Colors & Markings of the F-14 Tomcat, Part 2: Pacific Fleet and Reserve Squadrons
About this ebook
The book covers the fifteen active Pacific Fleet fighter squadrons and the two Naval Reserve units that flew the Tomcat for over thirty years. Beginning in 1972 when the F-14 entered service with VF-124 “Gunfighters,” the Tomcat distinguished itself, first as an outstanding fighter and fleet defense aircraft, and later as a strike aircraft.
This compilation of squadrons includes eleven units that were assigned to the Pacific Fleet for the entire time they flew the F-14. Four of the Pacific Fleet squadrons covered in this book also served with the Atlantic Fleet during part of the time they were operational with Tomcats. The “Red Rippers” of VF-11 and the “Tomcatters” of VF-31 were originally Atlantic Fleet squadrons that were transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1992, at which time they upgraded to the F-14D version of the Tomcat. VF-11 would serve with the Pacific Fleet until 1997, when it was reassigned to the Atlantic Fleet. VF-31 would serve in the Pacific until 2004 before returning to the Atlantic Fleet. The other two squadrons to serve with both fleets while flying Tomcats were the “Fighting Checkmates” of VF-211 and the “Fighting Blacklions” of VF-213. Both of these squadrons spent almost their entire time in Tomcats with the Pacific Fleet, and the colors and markings used on their F-14s during their Pacific Fleet service are included in this publication. VF-211 transferred to the Atlantic Fleet in 2002 and only flew Tomcats two more years before transitioning to the Super Hornet. VF-213 also transferred to the Atlantic Fleet in 2002, and it continued to fly Tomcats until 2006.
Each of the seventeen fighter squadrons are covered by a short history of their years flying the Tomcat, including both operational highlights and a good look at the squadron markings with which each unit adorned their aircraft. How those markings evolved over time as the Navy moved from the Light Gull Gray over Insignia White paint scheme, to the overall Light Gull Gray scheme, and finally to the group of very low visibility exteriors that were classified as tactical schemes is illustrated for each squadron with color photographs and art profiles.
The move from the gray over white scheme, which featured some of the most colorful aircraft markings ever displayed on U. S. Navy aircraft, to the lower visibility schemes led to a much more drab and understated look for the F-14. Yet even throughout the latter stages of its career, special aircraft in each unit, including the X00-coded Tomcat assigned to the Carrier Air Wing Commander (CAG) or the X01-coded aircraft assigned to the squadron commander (CO), allowed the display of colorful squadron markings to continue. Each unit section has a selection of photographs that chronicle the unit marking evolution throughout the years it flew the F-14.
The digital edition of Colors & Markings of U. S. Navy F-14 Tomcats, Part 2: Pacific Fleet and Reserve Squadrons has 215 pages, 340 full color, high resolution photographs, and nine color profiles.
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About the author
Author Bert Kinzey graduated from Virginia Tech in 1968 with a degree in Business Administration. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U. S. Army and was sent to the Army’s Air Defense School at Fort Bliss, Texas.
During his eight years as an officer, Bert commanded a Hawk guided missile battery just south of the DMZ in Korea. Later he originated, wrote, and taught classes on the air threat, military air power, and air defense suppression at Fort Bliss.
It was during this time that he did his first writing. Bert was dissatisfied with the existing manuals and other materials available for his classes, because they were inaccurate and incomplete. As a result, he wrote his own reference books and other publications. Although he intended for these to be used only in his classes, they were soon placed on the Army’s official publication list and distributed throughout the military.
In 1976, Bert resigned from active duty, but his reputation for being knowledgeable about all aspects of military air power soon led to his taking a civilian position as a subject matter expert on the air threat and world airpower with the Department of Defense. His primary responsibility was to develop a new program to teach the proper identification of both friendly and enemy aircraft, so as to insure the destruction of hostile aircraft and the safety of friendly aircraft. This was the first such program in the world to feature dynamic simulation. Bert has also flown with active, Reserve, and National Guard squadrons on training missions to observe the conduct and procedures of air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. As both an officer and a civilian, Bert often briefed military and political leaders of the United States and other nations on subjects related to air power, the air threat, and air defense.
While he was working for the Department of Defense, Bert started Detail & Scale, a part-time business to produce a new series of books on military aircraft. The Detail & Scale Series of publications was the first to focus on the many details of military aircraft to include cockpits, weapon systems, radars and avionics systems, differences between variants, airframe design, and much more. These books became so successful that Bert resigned from his position with the Department of Defense and began writing and producing books full time. Soon, other well-known aviation writers began writing books for the Detail & Scale Series, so Bert became both an author and an editor. Later Bert added aircraft carriers to the Detail & Scale Series, and he also began a second series called Colors & Markings. Each book in this series focused on a specific aircraft type and illustrated the paint schemes and markings of every unit that had flown that aircraft. Bert also produced a book for McGraw-Hill on the Gulf War entitled “The Fury of Desert Storm: The Air Campaign.” In January 2002, Bert produced his one-hundredth aviation publication.
Bert has always taken many of the photographs that appear in his Detail & Scale Series publications, and he believes that whenever possible, it is best that the author take photos in order to precisely illustrate what is being discussed in the text and captions. His has also done photography for other books, magazine articles, websites, and for research and publicity that has been provided to clients. He owns one of the most extensive collections of aviation photographs in the world. Over the years, Bert has given numerous presentations and speeches about military air power, the air threat, military aviation history, and aircraft types, working these into his busy schedule of writing, editing, doing research, taking photographs, and consulting.
In June 2004, health issues caused Bert to retire from his work, and his two series of aviation books came to an end. But in 2011, the Detail & Scale website was created at www.detailandscale.com, and a Detail & Scale Facebook page was also begun. By the end of 2013, Bert had completed the first new title in the Detail & Scale Series in almost ten years, and more books were planned. Initially, these new titles were made available in digital formats, but in 2017, printed versions for titles in the Detail & Scale Series were also added. This new venture was made possible through a partnership with Rock Roszak.
Bert currently lives in Blacksburg, Virginia, with his wife Lynda. They have two children and five grandchildren.
The co-author and illustrator, Colonel Richard S. “Rock” Roszak, is the son of immigrants who came to America from a war-ravaged Europe. He grew up in Staunton, Virginia, and graduated from Virginia Tech in 1971 as a member of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. He was commissioned into the United States Air Force where he earned his navigator wings and accumulated over 2,000 flying hours, mostly in B-52D/F/G and C-135 aircraft, over a 27-year active duty career. His staff tours included time as a special assistant to the Air Force Chief of Staff, liaison officer for strategic aircraft programs to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, and as the Senior Technical Advisor to the Special Ambassador for assistance agreements to demilitarize strategic nuclear launch vehicles of the former Soviet Union. His final active duty tour was as the Commander, Air Force ROTC Detachment 875 at Virginia Tech, and during his tenure the detachment led the nation in earned scholarships and grew from the 36th to the 8th largest ROTC unit in the country.
After retiring from the Air Force in 1998, Rock spent 14 years on the staff of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, returning to where he began his military career. During those years he established an alumni aviation gallery, which features his artwork of aircraft flown by cadet grads and highlights more than 80 years of military aviation history. An avid modeler in his younger years, he has been a digital artist for over twenty years and has illustrated several books in partnership with his friend, Bert Kinzey. In 2017, Rock’s role at Detail & Scale expanded when he authored one book and co-authored another. He is art director and also responsible for publishing the books in both digital and print formats..
Rock currently lives in Blacksburg, Virginia, with his wife, Patty, two daughters, and six grandchildren.
