the 'SQUEAL OF APPROVAL'

The Movie above always gets listed on my top-ten
list, or my top five list, or any list in which I'm asked
to list such favorites. I'm revisiting this chapter of my
life only because I seem to be in a general reflective
mood as of late, and I'd like to share it with you!

During my five year US Navy commitment
(Oct 75' thru Oct 80') I had the distinct pleasure
of being attached to Fighter Squadron 84 (VF-84),
a sea-going F-14 Tomcat Squadron based out of NAS
Qceana in Va Beach, VA.. VF-84 was part of Carrier
Air Wing 8, assigned to the USS Nimitz-CVN 68.
My actual technical area of expertise (or billet) was
that of an AMH; Aviation Structural Mechanic -
Hydraulic Technician, and Line Division Plane Capt..
To simplify, I was a jet mechanic who worked on the
flight deck supervising the efforts of those who inspect
the planes before, and in between flights.

My 5 seconds of fame actually occurs during the rigging of
the aircraft barricade, a device on the deck of the carrier that
is used for the emergency landing of aircraft. Be that as it may,
the only way you would be able to tell that it was me was if I
was there next to your TV pointing it out to you during the movie.
Not what I would call a defining moment in cinematic history.

The TBS Super Channel used to feature this movie back in the
80's & 90's, but hasn't done so recently. Now, it has more of a
'cult-following' than anything else, especially among those who
were somehow affiliated with the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which
has formally been retired.
Never had I ever imagined I would have been affiliated with an
aircraft that was discontinued! YIKES!

Use the links below to investigate more for yourself. If you're
ever in one of those "what shall I watch moments", or if you
enjoy collecting movies, check out this one. As I said, it gets
a BIG thumbs-up, and the TrainWreckRadio 'Squeal Of Approval'!

http://scififantasyfilms.suite101.com/article.cfm/scifi_movie_the_final_countdown

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080736/goofs

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9907E0DE1538F932A3575BC0A966948260

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800065126/info