HOME | DD
RoadTripDog — Grumman F-14 Tomcat
Published: 2010-10-26 19:06:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 2579; Favourites: 27; Downloads: 90
Redirect to original
Description
On The Turntable: 'Danger Zone' by Kenny LogginsAt the Pacific Air Museum, here's an F-14 Tomcat in the Jolly Rogers markings. Appears to have been on the carrier Enterprise at one time.
View full size if you have the need for speed.
Related content
Comments: 15
Being familiar with the tomcat when I was a kid in California, the Jolly Rogers never actually deployed on the Big "E" during the squadron's operational life with the F-14. In addition, the yellow "E" on the tail stands for "Efficiency." it is given only to squadron's who have sustained squadron readiness, without injury, over a set period of time.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you for the information. I will go in and update my comments on this and other photos of the F-14 this weekend. I knew the E was not for the Enterprise but I was tricked into thinking the aircraft had been there by this photo where the word "Enterprise" shows through a thin coat of paint.
With your information, what this now tells me is that this particular F-14 may have been on the Enterprise but it was not there as part of the Jolliy Rogers. The aircraft is on display at the Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa CA and they may have painted it in Jolly Rogers livery to make the display more exciting, after all the Jolly Rogers is one of the best known fighter squadrons. I have a photo (not posted) of their information sign at the front of the aircraft and it does not say specifially that it was on the Enterprise or assigned to the Jolly Rogers. I just now also looked at www.vfa103.navy.mil/ where there is a brief Jolly Rogers history. I should have done that before! It was my first visit to that air museum and I assumed (yes, I know) that what they displayed was correct. I have since found out that museum displays are sometimes modified for exhibit.
I appreciate your bringing this to my attention in a positive manner (so many on the internet just rudely call names). I try to be accurate with my comments but I jumped to the wrong conclusion on this one. My main interest is historic automobiles but I also like planes and ships and at one time was considering joining the Navy because one of my life's ambitions was to fly airplanes on and off a carrier - many years ago. Later on in life I took civilian flying lessons and found that I was good at flying except for landings, so I probably would not have gotten my wings in the Navy.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Imagine how big this thing is and then imagine standing next to an Avro Arrow (almost as long as an SR-71).
A buddy of mine spent years working on a 1/3 scale model of the Arrow, he owns a hobby store and wanted to put it on his roof (The City of Ottawa refused to let him so he donated it to a small museum near Peterborough). People would come into his workshop and most thought it was a full scale model.
Gotta love those Jolly Rogers tailfins! Apparently VF-17, the first Jolly Rogers squadron, chose the name because they flew F4U Corsairs.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I didn't realise JUST how big there are until seeing those lil plastic chairs underneath it. And the small child. Haha
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
The F-14 was the biggest fighter plane flown from our aircraft carriers. The volunteers at the air museum sit under the plane in the shade during their break times. I didn't realize the child had run into the photo until I saw it on the computer. It gives another perspective of the size of the plane.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
#202 is here: (not that I believe they actually painted correctly) 
[link]
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I think those three digit numbers could change and the permanent six digit registration is the identifier. But I could be wrong. This F-14 was 160889.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
According to:
[link]
(also a great F-14 site by the way)
That puts that bird at the exhibit Pacific Coast Air Museum, CA.
Ric
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yep, that's where I photographed it:[link]
I've got some other aircraft from there to post. Small air museum near Santa Rosa CA at the Charles M Schulz Airport (hometown of peanuts guy). They have a $5 admission charge butt one Thursday each month they throw in a hotdog, soda and bag o' chips. Since I'm a tightwad (not by choice but by lack of employment - also why I hope this little camera doesn't fall off the shelf because I would be SOL) that's the day I chose to be in the area. And it was a pretty decent hot dog - lots of times you don't want to know, but these were OK.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Nice selection of "touchable" aircraft - the $5 deal sounds like a great way to spend a day - hell, I'd probably volunteer at someplace like that helping paint/clean/etc - just to play with the planes!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
The museum volunteers (and hot dog chefs) are mostly ex-military aviation and if you sit around long enough someone will start yarning. They are looking for volunteers, if it was closer I would volunteer just to listen to these guys!
Suggestion: how about you coming down with Holly or Floofie to photograph with the aircraft? I'll bet those ex-military guys would be very helpful.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I love those "yarn" sessions (not the YAWN one) - I was in the UK (for a weekend) and got to sit in the flight deck of an Avro Vulcan and listen to one of the "crusty curators".
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
F-14 has been one of my faves of all time.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1