English: The museum’s Tomcat was initially assigned to VF-124, the F-14 Pacific Fleet crew

training squadron. After two years as a trainer, our ‘Tomcat’ went to the fleet for the remainder of its 14 years of operational service. Assignments included the famous VF-2 ‘Bounty Hunters’, while its final squadron was the ‘Black Lions’ of VF-213, part of Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8), assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). Its final combat sortie was February 7, 2006. Following launch from the USS Roosevelt at 1600, ‘Black Lion’ AJ-210 flew to Northern Iraq for overhead protection of U.S. and Iraq forces. After its mission, our ‘Tomcat’ ‘trapped’ aboard its carrier at 2233 hours, completing a 6.5-hour mission. Returning to the U.S. in March 2006, the F-14Ds were unloaded for the last time and retired. Our aircraft, BuNo 163897, was flown to McClellan shortly thereafter and joined the

collection.