It’s one year ago that one of the greatest aviators passed on. Almost 5000 tomcat hours. Countless kids that got involved in aviation because of you. You will remain a legend forever!
@@ryanp6999 well everyone is human. My point is, he has a history. He forgot to extend the gear flying a F-86, which he subsequently belly landed. He has been reprimanded by the Navy for other cowboy highjinks. The dude was all ego. So, it finally caught up with him.
So sad look at Google Earth So many F14 my father was in the Navy as a parking tender and also a deck firefighter and growing up the F14 and the A10 were always my favorite but to see the hole fleet of f14 just sitting in some desert collecting dust and ducane really jerks my chain
Christopher Seufert - must be an old picture because the Navy scrapped all flyable F-14’s over ten years ago. The only flying F-14’s left are a few Iranian F-14A’s that they are keeping patched together. All the other examples are not flyable and in museums or used as gate guards. Kinda heartbreaking.
@@USNVA11 There are a lot sitting in the dessert boneyard. I assume that is what Seufert is referring to. They are not maintained, just sitting out there.
Steven S - No sir. Yes, there are a lot of planes in various states of preservation sitting in the boneyard, but not F-14’s. The Navy had them destroyed for scrap in order to prevent any possibility of the Iranians getting their hands on F-14 spare parts.
I agree. Always gives me chill when Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass is talking about beyond visual range target identification and it suddenly cuts to the Tomcat doing a fast roll with wings swept back followed by a hard break left. It is the dichotomy of BVR combined with such agility that makes it so exciting.
@@RoyalBlue517 Based on his over 4,900hrs of flying the F-14, total of over 7,000hrs in fighter jets. Like the fictional Maverick, Snodgrass was a graduate of the NFWS and was also an instructor there and even after he became Commander Naval Air Forces US Atlantic Fleet, he continued to fly the F-14. His skill and fineness with the F-14 was legendary, almost up there with Hoser. This is Snodgrass flying the F-14 in close formation with a Tigercat. th-cam.com/video/mK7xqWnDwyA/w-d-xo.html And this is Snodgrass' opening pass at the start of his F-14 Demo over the USS America in 1988. i0.wp.com/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Snort-Demo.jpg?resize=678%2C381&ssl=1
I remember seeing these big beautiful birds at Oceana in the late 70s. None of the new planes have the glamour or the sheer unadulterated power that the Tomcat had.
I had a religious experience at an air show when the F14 flew, the ground shook beneath my feet,body n soul reverberated and the sound of a diabolical tuba pounded on the ear drums as it rotated slowly in a vertical climb with the afterburners raging..It was a wonderful sensation,will never forget it.
4:24 - 4:32 has to be one of the coolest maneuvers I've ever seen, the insanely sharp turn despite the wings being swept back into a few rolls is awesome!
Back when airshow demos were much more loose. Loved it as a kid. Watched the last F14 demo in Muskegon, Michigan. Pretty sure he went just past transonic. Maybe a little bit of a boom at show center, lol.
I got to see one fly at an airshow when I was about 16... will never forget how stunning it was to see the wings *physically adjusting* to the flight speed
Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass. One of the greatest fighter pilots of all times. F-14 and 'Snort' were a lethal combination in the Gulf war. In his book, he talks about coming head to head with MIG-29s during the gulf war in his F-14 and none of them wanted a piece of him. He could make the F-14 dance like no one else.
@@EfponlineNetwork I forgot the exact name of it as it was a few years ago. I have read up quite a lot on Dale's role in the Gulf war. I just remember he went into great details of his intercept of MIG-29s during the gulf war where he would engage the MIG-29, but they would decide to flee away from him. Once he had the F-14A depart on him while he pulled high-G rolling turn at high sub sonic speeds. He went into details of how he receovered.
Old Dogs never die, they just grow wings and Fly.. Was the Plane Captain on 103, in 1980. It went through allot. Oh and as a 14 its VF-143, as a FA-18 They are VFA-143.
Great video! Pilot and his RIO are so cool - just as other's have stated. Confidence AND grace is a pretty awesome thing to see in a human and Capt. Snodgrass is a great example. I had the rare opportunity to sit in the front seat of an F-14 while it sat on the runway in the Middle East while the pilot talked me through the cockpit. Great experience for a Tomcat lover! Thanks for sharing.
i was in the navy on a carrier USS Eisenhower CVN 69 1985-88 we had two f-14 squadrons onboard VF-142 Ghostriders and VF-143 Pukin Dogs. as a ABF i most likely fueled that plane
I was in at the sametime as you only on the west coast. Constellation CV-64, so lucky I got to work with the VF-154 Black Knights. Man the years have flown by.
I was attached to VF 143 from 1976-1979ish. Made 2 cruises on USS America and one on the Eisenhower (her first med cruise). Worked on the AWG9 weapons system at the intermediate level. Had a blast. Most awesome plane in her day. Sexy is right.
It's not so much the short take offs. It's the fact that Snort got it about 40 feet off the deck and initiated a hard right banking turn....He knew the Tomcat very well.
Rest In Peace Snort, you have given me more inspiration than you’ll know to push my dreams to fly like you. I’ll see you up there someday Sir. RIP Legend
Remember flying F-14's on the original Nintendo - Top Gun... I was obsessed with this plane growing up. Still a beautiful plane and will always be special.
I remember back in '91 when I visited an air force base in my home state for a show. That Tomcat could put out some serious decibels. You couldn't just fly one like you can a slow little biplane, either. You need serious body fitness just to ride in one! Props to the men who can handle these things!
You didn't strap into a Tomcat, you strapped one on! Find the video by Ward Carroll as he tells the story of Snort kicking three cocky Hornet drivers in the ass on a 1v3! Hornet was new kid on the block back then.
'Paco' Chiereci said of his first time flying the F-14B "When I first flew the F-14B, my RIO told me to get down as low as possible. I got down to 50 feet over the ocean and then my RIO told me to do a vertical roll watching the G and light the afterburners up to zone 5. I did a 4G vertical roll with nose pitched straight up and then lit the zone 5 afterburners up. This thing climbed up so fast vertically that in about 30 seconds we vertically hit 45,000 feet and then I rolled it inverted and then leveled out. I was still doing 250 knots. The performance was absolutely insane".
I can't find a source for this quote, but that rate of climb is not possible to be accurate. It would take an F-14 more like a full minute to reach 45,000ft..
@@ReptileRescue F-14 B/D had a 50,000+ feet/minute climb rate with the GE-F110 engines in clean configuration (better than 1:1 TW) according to Grumman documentation.
@@KLRGT500KR I'm aware of the specs. And your response just made my point. No F-14 went from virtually sea level to 45K in half a minute. Didn't happen.
@@ReptileRescue I am quoting what he said. The 50,000+ feet is usually from a stand still (I think). In this case, he said he was already doing 400 knots so there was a lot of speed already at around 50 feet over sea. That is my guess.
@@KLRGT500KR No...it's not from a stand still. I'm a former pilot. Max rate of climb is how many feet per minute from the time you initiate a damn climb at max power, not how fast it gets to altitude from the runway. Sheesh. Learn something.
Well you’re wrong because the f-14 has something called the ARI which connects aileron movement to rudder movement so when you roll it automatically uses rudder so you can roll lol
@@milspeccress8864 oh look someone who learned something in dcs then lol's @ people like he is hoarding some classified info nobody knows about. Get over yourself there champ. Maybe pretend that over inflated ego of yours is a drop tank and jettison that shit instead of pretending you are the superior knowledge.
If Snot is talking about the Tomcat one would be wise to listen. What he doesn't know about that plane hasen't been written. The greatest Tomcat pilot to ever fly the plane.
My dad was a machinist for Grumman, builder of the F-14, at Bethpage on Long island back in the 60's and 70's. I thought the F-14 was awesome back when it first went into service, and I still think it's awesome long after it's gone out of service. Such a gorgeous aircraft, and so very capable. One of my brothers and I went with our dad to see the movie Top Gun when it first came out, just because it featured F-14s!
This was everyday flying here in Calverton NY... I miss the daily airshow of a F-14 bein tested by Grumman.. Rules must have only been enforced at Air Force manufacturing plants lol cuz I miss the 360 degree turn in the tower buzz pass.. Funny unlike the movie, in Grumman Calverton plant they were cheering in the tower... Grumman Iron Works... Anytime Baby.. Its just how I grew up..
Great amount of knowledge imparted in a short amount of time. Never flew the D variant but this was a pretty hotdog romp in a B. Makes me sad that my girl has been retired and my ship is still the bottom of the Atlantic. Cosmo - Diamondback.
You were in VF-102. I was in VF-33, Starfighters. What years were you in? Snodgrass was my skipper back in the late 80's. I had friends in the Diamondbacks.
Ever since his flying West a little over a month ago, he has been in hearts and minds of entire U.S. Naval Aviation community. What a poster child he was with his good looks and full-bird eagles at a young age. Farewell in Lord's Heavens, R.I.P Captain Snort, amin 🙏
He was great at everythng he did. When his father, Reuben P, Snodgrass, a decorated WWII Marine pilot, was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame, they mentioned that his son, Dale, won the East Coast Surfing Championship in 1963 [he woukd have been 14] and won a lot of paddleboarding competitions. One of his younger sisters, Donna, won the women's division. Dale set records as an All Anerican swimmer at the University of Minnesota. His dad also raced iceboats, well after gretting his Master's degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Cal Tech. Talented family.
F14 Tomcat... Badass X 100!! Damn... with modern updates, this could still be a formidable combatant with the long range and power of the Phoenix missile system. Love this plane...
@@Inspadave F-14 was the best fighter back in its day America built because of how wide the spectrum of its capabilities was. With only 1 pair of Tomcats, Navy gained air superiority over 200 miles with full situational awareness around them. There were many instances of only 1 pair of Tomcats intercepting successfully up to 6 - 8 MIG fighters during the "Line of death" conflicts over international waters. Nothing else could match its ability to track 24 targets and attack 6 targets simultaneously, ability to track targets at up to 100,000 feet altitude, ability to out-maneuver and out-rate much smaller and lighter with its phenomenal kinematics that allowed it to sustain tight turns in 2 circle fights and still have the ability to accelerate to Mach 2.4+ at high speed. Nothing else brought the package F-14 did.
Snort had the look of a man who could sell you a house wearing a suit on a Sunday and then blow the enemy out the sky in a F-14 first thing Monday morning
I've watched A LOT of aviation videos and I absolutely never pass up a Tomcat video, but this is one is awesome having the walkaround with one of the hands of God plus the flight footage is good. Thanks for putting this together and sharing with us.
This dudes demeanor is perfect, confident, a little cocky but realistic and humble, “I’ve done more than 400 carrier night landings and just thinking about it makes my palms sweaty!” ……. Yep, I’ll bet…… perfect man for the job.
For a guy I'd never heard of until a couple weeks ago, Snort's death has effected me more than anticipated, especially with the way he went. Dude was an absolute legend.
Those GE-F110 engines with better than 1:1 thrust to weight ratio in lighter configurations made the Tomcat looks like a rocket. That things pulls up at slow speeds with sheer thrust/no momentum makes the heavy weight look like it is made of paper.
Snort and the F-14 were like Dirty Harry and the .44 Magnum, or Steve McQueen and the Bullitt Mustang. Han Solo and the Millenium Falcon... you get the picture. The man was meant for the F-14, and the F-14 was meant for the man. So sad they will never fly together again. Truly a magnificent moment in time that these two were able to wow the human race with the awesome power of man and machine, seemingly as one amazing force.
I heard the Hoser was right there too.......Snort was the first guy to head from Adv Flight School to the Tomcat and he was for sure the very best pick for Tomcat from that crop and reigned above all those after.
@@J_JetClips When the Navy announced that the F-14 was being retired rumor was Snodgrass tried to obtain one for display and airshow service but the Navy said 'NO!' None of the Tomcats were kept in storage as a ready reserve, they were stripped of everything useful and either donated to museums or scrapped. The only flying F-14s left on the planet belong to Iran.
Thank you Dale Snodgrass for your service! Pity the fool who would be up against you in a Mig. Even a Flanker wouldn't stand a chance with this guy at the controls... Absolute travesty there are no F-14's still in US service. Iranian A models, but they're seriously under-powered. God bless the man who arranged for the F-110's to power the B's and D's!
The real travesty was hanging iron bombs on them! I had a 'Charles-Heston-sees-the-Statue-of-Liberty-in-Planet-of-Apes-moment' when they did that! "NO! NO! YOU BASTARDS!!"
infectedvector Don't knock it. It got the F-14 another ten years of service, and it was really good at it to boot. You could hang four Mk 84-sized weapons on a Tomcat and CRUISE at .95 Mach at low altitude without afterburners for God-only-knows how far, and deliver them as accurately as any Hornet. It got even more accurate once it got LANTIRN, because it had a larger, higher resolution display than any other teen fighter. Also, the pod had an onboard GPS, as opposed to the Air Force versions which relied on the aircraft's GPS and were susceptible to flutter, making aiming more difficult. But it's biggest advantage was that it had a backseater who could devote all his attention to aiming the laser, while the pilot drove the bus. And ironically it was the guy in this video who was responsible for adding LANTIRN to the F-14. And get this: he and a few of his subordinates came up with the idea, and sold it to Martin Marietta, they modified and built the pod, incorporated it onto the aircraft (including creating an interface to make the pod's digital avionics work with the Turkey's analog weapons control system), and conducted the initial flight and weapons release tests for the miserly sum of $5,000,000. The rest of the Pentagon couldn't buy a coffee maker for that price. Capt. Snodgrass likes to joke that you could've put that on a credit card, but the damned thing is that he's literally not wrong with some of the platinum level limitless cards out there today. And while the Pentagon was poo-pooing the idea, Snort was going and selling the concept to individual squadrons and they, in turn, went out and bent their Admirals' ears about how much they wanted it. The rest of the program was paid for with funding that had originally been intended for adding the AMRAAM to the F-14, which would've been a largely useless upgrade.
Damn what a pilot, Dale Snodgrass the best damn Tomcat driver around, the Navy made a HUGE mistake when they retired her. Maybe someday they will realize that and bring her back with the Tomcat21 design!
Those GE-110 engines with 60,000 lbsf of thrust in full zone 5 afterburn, are still to this day the most powerful engines ever fitted into a fighter. It gave the F-14 B/D a better than 1:1 thrust to weight ratio even in dog fighting configuration (weapons load, fuel etc.)
Not quite. The F-119 engines in the F-22A are more powerful. The F135 engine in the F-35 is more powerful than that but the F-35's aren't designed to be air superiority fighters. The GE-F110 engines can only do about 30k lbs max each, thus 60k lbs as a pair. The F-14B/D and GE-F110-400 motors were an amazing combination.
I love that Snort actually threw the turkey around and kept some load in some of the transitions. His is the only demo I've seen where the glove vanes were actually deployed. Would've loved to see 21 get produced, oh well. My fav bird is the Rhino, but it has nothing on the Cat.
@@dblgonzo on the movie top gun ... it was deployed. But you have to freeze the frame to see it... it was a half second transition cut on the final dogfight scene.
1:56 Woah Woah Woah, airforce fighters have tail hooks too. they don't use them very often but they do have them, for emergencies. they are definitely there though.
I remember being at Virginia Beach swimming enjoying a impromptu airshow as a carrier came in and it was amazing what they did..... never saw what they did that day anywhere else.... 🤣👍🏻💪🏻🇺🇸
Dale is actually on the airshow circuit, he flies an F-86 Sabre or at least he was the last time I saw any information about him. If I remember right he actually owns the F-86.
R.I.P 'Snort' You died doing what you loved all your life. I will always remember you as the best Tomcat pilot who ever lived. Remember you gunning down 3 F-5E Tigers with your single F-14A Tomcat. I will go cry now. Hope you are flying Tomcats in heaven. 'Anytime baby!'.
This is by far the prettiest jet ever made and some guy was piloting this very plane. I swear it was almost moving like today's jets. Far more advanced maneuverability than I thought
Well his take off demo at 1:42 is still hugely impressive. This bird a long wings and you really want to make sure you have enough height before yanking it that way.
I STILL miss these big birds. I live near Oceana NAS and was there for the last public flight demonstration of the Tomcat. I also sailed in Harm's Way twice. I had no doubt that the Tomcat crews on BARCAP could stop any air threat thrown at us. The only flyable F-14s left on the planet are those owned by Iran, all of ours are either in museums or static outdoor display with ALL critical avionics either removed or ruined unrepairable.
To call this bird an icon of US naval aviation would be a gross understatement. I believe it did more for the Navy recruitment in the 80's than any sales pitch from the other branches. When "Top Gun" came out, everyone wanted to be a fighter pilot. Grumman's pinnacle of engineering IMHO.
It’s one year ago that one of the greatest aviators passed on. Almost 5000 tomcat hours. Countless kids that got involved in aviation because of you. You will remain a legend forever!
RIP Snort, one of the world's greatest aviator to ever lived.
F-14 and a bad ass pilot ... RIP Snort you served your country well
Greatest aviator? You don't know his history. Gtfoh
@@pkelly3463 if he was that great he would have ran through that very last checklist a bit more thoroughly. Then, it wouldn’t have been his last.
@@ryanp6999 well everyone is human. My point is, he has a history. He forgot to extend the gear flying a F-86, which he subsequently belly landed. He has been reprimanded by the Navy for other cowboy highjinks. The dude was all ego. So, it finally caught up with him.
@@ryanp6999 arent you and P Kelly saying the same thing...that maybe he wasnt the greatest aviator ever
Rest In Peace Snort, 24 July 2021. A legend who will truly be missed.
Captain Snodgrass sure knew how to put on a show. He put the Tomcat through its paces for sure.
Most badass plane EVER. I would love to be American just to be able to say that my country built THAT. So awesome.
It'll be awesome if they brought it back just simplified and easier to maintain
So sad look at Google Earth So many F14 my father was in the Navy as a parking tender and also a deck firefighter and growing up the F14 and the A10 were always my favorite but to see the hole fleet of f14 just sitting in some desert collecting dust and ducane really jerks my chain
Christopher Seufert - must be an old picture because the Navy scrapped all flyable F-14’s over ten years ago. The only flying F-14’s left are a few Iranian F-14A’s that they are keeping patched together. All the other examples are not flyable and in museums or used as gate guards. Kinda heartbreaking.
@@USNVA11 There are a lot sitting in the dessert boneyard. I assume that is what Seufert is referring to. They are not maintained, just sitting out there.
Steven S - No sir. Yes, there are a lot of planes in various states of preservation sitting in the boneyard, but not F-14’s. The Navy had them destroyed for scrap in order to prevent any possibility of the Iranians getting their hands on F-14 spare parts.
The only thing that could make this aircraft cooler are popup headlights.
Jonathan Larkby ...or if his call
Sign was Assman.
Funny AF !!
I mean the light at the front gear kinda is.
Pop pop pop pop down headlight! ~🎶
& Fluffy dice ;)
I could listen to this pilot talk about the Tomcat and his experiences all day.
Well he was THE F-14 pilot. A Legend in the Tomcat community.
This is one of the best-edited films I've ever seen. The cuts of the jet flying between Capt. Snodgrass's commentary is the greatest thing ever.
aww thank you!
I agree. Always gives me chill when Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass is talking about beyond visual range target identification and it suddenly cuts to the Tomcat doing a fast roll with wings swept back followed by a hard break left. It is the dichotomy of BVR combined with such agility that makes it so exciting.
Snodgrass is arguably one of the best pilots who ever strapped on an F-14.
Pogo bet his call sign is Green Hornet.
@@warrenbennett1863 It's "Snort".
Based on air show demos? That's not how that works.
@@RoyalBlue517 Based on his over 4,900hrs of flying the F-14, total of over 7,000hrs in fighter jets.
Like the fictional Maverick, Snodgrass was a graduate of the NFWS and was also an instructor there and even after he became Commander Naval Air Forces US Atlantic Fleet, he continued to fly the F-14.
His skill and fineness with the F-14 was legendary, almost up there with Hoser.
This is Snodgrass flying the F-14 in close formation with a Tigercat.
th-cam.com/video/mK7xqWnDwyA/w-d-xo.html
And this is Snodgrass' opening pass at the start of his F-14 Demo over the USS America in 1988.
i0.wp.com/theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Snort-Demo.jpg?resize=678%2C381&ssl=1
Pogo his REO is Kato. Geddit!
I think all of us 80's kids watched Top Gun with the F-14 and immediately fell in love with naval aviation. What a jet!
I remember seeing these big beautiful birds at Oceana in the late 70s. None of the new planes have the glamour or the sheer unadulterated power that the Tomcat had.
The F-14 is the sexiest aircraft ever built, and it starring in Top Gun is the sole reason I am studying aerospace engineering right now
God bless you and good luck.
Not Kelly McGillis?
infectedvector ima be honest i dont know who that is
infectedvector omg im stupid, her name just clicked in my head. Maybe just a lil ;)
Good luck with your future profession!
Watch "The Final Countdown" for some more great Tomcat flying. Another cool movie.
Best plane that ever existed! Wish they would bring some of them back for airshows!
Most beautiful plane ever built!
Tireshredderjoe I saw 3 of them at museums :) She's a huge gorgeous turkey!
Grreatest fighter ever
??? they still fly them all around the world
i saw one in europe just last month
A True legend of Aviation. RIP Captain Snodgrass.
I had a religious experience at an air show when the F14 flew, the ground shook beneath my feet,body n soul reverberated and the sound of a diabolical tuba pounded on the ear drums as it rotated slowly in a vertical climb with the afterburners raging..It was a wonderful sensation,will never forget it.
I had the pleasure of serving with Mr. Snodgrass. Helluva pilot and man.
4:24 - 4:32 has to be one of the coolest maneuvers I've ever seen, the insanely sharp turn despite the wings being swept back into a few rolls is awesome!
Yea, I love seeing when an aircraft turns and your point of view is in the direct back.
That maneuver ensures the prey doesn't get away. Turn and burn - Anytime Baby!!!!
Back when airshow demos were much more loose. Loved it as a kid. Watched the last F14 demo in Muskegon, Michigan. Pretty sure he went just past transonic. Maybe a little bit of a boom at show center, lol.
One of the most BEAUTIFUL & ELEGANT aircrafts for all history of the world aviation!!! F-14)))
I got to see one fly at an airshow when I was about 16... will never forget how stunning it was to see the wings *physically adjusting* to the flight speed
Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass. One of the greatest fighter pilots of all times. F-14 and 'Snort' were a lethal combination in the Gulf war. In his book, he talks about coming head to head with MIG-29s during the gulf war in his F-14 and none of them wanted a piece of him. He could make the F-14 dance like no one else.
Dale is mentioned in several books so I am wondering which book you are referring to?
@@EfponlineNetwork I forgot the exact name of it as it was a few years ago. I have read up quite a lot on Dale's role in the Gulf war. I just remember he went into great details of his intercept of MIG-29s during the gulf war where he would engage the MIG-29, but they would decide to flee away from him. Once he had the F-14A depart on him while he pulled high-G rolling turn at high sub sonic speeds. He went into details of how he receovered.
Old Dogs never die, they just grow wings and Fly.. Was the Plane Captain on 103, in 1980. It went through allot. Oh and as a 14 its VF-143, as a FA-18 They are VFA-143.
Great video! Pilot and his RIO are so cool - just as other's have stated. Confidence AND grace is a pretty awesome thing to see in a human and Capt. Snodgrass is a great example. I had the rare opportunity to sit in the front seat of an F-14 while it sat on the runway in the Middle East while the pilot talked me through the cockpit. Great experience for a Tomcat lover! Thanks for sharing.
Just got news that Dale Snodgrass was unfortunately killed on Saturday, 7/24. Damn good pilot, sucks to see him go.
This jet still looks way ahead of its time even though it’s been retired !
October 2019 and I still wish they had the F-14 in our arsenal (or at least a newer variant of it). So sexy and impressive the way it maneuvers.
I still have my GI Joe F14 from my youth...amazing plane.
i was in the navy on a carrier USS Eisenhower CVN 69 1985-88 we had two f-14 squadrons onboard VF-142 Ghostriders and VF-143 Pukin Dogs. as a ABF i most likely fueled that plane
I was in at the sametime as you only on the west coast. Constellation CV-64, so lucky I got to work with the VF-154 Black Knights. Man the years have flown by.
Scott Long weren’t they based out of NAS Oceana? I was stationed at Oceana 1975-1979 VF-41 we just transitioned from F4 to F14.
My step dad, Randy Whitlock, was on the USS Eisenhower. Not sure what years though.
Thanks for serving!
@Durell Dailey My step dad, Randy Whitlock, was on the USS Eisenhower. Not sure what years though.
He told me about a 6 pack tour!
Thanks for serving!
I was attached to VF 143 from 1976-1979ish. Made 2 cruises on USS America and one on the Eisenhower (her first med cruise). Worked on the AWG9 weapons system at the intermediate level. Had a blast. Most awesome plane in her day. Sexy is right.
HOLY SHIT! Those short take-offs are incredible.
It's not so much the short take offs. It's the fact that Snort got it about 40 feet off the deck and initiated a hard right banking turn....He knew the Tomcat very well.
The Tomcat ! The absolute sexiest Fighter ever built !
That dude can fly! Tight skills!
I was an electronics tech on these aircraft in VF 142 and VF 101. Loved these great aircraft! One of the biggest fighter aircraft in the Navy.
Were you ever deployed on Ike?
@@brbob4934 yes, on a med cruise in 90 and then back for 91-92 cruise in the gulf.
Rest in peace. The best F-14 pilot there ever was.
Snort flew the Cat better than anyone else. Journy well, Brother. Tomcat for life.
That is just the coolest plane ever made !!!!
Rest In Peace Snort, you have given me more inspiration than you’ll know to push my dreams to fly like you. I’ll see you up there someday Sir. RIP Legend
Jesus.. this aircraft is so beautiful...
Don't take the Lords name in vain, but Yeah IT IS !!!!
Remember flying F-14's on the original Nintendo - Top Gun... I was obsessed with this plane growing up. Still a beautiful plane and will always be special.
"Afterburner" in the arcade with the movable seat was pretty sweet as well, even if it did take 6 tokens to play it.
I remember back in '91 when I visited an air force base in my home state for a show. That Tomcat could put out some serious decibels. You couldn't just fly one like you can a slow little biplane, either. You need serious body fitness just to ride in one! Props to the men who can handle these things!
That's why they were called drivers and not Pilots.
You didn't strap into a Tomcat, you strapped one on! Find the video by Ward Carroll as he tells the story of Snort kicking three cocky Hornet drivers in the ass on a 1v3! Hornet was new kid on the block back then.
Aviator legend & True TopGun. Best of the Best. RIP Capt Snort.
Just like the announcer said... Holy Nelly! Great Demo!
'Paco' Chiereci said of his first time flying the F-14B "When I first flew the F-14B, my RIO told me to get down as low as possible. I got down to 50 feet over the ocean and then my RIO told me to do a vertical roll watching the G and light the afterburners up to zone 5. I did a 4G vertical roll with nose pitched straight up and then lit the zone 5 afterburners up. This thing climbed up so fast vertically that in about 30 seconds we vertically hit 45,000 feet and then I rolled it inverted and then leveled out. I was still doing 250 knots. The performance was absolutely insane".
I can't find a source for this quote, but that rate of climb is not possible to be accurate. It would take an F-14 more like a full minute to reach 45,000ft..
@@ReptileRescue F-14 B/D had a 50,000+ feet/minute climb rate with the GE-F110 engines in clean configuration (better than 1:1 TW) according to Grumman documentation.
@@KLRGT500KR I'm aware of the specs. And your response just made my point. No F-14 went from virtually sea level to 45K in half a minute. Didn't happen.
@@ReptileRescue I am quoting what he said. The 50,000+ feet is usually from a stand still (I think). In this case, he said he was already doing 400 knots so there was a lot of speed already at around 50 feet over sea. That is my guess.
@@KLRGT500KR No...it's not from a stand still. I'm a former pilot. Max rate of climb is how many feet per minute from the time you initiate a damn climb at max power, not how fast it gets to altitude from the runway. Sheesh. Learn something.
This guy is a dam great pilot..those rolls were straight ahead, not spiraling rolls...not easy..
Rudder =spiral
Aileron Roll vs. the Barrel Roll th-cam.com/video/AV_1Nsswcdc/w-d-xo.html
Well you’re wrong because the f-14 has something called the ARI which connects aileron movement to rudder movement so when you roll it automatically uses rudder so you can roll lol
@@milspeccress8864 oh look someone who learned something in dcs then lol's @ people like he is hoarding some classified info nobody knows about. Get over yourself there champ. Maybe pretend that over inflated ego of yours is a drop tank and jettison that shit instead of pretending you are the superior knowledge.
@@milspeccress8864 that is only in certain situations they are not always connected with rudder movemment.
My first air show as a kid and this guy was flying and boy could he fly the Tomcat. Breathtaking, ground shaking event.
The most beautiful aircraft of all time. Just raw power and presence.
Best. Meanest. Looking. Jet. Warbird. Ever.
If Snot is talking about the Tomcat one would be wise to listen. What he doesn't know about that plane hasen't been written. The greatest Tomcat pilot to ever fly the plane.
It's Snort NOT Snot.
He definitely is in total control of that plane . He was so good
Great flybys by dale snortgrass with vfa-143 great shows
James Pitochelli VF-143 when flying Tomcats.
I bet "Snort" is giving the angels flying lessons.
Awesome machine and awesome pilot - respect!
Thanks for ur kind words
My dad was a machinist for Grumman, builder of the F-14, at Bethpage on Long island back in the 60's and 70's. I thought the F-14 was awesome back when it first went into service, and I still think it's awesome long after it's gone out of service. Such a gorgeous aircraft, and so very capable. One of my brothers and I went with our dad to see the movie Top Gun when it first came out, just because it featured F-14s!
This was everyday flying here in Calverton NY... I miss the daily airshow of a F-14 bein tested by Grumman.. Rules must have only been enforced at Air Force manufacturing plants lol cuz I miss the 360 degree turn in the tower buzz pass.. Funny unlike the movie, in Grumman Calverton plant they were cheering in the tower... Grumman Iron Works... Anytime Baby.. Its just how I grew up..
This is the most American things I have ever watched in recent years.
Great plane. Everybody around the world loves F-14.
Great amount of knowledge imparted in a short amount of time. Never flew the D variant but this was a pretty hotdog romp in a B. Makes me sad that my girl has been retired and my ship is still the bottom of the Atlantic. Cosmo - Diamondback.
ramosel which ship?
he would have been on the us America cva-66 n yes the "B" was the hot rod in the kitty..
You were in VF-102. I was in VF-33, Starfighters. What years were you in? Snodgrass was my skipper back in the late 80's. I had friends in the Diamondbacks.
@@starfighterusscv-6693 thanks for your service!
Ever since his flying West a little over a month ago, he has been in hearts and minds of entire U.S. Naval Aviation community. What a poster child he was with his good looks and full-bird eagles at a young age. Farewell in Lord's Heavens, R.I.P Captain Snort, amin 🙏
He was great at everythng he did. When his father, Reuben P, Snodgrass, a decorated WWII Marine pilot, was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame, they mentioned that his son, Dale, won the East Coast Surfing Championship in 1963 [he woukd have been 14] and won a lot of paddleboarding competitions. One of his younger sisters, Donna, won the women's division.
Dale set records as an All Anerican swimmer at the University of Minnesota. His dad also raced iceboats, well after gretting his Master's degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Cal Tech. Talented family.
@@citybright8925Great American Hero 🇺🇸💪🏽
F14 Tomcat... Badass X 100!!
Damn... with modern updates, this could still be a formidable combatant with the long range and power of the Phoenix missile system.
Love this plane...
Man this plane makes Air Force folks jealous, I'd say it's got more allure than the f-22!
Hammerschlägen M too bad you’re not considering different decades dumbass.
Air Force pilots jealous of this thing? The F-14 wasn't even the best fighter in it's day let alone against an F-22.
You probably never served since saying dumb shit like that
Hammerschlägen M dream on!!!
@@Inspadave F-14 was the best fighter back in its day America built because of how wide the spectrum of its capabilities was. With only 1 pair of Tomcats, Navy gained air superiority over 200 miles with full situational awareness around them. There were many instances of only 1 pair of Tomcats intercepting successfully up to 6 - 8 MIG fighters during the "Line of death" conflicts over international waters. Nothing else could match its ability to track 24 targets and attack 6 targets simultaneously, ability to track targets at up to 100,000 feet altitude, ability to out-maneuver and out-rate much smaller and lighter with its phenomenal kinematics that allowed it to sustain tight turns in 2 circle fights and still have the ability to accelerate to Mach 2.4+ at high speed. Nothing else brought the package F-14 did.
Captain Snodgrass Iv'e heard his name few times One hell of a Pilot Bet you can Learn a lot from Him makes it look so easy tossing that Tomcat around
Snort had the look of a man who could sell you a house wearing a suit on a Sunday and then blow the enemy out the sky in a F-14 first thing Monday morning
That was bloody awesome! Thanks!
I've watched A LOT of aviation videos and I absolutely never pass up a Tomcat video, but this is one is awesome having the walkaround with one of the hands of God plus the flight footage is good. Thanks for putting this together and sharing with us.
Thank you very much!
Really Love the Tomcat, looks awesome even in times of fifth generation aircrafts.
This dudes demeanor is perfect, confident, a little cocky but realistic and humble, “I’ve done more than 400 carrier night landings and just thinking about it makes my palms sweaty!” ……. Yep, I’ll bet…… perfect man for the job.
For a guy I'd never heard of until a couple weeks ago, Snort's death has effected me more than anticipated, especially with the way he went. Dude was an absolute legend.
my god we miss this thing...those great Andrews airshows before everything changed.
Those GE-F110 engines with better than 1:1 thrust to weight ratio in lighter configurations made the Tomcat looks like a rocket. That things pulls up at slow speeds with sheer thrust/no momentum makes the heavy weight look like it is made of paper.
The greatest plane ever.
I saw my first live Tomcat at an open house at Pope Field around 1980. What an impression !!! Tomcats Forever...The Greatest
No..the greatest F14 PILOT forever! TRUTH
Snort and the F-14 were like Dirty Harry and the .44 Magnum, or Steve McQueen and the Bullitt Mustang. Han Solo and the Millenium Falcon... you get the picture. The man was meant for the F-14, and the F-14 was meant for the man. So sad they will never fly together again. Truly a magnificent moment in time that these two were able to wow the human race with the awesome power of man and machine, seemingly as one amazing force.
fuckin A. snort Snodgrass was the best Tomcat stick who ever flew. still doing his thing at airshows but at the helm of P-51 mustangs and F-86 Sabres.
I heard the Hoser was right there too.......Snort was the first guy to head from Adv Flight School to the Tomcat and he was for sure the very best pick for Tomcat from that crop and reigned above all those after.
Certainly the best narrator for this video could not have been anyone but Snodgrass,.@@robertmantell5466
Fuckin A Too
@@J_JetClips When the Navy announced that the F-14 was being retired rumor was Snodgrass tried to obtain one for display and airshow service but the Navy said 'NO!' None of the Tomcats were kept in storage as a ready reserve, they were stripped of everything useful and either donated to museums or scrapped. The only flying F-14s left on the planet belong to Iran.
This plane was always one of my favorites
Man, I miss her sm
i seen this guy at some airshows, i think he could fly anything with wings
1100 carrier landings? Holy crap, yeah, he knows what he's doing.
Great, Great Fighter Pilot! Very intelligent! 🇺🇸🦅
Thank you Dale Snodgrass for your service! Pity the fool who would be up against you in a Mig. Even a Flanker wouldn't stand a chance with this guy at the controls...
Absolute travesty there are no F-14's still in US service. Iranian A models, but they're seriously under-powered. God bless the man who arranged for the F-110's to power the B's and D's!
As good as Snort was in a Tomcat, he'd make the average F-22 driver sweat bullets 1 v 1.
The real travesty was hanging iron bombs on them! I had a 'Charles-Heston-sees-the-Statue-of-Liberty-in-Planet-of-Apes-moment' when they did that! "NO! NO! YOU BASTARDS!!"
infectedvector Don't knock it. It got the F-14 another ten years of service, and it was really good at it to boot. You could hang four Mk 84-sized weapons on a Tomcat and CRUISE at .95 Mach at low altitude without afterburners for God-only-knows how far, and deliver them as accurately as any Hornet.
It got even more accurate once it got LANTIRN, because it had a larger, higher resolution display than any other teen fighter. Also, the pod had an onboard GPS, as opposed to the Air Force versions which relied on the aircraft's GPS and were susceptible to flutter, making aiming more difficult. But it's biggest advantage was that it had a backseater who could devote all his attention to aiming the laser, while the pilot drove the bus.
And ironically it was the guy in this video who was responsible for adding LANTIRN to the F-14. And get this: he and a few of his subordinates came up with the idea, and sold it to Martin Marietta, they modified and built the pod, incorporated it onto the aircraft (including creating an interface to make the pod's digital avionics work with the Turkey's analog weapons control system), and conducted the initial flight and weapons release tests for the miserly sum of $5,000,000. The rest of the Pentagon couldn't buy a coffee maker for that price. Capt. Snodgrass likes to joke that you could've put that on a credit card, but the damned thing is that he's literally not wrong with some of the platinum level limitless cards out there today. And while the Pentagon was poo-pooing the idea, Snort was going and selling the concept to individual squadrons and they, in turn, went out and bent their Admirals' ears about how much they wanted it. The rest of the program was paid for with funding that had originally been intended for adding the AMRAAM to the F-14, which would've been a largely useless upgrade.
The guy was insane. I have seen him in a HUD video doing DACT against 3 F-5E tigers in a 1v3 from 1984 in an F-14A. He took out all three F-5E.
@@2ZZGE100 link it
Damn what a pilot, Dale Snodgrass the best damn Tomcat driver around, the Navy made a HUGE mistake when they retired her. Maybe someday they will realize that and bring her back with the Tomcat21 design!
I still vividly remember them in the pattern at NAS Oceana, it's hard to believe that was already over a decade ago.
And we're going to be able to fly this beauty in DCS soon. Oh myyy
Someone send Snort a copy! 👹
I was there when "Snort" was at the end of his stint w the dogs. WOW
When was you there? I was with VF-103 Sluggers till June of 92
@@bbarker5766 86 to 89
Snort, always a pleasure to see you fly
Those GE-110 engines with 60,000 lbsf of thrust in full zone 5 afterburn, are still to this day the most powerful engines ever fitted into a fighter. It gave the F-14 B/D a better than 1:1 thrust to weight ratio even in dog fighting configuration (weapons load, fuel etc.)
Not quite. The F-119 engines in the F-22A are more powerful. The F135 engine in the F-35 is more powerful than that but the F-35's aren't designed to be air superiority fighters. The GE-F110 engines can only do about 30k lbs max each, thus 60k lbs as a pair. The F-14B/D and GE-F110-400 motors were an amazing combination.
@@akulahawk He does not mean literally. Of course, the F-22 and F-35 were superior in just about every way.
I love that Snort actually threw the turkey around and kept some load in some of the transitions. His is the only demo I've seen where the glove vanes were actually deployed. Would've loved to see 21 get produced, oh well. My fav bird is the Rhino, but it has nothing on the Cat.
The glove vanes never deployed. Main reason they were disabled on all F14's in like 1980. I was in VF143 from 1981-85 on the IKE.
Glove vanes?
@@dblgonzo on the movie top gun ... it was deployed. But you have to freeze the frame to see it... it was a half second transition cut on the final dogfight scene.
@@bBersZ the tomcat got this little wings tuck in above the leading edge near the jet inlets to provide additional lift.
Glove vanes could help the Tomcat do 7+G turns at Mach 2
Snodgrass is a legend. F-14 ....first and the last of the so called super fighters
1:56 Woah Woah Woah, airforce fighters have tail hooks too. they don't use them very often but they do have them, for emergencies. they are definitely there though.
Um yea, but they will instantly rip in half the moment you try to do more than 2 carrier landings...
I remember being at Virginia Beach swimming enjoying a impromptu airshow as a carrier came in and it was amazing what they did..... never saw what they did that day anywhere else.... 🤣👍🏻💪🏻🇺🇸
Snodgrass is flying the Burbank-to-Oakland route for Southwest now - back-and-forth, three times a day.
mikepodella bullshit
Dale is actually on the airshow circuit, he flies an F-86 Sabre or at least he was the last time I saw any information about him. If I remember right he actually owns the F-86.
Greatest fighter being flown aggressively....fantastic!
Best plane in the navy
I used to watch these guys fly in and out of Calverton, LI, NY. Give me goosebumps
R.I.P 'Snort' You died doing what you loved all your life. I will always remember you as the best Tomcat pilot who ever lived. Remember you gunning down 3 F-5E Tigers with your single F-14A Tomcat. I will go cry now. Hope you are flying Tomcats in heaven. 'Anytime baby!'.
This is by far the prettiest jet ever made and some guy was piloting this very plane. I swear it was almost moving like today's jets. Far more advanced maneuverability than I thought
My great uncle built the swivel wing bearing for em on the line. RIP
Your uncle is a Legend
My Dad worked Tooling Jigs and fixtures in Bethpage .
What an amazing plane, and flying too!!!!!!
Well his take off demo at 1:42 is still hugely impressive. This bird a long wings and you really want to make sure you have enough height before yanking it that way.
I STILL miss these big birds. I live near Oceana NAS and was there for the last public flight demonstration of the Tomcat. I also sailed in Harm's Way twice. I had no doubt that the Tomcat crews on BARCAP could stop any air threat thrown at us. The only flyable F-14s left on the planet are those owned by Iran, all of ours are either in museums or static outdoor display with ALL critical avionics either removed or ruined unrepairable.
Still my favorite plane of all time!
When I hear an F-14 throwing afterburners, Yeah, It's my jam. Best looking 4th generation fighter ever!
I have always liked the F-14 more than the F-15 and F-18
To call this bird an icon of US naval aviation would be a gross understatement. I believe it did more for the Navy recruitment in the 80's than any sales pitch from the other branches. When "Top Gun" came out, everyone wanted to be a fighter pilot. Grumman's pinnacle of engineering IMHO.
Vf-143 great fighter i miss ti the f-14 tomcat
RIP to this legendary pilot.