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The squadrons provided F-14s for filming aerial sequences in the movie Top Gun. The Grumman F-14 Tomcat was central to the 1986 film Top Gun. [228] [229] [230] The aviation-themed film was such a success in creating interest in naval aviation that the US Navy, which assisted with the film, set up recruitment desks outside some theaters. [231]
Snodgrass was the "highest time Tomcat pilot," after having accumulated more than 4,800 hours in the F-14 and more than 1,200 arrested carrier landings, both more than any other pilot. [3] He was called "The Real Top Gun" [3] or the real "Maverick" [1] [2] [4] in reference to Tom Cruise's character in the movie, Top Gun.
In February 2020, toy manufacturer Matchbox (owned by Mattel) announced that it was releasing a series of Top Gun die-cast models and products, including the F-14 Tomcat, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and the P-51 Mustang, as well as role-play items. They were scheduled for public release on June 1, 2020, despite the delayed theatrical release. [120]
[7] [8] The player controls an American F-14 Tomcat fighter jet and must clear each of the game's eighteen unique stages by destroying incoming enemies. The plane is equipped with a machine gun and a limited supply of heat-seeking missiles. The game uses a third-person perspective, as in Sega's earlier Space Harrier (1985) and Out Run (1986).
The company's big postwar successes came in the 1960s with the A-6 Intruder and E-2 Hawkeye and in the 1970s with the Grumman EA-6B Prowler and F-14 Tomcat. Grumman products were prominent in several feature movies including The Final Countdown in 1980, [8] Top Gun in 1986, and Flight of the Intruder in 1990. [9]
VF-31 was the last Tomcat squadron, with the last F-14 flight occurring on 4 October 2006, as BuNo.164603 flew from NAS Oceana to Republic Airport. After spending a year at the American Airpower Museum, the aircraft is now on static display outside of the former Grumman Aerospace Corporation headquarters in Bethpage, NY.
The F-14A and F-14B Tomcats had to be specially modified to carry the TARPS pod which involved routing of control wiring from the rear cockpit and environmental control system (ECS) connections to the pod. Standard allowance was at least three TARPS aircraft per designated squadron (only one per airwing). All F-14Ds were modified to be TARPS ...
VF-213 Emblem from Top Gun. A version of the squadron patch and insignia (with the fictional squadron designation "VF-213") was featured prominently in the movie Top Gun, worn by the character "Ice Man" portrayed by Val Kilmer. In reality, VFA-25 never operated the F-14 Tomcat, instead flying the F/A-18 Hornet during that period. [4] [5]