Last Demo, Baby by Rick Herter

Who can forget the Hollywood film Top Gun? Though the movie put a young Tom Cruise on the map, the real star of the show was the mighty F-14 Tomcat!

The Grumman build fighter was the U.S. Navy’s fleet defense fighter from 1975 until 2005. Being assigned to a Tomcat squadron was the dream of every Naval Aviator during those years. Only the best were selected to fly Tomcats.

This painting depicts the final air show demonstration flown by an F-14 crew prior to the retirement of all Tomcats from Navy service in 2005. Last Demo, Baby was commissioned by Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) Joe “Smokin” Ruzicka. "Smokin" had the distinction of flying the final air demo with his pilot, Jack “Rocco” Tangredi.