10 May, 1972

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interesting... I have never logged into the site as I am not a member and found it by web search accidentally... I do not know how to fix that.... sorry 'bout that.

Can't log in either but that's when Duke and Irish scored the 5th kill to become the US Navy's first Mig Aces in the Nam conflict.

Yes, it was the first day of Linebacker and easily one of the bigger if not the biggest air battle of that war. Cunningham/Driscoll got their triple kills to become the first US aces, Steve Ritchie opened his score, and the leading Air Force contender for acedom, Major Lodge, was shot down after scoring his third kill and while boring in for a fourth. Many others scored as well.

Lodge and Locher. Lodge was killed, Locher was rescued after 14 days. Until the F-4 was operational, the Soviets briefly had the best fighter in the world with the Mig 19.

I would argue that the F-8 was a better fighter than the Mig-19 in that same time period before the F-4. And due to the F-4's lack of an internal gun afterwards too ;)

Could be, one of those endless debates.

Exactly. Each has its' strengths and weaknesses. In a one on one fight starting on equal terms between these two machines, it would likely boil down to pilot skills.