F-14B, what are the most common EP's you have experienced?

[Abahji]

Hello aviators, in the F-14B, what are the most common emergencies you guys have encountered?
Worded another way, what are the most common F-14B damages you receive in battle that I need to prepare for? EPs to memorize?
 

[Moose_Jaw]

Hi Abahji, the worst emergency where i was able to save the airframe was an engine fire. 

[Abahji]

That's wild! And well done. That is one emergency I was worried about because no fire bottles implemented yet. How did you survive? I guess securing the engine with the power lever in OFF, just cut the fuel flow to engine and starved the fire?

[trev5150]

100% te flat spin - maneuvering hard, getting outside of flying the cross and losing an engine to blade face stall, getting into wild adverse yaw and spinning the airplane at low altitude as a result suuuuuucks.  Yes the B has the better engines but it will still get you if you get bored, frustrated or do something stupid.

1 - Fly the cross. You're either rolling the airplane or pulling Don't do both, meaning....

2 - Start rolls with RUDDER. Rudder first and most then add roll.

3 - Best turn speed is ~325 KIAS (per Nasty Manazir).

4 - Unless you're tanking or bombing or doing an airshow, leave the wing sweep in AUTO. The CADC has about as much code as a tamagotchi but is smarter and faster than you.

The F-14 is easy to fly but hard to fly well. Trying to get fancy and overfly this airplane will kill you quick. If you do stal the airplane you need to think Engines IDLE, Ailerons NEUTRAL, Nose DOWN, Rudder OPPOSITE the spin immediately or any stall in the F-14 can progress to an unrecoverable spin within a few heartbeats. 

If you do manage to recover a spin, don't try to turn the airplane again until you have a healthy amount of airspeed or you can easily re-introduce the spin. The airplane is just daring you to do it...

 

[ValhallaAB]

Carrier landing after an engine got shot out by MANPAD's over Syria, got down on the boat only by feel and hydraulic pump alone, my gear needed emegency release and my hook too. Second EP was my hud got twisted after a high-G pull and I had to land without hud on a slick airfield with wind, snow and fog. 

[Nightdare]

4 hours ago, ValhallaAB said:

Carrier landing after an engine got shot out by MANPAD's over Syria, got down on the boat only by feel and hydraulic pump alone, my gear needed emegency release and my hook too

Something similar for me, got some NACA vents added by a Mig 21

Managed a maneuver kill after Jester bailed out, leaving me flying a convulsing convertible Turkey on physical compass because hud and screens were dead, luckily gear and hook worked, but going for the trap was like driving a car with a front wheel missing

[Moose_Jaw]

Fuel cut, engine shut down, activated the fire extinguisher (however i do not know if it is sumulated) and made it back to base.

[RustBelt]

On 4/26/2025 at 8:15 PM, Abahji said:

Hello aviators, in the F-14B, what are the most common emergencies you guys have encountered?
Worded another way, what are the most common F-14B damages you receive in battle that I need to prepare for? EPs to memorize?
 

Hydraulic failure. That seems to be the only thing that breaks without everything going. Everything else seems to quickly end up a double flame out dead stick with optional fire. Which you can get back on the ground with, but typically the choice is eject while you still have altitude to be safe. And always when you will only glide to water, don’t ditch. 

It glides better than you think it would. 

[Abahji]

That's wild. Did you lost all flight controls? Or was the Hi-Low emergency stuff still there for you? Did you get to use the hand pump to lower the gear?

[RustBelt]

There’s a very limited manual reversion. Basically it traps fluid in the actuator when it looses all pressure and your stick movement “pumps” the actuator with the fluid in there. Sluggish and you need the electric Hydraulic pump to land so save that! 
 

On the gear handle you place it down, twist 90 and pull and the up locks release and a nitrogen charge in the gear isolated hydraulic lines  gives the gear actuators a bit of a kick. They will fall and lock by gravity.

Basically all the important systems have “leak stop” valves like backward pressure relief valves. So if your lines or tank get popped, the critical reversion hydraulics won’t drain out. 

if they get popped, yea they're empty.  Eject.

If just your engines go dead, you just use the emergency electric hydraulic pump.

 

There’s a whole Emergency checklist to have you determine when you should or shouldn’t give up on the airframe. Middle of a fight, bail, because more kaboom is coming and you won’t outfly it.

[cesarferrolho]

Leaking fuel by being shot at by AAA.

Also, be very careful not to overspeed the flaps or they get stuck

[draconus]

On 4/28/2025 at 11:10 AM, Moose_Jaw said:

activated the fire extinguisher (however i do not know if it is sumulated)

It is but it's only for internal single engine fire.

https://heatblur.se/F-14Manual/general.html#fire-suppression-system

Hand pump is only for the brakes and refueling probe.

https://heatblur.se/F-14Manual/cockpit.html#hydraulic-hand-pump

Edited 3 hours ago by draconus