The National Air and Space Museum celebrates the F-14 Tomcat fighter jet on Saturday, Sept. 30, with an all-day salute and free parking at its Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.
The U.S. Navy is retiring its fleet of F-14s after three decades of legendary service in favor of the newer F/A-18 Super Hornet. The F-14 became an icon of popular culture with the 1986 Tom Cruise film "Top Gun," in which Cruise portrayed a Tomcat pilot.
The museum’s F-14D (R) is on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center, having recently been preserved with the help of the Navy’s VF-31 squadron technicians. It is credited with one MiG kill during a fleet defense mission near the coast of Libya in 1989. The crew from that mission will be at the Udvar-Hazy Center on Sept. 30.
"Tomcat Sunset Saturday" at the Udvar-Hazy Center will include a retirement ceremony at 1 p.m. featuring Navy officials. F-14 pilots and other experts will be on hand all day to discuss the airplane with visitors.
Free posters, DVDs and other Tomcat-related memorabilia will be given away while supplies last.
A free showing of "Top Gun" will take place at 6 p.m. in the center’s IMAX theater. Tickets may be obtained by calling (202) 633-2398 or by visiting www.nasm.si.edu.
The Tomcat salute is made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman Corporation.
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located off of Route 28 near Washington Dulles International Airport. It is open daily at 10 a.m. Admission is free and the $12 fee for parking will be waived on Sept. 30.
Rear Adm. Thomas Kilcline speaks at a retirement ceremony for the National Air and Space Museum's F-14 during Tomcat Sunset Saturday at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on Sept. 30, 2006. Museum director Gen. J.R. "Jack" Dailey, seated center, welcomed the legendary fighter jet after recent preservation.
The museum's Grumman F-14D(R) Tomcat was recently preserved and repainted at no cost to the Smithsonian by a team of U.S. Navy from the VF-31 Tomcatters squadron.