DCS: F-14A/A+/B by Heatblur Simulations coming to DCS World!

[Dingo_Bob]

I know this is off topic, but does anyone know or can the dev tell me what font Grumman or LN used for instrument panels in the Tomcats?

 

Salute,

Punk

 

IIRC, Most text on Military instrument panels are defined by Smiths Standard and are in 2C Font

2C fonts, as called for in the Smith's standard, labels with letters or numbers from 3/32 ( 3mm) up to 9/16 (13.5 mm) in height.

Edited September 18, 2016 by Dingo_Bob

[Cobra847]

We use a modified MS 33558 Font.

 

http://www.fontsaddict.com/font/MilSpec33558.html

Edited September 18, 2016 by Cobra847

[punk]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the info.

 

Salute,

Punk

[foxtheancient]

Was B capable of carry and use LANTIRN or it was only Ds feature?

[lunaticfringe]

LTS was wired into A and B.

[westr]

Just read something online and it was suggested that a few F-14's may be in an airworthy status and still used in an aggressor role in the USA. Does anybody know if this is true?

[Mike Busutil]

Doubt it, a big effort went into place here to destroy all F-14's that were in the bone yards as scrap or spare parts to prevent Iran from possibly acquiring any of the parts.

 

We do have F-14's in museums but I don't believe any are close to an airworthy status.

[punk]

As noted here

While not trying to sound like an authority or anything, as I have no way to verify what I was told by the staff member of a small museum in California, the Navy agreement with them for the display aircraft is for it to be able to return the AC to service with little work. They basically are to keep it serviceable, though to what level I don't know since this was mentioned just in passing as part of a larger conversation I had with the ex Tomcat pilot who was part of the team for the display.

[BlackLion213]

Doubt it, a big effort went into place here to destroy all F-14's that were in the bone yards as scrap or spare parts to prevent Iran from possibly acquiring any of the parts.

 

We do have F-14's in museums but I don't believe any are close to an airworthy status.

 

While not trying to sound like an authority or anything, as I have no way to verify what I was told by the staff member of a small museum in California, the Navy agreement with them for the display aircraft is for it to be able to return the AC to service with little work. They basically are to keep it serviceable, though to what level I don't know since this was mentioned just in passing as part of a larger conversation I had with the ex Tomcat pilot who was part of the team for the display.

 

Though based on the overall conversation none of the AC will become flying exhibits for a long long time.

 

I can back up Punk's claim, there are F-14s in museums that are close to airworthy status (at least in terms of completeness, not necessarily condition).

 

The completeness of F-14s in museums varies widely in my experience. In general, F-14s that went to museums earlier tend to be very close to airworthy status. Shortly before the Tomcat's retirement, the USN became very aggressive about "de-mil-ing" and those aircraft look pretty stripped. It's pretty obvious which Tomcats have been "de-miled" when you see them.

 

Museums that have complete/close to airworthy F-14s include: Smithsonian (as close to airworthy as possible is said to be a requirement), Museum of Naval Aviation Pensacola, Valiant Air Command near Orlando, and Seattle Museum of Flight. There are probably more, but I don't know about them.

 

I sat in the Valiant Air Command F-14A about 14 years ago and it was Airshow like. Recent photos seem to suggest that nothing has changed.

 

My 2 cents,

 

-Nick

[SkateZilla]

Just read something online and it was suggested that a few F-14's may be in an airworthy status and still used in an aggressor role in the USA. Does anybody know if this is true?

 

 

There are No Active Duty Tomcats,

 

There are Several Museum Airframes on Display, Many of which are neglected by Museum staff (seriously, if you saw the last 3 tomcats i did, you'd cry),

Luckily Flight Deck Veterans Group has restored 2 of them already.

 

While Museum Airframes Look Airworthy, they are no where near it, the internals have all been removed, parts welded together, Mock Items placed in the cockpits, etc etc.

 

There was rumors that specific Static Displays were mostly intact, this was never confirmed nor denied, but to take a tomcat that's been sitting for 10+ years, and return it to flying status, they'd have a hard time getting the parts.

 

Lockheed is already having problems getting the Chips for use in the F-22, Go back 10 more years on the Silicon trail, those chips would be practically impossible to find,

add in the fact that they were maintenance time hogs. keeping them "ready" without being able to start it up is extremely hard.

 

While the official Story is All Tomcats not on display have been shredded and destroyed, there are at least 4 that remain 100% Preserved, which Specific Components removed, logged and locked up.

Edited September 25, 2016 by SkateZilla

[SkateZilla]

 

I sat in the Valiant Air Command F-14A about 14 years ago and it was Airshow like. Recent photos seem to suggest that nothing has changed.

 

 

No F-14As from Block 110 are Marked with Airworthy Status on the List of Grumman Aircraft.

 

Valiant Air Command is Home to BuNos 161134

[Hummingbird]

 

While the official Story is All Tomcats not on display have been shredded and destroyed, there are at least 4 that remain 100% Preserved, which Specific Components removed, logged and locked up.

 

The day these birds get back up and running will be glorious. Probably gonna be a while though :noexpression:

[BlackLion213]

No F-14As from Block 110 are Marked with Airworthy Status on the List of Grumman Aircraft.

 

Valiant Air Command is Home to BuNos 161134

 

Agreed...as mentioned earlier in my post. :smilewink:

 

However, it is pretty complete, not totally stripped out like the Tomcat in the Midway Museum (or nearly all the other museums here on the West Coast). It would be a better candidate to restore to airworthy status, but the degree of rot that takes place would make any restoration of a 30-40 year old aircraft quite challenging. As you said, with the challenges finding certain parts for the F-22, 4th gen and later fighters are a totally different challenge from a restoration standpoint than WWII warbirds. A local guy restored a P-40 to airworthy status and hand fabricated a lot of parts....could never do that with something like a Tomcat.

 

I was simply explaining that not all on-display Tomcats are stripped out hulks. Some were minimally modified from airworthy status when delivered, though the passage of time can be as harsh as the removal of components.

 

-Nick

[SkateZilla]

The day these birds get back up and running will be glorious. Probably gonna be a while though :noexpression:

 

The Odds of them ever coming back are slim to none, at least in a private capacity.

 

If you want Airshow Tomcats, the best bet is some rich American company purchases one when IIAF gives up on trying to retrofit them and sells them off.

[Hummingbird]

The Odds of them ever coming back are slim to none, at least in a private capacity.

 

If you want Airshow Tomcats, the best bet is some rich American company purchases one when IIAF gives up on trying to retrofit them and sells them off.

 

Well never say never, we've got old Sea Harrier's up and flying again in the hands of private collectors :)

[SkateZilla]

Well never say never, we've got old Sea Harrier's up and flying again in the hands of private collectors :)

 

The chances of any U.S. Owned F-14s getting into the Hands of Any Private Investors is Zilch, they will not risk the Tomcat parts being sold by a private company to the IIAF,

 

now when the IIAF Decides to take all the tomcats sitting in hangers that they cant retrofit and get airworthy and throws them on the black market, that's a different story, however those are Block 90 or Older. and Most of their fleet, Airworthy or not, have significant issues with Airframe fatigue

Edited September 26, 2016 by SkateZilla

[Hummingbird]

There will be a point where a flight worthy F-14 in private hands isn't a risk anymore, so the chances are not zilch, it will merely take time.

 

Everything becomes fully obsolete at some point.

[Xenovia]

this ^

[carss]

There will be a point where a flight worthy F-14 in private hands isn't a risk anymore, so the chances are not zilch, it will merely take time.

 

Everything becomes fully obsolete at some point.

 

True indeed, the F-117 is still flying today as well. The only problem with the F-14 is, it's engines are long gone, plus it's being used by a potentially hostile country as of now.

[SkateZilla]

True indeed, the F-117 is still flying today as well. The only problem with the F-14 is, it's engines are long gone, plus it's being used by a potentially hostile country as of now.

 

The Base of the Engines in the B and D are still being manufactured sans Extension for the F-16s and F-15s

 

Procurement of new F110s wouldnt be a problem.

 

Even if Iran's Tomcats were gone, you wont see a US F-14 Flying Privately Ever.

[Hummingbird]

The Base of the Engines in the B and D are still being manufactured sans Extension for the F-16s and F-15s

 

Procurement of new F110s wouldnt be a problem.

 

Even if Iran's Tomcats were gone, you wont see a US F-14 Flying Privately Ever.

 

"Ever" is a very strong word.

 

We've got plenty of former military aircraft that were top secret technology in their time now up and flying in private hands. There's no reason to believe the story will be different with the F-14, the question is merely how many decades it will take.

[Mainstay]

Money and politics change on daily basis. What is not possible today could be very possible tomorrow and vise versa...

[ST0RM]

The few remaining F-14s that survived the shredder at AMARG, were placed into museums and de-mil'd.

 

IMO, the shear complexity of that jet would make it very cost prohibitive to see it flying in private hands.

[SkateZilla]

Trust me, you wont see a Tomcat in private hands emerge from any in the U.S., too many parts were removed, and don't have replacements.

 

The Processors Alone, are not Fabricated anymore, and there are no Extras, they were all destroyed. So if a Single Processor Fails, the Jet is worthless.

 

The only way you'll see a private F-14 is in the hands of someone that buys it off Iran when they give up trying to maintain and retrofit them and sell them all off.

 

Even then, the investor would likely have to buy several, just to get enough parts to get one flying and have enough spare parts to maintain.

 

 

F-14s were Complex and high maintenance, they were not simple aircraft, parts failed all the time,

 

You simply cannot take ONE or TWO F-14s out of the Museums, Fill up all the empty fluid tanks, perform a 1 time maintenance check, start her up and expect to continue operating it without any other spare parts.

 

That's the Reason you wont see any U.S. F-14s Flying in Private Hands, because there are only MAYBE half a dozen even remotely close to being restored to any type of airworthy status.

 

You might one day see an Iran F-14 in Private hands converted back to U.S. Colors and Avionics, but I doubt it, it would take extensive amounts of investments and labor to even restore one to U.S. Operating Standards.

 

The U.S. Government went as far as removing any F-14 Compatible parts from any stored F-111s.

Edited September 29, 2016 by SkateZilla

[Hummingbird]

Well as you said yourself there are about half a dozen with their guts intact in military storage somewhere, so if they are kept intact for the next 20-40 years, then who's to say someone won't evetnually be able to copy & reproduce the parts that are in scarce supply with what'ever advances we will have in industry by then? AFAIK reproduction technology has come quite a way the last decade, so much so I've heard talk of 100% repros of WW2 fighter engines thanks to 3D printed casts etc...

 

As for the processors, well the beauty of digital data is that you can copy it and use it on different digital devices (processors), same as we can play old Nintendo 64 games on our new super computers :) (not saying it will be that simply btw, but I'm confident you'll be able to copy the data)

 

Anyway I have hope we will see this bird up and flying again in the future.

Edited September 29, 2016 by Hummingbird