tighe@hydra.convex.com (Mike Tighe) (01/12/91)
From: tighe@hydra.convex.com (Mike Tighe) From: ron@hpfcso.fc.hp.com (Ron Miller) > An assertion has been made over in rec.arts.movies that the F-14 was > deployed to carriers whose A-6 aircraft were flying missions in Viet Nam. > (Subject is the movie "Flight of the Intruder") > Can anyone shed some facts and references on the subject? Dates, perhaps? Carrier trials for the F-14 began in June of 1972 on-board the USS Forrestal. In October of 1973, VF-1 and VF-2 (USS Enterprise) began receiving F-14's. VF-1 became the first operational F-14 squadron to qualify for daytime carrier operations in March 1974. The first deployment of the F-14 was on-board the USS Enterprise in September of 1974. The only VietNam era F-14 missions I know of were CAP missions. The first was for the evacuation of Saigon in April of 1975, and the other was for the Mayaguez rescue in May of 1975. As far as I know, they did not engage any enemy aircraft. I have not yet seen FOTI, but from your message, I would say if the movie implies that the F-14 was operational while US forces were in-country, that would be inaccurate.
mpm@cbnews.att.com (Michael P Millar) (01/14/91)
From: mpm@cbnews.att.com (Michael P Millar) >From article <1991Jan12.013542.26088@cbnews.att.com>, by tighe@hydra.convex.com (Mike Tighe): > > The only VietNam era F-14 missions I know of were CAP missions. The first > was for the evacuation of Saigon in April of 1975, and the other was for > the Mayaguez rescue in May of 1975. As far as I know, they did not engage > any enemy aircraft. I was stationed in Hawaii in 1975 with a Navy Patrol Squadron and went down to Pearl to see the Big "E" pull in after the Frequent Wind operation. I had a very good buddy who was in VF-1 on this first deployment of the Tomcats. I recall asking him if they had flown missions while on station off the coast of Vietnam. He said there were still so many bugs in the aircraft that very few left the deck during that time. I also think they were also afraid of losing any at that stage of the war. His and My opinion was that having the Tomcats there was really a show of force that if necessary could be put to use. But what did we know being your basic Navy Petty Officers? While I suppose technically you could call the F-14 a Vietnam-era aircraft, I don't believe there is the remotest chance anybody flew it in combat during that time. On another F-14 topic, it is not in "Flight of the Intruder". I saw the film at a sneak preview in Columbus Ohio on 10 Jan.91 and if the aircraft was in it then it was flown at night with no lights on! I will not spoil the film for you but I will say this, I thought it a better picture than TOPGUN but still not all it could of been. The character portrayal was pretty weak. Willem Defoe was pretty good as "Cole, Virgil Cole" i