End of an Era

There are none left flying at Edwards or Pt Mugu? Wow... I'm sure there are still some flying somewhere under somebody else's colors...

Yeah!

They started flying before I was born and flew around all my life! That's an end of something big...

Paweł

stikpusher

There are none left flying at Edwards or Pt Mugu? Wow... I'm sure there are still some flying somewhere under somebody else's colors...

 

Tyndal and Holloman were flying the last of them, Tyndal as QF-4's, drones for air to air and ground to air.  They have gone over to QF-16's.  Holloman just got their first batch of 16's.  Holloman did have a couple they used for radar and electronic tests that were manned.  Supposedly the last in US inventory.  The remainder will either  be scrapped or used as ground targets.

Wouldn't surprise me that there are still a few in the air around the world, somewhere.

Well Turkey and Iran for sure. Greek?

Nathan T

Well Turkey and Iran for sure. Greek?

 

Wondering if Japan still has any RF4-E's still in service.

I suspect Turkey has gone over pretty much to 16's, and parts for Iran might have run out with all the embargos and sanctions.

South Korea? Israel? There has got to be a Phantom phlying somewhere...Egypt? 

Would be nice to see one or two on the circuit, but maint., upkeep and fuel would be attrocious.........maybe in the future if enough survive in the boneyard, one can be "rescued".  Maybe hit up the new President to donate one and enough spares to keep it airworthy to CAF...........

goldhammer

Wondering if Japan still has any RF4-E's still in service.

It's been a couple years...but they were there when my bro was over there.

Here's a pic he sent me...

mississippivol

Glad they're flying somewhere, but I don't see Turkey bringing one to my local airshow. Sigh...

 

the last 2 QF-4s were hitting the airshow circuit this year for the last time...air show season is over now. I do remember reading that Iran, Turkey, Japan, and Egypt are still using the F-4. Iran was using them against ISIS less than 12 months ago. 

It's been years and years since I saw (heard) a Phantom II.

Some seriously sick flying iron.

They were taking off in pairs at Portland International, Oregon Air Guard.

I was just across the road on the roof of a parking garage.

AFA models, I remember one. Revell sold a series of 1/32 two-in-one kits of some kind of air ace set. The F-4 and the Mig-21. I bought the box for the Fishbed 21, is here a model that big even now?

GMorrison

It's been years and years since I saw (heard) a Phantom II.

Some seriously sick flying iron.

They were taking off in pairs at Portland International, Oregon Air Guard.

I was just across the road on the roof of a parking garage.

AFA models, I remember one. Revell sold a series of 1/32 two-in-one kits of some kind of air ace set. The F-4 and the Mig-21. I bought the box for the Fishbed 21, is here a model that big even now?

 

 

 

I have that kit in my stash. And yes there are still kids at that big out there. Although usually not in pairs. I am working on a 1/32 F-4G currently, and have most of the airframe together now. That is one big kit.

And I do believe that the USAF has some sort of Heritage Flight of past fighters they keep airworthy. I vaguely recall seeing a Sabre, Mustang, and Phantom being part...

Hmmm... if I only can have one as a gate guard in front of my house. Gutted out of course with dummy missles and bombs. Nothing like putting a bit of intimidation facing the road. LOLOLOLOL!!!

Yeah, nothing like looking down the nose of an "E" with the gatling......

My first cose up look at a Phantom was when they ran us all over the flightline at Udorn after I got there.  Looked out the van at an "E" in the revetment, right down the muzzles, looked at the driver, back at the aircraft, back to the driver.  He wanted to know what was wrong.  Told him "I thought B52's were bigger than that".....spent the next 6 months in the pod shop as a shop troop.  This was after coming from 52's at Beale where I was strictly flightline.

The last 6 months was on the line with "D's", "E's", and RF's, then another 2 years at Shaw on the RF's.

Fondest memories are of the big unarmed lady that takes dirty pictures...LOL

GMorrison

It's been years and years since I saw (heard) a Phantom II.

Some seriously sick flying iron.

They were taking off in pairs at Portland International, Oregon Air Guard.

I was just across the road on the roof of a parking garage.

AFA models, I remember one. Revell sold a series of 1/32 two-in-one kits of some kind of air ace set. The F-4 and the Mig-21. I bought the box for the Fishbed 21, is here a model that big even now?

 

 

 

Used to be easy to hear them in St. Louis!  They were built there at the STL airport, and by the time I joined MDC they had a Guard squadron that had them.  I lived about ten miles or so north of there, and we could hear them taking off, or even when they did an engine runup.  What made the noise even worse was the initial climb rate was not that great, so they flew at pretty low altitude until they gathered speed.

When the 15s came along, they developed a departure they called the Viking departure.  Once airborne they hauled them up to about an 85 degree climb angle!  They were barely beyond airport boundary by the time they reached 10,000 feet.  I spent three years at Vandenberg AFB a few years before I moved to St.  Louis, and those Viking climbouts sure reminded me of missile launches at Vandenberg.

My only memory of hearing and seeing an F-4 Phantom in flight was back in the mid-80s on my way to an air show at Griffiss AFB. The F-4 was doing a low flyby over Route 49.

Many years ago ROAD AND TRACK magazine did a very funny "Road test" of the Phantom II. I'll try to find it. If you remember, the feature always had a little sideview drawing, performance data and an essay on the qualitative aspects of the , umm, vehicle.

In this one, the author of course was the GIB and they flew out  of some place like Beaufort.

All went well, until near the end of the flight, when the pilot flew inverted close to terrain. Breakfast in the oxygen mask.

Afterwards the writer apologized to the pilot about it.

"Don't worry, that's the Admirals mask".

I was fortunate to see a joint flight demonstration at an airshow in Fort Collins, CO in 2010. It featured an F-4 and an A-10, very memorable exhibition!

Iran is still flying the Phantom; see this month's issue of Combat Aircraft.

Happy Holidays!

Mike

stikpusher

And I do believe that the USAF has some sort of Heritage Flight of past fighters they keep airworthy. I vaguely recall seeing a Sabre, Mustang, and Phantom being part...

 

I dont belive the USAF keeps anything for the heritage flight but only the current aircraft (F-15, 16, 22 and so on) Years ago when working an air show the P-38 and F-86 were civillian owned.

I could be wrong but............

Kevin

My 4th grade soccer team played all our games at Maxwell AFB...the ball fields were just off to the side at the end of the runway....F-4's, A-4's, A-10's, C-130's, C-141's were regulars. Occasionally, we'd see C-5, F-15, F-5, KC-135.

Could be in the middle of the game...I'd stop as soon as I heard the roar, I couldn't not watch em go!

I saw the ANG flying them at an airshow at McGuire AFB they were making simulated bombing runs to prepare an LZ there were simulated bomb explosions on the ground.I remember them being loud.

My closest encounter with the Phantom was at Kaneohe MCAS.  We were on a school field trip, watching some guys rappel down from a helo over us(!!!) while F-4s thundered down the runway doing touch and gos.  While all the other kids were watching the helicopter assault demo, I was looking at the F-4s, noting that there was no fence between us and the runway.  Those were the days before all that nanny-state stuff!

I also got to touch and sit in a Hawaii ANG F-4 at Hickam, back when they were still being used.  I particularly remember running my finger inside one of the exhaust petals and being rewarded with a thick, oily, velvety black coating that reeked of jet fuel!

The Phantom is one of my all time favorite fighter jets, as it was the biggest, baddest thing in the air while I was growing up.

I Believe You;

     I have seen so many . Been near many .That's why I didn't hear what you said, LOL.LOL. No , Really they served many countries with aplomb and a toughness that will be hard to replace . Fuel hogs , Yes ! But who can deny the power you feel deep down in your shoes, hearing one go into Burner ?  T.B.

Especially with a max load of Mk82's and just enough fuel to find the tanker and fill up.  After the feet quit shaking, then you can put the shoes back on.

I remember seeing several as a kid at the various bases we were stationed at, and watching the Viet Nam war footage of them on bombing runs.  The last flight I saw was a video of the guy who was going to be one of our 'instructors' on one of those flight experiences.  He was a retired fighter jock, and he made the last flight of the F4s (and I think his last flight as an AF pilot) at this base. 

They were giving them a great sendoff, reviewing stand by the flightline full of brass and families, band, speeches, the whole nine yards.  As they were announcing the farewell flight of the F4, the camera, on the stand, panned down the fightline.  He was on-deck, with the cans lit, and passed just a couple of hundred feet over the stand.  Many ducked, the camera fell over, then ->BOOM!<- as the bird passed overhead, and all you could hear were the burners. 

I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.  He said he got yelled at, but said there wasn't much they could do.  :-)

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

Israel was mentioned but those E's have long since been retired.

I remember watching the Phantoms take off in pairs at Homestead AFB back in the mid 70s. That was a sight to see them go wheels up just as soon as they lifted off the tarmac on afterburner and make a super steep climb into the clouds.

I would bang my head on those downward slanting tail planes on the F-4Js we had on board. They were thin and hurt pretty bad.

goldhammer

 

Nathan T

Well Turkey and Iran for sure. Greek?

 

 

 

 

Wondering if Japan still has any RF4-E's still in service.

I suspect Turkey has gone over pretty much to 16's, and parts for Iran might have run out with all the embargos and sanctions.

 

With so many F-4's in service at one time, I'm sure Iran would've had little trouble procuring spares, especially if it was non classified mundane stuff. Just because we obey the sanctions, doesn't mean other countries with Phantoms would.

"Oh, gosh darn Mahdi, where'd those fifty crates of spares for our Phantoms go?"

Shrug. "Beats me, Achmed."