The F-14 Tomcat Flies Into History

The plane that made any male who watched Topgun (regardless of how incredbly irritating Tom Cruise was) want to be a pilot when they grew up is being retired:

VIRGINIA BEACH — By Friday, the Tomcat will be gone.

Cmdr. Jim “Puck” Howe, the last skipper of the last F-14 squadron based at Oceana Naval Air Station, will suit up, climb inside aircraft No.103, and fly off.

His radar intercept officer in the back seat, Lt. Cmdr. Bill Lind, also a member of the “Tomcatters” from Fighter Squadron 31, will do the same.

Watching the farewell flight will be about 3,000 invited guests, mainly former aviators, mechanics, suppliers and builders of the vaunted fighter jet.

“We’ll go through the start-up sequence, launch, come back for one fly-by and then officially it will be gone,” Howe said.