22 F-14 Tomcats Fly Over The Deck Crew

Samuel Archer

Talk About A Once In A Lifetime Event.

We found yet another bittersweet moment in aviation that was filmed over a decade ago. This one deals with the last flight of a beloved fighter plane, namely, the F-14 Tomcat.

With an aging fleet of Naval fighter planes, the Navy decided to retire F-14s back in 2006, replacing them with a newer plane, the F/A-18 Hornet. Their last deployment was aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt which is where this video was taken from.

712 F-14 Tomcats were produced between 1969 and 1991.

As a last goodbye, 22 Tomcats took to the air and made one last pass over their mother ship. It was a spectacular sight to witness, that’s for sure. The video is quite old and the sound might not be the best, but you can clearly tell that the air was booming with the sound of those 44 jet engines roaring over the carrier. 

You’ve got to love that cheer at the end though. Although a sad moment for F-14 Tomcats, the pride the crew has for being able to work with these birds is really heartwarming. Then again seeing a formation like that would make you scream with pride no matter who you are.

Then again, seeing a formation like that would make you scream with pride no matter who you are.