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VIRGINIA BEACH (AP) -- In the end, it took two F-14 Tomcats to make the ceremonial final flight of the Navy's iconic "Top Gun" fighter jet.

Former F-14 pilots and dignitaries paid tribute to the venerable F-14 Tomcat in ceremonies at NAS Oceana.

The Navy pulled a switcheroo at Oceana Naval Air Station this morning.

The pilot, Lieutenant Commander David Faehnle, and radar intercept officer, Lieutenant Commander Robert Gentry gave a final salute today from inside their cockpit, and then aircraft Number 102 taxied down the runway and out of sight.

The plane that actually took off, though, was aircraft Number 107, with two other fliers aboard.

The first jet had mechanical problems, which Navy spokesman Mike Maus calls "a common occurrence with the F-14."

So the second jet, which had been on standby at the end of the runway just in case, flew in its place.

The Cold War-era fighter jet was glamorized in the 1986 Tom Cruise movie "Top Gun." It joined the Navy fleet in 1972, but is being replaced with the newer F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter.

About three thousand invited guests -- mainly former pilots, mechanics, suppliers and builders -- were on hand to watch the ceremony at Virginia Beach marking the jet's official retirement. The ceremony was streamed live on WVEC.com.

The F-14 originally was intended to defend US aircraft carriers from Soviet bombers carrying long-range cruise missiles. It joined the Navy fleet in 1972.

The Navy's last 22 F-14 aircraft were deployed to support troops in Iraq and came home to Oceana in March.