Tomcat VS Don Garlits Mongoose

[navychief 1]

The year was 1975. The Navy did a stunt where they "raced" an F-14 Tomcat off the T-7 Catapults at Pax River vs Don Garlits in his "Mongoose" race car in a nearby 258 foot stretch of drag strip not far from Lexington Park, MD. Needless to say, the Tomcat won handedly. The whole thing was PR for the Navy. Years later, the Navy did a commercial on the USS Saratoga flight deck, where they photographed a race car sponsored by Anheiser Busch - hooked up to a catapult, as if it would be launced. I still have one of the ball caps they handed out that says, AB-1 USS Budwieser.

 

Chief W.

[+pcpilot 181]

Ya know Chief, I vaguely remember this. I was in the Marine Corps at the time it occured so maybe later I heard about it when I went into the Navyin '77. When i first saw your post I was thinking, Don Garlits??? He aint still racing...naaawwww. Sheesh, talk about a time capsule. These sprouts wont know what we're talkin about, hehehe.