Grumman F-14A Tomcat - Seattle, WA
N 47° 31.218 W 122° 18.047
10T E 552640 N 5263222
One of many static aircraft displays located at the Museum of Flight at King County International Airport. Admission fees apply.
Waymark Code: WMVHKK
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 04/21/2017
Views: 4
Located at the Museum of Flight are a large number of static aircraft on display. One of them is a Grumman F-14A Tomcat. The Museum of Flight website contains a
page devoted to this aircraft and it reads:
The failure of the General Dynamics F-111B to meet US Navy requirements for an advanced carrier-based air-superiority fighter led to a new design contest which was won by Grumman with its variable-geometry, two-seat, twin-engine aircraft designated the F-14. Named the Tomcat, procurement began in 1969 for 700 aircraft. Deliveries to the Navy began in June 1972, with the initial deployment of operational carrier squadrons in 1974.
The ability to sweep its wings aft 43 degrees, coupled with twin 21,000-lb-thrust engines enabled the F-14 to achieve speeds in excess of twice the speed of sound.
The F-14, with its Phoenix air-to-air missiles, coupled with airborne early-warning aircraft radar, was able to simultaneously intercept, engage and destroy up to five incoming enemy aircraft out to distances in excess of one hundred miles from a carrier task force. The F-14 was later used in the ground-attack role, as well.
Reduction of force requirements and concurrent cuts in defense spending necessitated the gradual replacement of the F-14s by F/A-18s in 2006.
This aircraft loan courtesy of the National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola, Florida.
A nearby placard also highlights this Grasshopper in more detail and reads:
Fleet Defender
The F-14's wings swing forward and aft, allowing for both supersonic speeds and low-speed handling during aircraft carrier landings.
Tomcats began flying with the U.S. Navy in 1972 and were made famous in the 1986 movie Top Gun. They typically deployed from aircraft carriers. The F-14 was retired from U.S. Navy service in 2006.
The Museum's F-14A Tomcat
The Museum's F-14A entered U.S.
Navy service in 1977. Flying with several squadrons, including VF-84 (the jolly Rogers) and VF-41 (the Black Aces), this plane ended its career with the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center in 2001.