By Dave Parsons, George Hall, and Bob LawsonPaperback, 12 x 9.35
200 pages, 257 color photos
ISBN: 978-0-7603-3981-7
$29.99 / $32.99 CAN / £20.00
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“Every once in awhile, a new book comes along that literally takes your breath away. . . . From the runway at Miramar to the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson, this book takes you where the action is.”
—WINGS magazine
The Tomcat had a hell of a time getting itself born. It was the era of McNamara's Whiz Kids in the Pentagon, and they were fixated on a new fighter that could be flown in common by the Air Force and the Navy. That unfortunate bird was the TFX, which became the F-111. The F-111B was the Navy variant. Some wags called i "the deviant." The thing was so underpowered, it couldn't generate the specified acceleration in mil power on approach to the ship. All the Navy tests were dismal, but the damn thing was on the track anyway.
A true American hero named Tom Connolly shut the project down in a Senate hearing. Called upon by Armed Services Committee chairman Senator John Stennis, Connolly bluntly reported "Mr. Chairman, all the thrust in Christendom couldn't make a Navy fighter out of that airplane."
The deviant died at that moment, and the Tomcat was born. VADM Connolly knew it was a career-ender, which most certainly it was. But he did what had to be done.
For thirty-five years of active naval service, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was the foremost air superiority fighter of the Cold War, with continuing service as a fighter-bomber in the Gulf Wars. Two hundred thousand sailors, both pilots and "ground" crew, served in F-14 squadrons with the Tomcat over its decades of flight.
Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a grand remembrance of this great aircraft by those who flew it. Hundreds of pilots have included their favorite stories of the missions and planes that brought them home. Two hundred exceptional color photographs show the F-14 on the deck, in the air, and over the sea.
About the Authors
Dave "Hey Joe" Parsons is a longtime tomcat aviator who is currently a top executive of the Titan Corp in Virginia Beach, Virginia. For many years he was the editor of the Navy's Approach Magazine, and he has authored some 20 books on military aviation.
George Hall photographed military aircraft for over thirty years, gathering hours in almost a hundred types. Together he and his wife Nicky operated Check Six, a world-renowned stock image library specializing in air-to-air aviation photography and military subjects. An authority on the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, he lived in Tiburon, California until his passing in 2006.
Bob Lawson is the former editor of Tailhook Magazine, the journal of the Tailhook Association. He has logged more hours and traps in the Tomcat than any nonaviator. An authority on carrier-based aviation, he lives in St George Utah.
“This is the coffee table book to end all coffee table books, especially if you’ve ever flown, sean, or heard of a Tomcat. The book weighs almost four and a half pounds, is 13 3/4” x 10 1/2” and filled with 200 glossy pages of some of the most breath-taking color photos you’ve ever seen. Equally great is the commentary of the pilots who flew the big cats themselves. Alongside each picture is a short commentary by a ‘Cat driver, some hilarious, always insightful…I could think of no higher calling than to be an F-14 pilot, and this book celebrates the men and the planes they flew.”
—Pacific Flyer
“There are labors of love, and then there’s this book, put together by three experienced, highly motives individuals, each bringing his own special skills to the project. [Grumman F-14 Tomcat] provides some fabulous photography and wonderful memories, all for a very reasonable price. This is not a history of the Tomcat, although going through all the quotations you certainly gain a sense of the F-14’s story and contribution…The concept is elegant in its simplicity: a magnificent collection of color pictures from professional photographers as well as the people who flew or maintained, and clearly loved, the Tomcat…The photos are juxtaposed with poetic memories, short and long, but all highly readable…Tomcat Bye-Bye…! is a terrific requiem for one of the modern era’s greatest jet fighters. It will bring several hours of pleasant browsing and reminiscence to operator and enthusiast alike. Great job, baby!”
—Naval Aviation News
“In Grumman F-14 Tomcat, professional photographers and authors David Parsons, George Hall, and Bob Lawson have assembled a memorable collection of stunning photographs and graphic, first-hand accounts of the Tomcat to document the successful 35-year service life of the Navy’s premier fighter…The heart of this book is a collection of riveting one-page anecdotes and quotes from flight and ground cres, each told in the vernacular of the ready room and the back bar, replete with acronyms, jargon, and colorful ‘pilot speak’ that are essential to the story. The tales are complemented by the finest, most comprehensive collection of Tomcat photographs ever assembled in one book. From the front cover to the last colorful page, each image in this oversized, coffee-table book is a work of art.”
—U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings
“This book is nothing less than a love story told in pictures and a few, well chosen words. Large, glamorous images of the Turkey taken by many of today's foremost aviation photographers are accompanied by short quotes from those who flew, wrenched, and in a few cases, punched out of this beloved big dawg of a fighter. The text is added in such a way that each recollection appears poetic, although describing how two NFO's jumped from the cockpit of a Tomcat under tow, as the combination of a tight carrier turn and a rogue wave launched Tomcat and tractor over the side, probably doesn't qualify as poetic…The images are simply stunning. Ranging from silhouette-lit sunset profiles to close-ups taken during the filming of Top Gun, you'll see Grumman's last Cat from every conceivable vantage point (including a few that will leave you wondering how that picture was possibly taken)…Highly recommended, particularly if "call the ball" fits anywhere in your vernacular.”
—IPMS Journal
“There is little danger, even after looking at page after page of the giant jets, of one’s ever getting bored…The vignettes from the air crews and mechanics are priceless, some even newsworthy.”
—Virginian-Pilot
