Air to Air Mastery: F-14D Tomcat towing "The Banner"

When US Navy aircraft carriers are “haze grey and underway,” aircrews require some interesting techniques to stay current in their craft. To practice their cannon marksmanship, they use a common method… “The Banner” A long cloth banner streaming about 1500 feet behind the Tomcat is used for this purpose. The deck crew attaches the rope lead to the tail hook under the jet. During the catapult-assisted takeoff, the rope unwinds as the Tomcat goes down the deck, with the banner following at the end. I’ve watched the training event happen on the USS CONSTELLATION, a VF-2 F-14D towing the banner down the deck. One of the coolest things in aviation I’ve ever seen! #aviation #avgeek #military #airforce #army #navy #usmc #pilot #pilotlife #flight #flying #fly #aircraft #airplane #plane #jet #airport #photo #photography #video #videoviral #viralvideos #lessonsfromthecockpit #podcast #show