F-14 TOMCAT Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-101 GRIM REAPERS PATCH - from the '80s

Description

USN F-14 TOMCAT Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-101 GRIM REAPERS PATCH - from the '80s
This is an Original (not cheap import copy) F-14 TOMCAT Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-101 GRIM REAPERS PATCH - from the '80s.You will receive the item as shown in the first photo. Please note that there are color variations due to different settings on different PCs and different Monitors. The color shown on your screen is most likely not the true color.
Strike Fighter Squadron 101 (VFA-101), also known as the "Grim Reapers", was a United States Navy Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) based at Eglin AFB, Florida. After the West Coast FRS for the F-14 Tomcat, VF-124, was disestablished in the mid-1990s, VF-101 became the sole F-14 FRS. At the time it was based at NAS Oceana in Virginia. With the retirement of the F-14, VF-101 was deactivated in 2005. It was reactivated in 2012 and redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 101 (VFA-101). It was one of two F-35C Lightning II FRS before being deactivated in 2019.[1] It was based at Eglin AFB, Florida with the joint 33d Fighter Wing (33 FW),[2] as a subordinate unit of the U.S. Navy's Strike Fighter Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet. In January 1976, VF-101 began operating and instructing aircrews and maintainers in the F-14 Tomcat. In 1975 and 1976 the squadron was awarded the CNO Aviation Safety Award and in November 1976 the unit received its fourth Safety Citation due to 36 continuous months without accident. On 5 August 1977, the F-4 training department of VF-101 was split into a separate new squadron, VF-171, which continued to train F-4 crews until disestablishment in 1984 after the last two Oceana F-4 squadrons (VF-74 and VF-103) began to transition to the Tomcat. VF-101 continued to train F-14 crews. In 1986, VF-101 had completed 3 years of accident free operations earning them another Safety Citation, and in March 1988 they received a third CNO Safety Award. The same year, VF-101 began to receive the F-14A+ (later redesignated F-14B), which upgraded the F-14A's underpowered and troublesome engines with new engines that improved fuel economy and added 14,600 pounds-force (65,000 newtons) of thrust over the F-14A. The new fuel economy gave the F-14B one third more time on-station and sixty percent more range.  As F-14 squadrons began to transition to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, VF-101's mission diminished. During this time, several VF-101 aircraft featured the markings of disestablished F-14 squadrons—among them were VF-1, VF-21, VF-24, VF-33, VF-74, VF-84, VF-111 and VF-142. As the only F-14 FRS until its disestablishment in 2005, VF-101 at one point had as many as 130 F-14s of all three variants, as well as a small number of T-34 Mentors for currency training and range safety. VF-101 was deactivated on 30 September 2005, at a ceremony at NAS Oceana. Honored guests at the ceremony were the surviving members of the Flatley family (three generations of which were VF-101 pilots), who were presented with the squadron flag.
Top Gun is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, in association with Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr., and was inspired by the article "Top Guns" written by Ehud Yonay for California magazine. The film stars Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, and Tom Skerritt. Cruise plays Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a young Naval aviator aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. He and hisRadar Intercept Officer (RIO) Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Edwards) are given the chance to train at the Navy's Fighter Weapons School at Miramar in San Diego. The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole combat jet, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed byMcDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The Hornet is also used by the air forces of several other nations and, since 1986, by the U.S. Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels. The F/A-18 has a top speed of Mach 1.8 (1,034 knots, 1,190 mph or 1,915 km/h at 40,000 ft or 12,190 m). It can carry a wide variety of bombs and missiles, including air-to-air and air-to-ground, supplemented by the 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon. It is powered by two General Electric F404 turbofan engines, which give the aircraft a high thrust-to-weight ratio. The F/A-18 has excellent aerodynamic characteristics, primarily attributed to its leading edge extensions (LEX). The fighter's primary missions are fighter escort, fleet air defense, Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), air interdiction, close air support and aerial reconnaissance. Its versatility and reliability have proven it to be a valuable carrier asset, though it has been criticized for its lack of range and payload compared to its earlier contemporaries, such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in the fighter and strike fighter role, and the Grumman A-6 Intruder and LTV A-7 Corsair II in the attack role. The Hornet saw its first combat action during the 1986 United States bombing of Libya and subsequently participated in the 1991 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War. The F/A-18 Hornet provided the baseline design for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, a larger, evolutionary redesign of the F/A-18.
Until 2006, the “Wing King” of Naval Aviation was the F-14 Tomcat. The legendary plane on September 22 of that year made its last flight. Since then, the backbone of every Carrier Air Wing (CVW) is the F/A-18 both Hornet and Super Hornet. Although it was retired from the U.S. military service, the F-14 is still in service with the IRIAF (Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force). However, this article does not focus on the outcome of an eventual close encounter between Iranian Tomcats and American Hornets; it is just a comparison between two fantastic flying machines. So which aircraft would you take to a fight? The question, of course, it’s very difficult to answer. It depends on the way you see it and may significantly vary from pilot to pilot. However, some assumptions can be made in accordance with the most widely known characteristics of both weapon system, as the author as done in this article with the aim to give readers a comparison between the Hornet and its predecessor. If the mission is strictly fleet defense, the F-14 was a perfect platform. In fact, the six wing mounted pylons of the Super Hornet (or the four of the Hornet) impose a higher drag on the F/A-18 that couldn’t match the Tomcat performance as a very high speed interceptor. Indeed, the Tomcat is known to be a very fast airplane, with great sustained energy performance and, since it carried a great quantity of fuel which gave it a good endurance, the F-14 was also very good for high speed strike missions. But the Cold War ended a couple of decades ago and “its” Bears bombers are no the threat that led to the Tomcat possessing those attributes in first place. Furthermore, while the F-14 was an older aircraft in which some newer technologies were integrated, the F/A-18 Super Hornet is a more modern airplane with newer equipment, easier to maintain: a great advantage in times of budget constraints. In close air combat, the Super Hornet is much maneuverable (with a good authority at slow speed and high AOA – angle of attack) and, even if it lacks the AIM-54 Phoenix for the long distances in BVR (Beyond Visual Range) engagements,  it has got the JHMCS (Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System) and the AIM-9X Sidewinder for the dogfights which the F-14 didn’t integrate.   In FAC(A) Forward Air Controller (Airborne) mission both aircrafts have some strengths and weaknesses: while the Tomcat had a greater on-station time than the Super Hornet, the F/A-18 has an integrated cockpit and for air-to ground missions has the capability to carry not only Laser Guided Bombs (LGBs) and  Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), but also High Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) and Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOWs) which the F-14 could not carry. Still, the F-14 could carry a reconnaissance pod whereas the F-18 can fly as a buddy refueler. Anyway, thanks to its eleven weapon stations, the Super Hornet is more flexible than the Tomcat and it can carry a larger array of air-to-ground ordnance. So the F/A-18E/F is a great aircraft and a very versatile strike fighter. Still, it’s a Legacy Hornet evolution and it’s not as revolutionary as the F-14 was when it entered the active service in the ’70s, as the most experienced Tomcat driver, Capt. Dale “Snort” Snodgrass, once said. And, although it was an old plane, according to a female U.S. Navy RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) the F-14 was also a sexy aircraft: “The Super Hornet is a wonderful jet, and it’ s only going to get better. But it will never be cool. The Tomcat was cool. I know sexy when I see it.” (Dario Leone).
The best way to describe the differences in the two platforms is to use the analogy of a muscle car to a mini-van, with the Tomcat being the former and the Super Hornet being the latter. The muscle car doesn't have much to it in the way of fancy technology, just some raw speed and the coolness of a Steve McQueen movie, but it gets the job done. The mini van on the other hand is a very nice car, complete with DVR's for the kids, Air Conditioning, power windows, and lots of places to put your sippy cup. It's a great car—-but it's still a mini-van. Don't get me wrong, the Super Hornet is an awesome aircraft, but I fear a lot of its greatness comes from technology. In the Tomcat, I think you had to be a better aviator because the technology just wasn't there. It was up to the aircrew to maximize its performance (or minimize it if you sucked). Conversely, in a Super Hornet loaded with APG-79 (AESA radar), MIDS(advanced data link), ATFLIR (advanced targeting pod), AIM-9X (high-off boresight air-to-air missile) and JHMCS (helmet mounted display), you can be a sub-par aviator and let the technology pick up the slack. I don't want to completely slight the Super Hornet crowd. They've been given a great airplane and are doing great things with it even as this is being written (the USS George Bush is currently underway readying for Iraq). But the level of commitment, money, time, and effort it takes to get a guy up to speed and maintain proficiency in all mission areas is a pretty difficult challenge. Furthermore, I am concerned that what we've come to in the last few years with only the Super Hornet in the carrier aviation fleet is an aircraft and aircrew that are "jacks of all trades, masters of none". Every aviator will tell you that your skills erode very quickly if not practiced. Unfortunately, it's pretty tough to practice every mission, on every flight, every time you fly, especially in our current political and financial environment.(Tyler Rogoway).
You will receive the item as shown in the first photo. Other items in other pictures are for your reference only, available in my eBay Store. They will make a great addition to your SSI Shoulder Sleeve Insignia collection. You find only US Made items here, with the same
LIFETIME
warranty.
**
eBay REQUIRES ORDER BE SENT WITH
TRACKING
, PLEASE SELECT
USPS 1ST CLASS SERVICE w/TRACKING
**
**
eBay REQUIRES ORDER BE SENT WITH
TRACKING
, PLEASE SELECT
USPS 1ST CLASS SERVICE w/TRACKING
**
We'll cover your purchase price plus shipping.
FREE 30-day No-Question return
ALL US-MADE PATCHES HAVE LIFETIME WARRANTY
We do not compete price with cheap import copies.
Watch out for cheap import copies with cut-throat price;
We beat cheap copies with Original design, US-Made Quality and customer services.
Once a customer, a LIFETIME of services