After
some grovelling to the wife, I finally got permission to attend the NAS Oceana
Airshow between the 24th and 26th September 2004. My quest began in
the early part of this year and as I live in the UK, you can imagine the
quantity and quality of the sycophancy that I had to and was willing to
produce. Luckily, it paid off.
My primary reason for going was
to catch as many Tomcats on film (yes film) as I could. F-14’s are rare birds
in the UK and are soon to become extinct worldwide. As I know how much modellers
above others appreciate the ability to find references, I thought it would be
good to share my experience with you.
My flight from London Heathrow
landed in the early evening at Dulles, Washington on the 23rd
September. After picking up my rental car, I had the enviable task of driving
about 200 miles to Virginia Beach whilst remembering to drive on the right hand
side of the road (back in 2000 I was lucky enough to be able to weave my family
holiday around the show at Oceana, so the territory was not entirely new to me).
As the UK is five hours ahead of Virginia, my body clock was on 04:00 by the
time I got to my hotel.
I woke up early on
the Friday morning (24th) for the short drive to NAS Oceana. Here is
a record of the Tomcats I managed to snare.
The
Gate Guards
F-14A
BuNo 157988
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images below to see larger images
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F-14D
BuNo 164604 (due to replace the above F-14A in the historical park in the near
future). Previously known as 'Vandy 1' and based at Point Mugu.
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F-14A
BuNo 158612. Located on Oceana Blvd.
The
F-14 Squadrons
VF-11 Red
Rippers - assigned to CVW-7
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F-14B,
AG/200, BuNo 163227 |
VF-31
Tomcatters - assigned to CVW-14
Deployed
at the time of the show, flying the F-14D from the deck of the USS John C
Stennis (CVN-74) on the last Tomcat WESTPAC.
VF-32
Swordsmen - assigned to CVW-3
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F-14B,
AC/105, BuNo 163216 |
F-14B,
AC/110, BuNo 162703 |
F-14B,
AC/111, BuNo 161428 |
F-14B,
AC/114, BuNo 161424 |
VF-101
Grim Reapers (FRS/RAG)
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F-14B,
AD/101, BuNo 162920 |
F-14B,
AD/102, BuNo 162691 |
F-14B,
AD/103, BuNo 161426 |
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F-14B,
AD/105, BuNo 161433 |
F-14B,
AD/107, BuNo 162910 |
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F-14D,
AD/161, BuNo 163897 |
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F-14D,
AD/163, BuNo 163414 |
F-14D,
AD/164 BuNo 164342 |
F-14D,
AD/165, BuNo 164345 |
VF-103
Jolly Rogers - assigned to CVW-17
Deployed
at the time of the show, flying the F-14B from the USS John F Kennedy (CV-67).
VF-143
Pukin’ Dogs - assigned to CVW-7
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F-14B,
AG/103, BuNo 161421 |
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F-14B,
AG/102, BuNo 162921 |
F-14B,
AG/105, BuNo 162926 |
F-14B,
AG/107, BuNo 162700 |
VF-211
Checkmates – assigned to CVW-1
VF-211
had just given up their last aircraft earlier in September and had the honour of
being the last F-14A squadron. The Checkmates were undergoing transition to the
F/A-18F Super Hornet at NAS Lemoore, CA and are to become VFA-211 and rejoin
CVW-1.
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VF-211
Transport |
VF-213
Black Lions - assigned to CVW-8
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F-14D,
AJ/100, BuNo 164602 |
F-14D,
AJ/101,
BuNo 164341 |
F-14D,
AJ/107, BuNo 161166 |
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F-14D,
AJ/112, BuNo 164349 |
F-14D,
AJ/213, BuNo 164347 |
I
drove back to Dulles on Monday 27th September in time to catch my
flight back to London in the evening.
Thanks
must go to Troy Snead (PAO NAS Oceana) who kindly put me down for a media pass
for the show weekend. This allowed me access to the daytime Friday show that
would have otherwise only been accessible by DOD employees and their families.
Thanks
must also go to the Association of Naval Aviation whose hospitality chalet and
amenities was much appreciated by this member from the UK.
Camera
Equipment Used:
Nikon
F65 with Sigma 50-500mm EX HSM lens.
Nikon
F55 with Nikkor 28-100mm G lens.
Pictures
were taken with Fuji Reala 100 and Superia 200 film.
Jeremy
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