Hobby Master 1/72 HA5219 Grumman F-14A Tomcat 160406, VF-84 Jolly Rogers, US NAVY, 1986

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a twin-engine, variable sweep wings capable of supersonic flight. The aircraft is crewed by a Pilot and a Radar Intercept Officer who share the tasks of navigation, Navy and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force only. The name “Tomcat” is said to come from the call-sign used by Vice Admiral Thomas Connolly which conformed to the USN tradition of giving Grumman aircraft feline names.

Grumman F-14A Tomcat 160406 c/n 207 was assigned to VF84 “Jolly Rogers” on December 30 1986 when the squadron sailed from Norfolk Virginia aboard the USS Nimitz. The deployment would entail a cruise to the Mediterranean then navigating Cape Horn on its way to a new home for the Nimitz in Bremerton, Washington. The deployment for the USS Nimitz lasted until July 1987. Off the coast of San Diego the aircraft aboard Nimitz, including VF-84 launched and returned to their home bases. On June 7, 1999 160406 was sent to AMARC.