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

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!

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.

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...!