“The F-14 crew caught a detail in the weather briefing and flew that 95 knots pass into a shear-wind (opposed to the F-15A-pilot), and then did a few turns no F-15 could ever do…” Tom Cooper.
This 1974 movie, which is hosted by Rear Admiral Leonard “Swoosh” Snead, the Navy’s F-14 Tomcat project manager, provides an update on the ongoing efforts to integrate the aircraft with the fleet. The film shows the Grumman’s remarkable efforts to test, manufacture, and deploy this amazing fighter. Only 13 Grumman aircraft had been delivered to Miramar at this time, and the full capabilities of the aircraft were unknown. The movie depicts VF-124 operating the Navy’s newest aircraft at twice the expected rate, while VF-1 and VF-2 start independent operations.
The footage also features the Shah of Iran visiting Andrews Air Force Base (AFB) in July 1973 to observe the F-14 Tomcat performance before making up his mind about it. At 13:50, the Shah of Iran gets a demonstration of the F-14’s capabilities.
As the famous modern military aviation author Tom Cooper explains, the clip portrays an “F-14A from VF-124 performing for the Shah of Iran during the famous fly-off against an F-15A, in July 1973…
“The Tomcat was flown by Don Evans and Dennis Romano – and they had few tricks up the sleeve. For example, they were the second to take off but started their engines early, and thus burned lots of fuel to lighten their aircraft before take-off. Then they caught a detail in the weather briefing and flew that 95 knots pass into a shear-wind (opposed to the F-15A-pilot), and then did a few turns no F-15 could ever do… Even though Iranians have already made their decision – well before the fly-off”
At 15:33, the Shah sits in the aircraft cockpit. Iran would eventually become a customer, purchasing 80 Grumman F-14A Tomcats and 633 Hughes AIM-54 Phoenix missiles for $2 billion.
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. Following the failure of the F-111B project, the Tomcat was created for the US Navy’s Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program. Designed to incorporate air combat experience against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War, the F-14 was the first of the American teen-series fighters.
The F-14 replaced the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II on its first flight in December 1970 and its first deployment with the U.S. Navy aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1974. Up to the 1990s, the F-14 was the main fleet defense interceptor, tactical aerial reconnaissance platform, and maritime air superiority fighter for the U.S. Navy. In the 1990s, the Tomcat started carrying out precise ground-attack missions with the addition of the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod system.