PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS VOLUME 2 OF 2. YOU MUST PURCHASE BOTH BOOKS TO HAVE A COMPLETE SET. Developed as both an air superiority fighter and a long-range naval interceptor, Grumman's F-14 Tomcat was the U.S. Navy's primary fighter from 1974 until 2006. Over 700 were built. The F-14 flew its first combat missions shortly after its initial deployment in late 1974, flying in support of the American withdrawal from Saigon. In 1981 it drew first blood, as two F-14s from VF-41 downed two Libyan Su-22s. The plane compiled a notable combat record for the United States in both Gulf Wars and NATO actions in Bosnia. Planes sold to the Shah of Iran prior to his ouster remain the last F-14s in active service, as the U.S. Navy retired it in October 2006. This F-14 pilot's flight operating handbook was originally produced by the U.S. Navy. It has been slightly reformatted but is reproduced here in its entirety. It provides a fascinating view inside the cockpit of one of history's great planes.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS VOLUME 1 OF 2. YOU MUST PURCHASE BOTH BOOKS TO HAVE A COMPLETE SET. Developed as both an air superiority fighter and a long-range naval interceptor, Grumman's F-14 Tomcat was the U.S. Navy's primary fighter from 1974 until 2006. Over 700 were built. The F-14 flew its first combat missions shortly after its initial deployment in late 1974, flying in support of the American withdrawal from Saigon. In 1981 it drew first blood, as two F-14s from VF-41 downed two Libyan Su-22s. The plane compiled a notable combat record for the United States in both Gulf Wars and NATO actions in Bosnia. Planes sold to the Shah of Iran prior to his ouster remain the last F-14s in active service, as the U.S. Navy retired it in October 2006. This F-14 pilot's flight operating handbook was originally produced by the U.S. Navy. It has been slightly reformatted but is reproduced here in its entirety. It provides a fascinating view inside the cockpit of one of history's great planes.

One of the great aircraft of the Cold War era, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was the most heavily produced supersonic, all-weather fighter bomber. Capable of a top speed of Mach 2.23, it set sixteen world records including an absolute speed record of 1,606 mph and an altitude record of 98,557 feet. The F-4 flew Vietnam, in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the Gulf War and amassed a record of 393 aerial victories. F-4s also flew as part of the USAF Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration teams. Originally printed by McDonnell and the U.S. Navy in the 1960s, this flight operating handbook taught pilots everything they needed to know before entering the cockpit. Classified "restricted," the manual was recently declassified and is here reprinted in book form. This affordable facsimile has been reformatted. Care has been taken however to preserve the integrity of the text.

Developed as a derivative of the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter, McDonnell Douglas' (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle has a radically different mission: to launch deep interdiction missions without additional fighter support or jamming. Since its first flight in 1986, the F-15E has performed a variety of missions including deep strikes against high-value enemy targets in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Allied Force, and providing close air support. It can carry over 23,000 pounds of payload, including the JDAM, AIM-9X, AGM-130 and AMRAAM, and is equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar system. With its service life expected to reach to 2035 and beyond, the F-15E can be said to serve as the backbone of the U.S. Air Force. Its unparalleled range, persistence and weapons load make it indispensable. Developed in 1990, this 660-page, unclassified F-15E pilot manual is a wonderful resource for museum docents, historians, modelers, gamers, and anyone else who ever wondered what it would be like to sit in the cockpit of the Strike Eagle.

This book provides a detailed discussion of one-on-one dog-fights and multi-fighter team work tactics. Full discussions of fighter aircraft and weapons systems performance are provided along with an explanation of radar intercept tactics and an analysis of the elements involved in the performance of fighter missions.

Probably best-known for its starring role in the Hollywood blockbuster Top Gun, the US Navy’s Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, variable geometry, two-seat, carrier-based, air superiority fighter. The Tomcat was developed for the US Navy’s Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program following the collapse of the F-111B project. The Grumman F-14 Tomcat Owners' Workshop Manual covers operating and maintaining this aircraft, and is filled with first-person insights into flying the Tomcat.

From Topgun to Squadron Command You’re in the cockpit of the legendary F-14 Tomcat fighter, blazing along at twice the speed of sound seven miles above the ocean and the carrier that hurled you off its deck. You’re practicing dogfighting with “aggressors,” guys on your side flying F-16s. You’re patrolling the tense skies above Iraq, and with the push of a button you can launch the 100-mile Phoenix missile that can blow a foe to scrap before you even see him. You are an expert in fighter tactics and aircraft carrier operations, and it all leads to your command of an F-14 fighter squadron of more than three hundred people. Sounds like a week’s worth of daydreams, but it’s all real-life in the career of Dave “Bio” Baranek, and he shares it with you in the exciting, superbly crafted new book, Tomcat Rio. Dave – callsign “Bio” – pulled his readers into the exciting world of the F-14 and the Navy’s TOPGUN program with his popular books Topgun Days and Before Topgun Days. Now he’s back with the rest of the story, as he reaches the top level of expertise and proves it, not just in graded competitions but also where it counts, where you shoot at them and they shoot at you. Dave also shares the challenges he faced. A deadly foe called complacency. Learning a whole new mission late in his career. The unexpected trials that come with leading a squadron in the dynamic environment of Naval Aviation. This third volume is full of adventures, lessons, and inspiration. If you are a casual reader, you’ll turn the last page as a dedicated Tomcat fan. To make it all even more real, Tomcat Rio includes dozens of Bio’s best and most acclaimed photos. Photographer George Hall hailed one shot as “one of the best Tomcat photos ever taken.” In words and pictures, Bio immerses you in rich detail. He pipes you aboard as a member of an F-14 squadron. You share the camaraderie of Type A personalities. You plan risky missions, going toe-to-toe against America’s most volatile foes. You can almost smell the pungent jet exhaust, almost feel the gut-wrenching G’s of a dogfight, as Tomcat Rio pitches you into the thick of it as only Bio can tell it. Strap in! You’re going for one fantastic ride.

So formidable an opponent did the Iraqi airforce consider the F-14 that during the Iran-Iraq war, they ordered their pilots not to engage F-14s and the presence of one in an area was usually enough to empty it of Iraqi aircraft. Officially losses where tiny; only one F-14 was lost in aerial combat (to a MiG-21), one to a control problem and one downed by a ground-to-air missile. This book looks at the F-14's Iranian combat history and includes first hand accounts from the pilots themselves. It will consider key engagements and the central figures involved, illustrating the realities, successes and failures of the Iranian air campaign.