1975 Vietnam Tomcat

[Bozothenutter]

Would this still have had its dielectric panels?

 

[Hook]

AFAIK the Frequent Wind Tomcats would have the interim type of beaver tail - the second one described at http://www.anft.net/f-14/f14-detail-beavertail.htm .

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Giorgio N]

The second type from the top in that page was introduced during the production of Block 75, first aircraft was Bu.No, 159421

The Tomcats in service with VF-1 and VF-2 during operation Frequent Wind were all earlier production aircraft with the original tail (first from top in the picture). By then the dielectric panels on the side of the tail had been removed and all pictures I've seen of aircraft during that deployment confirm this.

 

[Hook]

4 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

The second type from the top in that page was introduced during the production of Block 75

Isn't pic #2 the original tail with the fairings removed? AFAIK the FW birds were Block 70, it should look like this. 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Steve McArthur]

From seaforces.org Caption: Grumman F-14A Tomcat (VF-1 / CVW-14) prepared for loading onboard USS Enterprise (CVAN 65) at NAS Alameda, California - September 1974

 

[Giorgio N]

4 hours ago, Hook said:

Isn't pic #2 the original tail with the fairings removed? AFAIK the FW birds were Block 70, it should look like this. 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

 

No, picture 2 in that page is the improved beavertail used on most aircraft. See how this lacks the position light or its base and how the side panel are slimmer than the central section.

Picture 3 is the same as picture 2 with the addition of the antenna fairing.

There's no picture of the early tail without side panels in that page

[RAGATIGER]

19 hours ago, Bozothenutter said:

Would this still have had its dielectric panels?

 

Notice also no under fuselage fuel tanks

 

Regards

 

Armando 

[Bozothenutter]

9 hours ago, RAGATIGER said:

Notice also no under fuselage fuel tanks

 

Regards

 

Armando 

There seems to be something under the sidewinder pylon?

[alt-92]

10 minutes ago, Bozothenutter said:

There seems to be something under the sidewinder pylon?

Travel pod, looks like.

[Bozothenutter]

1 hour ago, alt-92 said:

Travel pod, looks like.

Interesting....flying CAP with a travelpod!

Not sure if this pic is from the actual CAP though, he seems a bit low.🤔

[XV571]

1 hour ago, Bozothenutter said:

There seems to be something under the sidewinder pylon?

I suspect that's an optical illusion caused by the wavy demarcation between the Light Gull Grey and White immediately below the Sidwinder; together with the square cut-out where the main leg has support positioned below the aft missile finsmaking it look like a tank or pod is fitted. It could be that the lower AIM-9 adapter and LAU-7 rail is installed and obscuring the intake warning marking so increasing the effect.

 

Note that the F-14 in Steve McArthur's post is very probably the same one in the original post - the Modex is 103/03 which is BuNo 158990 according to the Go Navy site:

http://www.gonavy.jp/CVW14-NK1974.html

 

Here's BuNo 158990 in May 1974: https://www.flickr.com/photos/40263244@N04/48106621011/in/photostream/ clearly showing the dielectric panels have already been removed.

 

Here's a capture from the below video clearly showing the lower LAU-7 rail installed on '103' and no tanks:

 

158990 F-14A VF-1 c1974 youtube

 

If you go to about 7:30 there's some very clear footage of four VF-1 Tomcats in flight, including '103':

 

 

 

 

HTH,

 

Jonathan

 

[RAGATIGER]

Hi there

 

Lets also look at the Tomcats at the Final Countdown also don't use fuel tanks

 

 

 

And that's from 1980

 

Regards

 

Armando

[Giorgio N]

Tanks were not seen very often in the early service years. Grumman had designed tanks of course but the first type, recognizable by the presence of side fins at the rear end, had problems (the fins induced cracks in the tank). The solution was simply to remove the rear section with the fins and this was done on existing tanks while a new type was put into production. This meant that for a while there was a relative shortage of tanks, reason why these were not seen as often as in later years. 

Tanks were in any case available for operation Frequent Wind and there are pictures showing aircraft from that deployment with tanks.

Of course whenever tanks were not needed they were not used... during filming of The Final Countdown all aircraft operate close to base so there was no need for tanks.

In later years however the pylons were often in place even when tanks were not used, something much rarer to see on early Tomcats 

Edited May 5 by Giorgio N