Photos Grumman F-14 Tomcat
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USS Kitty Hawk, VF-51 F-14 Tomcat ramp strike, July 11 1994
"On the night of July 11th as we made our way across the pond, it was a horrible night for pilots "behind the boat" as the deck was pitching 10 feet in both directions.
The pilot, LT "Pig" Arnold, made an unsafe power correction inside the waveoff window, chasing the deck down. When the ship rose back up, he did not have enough power, even at full throttle, to safely waveoff. The RIO - LCRD "Animal" Jennings saw what was coming and he initiated ejection just after the plane impacted the round down of the ship.
The plane actually caught a wire and split into two pieces, with engine and back half of the jet left as a burning fireball in the wires. The front half of the jet skidded off of the front of the ship.
Animal landed in his chute on the front of the ship next to some parked S-3's. Aside from some minor injuries to his feet due to the landing impact, Animal was fine and flying within a few days.
Pig had the unfortunate luck to be brought down in his chute right into the fireball that was burning in the wires. He sustained serious injuries to his hands and neck. He ended up making a full recovery, but never flew Tomcats again.
https://www.kittyhawkvets.com/forum/sea-stories/vf-51-ramp-strike-july-11-1994
"On the night of July 11th as we made our way across the pond, it was a horrible night for pilots "behind the boat" as the deck was pitching 10 feet in both directions.
The pilot, LT "Pig" Arnold, made an unsafe power correction inside the waveoff window, chasing the deck down. When the ship rose back up, he did not have enough power, even at full throttle, to safely waveoff. The RIO - LCRD "Animal" Jennings saw what was coming and he initiated ejection just after the plane impacted the round down of the ship.
The plane actually caught a wire and split into two pieces, with engine and back half of the jet left as a burning fireball in the wires. The front half of the jet skidded off of the front of the ship.
Animal landed in his chute on the front of the ship next to some parked S-3's. Aside from some minor injuries to his feet due to the landing impact, Animal was fine and flying within a few days.
Pig had the unfortunate luck to be brought down in his chute right into the fireball that was burning in the wires. He sustained serious injuries to his hands and neck. He ended up making a full recovery, but never flew Tomcats again.
https://www.kittyhawkvets.com/forum/sea-stories/vf-51-ramp-strike-july-11-1994
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Fighter Squadron 111 (VF-111) and Fighter Squadron 124 (VF-124) F-14 Tomcats August 1983.
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Jolly Roger launches Phoenix. Both missile and aircraft used by Iran and USN. In US service both now retired, AIM-54 Phoenix in 2004 and F-14 in 2006. replaced by shorter-range AIM-120 AMRAAM, employed on F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet—in its AIM-120D version.
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VF-84, Originally established as VA-86 1 July 1955, immediately redesignated as VF-84, disestablished 1 Oct 1995. It was third USN sqn designated as VF-84. nicknamed Jolly Rogers based at NAS Oceana. took number but not lineage of VF-84 "Wolf Gang"
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