Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series
HA5240Grumman F-14A Tomcat 160391/AJ210, VF-84 "Jolly Rogers", USS Nimitz, July 1978
General Background
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a twin-engine, variable sweep wings capable of supersonic flight. The aircraft is crewed by a Pilot and a Radar Intercept Officer who share the tasks of navigation, target acquisition, ECM and weapons usage. The Tomcat was operated by the United States Navy and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force only. The name "Tomcat" is said to come from the call-sign used by Vice Admiral Thomas Connolly which conformed to the USN tradition of giving Grumman aircraft feline names.
The Aircraft
VF-84 “Jolly Rogers” flew the F-14A Tomcat from 1976 until October 1, 1995 when it was disestablished. VF-84 had been assigned to the USS Nimitz from December 1977 until July 1987. F-14A Tomcat 160391/AJ210 C/N 247 wears a paint scheme that was typical for the 1970s. VF-84 aircraft appeared in the movie “The Final Countdown” filmed in 1979. In 1988 AJ-210 became AJ-202 and in 1995 went to VF-101. In 1999 the aircraft was withdrawn from service and loaned to the Texas Air Museum. The F-14 was the last of the “Cat” fighters.
