Jane's How to Fly and Fight in the F-14 Tomcat (At the Controls) [Paperback]

David L. Rockwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1999 | Series: At the Controls

The ultimate "hands on" guide to flying the multi-million dollar F-14 Tomcat. The F-14 Tomcat is the world's greatest long range fighter aircraft. Equipped with ultra-long range AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, the US Navy's F-14s shield American warships from enemy aircraft. Operating from carrier decks in all weathers, the F-14 has recently extended its capabilities, serving an advanced reconnaissance platform and even as a fighter-bomber over Bosnia. This book reveals just what it feels like to fly and fight in this multi-million dollar interceptor. In a hypothetical mission in the near future, we follow an F-14 into battle, engaging enemy airplanes and ground targets with its unrivalled combination of firepower and sensor devices.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David C. Isby is a Washington-based attorney and defense consultant. A special correspondent for Jane's Intelligence Review, he has contributed to many military and aviation publications and written extensively on the Russian armed forces. He lives in Washington D.C.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 000472254X
• ISBN-13: 978-0004722542
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,548,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book about a GREAT Fighter!, September 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Jane's How to Fly and Fight in the F-14 Tomcat (At the Controls) (Paperback)

Once again, Jane's produces a book that gives a more rounded view of a modern-day weapons system. While most books tend to gloss over fighters and point out only their great points, Jane's gives us the scoop on the Tomcat's assets, warts, and all the rest.

Make no mistake -- this IS a worthy book for the military aviation afficionado and Tomcat fans like myself in general, BUT it does seem to gloss over the history of the plane a bit and there's no in-depth discussion of experimental variants of the F-14. I have to give it less than a perfect score for this reason, but it may be that book length restrictions kept Jane's from obtaining that perfect score from me.

However, in spite of this perceived defect, I must say the book is well-illustrated with nice diagrams and photos of the Tomcat in its (unfortunately) declining years. The explanations of the plane's weapon systems/radar demonstrate WHY it was a sad miscalculation on the part of the Navy and the Bush admininstration when they cancelled this remarkable plane's production. The text also brings to light serious flaws in the plane's design as well as stressing the Navy training that enables naval fighter pilots to get the jump on enemy craft and avoid getting into situations that put the Tomcat at a disadvantage against newer aircraft.

Let me get back to the book, now, and check out the photos of what will be a sorely breed of fighter in the near future!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Top Flight, Top Gun, February 2, 2000

By 

Sealgair (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jane's How to Fly and Fight in the F-14 Tomcat (At the Controls) (Paperback)

This book starts slowly, with a wealth of technical detail about the F-14, but the perseverant reader is rewarded with the gripping flight scenarios that follow. Although I agree with the posted amazon reviewer that the book lacks an in-depth history of the development of the aircraft, the technical detail covered in the initial pages makes up for the omission of the history. While I personally found the first few pages tough going, they provide detail to whet the appetites of the most discerning military enthusiast and set the stage for the flight scenarios. The pacing at the start and the lack of history mean I cannot give this book top marks.

The author certainly gains his stride in the semi-fictional missions. The mission storylines draw you in as well as a good thriller. As the reader you are right there in the cockpit with Elvis, Hurl, Sonic and Green trying to use the capabilities of the F-14 to tactical advantage. It is a minor pity the scenarios weren't set over Kosovo thereby gaining an added air of realism, but the Bosnian setting is thoroughly believable and adds to the tension.

The pictures throughout the book are stunning and the author makes the point of balancing the formidable capabilities of the F-14 with its equally well known failings.

For those who wish to fly but don't get the chance, this book let's your imagination take you there: a top flight with the Top Gun.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Looking for updates? Look to Jane's, March 10, 2000

By 

boNes (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jane's How to Fly and Fight in the F-14 Tomcat (At the Controls) (Paperback)

There seems to be a glut of updated information on the F-14 Tomcat and its variants, but leave it to Jane's to bring these bits of information to light.

Jane's latest book on the F-14 was presented in a format that was a welcome change from the usual history of design/technical study/current activities/future of the aircraft storyline that most books offer. This same old song and dance was changed by adding the simulated missions and letting the reader know more of what it is like to fly and fight in the Tomcat rather than present it in a 3rd person "friend of a friend" method.

The use of color photos throughout was also an added bonus--most publications have a few color photos, but the rest in black and white. The sidebars were also wonderful.

There were some low points, however. The fold-out views were disappointing and the cockpit details were poor renderings--not photos--and weren't labelled. The Tomcat's ability to carry the AIM-120 AMRAAM was never even mentioned. There was also a glaring error on page 55 where an obvious F-14A with the old engines was captioned as an F-14D with new engines. I was surprised that Jane's did not catch this error. It would also have been nice if a listing of the current remaining F-14 squadrons and deployments as of publication date was included.

Otherwise, I felt the book was very thorough and was very good at giving the reader the inside details (both mechanical and theory of physics regarding the Tomcat in combat). It was well-balanced and quite creative.

Anytime, baby...!