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Old September 24th 06, 08:52 AM posted to rec.aviation.military.naval,rec.aviation.military
Ralph_S
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Default F-14 makes last flight


Tiger wrote:
Yahoo! News
F-14 Tomcat makes ceremonial last flight

By SONJA BARISIC, Associated Press Writer2 hours, 18 minutes ago

The F-14 Tomcat, the dogfighting Cold War fighter jet immortalized in
the movie "Top Gun," made its ceremonial final flight Friday in a
display that suggested the timing was right for retirement.

Pilot Lt. Cmdr. David Faehnle and radar intercept officer Lt. Cmdr.
Robert Gentry gave a final salute from inside their cockpit before
aircraft no. 102 taxied down the runway and out of sight at Oceana Naval
Air Station.

The plane that actually took off as thousands applauded and whistled,
however, was aircraft no. 107, with Lt. Cmdr. Chris Richard at the
controls and intercept officer Lt. Mike Petronis in the back seat.

I recall reading somewhere that VF-31's (actually, the squadron had
already been renamed VFA-31) CO intended the last flight to be made
with the oldest aircraft in the squadron, an F-14Ds converted from an
F-14A.

Does anyone know whether this was AJ-102?

snip

Cheers,
Ralph