GRUMMAN F-14A TOMCAT VF-84 JOLLY ROGERS

Ahh... finally, after months of pain and suffering, here I come with new craft. 2 months not uploading any craft feels like an eternity for me.

Before we get started, first of all I give a massive W to them (in other words credit) that helped me, here's people that helped me do this :

WestSpaceAgency, creating base for this aircraft (he made it looks so bad tbh), giving feedbacks, complaints, suggestions, tester, friend to talk, and other things that i might not remember

Wills123 as tester and giving some cool pics, wsa invited him somehow

Okay, now let's dive to this long short description

Origins

In the 1970's, the US Navy want a new carrier based multi-role aircraft, primarily interceptor, which is replacing the F-4J Phantom II, A-5 Vigilante, A-7 Corsair II, A-6 Intruder, F-8 Crusader, A-4 Skyhawk, F9 Cougar, F9F Panther, F-11F Tiger, F2H Banshee, F3H Demon, and FJ-4 Fury. The General Dynamics, proposed an carrier based version of F-111 Aardvark called F-111B, where General Dynamics works with Grumman Corporation. But the Navy said A BIG NO to this new aircraft. There are just too many reasons, like unreliable engines, too heavy for aircraft career deck etc.

5 sides view of F-111.

All the US Navy wanted was an aircraft with weight class around F-4 Phantom II, but with better speed, agility, acceleration, and armament. Grumman choose to make their own aircraft, alone, with no help by General Dynamics. They proposed many designs, but after all that designs, then comes the Model 303G which is we all know by the name of F-14.

A picture showing two F-14 designs, on the left was a single seat variant with fixed wings, and on the right was the F-14 we know today, but with a single vertical stabilizer.

Design

F-14 intended to an two seater aircraft on tandem position, variable sweep wings for different situations and speeds, career based aircraft, it means it had arresting hook, launch bar, and strong landing gear for hard landing and rapid deacceleration. It was equipped with Pratt & Whitney TF30 which produces maximum thrust 111.7 kN with afterburner for the F-14A, and General Electric TF110 which produces maximum thrust of 131.2 kN with afterburner for F-14B and D. The fuselage, which is very wide and flat, was used to put weapons and equipments in it, but most notable thing was the fuselage used for lifting surface. When the wings fully swept back, the fuselage gives around 60% of the aircraft's total lift area.

Picture of F-14 showing different swept angle at each wings. Used for experiments, to test what will happen when the sweep wings mechanism didn't work in flight.

The control surfaces, was a bit different from most aircraft at it's time; There's no roll control on the trailing edge at the wings, instead there's flaps across the wing. The roll control provided by spoiler on top of the wing. When the wings fully swept back, the spoiler gives less effectiveness compared to fully swept forward wings. So the roll control provided by horizontal stabilizers.

VF-84 Jolly Rogers

In the 1955, the VF-84 Jolly Rogers was established in Naval Air Station Oceana on 1 July 1955. The VF-84 was originally designated as VA-86, but it was immediately changed to VF-84, for some reasons.

In December 1964, the squadron transitioned from F-4 Phantom II to F-14A aboard USS Independence. But, in December 1977 they emabrked for the first time on USS Nimitz. In 1980, they participated to make a film about USS Nimitz and aircrafts aboard it, with the name of The Final Countdown. The most memorable part about this film was when a pair of F-14 engaging a pair of A6M Zero, which was too overkill, right?

My favorite pic of F-14 so far.

In-Game Features, Systems, and Controls

A. Throttle

Throttle, used for controlling the power of the jet engines, also for exhaust nozzle size control.

B. Brake

When engaged, brake will open the rear brakes and high-lift devices on each wings.

The airbrake when fully deployed. Note the high lift devices on each wings.

C. Control surfaces

1. Pitch

Pitch, used for pitching the aircraft up and down by controling horizontal stabilizers. movement.

2. Roll

Roll, for banking the aircraft, the roll control provided by spoilers and horizontal stabilizers.

3. Yaw

Yaw, used for controling vertical stabilizer and nose wheels movement. I put some vizzy on the yaw control, it's the SPLIT THROTTLE. YEAH! You can do that Topgun thing maneuver by using this F-14. Turn on the AG1 so the split throttle works.

Split throttle demo.

D. Sliders

1. Slider 1
   1% to 100% : was area for the sweep wings and the intake ramp control.
   
   Intake ramp when fully deployed.

Note : I put vizzy for atomatic sweep wings control. It does have the same mechanisms as Mostly's F-14. But, it's automatic control will be started from 240 m/s, which it was high subsonic speed and it'll be fully swept back at 412 m/s, or mach 1.2. Because real supersonic speeds starts from mach 1.2. And there's no AGs for it, which it means you can't do anything for the slider 1 when more than 240 m/s, but you can still control it freely when under 240 m/s.

Truly a TOMCOT moment.

-1 to -100% : was area to control flaps angles.

Flaps when fully deployed.

Slider 2

1% - 100% : Nothing, really.
-1% - 100% : Was area for controlling leading edge slats.

It ain't that fancy when compared to real life counterpart, but at least it's there.

There's nothing on both slider 3 and 4.

E. Activation Groups

AG 1, Engines

used for turning on/off the engines. It's also detaching the AIM-9 Sidewinder guidance system cover when the AG are activated for the first time. This AG also activate some nav lights too.

The AIM-9 Sidewinder guidance system cover.

AG 2, AIM-54 Phoenix

In this F-14, there's two pairs of AIM-54 Phoenix, all of it are in the fuselage. To launch it, you just need to activate the AG, then the missile's engine will activated, then the missile detached from the aircraft and it will flew away, after all of this, the AG will be turned off, waiting for another missile launch, needs other AIM-54 ready for launch tho.

AIM-54 being launched demo.

AG 3, AIM-9 Sidewinder

There's a pair of Sidewinders, each located on outer tip of the wing glove. For launching procedure, it's mechanism was like the AIM-54.

AG 4, AIM-7 Sparrow

A pair of AIM-9 Sparrow is located on the wing glove. For launching procedure, it's mechanism was like the AIM-54.

Note : All of the missiles are unguided and equipped with solid motor, so it's hard to calculate where they're gonna go.

AG 5, Arresting hook

Used to catch the landing cable at the aircraft career. Blame the physics if it's destroyed when you try to land when this activated and don't blame me.

Arresting hook when depolyed.

AG 6, Drop tanks

This AG was used for detaching the external fuel tanks. I also put some vizzy for the external tanks: when it's nearly empty, it will detached by itself, so if you forget of the existence of ex. fuel tanks, you doesn't carry that dead weight of the ex. fuel tanks when the fuel inside it already empty.

AG 7, Launch bar

In real life, this was used to connect the aircraft to the aircraft career catapult, but since there's no stock aircraft career on this game, this just for a decoration.

Launch bar when deployed, also showing the custom landing gear that I made cuz I'm bored.

AG 8, Refueling probe

This was for refueling in mid air, but I made this just as decoration.

Refueling probe when deployed.

AG 9, Canopy

Like it's name, this used to close or open access to the crew compartment.

Canopy when opened, showing interior of the crew compartment.

AG 10, Ejection seat

This AG was enabling the poor crews escape from danger, here's how to activate this: you just need to activate it once, then the canopy will be detached, and the crews bailout and parachutes will be deployed at the same time.
I can't show the GIF, 8 MB limit's just too small.

AG 11, Radar dome

This AG makes you access to the inside of the covering and especially the AN/AWG-9 radar.

Picture when the covering are opened.

AG 12, Glove vane

You might not seen this before in any pics of F-14 you've ever seen, but this feature was exists irl. This feature, in real life used to provide additional lift when at supersonic speeds. But for some reasons they removed it because they think it's not necessary.
Glove vane when deployed.

Note : the glove vane will be extended automatically at 412 m/s, and will be retracted when under 412 m/s.

AG 13, Landing gear door

Nothing's special, just AG for landing gear door.

AG 14, Landing gear

This F-14 landing gear was controlled automatically by vizzy. If you want to retract the landing gear, you'll need to climb more than 20 m AGL and watch the beautiful mechanisms that I made; if you want to extend it back, you need to reduce your speeds under 150 m/s and altitude under 300 m AGL. You need a quite smooth landing. Custom landing gears didn't want a hard landing, the physics of this game are just funny.

Note : Weapons and split throttle weren't available when you controlling the crews

I also put a vizzy programs where when you dive very steep at low altitude, the craft will automatically level off the pitch. Sometimes this vizzy didn't work, so you maybe doesn't remember if this feature existed.

Gallery

Aft section of the F-14, showing funny looking skull that I made.

"Highly detailed" landing gears, on the left was nose landing gear, and on the right was main landing gear.

Starboard side of the leading section, showing six stars, which it means it has shot down 6 Soviet fighters, yes, this F-14A fresh from factory, so not much the kill count has obtained.

Assembly proceudre required.

Pilot's POV, with 101° of FOV.

RIO's (Radar Intercept Officer) POV, with 120° of FOV.

Note : All things inside the crew compartment are static, except for the stick, cuz I don't know how all of the switches, gauges, buttons etc. worked, but the good part is, this F-14 have more reasonable part counts.

Picture of this F-14's belly, showing all the weapons and external tanks

An outdated 8 views of this Tomcat. Note The Final Countdown text in the bottom.

Links

So many articles about F-14 I used to help me making this project. Here's list of some links I used

•Defender of the fleet - The Grumman F-14 Tomcat
•Home of M.A.T.S. (this one my favourite)
•Grumman F-14 Tomcat (Wikipedia)

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While making this aircraft on the game, I also make an art for this project, and yeah... I also IbisPaint user. Here's the art:

Her name's NekoTom, which also showed on the top right of the art.
Her design was based on F-14 mascot and the F-14 Jolly Rogers. Age's 14

Feel free to download/screenshot.

I also test WSA to make a drawing of her, so he can feel the suffer how I made this drawing.
Static figure

VX-9 Vampire squadron livery.

For more explanations, help and infos just comment down below.