Grumman Tomcat's fiftieth birthday is nearing
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat continues to generate enthousiasm among aviation fans, more than fourteen years after its retirement from US Navy service. With our friends of the Combat Aviationist (please follow its Instagram account!) of the Tomcat is one of the most popular subjects. Former F-14 radar intercept officer (RIO) Dave “Bio” Baranek is here to feed your enthusiasm for F-14s with his new book, Tomcat RIO.
When you see Tomcat RIO you may think it is a coffee table book, because it’s printed on large pages (21 cm wide x 27.5 cm high), but it is an exciting narrative! Bio picks up on his aviation experiences after leaving the Topgun squadron, where he served as an instructor from 1984-87. So this is the sequel to his successful book Topgun Days.
In Tomcat RIO, Bio tells about his happy return to the big Tomcat after flying in Topgun’s sporty little F-5Fs for a few years. Using excellent narrative skills, he takes readers in the cockpit on exciting and dangerous missions near hostile Iran as well as fighting adversary squadron F-16s over Arizona. But he also takes us into ready rooms at Miramar and aboard ship, into staterooms on the massive carrier, into squadron meetings and parties, giving a rare inside look at life in a US Navy F-14 squadron.
Later, he offers very personal insights into his time as commanding officer of an F-14 squadron, facing unexpected challenges but also experiencing the rewards that come with leading an elite unit. Throughout the book, his “Intel Briefs” provide interesting and helpful facts and insights that support the narrative.
Those large pages are put to good use displaying more than fitfy of Bio’s photos. The photos in Tomcat RIO are some of his most dramatic, showing the impressive Tomcat in air-to-air and air-to-ground roles, as well as squadron life.
Aviation enthusiasts will appreciate and enjoy Tomcat RIO. Fans of the F-14 will be thankful for another reminder of why Grumman’s Big ‘Cat is their favorite! Tomcat RIO is available on the usual online book websites, in hardcover and e-book formats.
For those who attended the Scramble Air Fete some years ago might remember Bio Baranek as a gifted speaker. The Grumman F-14 Tomcat first flew on 21 December 1970 and made its first deployment in 1974 with the US Navy aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65), replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.
Photos: "Bio" Baranek via Combat Aviationist / Text: Combat Aviationist