Taming the Tomcat - a great article describing F-14 training

[Lusik]

A great read for those who love the aircraft, while those who don't may still discover that they were mistaken.





Fighter pilot-in-training Paul Nickell made it through the rigors of primary and advanced flight training to earn his coveted wings of gold—and an assignment to fly what was then the Navy's newest and most complex fighter, the F-14A Tomcat. Going from the spritely TA-4J Skyhawk to Grumman's fleet defender would prove to be a bigger challenge than Paul imagined, and the aircraft's unique handling qualities during landing were a beast that he had to quickly learn to control in order for his dream of flying Navy fighters to finally come true.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/9599/a-tomcat-pilots-early-struggles-to-tame-the-mighty-f-14

[Frankie]

What a mammoth article in terms of length! Now that's what I call a quality read. Skimmed through it and will read it in full later. Got distracted by this one, http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/3462/on-top-guns-30th-anniversary-we-talk-to-a-topgun-instructor-who-worked-on-the-80s-masterpiece heh.

TopGun 2 early sneak clip

[Rinix]

Thanks for posting. Here's some more links worth reading:
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/3383/what-it-was-like-flying-and-fighting-the-f-16n-viper-topguns-legendary-hotrod
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/8282/how-to-fight-to-win-in-the-f-14-a-4-and-f-5-at-the-navys-topgun-school
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/8881/taking-the-f-14a-tomcat-on-cruise-for-the-first-time

[Lusik]

Thanks for the article Frankie. I love all stories about this aircraft.

And thanks Rinix. I will have a look in a few minutes.


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[Lusik]

More on the same topic. This time directly from the cockpit.




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