Yankie Station by Randall Wilson CVN 65 USS Enterprise on her first deployment in the Gulf of Tonkin. On this day she flew 165 sorties, a carrier record! Two A4 Skyhawks head towards a bombing mission while an F4 phantom rides escort. Dawn Enterprise by Anthony Saunders The first light of dawn silhouettes the massive outline of the Yorktown class carrier USS Enterprise, in mid April 1944 she was partnered by the new Essex Class carrier USS Lexington. The Last Navy Biplane Fighter by Stan Stokes. The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. was organized in late 1929. The US Navy ordered 27 production Grumman FF-1 biplane fighters in 1932, the beginning of a relationship that has endured for more than seventy years. The FF-1 was a diminutive staggerwing fighter capable of a top speed of 207-MPH. A large number of aircraft were produced for export by Grumman in the early 1930s, but the company wanted to win a contract for a new and improved USN fighter. In May of 1934 the company succeeded with a contract for 54 F2F-1s. In 1934 the company also won a contract for a new and improved F3F-1. The latter was aerodynamically improved design which overcame some of the design inadequacies of the earlier aircraft. The F3F-2 was delivered in 1937. Three units were equipped with the aircraft, VF-6 operating off the USS Enterprise, VMF-2 based in San Diego, California, and VMF-1 based in Quantico, Virginia. Grumman was working on another variant, but they became concerned about the monoplane design proposed by Brewster Aircraft, so they modified their proposal from the XF4F-1 biplane to the XF4F-2 monoplane which would become the Grumman Wildcat fighter. The F3F was a stretched version of the earlier F2F produced by Grumman and also had larger wings and more modern aerodynamic features. Initial production models were fitted with a 650-HP Pratt & Whitney radial and an 8-foot 6-inch Hamilton Standard prop. The F3F-2 was the primary variant. It utilized a 950-HP engine and was armed with one .30 caliber and one 0.50 caliber machine guns. The F3F-2 was capable of a top speed slightly in excess of 240-MPH, had a service ceiling of 30,000 feet, and an effective range of 825-miles. The F3F-2s were delivered to VF-6 aboard the USS Enterprise, VMF-1 at Quantico Virginia and VMF-2 at San Diego, California. The F3F-3 was similar in design to the F3F-2. The two aircraft were almost indistinguishable, yet the 3 was 8-MPH faster due to a tighter fitting engine cowling, some aerodynamic refinements, and the deletion of the the fuselage vents. By the end of 1941 the last of these Grumman biplane fighters had disappeared from front line service. VMF 111 and VMF 211 were the last two units to relinquish their F3Fs in July and October of 1941, respectively. The1941 color movie Dive Bomber, starring Erroll Flynn, Ralph Bellamy, and Fred McMurray, featured the F3F, and many future naval aviators were motivated to sign-up after seeing this picture. As illustrated in Stan Stokes painting, an F3F aircraft piloted by a young Naval officer of Fighting Six, James E. Howard, lifts off from the USS Enterprise during fleet maneuvers before the War. Howard flew with VF-6 from 1937 through 1941. In mid-41 he resigned his commission to join the AVG Flying Tigers in China, and upon his return to the States he accepted a commission with the USAAF as a Captain. He became commander of the 356th Fighter Squadron flying the P-51 Mustang. Howards most memorable day was on January 11, 1944 when he single handedly protected a bomber squadron from enemy fighter attack on their return from their bombing mission. Labeled a one man air force by one of the bomber pilots, Howard would be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic acts of January 11th. Howard was the only fighter ace in the European theater to be so honored.Cats First Cruise by Stan Stokes. Grumman Aircraft has had a long tradition of providing rugged aircraft for naval aviators. These Grumman planes were all named Cats. The F-14 Tomcat, the latest in the long line of Grumman carrier cats, evolved from Grummans involvement as a subcontractor in the ill-fated TFX development program. Ever since the WW II Battle of Midway, the Navy has been concerned about the vulnerability of its carriers to attack. Super carriers, the largest mobile machines ever developed by mankind, are vulnerable to attack from ground, sea or air-launched missiles. To protect its carriers, the Navy has long recognized the critical need for high speed, long-range, heavily-armed, interceptors. The first two jet-powered aircraft to fill this role were the F-8 Crusader and the F-4 Phantom II. The F-14 Tomcat was developed to provide an improved interceptor capable of carrying the heavier Phoenix missile, and advanced avionics. The first Tomcat prototype flew on December 21, 1970. By late 1972 full scale production of the F-14 had commenced. The Tomcat is big and heavy. It can operate at altitudes in excess of 50,000 feet, can exceed speeds of 1,500 MPH, and has a maximum range in excess of 2,000 miles. Despite its size and high performance the Tomcat is an agile bird. With its variable-geometry wings, the F-14 can be configured on the fly to change its flying and handling characteristics. The aircraft is equipped with a 20mm cannon, and can carry a large assortment of highly lethal guided missiles. The aircraft got its Tomcat name because of Admiral Tom Connollys involvement in the project, and the fact that Grumman was the designer and builder of the F-14. The Tomcat, like the F-4 before it, carries a two-man crew. Grumman designed the aircraft with upgradability in mind. This has permitted improved engines, improved avionics, and improved missals to be incorporated into the basic air frame with remarkable effectiveness. Highly regarded aviation artist Stan Stokes, in his dramatic painting entitled Cats First Cruise, shows an F-14 of the Navys VF-1 Wolfpack squadron on final approach to the USS Enterprise. The Wolfpack, and the VF-2 Bounty Hunters were the first two squadrons of Tomcats deployed for carrier duty. Their first cruise was in 1974. By 1980 the Navy had deployed Tomcat squadrons on nearly all its active carriers.The Tomcat has proven itself in actual combat and no doubt will continue to serve as the Navys primary long range carrier-based interceptor for many more years.