#f-14a+

[nocternalrandomness]

U.S. Navy F-14 from VF-124 "Gunfighters" out of NAS Miramar - Dec 1982

(U.S. Navy Photo)

[planesawesome]

F-14A

[thatsrightice]

I love being able to identify variants of the F-14, like I feel like an expert even though I very much am not, for the record. I consider myself more of a knowledgeable enthusiast.

Like this guy? I immediately know it’s an F-14A

And that’s a F-14D Super Tomcat

Probably a F-14B

F-14D again, they’re the easiest to tell head on

F-14A

Also totally an F-14A

That guy right there? F-14D

It’s fun, but tough cause not every aircraft can be identified by a single picture, it depends on the angle. But here’s how you can learn to identify the F-14 Tomcat variants almost instantly. It’s so easy! I promise!

[thatsrightice]

F-14 FUN FACT OF THE DAY #26

The F-14A is the only variant of the Tomcat to have “Glove Vanes” that were designed to automatically deploy when the aircraft was flying at speeds greater than Mach 1.4 and retract when below. The nose of the F-14 had a tendency to pitch downwards when flying at supersonic speeds and so the glove vanes were designed to generate additional lift ahead of the center of gravity of the aircraft to compensate.

The glove vanes were notoriously difficult to maintain and were found to provide very little benefit, so it wasn’t long before they were welded shut and the circuit breaker was pulled in order to completely disconnect them. This greatly reduced the total amount maintenance on the F-14A.

One pilot stated that sometimes when running up the hydraulics before start the glove vanes would come out, despite being told there was absolutely no way for them to work.

[thatsrightice]

F-14 FUN FACT OF THE DAY #23

There were only 55 F-14D Tomcats ever made due to the cancellation of the program mid production. 18 of the 55 were F-14As that had been retrofitted into the D-variant. In total, there were only enough D-variants to fully equip three squadrons.

[thatsrightice]

F-14 FUN FACT OF THE DAY #12

The F-14 Tomcat was a beast of an aircraft, capable of taking massive amounts of damage. This has been backed up by several incidents in which an F-14 is able to keep flying despite massive amounts of damage.

On June 29, 1991 two F-14A Tomcats collided mid-air over the South China Sea. One of the aircraft was lost, the crew ejecting over the South China Sea and successfully being rescued. The other aircraft, BuNo 159832, was able to divert to Singapore despite missing half of it’s right wing.

BONUS: A BuNo aka Bureau Number is a completely unique serial number assigned to an aircraft by the Navy Bureau of Avionics. No two aircraft in the entirety of the Navy will ever have the same BuNo.

[hobbystationerytagimi]

ハセガワ　1/72 F-14A トムキャット “エースコンバット ラーズグリーズ隊”　再入荷しました。

https://www.tagimi.net/?pid=175302584