!!!!!!! We’re all on the same team fighting the same bad guys.

[@diggermolly5927]

Great vid, so much information. As a retired Army helicopter pilot, I appreciate your praise of the enlisted solders that work harder and in many cases are smarter than the officers they serve under. My mechanics and crew chiefs saved my but on more than one occasion, I have undying respect for them. This is a fun channel, keep it up, for all of us.

[@anthonyhitchings1051]

Great shoutout to the support crews :-)

[@ChristopherNelson2k]

Bravo for recognizing ground crew and knuckle-dragging maintainers!

[@wilsonrawlin8547]

So well done, Ward. Absolutely incredible and a true part of US Combat Avionic History.

[@crystalrock18]

Coming from a USAF guy I always be partial to the F-16 (mainly the wild weasel guys from the 13th & 14FS at Misawa) but the Tomcat will always be king of the fighters. And shout out to you Ward for having love to us prior enlisted guys.

[@glennstasse5698]

Your tribute to the maintenance and flight deck guys was all class. Nicely done!

[@edwinlegatie2459]

As a retired ABHC who had the deck, I must agree, it took the entire tribe to get them in the air and on deck. Also, if they weren't leaking, they were down hard.

[@Inspadave]

As a former F-14 AT I had, and still do have, a love/hate relationship with the AWG-9. I love to hate on that POS.

[@ncblount]

Mooch, great job describing the Tomcat and those who kept her in tip top shape. I wish the Navy didn't retire her. Lord only knows when we'll need her again. Thank you for your continued selfless stalwart and steadfast devotion and service. God bless you sir.

[@captainbejo3513]

The F-14, IMHO, is the most beautiful fighter ever!

[@sc1784]

Amen to the comments from the other posters about Ward's shout-out to the maintainers. Back in the '80's, I was an Aircraft Armament Systems Specialist (USAF version of a red shirt) in the Guard working on the F-105G Wild Weasel and the F-4D Phantom. Not long after we transitioned from the Thud to the Phantom, one of our pilots came back from the range complaining that his airplane malfunctioned because when he pulled the trigger back to the first detent, the M61 Vulcan cannon that was in a pod hung on the centerline station, started firing when he thought that was only activating the HUD camera. We would send them out with exactly 100 rounds of TP ammo in the gun pod, and he completely missed the target. Here I was a E3 Senior Airman explaining to a Major that while the Thud had two detents on the trigger (one to activate the gun camera and the second to activate the both the camera and the gun), the F-4 only had one detent that activated the camera and gun simultaneously. As our shop chief used to say, without us, the pilots were just a fancy flying club.

[@rael5469]

In the movie Final Countdown when the Tomcats are finally given clearance to "Splash the Zeroes. I say again, SPLASH the Zeroes." The scene cuts to the Tomcats accelerating and sweeping their wings. The theater audience gets up on their feet and CHEER LOUDLY. I've NEVER seen a reaction like that in any other movie. I'll never forget that.

[@larry5508]

Most excellent Mooch. I wanted to fly the F8 when I was in preflight, but due to the needs of the Navy I received orders to P3 Orions and three tours in Patrol squadrons flying an excellent multi mission platform. But, I always loved seeing, and watching the Tomcat.

[@xodiaq]

Loving this new series! I’d like to see what you do with some of the older aircraft like the Corsair and Mustang, or the Korean War era jets! For me, the F-14 will always be that ‘Best Ever’ as far as military aviation. So many aircraft are badass and immensely capable, but the F-14 makes me want to get in the cockpit.

[@turnagec]

Great video Ward! Wonderful words of gratitude to the enlisted crew that took care of you and the jet!