[ARCHIVED THREAD] - F4 Phantom (Page 1 of 5)
Posted: 2/26/2012 8:40:09 AM EDT
I will always have a soft spot for this warbird.  |
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Quoted: I will always have a soft spot for this warbird.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmXvQqEcJZ8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpYfqI8uMKM&feature=relatedHaving grown up on an RF-4C base in Germany, I will also always be fond of them. |
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I loved the line from Red Flag the Movie. Kind of like a 70's or 80's version of Top Gun.
F-4 McDonald Douglas' proof to the world that with a big enough engine even a brick will fly. A Marine Captain I talked with was transitioning from the F-4 to the F-18 and he told me when you wanted to turn you banked and pulled and it was I think I can I think I can I think I can. In the F-18 he did the same thing and almost G-LOC'd himself out. |
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Phantoms were being flown by the Blue Angels when I was a little kid. That's a noise that sticks with you your whole life. Yup, saw the BA at El Toro, and Point Mugu in the mid 70s in the F-4. Also been to T-Birds shows when they flew them. Amazing what they could make those big bastards do. |
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Still the best, all around jet the US has ever produced. Over 5,000 were built and all three fixed-wing aviation services flew them (navy, Marines, air-force) for the better part of three or four decades.
Obviously better birds have come since, but none have done more. As Wild-Weasels they kicked serious ass in Desert Storm. Not bad for a fighter that was designed in the 1950s. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Phantoms were being flown by the Blue Angels when I was a little kid. That's a noise that sticks with you your whole life. Yup, saw the BA at El Toro, and Point Mugu in the mid 70s in the F-4. Also been to T-Birds shows when they flew them. Amazing what they could make those big bastards do. First time I saw them in 76-77 they were driving A4's. |
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When I was a kid in the 70's, I'd watch them out my grandmothers picture window. They would do strafing runs on West Range at Ft.Sill OK. I'd watch them with my dad out the barn door too.
I always felt safe knowing they were in the air. They have a special place in my memory because of that. I wonder where those pilots are now................. |
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My dad had 8mm (I think) footage of Santa arriving at George AFB in an F-4 when I was a baby. Growing up near Selfridge ANG base, I saw F-4s all the time. We used to play Vietnam when I was a kid and when the F-4s flew by we'd pretend they were coming to bomb the VC for us.  |
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A long time favorite of mine too. Didn't like it on bit when they were pahsed out of Luke AFB and replaced with F-15's when I was a kid. http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o276/azsnakeman/aviation/071a.jpg That is badass. It looks like it was designed around the sharks mouth. |
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Quoted:
My dad had 8mm (I think) footage of Santa arriving at George AFB in an F-4 when I was a baby. Growing up near Selfridge ANG base, I saw F-4s all the time. We used to play Vietnam when I was a kid and when the F-4s flew by we'd pretend they were coming to bomb the VC for us.
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They still had them at George when I lived there. Hearing that roar gave me some mean wood. Like teak if you know what I mean All of the pics I posted with tail letters WW are from George AFB. One pic is the wing commanders bird (tri color marking on top of the tail) and the other three are the three different squadron commanders. The pic of the F4 and F16 with tail letters RS are from Ramstein AFB when the wing was transitioning from F4s to F16s in 1985/86. |
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It's 1985 and you are riding along in the KC-135, somewhere over Germany, "helping" to refuel a "RS" badged F-4 from Ramstein AB, Germany. There is a previous picture in this thread showing "RS" badged planes, and 1985 was a busy year with replacing the F-4 with F-16's. Even at that time when I was over there, I was kinda sad to see the F-4's fly off and not return and see F-16's in their place. Always liked the F-4.
One of the many highlights over in Germany, going for a ride with these guys. 
vmax84 
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My dad had 8mm (I think) footage of Santa arriving at George AFB in an F-4 when I was a baby. Growing up near Selfridge ANG base, I saw F-4s all the time. We used to play Vietnam when I was a kid and when the F-4s flew by we'd pretend they were coming to bomb the VC for us.
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They still had them at George when I lived there. Hearing that roar gave me some mean wood. Like teak if you know what I mean All of the pics I posted with tail letters WW are from George AFB. One pic is the wing commanders bird (tri color marking on top of the tail) and the other three are the three different squadron commanders. The pic of the F4 and F16 with tail letters RS are from Ramstein AFB when the wing was transitioning from F4s to F16s in 1985/86. haha..........I just saw your post after I had posted mine. 
vmax84 |
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My dad had 8mm (I think) footage of Santa arriving at George AFB in an F-4 when I was a baby. Growing up near Selfridge ANG base, I saw F-4s all the time. We used to play Vietnam when I was a kid and when the F-4s flew by we'd pretend they were coming to bomb the VC for us.
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They still had them at George when I lived there. Hearing that roar gave me some mean wood. Like teak if you know what I mean All of the pics I posted with tail letters WW are from George AFB. One pic is the wing commanders bird (tri color marking on top of the tail) and the other three are the three different squadron commanders. The pic of the F4 and F16 with tail letters RS are from Ramstein AFB when the wing was transitioning from F4s to F16s in 1985/86. haha..........I just saw your post after I had posted mine.
vmax84 Yeah, I left RS in 1986 - my dad (pilot flying the photog around in his F4 in both sets of photos posted above) was heading up a transition team for the conversion and decided he would rather do one more assignment in F4s than transition to F16s that close to retirement. |
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That's just pure dirty Sex! 
always thought the F-110 Spectre was a slick looking jet |
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Quoted: Quoted: That's just pure dirty Sex! always thought the F-110 Spectre was a slick looking jet Another shot of the same aircraft. VX4.   |
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When I was a kid, both the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels flew Phantoms at the same time. Even then I'd have given my left nut to see a combined airshow with both teams flying on the same day. Definitely, my favorite retired jet warbird. A few years back, I had the pleasure of seeing both the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels at the same airshow. That's pretty rare for that to happen. Both teams flew very well, nailed some maneuvers, kind of fumbled others. I'd say they were flying equally good that day. I respect them all. Anybody who got the job of getting strapped into a jet fighter and actually gets paid to fly it has my respect and not just a little envy. I think that if the AF hadn't transitioned from F-4s into wimpy little T-38s, and had stayed in a FIGHTER at the time, then they would have probably ended up in F-15s instead of F-16s. Just a guess. No way for me to back it up. I guess that in a few more years the T-birds will be flying F-35s. IF that program ever really gets off the ground, that is. Actually, they could fly the earlier production F-22s, which as I've heard, won't be seeing combat and are held back for training as the later ones off the line are so much more capable. |