F-14 Tomcat | Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

The F-14 Tomcat played a leading role in the 1986 movie “Top Gun.” The Navy needed an airplane to protect its surface fleets from hostile aircraft and anti-ship missiles at long range. After a naval version of the Air Force’s F-111 fighter bomber proved was unsuitable for aircraft carrier operations, its radar and long-range AIM-54 Phoenix air intercept missile systems were transferred to an entirely new design, the F-14.

Grumman designed a twin-engine fighter with variable-sweep wings to enable it to fly at high speeds for interceptions, yet slow enough for carrier landings. The F-14’s advanced radar system could track 24 targets at once, and launch missiles at six of them. The Phoenix missile allowed the Tomcat to hit targets well over 100 miles away. The F-14 also carried short-range Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles, as well as a 20mm rotary cannon for close-in dogfights.

The US Navy retired the Tomcats from service in 2006 after they served in the first Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom, where they served as bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. A handful of F-14s still fly with the Iranian Islamic Republic Air Force, which obtained them during the reign of Shah Mohammed Raza Pahlavi. Iranian F-14s shot down more than 55 Iraqi aircraft during the Iran-Iraq War.

This F-14A served most of its career with Navy test and evaluation squadrons before becoming a maintenance trainer with VF-211. It is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum.

Lowry - Denver

Air & Space Museum

Monday	10am-5pm
Tuesday	10am-5pm
Wednesday	10am-5pm
Thursday	10am-5pm
Friday	10am-5pm
Saturday	10am-5pm
Sunday	12pm-5pm

Address:
7711 East Academy Blvd Denver, CO 80230

E: info@wingsmuseum.org

P: 303-360-5360

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Upcoming Events

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Friday Aug 19

10AM TO 3PM

Air & Space Museum

Aviation Day | Pay As You Wish!

Friday, Aug 19 | 10AM to 3PM

Join us in celebrating the development of aviation this National Aviation Day and PAY AS YOU WISH!

Enjoy special activities including:

Paper airplane building
Flight simulator sessions
Select open cockpits
Science demos
Scavenger hunts
And more!

Your donation helps to support Wings’ mission to educate, inspire and excite all people about aviation and space endeavors of the past, present and future.

National Aviation Day celebrations will also be held at Exploration of Flight at Centennial Airport! Click here to learn more.

Please note: Pricing for MaxFlight and Doron simulator experiences are standard Wings pricing. Pay as You Wish offer is valid on 8/19/22 at both Wings locations. Pre-sale tickets not available for this event. Admission will be available at the door.

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Friday Aug 19

10AM TO 3PM

Exploration of Flight

Aviation Day | Pay As You Wish!

Friday, Aug 19 | 10AM to 3PM

Join us in celebrating the development of aviation this National Aviation Day and PAY AS YOU WISH!

Enjoy special activities including:

Paper airplane building
Spinning helicopters
Talk with pilots and explore aircraft
Scavenger hunts
And more!

Your donation helps to support Wings’ mission to educate, inspire and excite all people about aviation and space endeavors of the past, present and future.

National Aviation Day celebrations will also be held at the Air & Space Museum in Denver! Click here to learn more.

Please note: Pay as You Wish offer is valid on 8/19/22 at both Wings locations. Pre-sale tickets not available for this event. Admission will be available at the door.

Learn More

Saturday Aug 20

10AM TO 11AM

Exploration of Flight

Speaker Series | Aviation Archaeology

Saturday, Aug 20 | 10AM to 11AM

Join Wings Over the Rockies Exploration of Flight and the Colorado Aviation Historical Society to hear from experts in aviation archaeology and field work.

Presentations will take place at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

This event is included in Exploration of Flight admission.

Pre-purchase tickets

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