I don't usually cross post stuff, but this seems worthy.

http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/pharewell-phantom.html

"The US Military bid a final farewell to the mighty McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II on December 21st, 2016, as the last active examples were paid off in a ceremony and brief flying display under heavily overcast skies at Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo, New Mexico. While the Phantom II officially retired from US front line squadron use in 1996, more than 300 examples underwent conversion into QF-4 full-scale aerial target drones over the past 30 years. These aircraft performed an essential service, both in testing the effectiveness of munitions in realistic situations, as well as providing training for fighter pilots in the art of air-to-air combat against live targets. The last QF-4 conversion, formerly RF-4C 68-0599, rolled off the modifications line at AMARG in Tucson, Arizona during April, 2013. The QF-16 will take over where the QF-4 left off."

Last flight of US military Phantom.  There are a few countries still flying them daily.  Not sure, but there are likely a few in private hands as well.

1 minute video of the four Phantoms going supersonic overhead at the fini-flight event:



F-4 Phantoms Supersonic Pass

Full video (28 min) by the same person of the entire flying portion of the same event:



Phantom Pharewell - USAF F-4 Phantom Last Flight

High quality photos of the QF-4's at the ceremony:   Final Flight of the McDonnell Douglas QF-4 Phantom II (Tim Adams Photography)

Cool, thanks!

Always interesting to see where people come from who look at my photos.

There is one F-4 in private hands. The Collings Foundation has one. It does not fly much, based in Houston. Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Greece, and Iran still all fly the F-4 as a front line fighter.

Great pictures!  Thanks for sharing them!

Thank you for sharing.

Lu

Great pics and vids!

Glad the last QF-4 flying as a target survived its flight and was recovered. Very fitting of the old girl.

Saw my last Phantom flying from a Heritage Flight at the Duluth, MN airshow around 5 years ago. The pilot put on a hellava show for the crowd.

My all time favorite aircraft!  

Phabulous Phantoms forever!

I grew up watching them fly all the time it was a great childhood memory

I haven't seen a Phantom in the air since they had the FL Air Guard Phantom at Reno in 2006. The pilot did few low passes and a few heritage flights but that was it.
Of course that was all it took to get every Vietnam vet wound up in one way or another.

The Phantom would be a very expensive and difficult aircraft to maintain and fly privately. I am not surprised the Collins Foundation does not get her airborne often.
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I was in the PI when they had Cs, Ds, Es and Gs.

This one's last flight was in '85

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Lucky it stopped over the creek.  No big puddle of fuel to clean up.  

Guess this one was just plain tuckered out
Scrap yard at Nellis
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