From: niebuhr@bnlux1.bnl.gov (david niebuhr)
Subject: Goodbye, Long Island (the last F-14 is delivered)
Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 14:57:52 GMT

The title of this post may be confusing but it came from an 8 page
special edition of {Newsday}.  This edition starts out with a two-page
picture of the last F-14 flying over the south shore of Long Island.

I won't even attempt to quote the full article, instead I'll give
excerpts and hope that I do justice to it and the plane and the
manufacturer, Grumman.  My apologies if I don't but I know a lot of
people who work for Grumman in its many endeavors.  If my bias towards
the plane, people and company shows, please excuse me but I'm fairly
familiar with these.

This plane had initial construction in Bethpage, New York and final
assembly and test flights in Calverton, New York.  Both communities
are within 30 miles of where I live.

In the interests of brevity and keeping the bandwidth down, I'll break
this into several sections.  Please bear with me but there is a lot of
territory to cover.

"On a bright winter day 22 years ago, a dream plane gliding back from
its first romp in the wind blue yonder suddenly turned into a 36-ton
rock.

"Skimming above the trees less than a mile from the runway, the world's
first F-14 developed trouble in its hydraulic system, arched toward the
ground and exploded in a ball of fire.  A half second before impact,   
pilot Bill Miller ejected himself and co-pilot Bob Smyth into the air."

So began the era of the F-14.

Number 1 may have been lost but 712 were built and 502 are still doing
their job.

Many people are quoted in the article, some of whom will be mentioned 
here but it's impossible to do this article justice.

"It's always exciting to see something start with a clean sheet of paper
and end up with the final design.  Then you look down one day and there
it is.", said Mike Pelehach, a retired program manager known as the
"Father of the F-14".

What the Navy wanted was a fighter that would replace the F-4 Phantom.
In my opinion, they got more than they bargained for.

"Weapons? 

"Press a button and out rush heat-seeking and radar-guided missles
locked in by a system that can track 24 targets simultaneously, then
pick out the six most critical to hit more than 100 miles away.  Press
another button and a six-barrel cann spits out .20 millimeter bullets
at a rate of 6,000 a minute.  During a Navy test in the early '70s, a
half dozen target drones were sent into the air.  The F-14 fired six
Phoenix missles at targets in six different locations.  Five were blown
out of the sky.

"No wonder the Navy called it a 'self escort.'  No wonder the
braggadocio.  A car sticker issued by Grumman deptcted a muscled cartoon
Tomcat wearing a gunbelt.  Lettering beneath stated "Anytime, Baby."

"The anytime came at the end of the end of the Vietnam War when the
plane was first used to provide air cover during the evacuation of
Saigon.  Later it saw action, twice shooting down Doviet-built Lybian
jets.  In 1985, Tomcats were used to intercept and force down a plane
commandeered by the PLO terrorists who had hijacked the Achille Lauro.
They also fulfilled their function and provided fleet protection during
the invasion of Grenada.  In Operation Desert Storm, they were used for
infrared and photo air reconaissance of Iraqi operations as well as
escorting strike planes into the area..  One F-14 was shot down while  
flying a tactical reconaissance mission.  The pilot was rescued.  His
back seat mate was taken prisoner and later released."  

Dave

Dave Niebuhr      Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093

USNR 1959-1961
USAF 1961-1965
A VET and proud of it
-- 

Dave Niebuhr      Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093