Thursday, September 21, 2006
Phillips Last Journalist to Fly High in the F-14 “Tomcat”
From Vietnam to Tom Cruise and TOP GUN, from Tora Bora to Shock and Awe.....now the most famous strike fighter jet goes to bed. The F-14 is being retired this week and the US Navy has asked CNN's Kyra Phillips to be the last journalist to fly in the jet. Kyra was embedded with F-14 pilots during the Gulf War, also flew with them in a combat training mission. We are live from Oceana Naval Air Station in Norfolk , home to the world's largest Naval Base, talking live about the F-14's capabilities, it's place in history and about this week's final farewell.
CAROL LIN, ANCHOR: From the skies over Vietnam to the caves of Tora Bora to "shock and awe" in Baghdad , the F-14 has served the United States for more than 30 years. This week, the supersonic war bird is ready to retire.
And CNN's Kyra Phillips shows and knows these awesome jets. The Navy picked her as the last journalist to fly in the Tomcat before it's grounded for good. She's at Oceania Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach , Virginia .
Kyra, I always see you on a landing strip. Why is that?
PHILLIPS: Maybe because I'm addicted to it, and I just can't get enough of it. I feel like this is my life in another lifetime, Carol.
But it's been -- I tell you what, it's a piece of history, happening right here before our eyes. I mean, naval aviation goes back decades. It's participated in all the major wars.
And if you talk to any aviator, any crew member that helps get an aircraft together and get it off the deck of a carrier or off a flight line, it's all about safety. It's all about, well, freedom. Those are the two words you always hear. But it takes a special gift to be able to not only take care of an aircraft but also to fly it.
Now let me tell you, coming up right behind me is the pilot that's going to fly me today in that final flight, Lieutenant Commander Dave Fanley, call sign "Superfly." We'll tell you about that later.
In the back seat, the RIO , the radar intercept officer. We've got Lieutenant Commander Fitz Gentry (ph). I'm going to try to get them on the coms right now, because they're gearing up for our flight, the final flight, that I feel very lucky to be a part of, to be able to take you inside the cockpit and see it first hand, and tell you about the history of the aircraft, how it works and why it's been so important in naval aviation.
Let me see if I can get them on the line. Supa, this is Kyra. Do you have contact with me?
LT. COMMANDER DAVE FANLEY, U.S. NAVY: This is Superfly. We're coming back in to pick you up.
PHILLIPS: Fantastic. I'm just curious as you're coming down the flight line, this is your second to last flight. I'm lucky to be with you on one of them. What's going through your mind as this is one of your final flights?
FANLEY: Well, it's a very (UNINTELLIGIBLE) moment. I've had a lot of good times on the Tomcat. It's been a good plane for us. We've done a lot of good together. But I'm looking forward to the new airplane and the new technology and (UNINTELLIGIBLE). So I'm really disappointed to be giving up my old friend, but there are some great times I can remember.
PHILLIPS: I can see you guys coming in now. Why don't you give our viewers a taste of what we're going to do once we're airborne?
# posted by ATN @ 10:38 PM 
