quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:
I always loved this plane as a kid. I must have build a dozen models of the F-4. Saw this video and thought the aviation buffs might like it as well.

Same here. The Phantom and later the Tomcat were just fascinating to me. I also used to build models of the Phantom. Built a large scale F4 once that was probably a little over 24" long. My friend was into model rockets. We discovered that a couple of his model rocket engines would fit into the jet cavities of the F4 model if I left the little disk out that resembled the rear of the jet engine. Anyway, I wanted to see if my Model F4 would fly so we set it up and aimed it over the edge of our terrace (Southern Ca 1970's). We ignited the rocket engines but they didn't go simultaneously and the jet spun wildly out of control. It did fly kind of but became a molten ball and landed in firey pieces in the neibor's pool and on the terrace side (which started a small fire)(okay, large fire). Good times.

The Phantom has been my favorite for many moons, There was an oil painting I considered buying, I forget the artist but I'm sure the image is online.

The capabilities and history of the aircraft are really something, but what I really like, is that it has so many seamingly conflicting and boxy angles, and yet is so stylish.

Raw power, really. I'll be in my bunk.

In flight school during the 1990s we had German Air Force students in class with us - at the time they would fly either the F-4Fs or Tornados after graduation. Several in my class went on to the Phantom.

As a very young kid growing up and living at Oceana Naval housing in the mid 1970's I remember seeing flybys of F4's and F14's. I remember hearing the roar of the engines at night. We then moved off base but still not too far from it and still seeing the jets flying. The look and sound of freedom !!! God Bless !!!

The late 50s and early 60's aircraft with the "muscle cars" of the sky.

You gotta love 'em, or find a bench, sit down, and quietly wait for the bus...

quote:

Originally posted by ibanda:
My Uncle was an F4E pilot. When I was about 12 he gave me his F4 Phantom Mach2 club pin, for flying twice the speed of sound. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. He is 84 now, and I still enjoy listening to his Air Force stories.

Very cool that he gave you his mach 2 pin. Does the Navy also have a mach 2 pin?

I spent some time guarding the F4 at Aviano.
Loved the afterburner takeoffs!

Yep, a passing of an era, but I'm not sad. The Phantom had its prominent place in history...and most of that history was before I came on the scene. I was in a Phantom squadron in the late '80s/early '90s, and not too long after I had left, they stood down and became an F/A-18 squadron.

I would have loved to have gone F/A-18s and left the aged Phantoms, but it wasn't meant to be. Still, I was proud to have been associated with these valiant birds of prey.

Great video. Thank you for sharing it. Borderline sad. I worked as a "Spark Chaser" on C/D/E models from '76 - '78 in Germany. I loved that aircraft. Every year we'd TDY with a flight or two to the gunnery range in Spain. I was fortunate enough to meet an aircrew that invited me to sit in the tower with them as they scored the other aircraft strafe and drop smoke bombs. It was very cool. Mid day a Phantom came in on a steep AoA strafe run. A 20 mm round ricocheted back up through the floor of the rear cockpit and exited out the canopy. Rear seater was not hurt. The rest of the day was canceled.

I am also in the middle of building a Tamiya 1:35 scale F-4 D model.

I have a cousin that flew a Phantom off the Midway during Vietnam. He has a confirmed Mig kill.

I did 3 tours in SE Asia where the sound of F4's taking off and landing was a constant roar. From my job on the ground I was in awe of the raw power of that aircraft and the tremendous courage of the warriors who flew them. They were especially impressive when taking off at night. I was present on the flight line when Capt Steve Ritchie landed his Phantom after becoming the US Air Force's first ace of the Vietnam War. He was met by a jubilant entourage of brass and ground crews and there was a party in the club that night.

Back in the 1980s when I was in college at UND I visited Grand Forks Airforce Base on friends and neighbors day. We got to see a ND Air National Guard F4 and a Canadian F101 Voodo chase each other around the sky. Later they were parked beside each other on the ramp. The family lineage was obvious. Also visiting that day was a Montana ANG F106.

quote:

Originally posted by ftttu:
Yep, a passing of an era, but I'm not sad. The Phantom had its prominent place in history...and most of that history was before I came on the scene. I was in a Phantom squadron in the late '80s/early '90s, and not too long after I had left, they stood down and became an F/A-18 squadron.

I would have loved to have gone F/A-18s and left the aged Phantoms, but it wasn't meant to be. Still, I was proud to have been associated with these valiant birds of prey.

Well put.

I had a similar experience going from the F-14 to the FA-18F. Loved the Turkey, lots of fond memories and good times, but fighter jets typically don't age well in terms of capabilities and / or maintenance friendliness, and it was great to step into something that made you think "Yeah, this is state of the art" or close to it.

quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:
I always loved this plane as a kid. I must have build a dozen models of the F-4. Saw this video and thought the aviation buffs might like it as well.

I would take my son into a toy store when he was growing up and let him pick two models he wanted to build. Always the F-4 and the F-14. He's got about 20 of each. He now owns his own house and his office has all of them hanging in various flying formations hanging from the ceiling. Something about the F-4 was ultra cool. When I ask Stef what his favorite plane is he always says both.

As a very small kid my dad would suffer through taking me to the Bergstrom AFB air show every August to watch the T-Birds flying their F-4s. I lived for that opportunity to see the F-4s fly. When Bergstrom swapped out their B-52s for RF-4s my life as a little kid got even better!

Early in my Hornet career I got the chance to fight some F-4s off the east coast. I know it's weird, but even then I felt appreciative of the opportunity to square off against such a historical aircraft.

Love the Phantom! I believe someone else may have posted the F-4 was America’s proof to the world that given enough power even a brick will fly.

I was finishing college and under contract to join the Marines and go to flight school. My OSO (Officer Selection Officer) had been a VMFP-3 RF-4 driver and I sorely wanted to fly that plane & mission. I was very disappointed when they closed the pipeline for F-4s before I could get through jet training. The Harrier was a blast to fly but I’ll be the first to acknowledge it doesn’t hold a candle to the Phantom.

The Navy had Mach II pins as well. They were given out, along with a certificate for same by the McAir rep on base.

I still have my pin........no idea where the certificate might be....

I got mine in an F4N Phantom on a maintenance check ride at VF171 DET KW in 1981. Regards 18DAI

Yes, thanks for posting that. I always loved the look of the F-4. Not pretty but menacing, similar to the A-10 but both with very different looks. Didn't realize they still flew today.

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
I did 3 tours in SE Asia where the sound of F4's taking off and landing was a constant roar. From my job on the ground I was in awe of the raw power of that aircraft and the tremendous courage of the warriors who flew them. They were especially impressive when taking off at night. I was present on the flight line when Capt Steve Ritchie landed his Phantom after becoming the US Air Force's first ace of the Vietnam War. He was met by a jubilant entourage of brass and ground crews and there was a party in the club that night.

..."like"...

A link to the Dogfights "Hell over Hanoi, F-4 vs Mig-21" episode.

https://youtu.be/fqP2qRfmoQA

I don't care how old / outdated the F-4 is, it is testament to the design that M-D cranked out over 5,000 of them for the USAF, USMC, USN, and about 20+ allies.



5057 was the final total...