In 1981 VF-33 transitioned to the F-14A Tomcat along with VF-102 and joined Carrier Air Wing One assigned to USS America. Until 1992 VF-33 made twelve deployments with CVW-1 aboard the America to the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean.

Their first deployment was a grueling North Atlantic NATO deployment (Northern Wedding) between August and October 1982. VF-33 has used stars as part of their tail markings since the Crusader days and settled on a large star for their latter F-4 tenure and as the main symbol on the Tomcat. In 1987, they abandoned "Minky" and changed their name from Tarsiers to Starfighters, which was their radio callsign. The new patch featured a large star with a head-on view of a Tomcat. On 20 August 1985 VF-33 was the first squadron to complete 50 missile firings without a single failure.

• 6 oz/yd2 | 10 oz/ly | 203 g/m2
• 100% cotton
• Set-in rib collar with shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem
• Preshrunk to minimize shrinkage
• Tear away label
• Printed in the USA