F-14 Tomcat vid, still the best fighter around
- Thread starter Wills7MGTE
- Start date
Yeah watched that the other day.
If you've never been next to an actually F-14 tommy, then you have no clue how large they really are. You catch yourself thinking: These things actually fly off the end of a carrier deck?
To add: Way ahead of its time...
If you've never been next to an actually F-14 tommy, then you have no clue how large they really are. You catch yourself thinking: These things actually fly off the end of a carrier deck?
To add: Way ahead of its time...
CTsupra
Supramania Contributor
yeah the Tomcat dwarfs the Hornets - even the newer ones. Even though the Tomcat is so big, it's very low slung. The landing gear is short and squat to take the big impacts of a carrier landing. Put that next to an F-15 and it's a huge difference. The F-15's look like they're on damn stilts.
Completely forgot about the F-14 when that Mig-29 Showed up :love:
Both are great planes but I just love the russian fighters, Id take an SU-35 or SU-37 any day.
Both are great planes but I just love the russian fighters, Id take an SU-35 or SU-37 any day.
The Tomcats later in the video were "D" models with the big GE engines...finally got the power that big muther needed. The Tomcat was designed as an interceptor to take out the Russian Bear bomber (w/ anti-ship cruise missles) threat using the Phoenix air-to-air missle (also shown in the vid).
The Tomkitty's size worked against it against other fighters...when we used to fight them, we could see them miles before they could see us. Plus those wings are automatic...they spread then they got slow. Basically telling ya "come shoot me now" :naughty:
The Tomkitty's size worked against it against other fighters...when we used to fight them, we could see them miles before they could see us. Plus those wings are automatic...they spread then they got slow. Basically telling ya "come shoot me now" :naughty:
jdub said:
So you were an actual fighter pilot I take it?
What requirements does it take to get into that kinda thing?
Yellow 13 said:
Flew F-16A (Blk 10) to F-16C (Blk 40)...got almost 2000 F-16 hrs + another 1400 in the T-38
For the Air Force...You have to be an officer. That means a college degree + commission source (ROTC, Academy, Officer Training School). You have to be medically qual to be a pilot...VERY through medical exam...perfect vision. You have to be selected for a pilot slot out of your commissioning source...it's extremely competitive.
You have to be able to finish initial pilot training before age 27 1/2. Once you are selected for pilot training, you have to complete the program (one year)...in my class, almost half did not make it. To be selected for fighters you have to be ranked at the top of the class.
Fighter training takes another year. Then you are sent to your assigned unit for mission qual....that takes 4-6 months. That's when they finally will let you go "play" :naughty:
That's awesome Jdub. One of my dreams was to become a fighter pilot, but at 17 I broke my leg/callarbone racing moto-x. I have perfect vision, and I tested top score for hand/eye coordination. But the airforce didn't want someone with bolts in their leg, and they wanted to send me into the army. I was like... um no thanks.
I still play F22 on my computer though... oh yeah I rock at that game. ... .. er... i mean I used to... play... that game.
I still play F22 on my computer though... oh yeah I rock at that game. ... .. er... i mean I used to... play... that game.
Thanks Cadman...it was fun while it lasted :bigun2:
Yeah...the medical is tough. Probably knocks out half the candidates for one reason or another. You should see the test data for the real F-22 (the 1st operational squadron opened up 6 months ago at Langley AFB, VA)...it's an incredible machine!
Yeah...the medical is tough. Probably knocks out half the candidates for one reason or another. You should see the test data for the real F-22 (the 1st operational squadron opened up 6 months ago at Langley AFB, VA)...it's an incredible machine!
I think I might go talk to an AF/NAVY recruiter this weekend and get all the details. I still need to finish up college before I actually enlist though.
I still love Marine Corps aviation lol Harrier FTW course I am a marine brat and did live at cherry point MCAS in NC for a while so I am biased
Yellow 13 said:
Nah...you want to go by an AFROTC unit at the nearest college that has one. You'll get the straight scoop from those guys. A recruiter has a quota...keep in mind that he will try to talk you into enlisting. Not that it's a bad deal for a lot of people, it's just by the time you get done with the enlistment and college you will be too old for pilot training.
Enlisting and becoming an officer are totally different things...go talk to the ROTC guys...what they do is train an officer and will give you the straight scoop. Plus if you are already in college, they offer some pretty damn good scholarships
Edit: Will....Harrier = Easy Target...LOL
Now the F-18's the Marines fly is a little different story....Yeah, I love the F14s... always thought that swing-wing variable design kicked ass. High speed swept back when you wanted it, and swept forward to improve the low-speed characteristics.
Always wondered exactly how much it helped, though?
Always wondered exactly how much it helped, though?
Doward said:
Aerodynamics Lesson Alert! :icon_bigg
When the F-14's wing is swept back, it is actually in a delta shape and behaves pretty much the same. Great for high mach...turning wise, not as good as other designs using slats/flaps to change the shape of the wing (like the F-16 & F-18) to optimize lift vs angle of attack to improve turn radius and rate.
For an interceptor (like the F-14) the swept wing enable the pilot to get to the target (bear bomber) very fast and use the standoff capability of the Phoenix missle to engage the target(s) a great distance from the carrier battle group. This is a very good thing
The wings swept forward does something completely different. A delta shaped wing requires high speed to generate lift. That also means it has to land at a higher speed than other aircraft...on a carrier, that is not a good thing. Solution: Sweep wings forward to slow landing speed to managable levels. Added Bonus: Forward sweep enables low speed maneuvers in flight...make it automatic to reduce pilot workload.
Lesson over
jdub said:Nah...you want to go by an AFROTC unit at the nearest college that has one. You'll get the straight scoop from those guys. A recruiter has a quota...keep in mind that he will try to talk you into enlisting. Not that it's a bad deal for a lot of people, it's just by the time you get done with the enlistment and college you will be too old for pilot training.
Enlisting and becoming an officer are totally different things...go talk to the ROTC guys...what they do is train an officer and will give you the straight scoop. Plus if you are already in college, they offer some pretty damn good scholarships
Edit: Will....Harrier = Easy Target...LOL
YEP! If you're still in college go the ROTC route! That's what I'm in. My last year...thank the lord! Right now, ROTC kind of limits the number of people that it allows into it's POC (Proffessional Officer Corps) . But you need to really have at least two years of college left, or take on a second major that you could finish in two years. The scholarships that are being given out right now are going to Tier 1 majors especially, but Tier 1-3. Pretty much anything in the Tech field (engineering, programming, sciences, etc)
But yeah, being an officer and going in enlisted are totally different. I'm actually second generation military, my dad enlisted into the AF when he got out of high school. Got out, went to college, and originally did Army ROTC, but got out of it, haha and after he graduated he went through OTS (Officer Trainning School) and that's how he got his commission. He said there wasn't anything wrong with being enlisted, he just loved being an officer so much more. So I went the ROTC route because he said going through OTS was pretty difficult (you're competing with some HIGHLY qualified NCO's with master's degrees and maybe even phd's in order to get into OTS and there are limited slots per trainning class)
But if you have any questions about ROTC PM me
JDUB;
You are my new hero!::salute:: What a job to have!:icon_bigg And to be fortunate enough to fly the F-16! It has always been one of my favorite aircraft. I used to live in Sparks, NV. The Air Guard there used to have RF-4c's, so it was extremely noisy during flight ops at my place (right in the flight path!) Always have welcomed that sound, as it inspires patriotism, in the "True" American! I was fortunate enough to have a job that took me into the deepest reaches of the Nevada desert, where I have witnessed F-18's and F-14's supersonic "on the deck". I have also seen an F-18, trans-sonic, so close to the water(Pyramid Lake) that it raised a spray! I don't know of anything I would rather watch, than high performance tactical aircraft, doing their thing, in an open training enviroment like that.
My son is getting ready to join the Air Force, and hopes to be eventually working on F-22's. Amazing aircraft:icon_surp ...far beyond anything we had in the past!
You are my new hero!::salute:: What a job to have!:icon_bigg And to be fortunate enough to fly the F-16! It has always been one of my favorite aircraft. I used to live in Sparks, NV. The Air Guard there used to have RF-4c's, so it was extremely noisy during flight ops at my place (right in the flight path!) Always have welcomed that sound, as it inspires patriotism, in the "True" American! I was fortunate enough to have a job that took me into the deepest reaches of the Nevada desert, where I have witnessed F-18's and F-14's supersonic "on the deck". I have also seen an F-18, trans-sonic, so close to the water(Pyramid Lake) that it raised a spray! I don't know of anything I would rather watch, than high performance tactical aircraft, doing their thing, in an open training enviroment like that.
My son is getting ready to join the Air Force, and hopes to be eventually working on F-22's. Amazing aircraft:icon_surp ...far beyond anything we had in the past!