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Thursday, February 16, 2006

Nine Lives of Tomcat Spent

F-14 Tomcat performs flyby at Columbia Regional Airport, Columbia, MO.

A chapter in naval aviation history drew to a close aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) with the last recovery of an F-14 Tomcat from a combat mission.

Piloted by Capt. William G. Sizemore II, commander, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, Fighter Squadron (VF) 213's aircraft 204, was trapped at 12:35 a.m. Feb. 8, and marked one of the final stages of the Navy's transition from the F-14 to F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet.

"It's the end of an era and it just kind of worked out that I was the last trap," said Sizemore. "This is one of the best airplanes ever built, and it's sad to see it go away. It's just a beautiful airplane. It's powerful, it has presence, and it just looks like the ultimate fighter."

Lt. Bill Frank, a VF-31 pilot, also took part in the last mission, and is credited with being the last pilot to ever drop a bomb from an F-14 Tomcat.

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