Grumman F-14 Tomcat: Bye - Bye Baby...!: Images & Reminiscences From 35 Years of Active Service - Softcover

Parsons, Dave; Hall, George; Lawson, Bob

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0760339813 ISBN 13: 9780760339817

Publisher: Zenith Press, 2011

Synopsis

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. This book 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 this title

About the Author

Dave Parsons logged over twenty thousand photos as a Tomcat RIO during a career in the U.S. Marines and Navy and now serves as a warfighter liaison between NAVAIR and the Special Ops community. He and his wife live under the traffic pattern at NAS Oceana, near their four grandchildren. As the very first editor-producers of The Hook magazine, Bob Lawson and his wife, Sallie, dedicated themselves to telling the story of carrier aviation. They now live near St. George, Utah. George Hall photographed military aircraft for over thirty years and founded George Hall Photography, a stock photo agency. He passed away in April 2006.

Review

WINGS, October 2006“Every once in awhile, a new book comes along that literally takes your breath away with page after page of never-before-seen photographs punctuated by pithy, no-hold-barred text taken straight from conversations overheard at Happy Hour at the O’Club. Grumman F-14 Tomcat is just such a book...Authors and photographers Dave “Hey Joe” Parsons, George Hall, and Bob Lawson have created nothing less than the ultimate celebration of the foremost air superiority fighter of the Cold War, and one of the most potent fighter bombers of the Gulf Wars as well. From the runway at Miramar to the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson, this book takes you where the action is.” Pacific Flyer, August 2006“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.”

Naval Aviations News, Sept./Oct. 2006“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!” Proceedings/U.S. Naval Institute, September 2006“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.”

IPMS Journal, September 2006“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.” Virginian-Pilot, August 20, 2006“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.”

Edition details

• Publisher: Zenith Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0760339813
• ISBN 13: 9780760339817
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 200