On 1 Oct 2003 17:55:49 -0700, Brett Robson <jet_boy@deja.com> belched
the alphabet and kept on going with:

>On Wed, 01 Oct 2003 18:54:29 +0900, Michael Cash  ...
>>
>>I remember when the F-4s and the A-7s were retired. I thought the A-7s
>>were cool as hell. Slower than molasses, but damned cool looking. I
>>remember standing on the signal bridge one fine day when an A-7 came
>>in from the starboard beam, turned up on one wing (so he could fit)
>>and flew *between* our forward and after stacks. Right over the signal
>>bridge. It felt like I could almost reach my hand up and touch his
>>wingtip.  Crazy bastard. (Him, not me).
>
>Pilots are intend complete idiots, naval pilots especially. How stupid do you
>have to be to pilot an aircraft laden with bombs and fuel and get launched of an
>aircraft carrier?
>
>
>
>
>
>>The F-14 was unique in that, as far as I know, it was the only plane
>>ever designed around to fit a missile. The Navy came up with a
>>monstrous air-to-air missile, the Phoenix, which had a range of about
>>a jillion miles. Having no plane that could carry the damned thing,
>>they had the F-14 built for it.
>>
>
>
>I hadn't thought of that. I don't think Hornets can carry the Phoenix, I'll have
>to google to see if the Super Hornet can. The Phoenix might be going the way of
>the doodoo.

I did a little googling around and found some interesting quotes on
Tomcat vs. Super Hornet:

Navy statement (as of March 2001): "F/A-18E/F Super Hornet ....
Leading Naval Aviation into the 21st Century. The F/A-18E/F Super
Hornet is a winner... it's affordable... and it's flying today,
exceeding every operational goal. F/A-18E/F will outperform any
top-line fighter aircraft of today and tomorrow." 

Navy test pilot comments* (as of January 2002): 
ー "The (F/A-18E/F) aircraft is slower than most fighters fielded since
the early 1960s."
ー A Hornet pilot who flew numerous side-by-side comparison flights
with F/A-18E/F SuperHornets said: "We outran them, we out-flew them
and we ran them out of gas. I was embarrassed for them" 

Navy F-14 pilots speak vividly about the SuperHornet (in an Associated
Press article in late 2001): 
"Its the same old Hornet shit, repackaged, which was designed to keep
the politicians happy." He said that "it can never match the Tomcat's
long range, (Mach) 2.4 speed and predator mystique. (...) The
capability the Tomcat has for speed is amazing, there is not another
plane in the Navy's inventory that can come anywhere close to it. You
look at the plane on the ground and it looks intimidating, it looks
like something that is made for war. I hope the liberal fudge packing,
(...) who thought the Hornet could replace this aviation masterpiece
rot in hell."