Airplane Model*Hobby Master HA5242 1:72 F-14A “Cdr. Snodgrass” – Miniature Marvels: Airplane Models & Painted Dice

Hobby Master HA5242 F-14A “Cdr. Snodgrass” 162705, VF-33, USS America, 1990

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a twin-engine, variable sweep wings capable of supersonic flight. The aircraft is crewed by a Pilot and a Radar Intercept Officer who share the tasks of navigation, target acquisition, ECM and weapons usage. The Tomcat was operated by the United States Navy and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force only. The name Tomcat is said to come from the call-sign used by Vice Admiral Thomas Connolly which conformed to the USN tradition of giving Grumman aircraft feline names.

In 1988 flying F-14A 162705 c/n 551 Captain Dale Snort Snodgrass performed his (in)famous super low banana pass off the port side of the USS America while at sea. Snodgrass was the high-time F-14 pilot with over 4,800 hours flying the F-14. Snodgrass was a member of VF-33 Starfighters, formerly the Tarsiers, a small South Asian mammal. Between December 28, 1990 and April 18, 1991 VF-33 was deploy onboard USS America in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm. Unfortunately Snodgrass died in 2021 in an air show crash.