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January 20,
2004
VFW
Post 7293 Recognizes Lehigh Valley International Airport And Others
For Their Unprecedented Community Support For The Arrival And Preparation
Of An F-14A Tomcat
Contact: Susan
Kittle, Director Business Development
Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority
1 - 800 - FLY - LVIA
Lehigh
Valley, Pa. – On October 10, 2003, one of the Navy's
former front-line fighter jets, an F-14A Tomcat, made its final
landing at Lehigh Valley International Airport (LVIA) before making
its way via truck two weeks later to VFW Post 7293 in Whitehall
(Egypt), PA where it now permanently resides. In appreciation for
the overwhelming local support for the Tomcat’s arrival and
preparation for display, the VFW Post will officially thank its
many supporters at an informal ceremony on January 20, 2004 at
the LVIA.
Designated individuals
of LVIA staff, as well as, members of Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation,
Pennsylvania Senator Boscola’s Office,
AM-QUIP Crane and Whitehall Township will be personally recognized
for their specific and personal contributions. Additionally, the
aforementioned organizations will be presented with hand-made,
scale models of the Tomcat in appreciation for their overall superb
support.
Tomcats became familiar
to the general public since being showcased in the Hollywood
film "Top Gun", starring Tom Cruise.
These aircraft have served since the mid 1970's and were deployed
in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Libya, Bosnia, and Iraq, as well
as, other conflicts over the years. F-14 aircraft were designed
and built by Grumman Aircraft Corporation (GAC) in Long Island,
NY as carrier-based fighters (air-air), as well as, bombers (air-ground)
in all weather conditions day or night. As the premier super-sonic
fighter of its day, the two-seat Tomcat with its state of the art,
fore and aft sweeping wings and variable exhaust nozzles with afterburner,
is still considered a formidable weapon system. They are being
phased out, as the more modern F/A-18 Hornets are fielded, due
to age and increasing costs.
The VFW aircraft was transported to the Post via truck over PA
Routes 22 and 45 on October 21, 2003 making local headlines and
TV news broadcasts, tying up traffic as it transited. The fighter
jet is on loan to the Post from the National Museum of Naval Aviation
(NMNA) in Pensacola, FL and will be ultimately opened as a public
display after formal dedication ceremonies on Sunday of Memorial
Day weekend 2004. NMNA is the control point for all Navy aircraft
on public display.
This particular aircraft,
coincidentally, was recently used to train pilots in advanced
dissimilar air combat maneuvering (dog
fighting) at the Navy's "Top Gun" facility in Fallon,
NV. Top Gun pilots delivered the jet to Allentown and were very appreciative that she was going
to have a good home.
As a suitable and appropriate final resting place for Navy F-14A
Aircraft Bureau Number 158617, Post 7293's location on Spring Hill
Road just off of Macarthur Blvd in Northern Whitehall, offers an
elevated and panoramic view of the greater Lehigh Valley. The site
is already historically significant for its WWII, enemy aircraft
watch tower, which is still in place but currently closed to the
public.
Technical questions can be directed to Tom Schaedel at phone 484.357.2356.
For more information on how you or your organization can support
this project or to make a donation, please write to: VFW Post 7293,
Aircraft Project, 5209 Spring Hill Rd., Whitehall, PA 18052. The
Post will return a receipt with their tax-exempt number for any
donation received. A donation of $250 or above will be permanently
acknowledged at the site.
LVIA serves a twelve
county area with a population base of 3.6 million people. The
Airport is easily accessible from communities
in eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey areas. Travelers
can contact the Lehigh Valley International Airport at 1-800-FLY-LVIA
(359-5842) or visit the Airport’s website at www.lvia.org
for more information on services and facilities.
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