Ice- That line struck me as odd also but in context of 1977 it was relatively easy compared to F-4 despite having much more advanced systems. Starting in the mid '90s it became harder and harder for the Navy to justify budget for F-14 with Super Hornets in service and the main threat /rarionale for Phoenix missile going away with demise of Soviet Union.
Not to mention that carrier aircraft in particular take a beating, both in launches/traps as well as constant exposure to salt air. Over time, it's much easier to maintain an F-15 in Mountain Home, ID (or Osan, South Korea for that matter) than it is a Tomcat that spends 6 months at a time in the Persian Gulf.
There was a saying in the Navy that if a Tomcat wasn't leaking, it was out of fluids.
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-Home Fries
XBL: The Mad Gonzo
The average Naval Aviator, despite the sometimes swaggering exterior, is very much capable of such feelings as love, affection, intimacy, and caring.
These feelings just don't involve anyone else.
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