So long old friend

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat has finished it's very distinguished tour for the Navy. The last flight occured off the deck of the USS Teddy Roosevelt.


Atlantic Ocean (July 28, 2006) – Aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), an F-14D Tomcat assigned to the "Tomcatters" of Fighter Squadron Three One (VF-31), aircraft number 112, completes the final catapult launch of an F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft. The last launch marks the end of an era for Naval Aviation. The F-14 will officially retire in September 2006, after 32 years of service to the fleet. Theodore Roosevelt is completing Joint Task Force Exercises with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Laird

Of course, the F-14 may be more familiar to everyone as the planes that Tom Cruise flew in "Top Gun". I will always remember it as the planes operating off of the deck of the U.S.S. Nimitz in one of my favorite movies "The Final Countdown" (This would be the plane that "played" with the Zeroes)

So long Tomcat, So long.

---Me.