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its from a tower or something, if you were on the ground youd see it had clearance
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For me growing up, that airplane was THE symbol of American air power. The base I was born on had them, and just about ever time I looked into the sky as a kid it was an F-4 flying over. No matter where I lived, in California, Texas or Michigan, F-4's were all I saw.
We used to have 2 fighter wings stationed at Selfridge ANG, and my dad and I would go park at the end of the runway and watch the Guard pilots doing touch and go's. |
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What a beaut that plane is.
Edit: There are no ugly lines on it anywhere. why I felt compelled to edit that sentence in I have no idea. But the Phantom will always hold a fond place in my heart, much like the Warthog and the Mustang. |
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[Inignokt]That sounds like a personal problem.[/Inignokt] |
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I've built several F-4 Phantom models. I loved them when I was a kid.
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Yup, sure is. Colt_SBR |
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All hail the mighty F-4. I wish we still had a use for it.
I'd donate my left nut to go for a ride in one. |
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I wonder how much damage was done to the Aero Commander (civilian light twin) in the background? Ben, The_Emu |
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Good question. |
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None.
That's Bob Hoover in his Shrike Commander.
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What's so great about the Phantom? Serious question - I honestly don't know. But they seem quite legendary with people in the know, and so I am curious. |
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Dad was a Phantom II driver... well... navigator...
He did a tour in 'Nam. Says they chased some Migs a few times, dropped a shitload of bombs on the Ho Chi Mihn trail and got shot at a few times... got hit once but made it home safe. The F-4 was the do-all jet of it's time. When he got stationed back here at Bergstrom in 1991, they still had a few F-4s around. I think it was the last squadron to retire them. They were so versatile and had that reputation, that someone built an R/C model of an F-4 that had tank treads and a turret on top! And that sucker FLEW! hehehe |
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btw I sat in a Phantom cockpit at Wright-Pat and came to the sad conclusion that I could not have been a Phantom driver or RIO. Those guys were either real small or shoehorned in there.
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W3rd. It's sad that they are being used as target drones.... but you gotta use SOMETHING.
Dad liked the plane a lot. (he's about 5'10" and fit in the plane fine) He'd tell me about some of the experiences he had... He was in Nam when they tested the 20mm gun pods since the F-4s did not have their own cannons. Said they mounted three pods, two wing mount and one center fuselage... when they tested them, they fired all three.... damn near stalled the plane! |
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I grew up near Bergstrom AFB in Austin, TX - and everyday, F4s would fly over with that distinct black jet trail and engine sound.....We stopped several football/baseball/soccer games as kids just to watch them fly over. We never got tired of it.
I was sad to see them decommissioned. |
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My cousin flew one for an foreign air-force during 70's.
He said it was like driving a fast truck in the sky... he loved it. |
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Damn the Phantom is a sexy bitch of an aircraft. I LOVE the lines of it.
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I have to say...I really LIKE that all orange paint scheme! Reminds me of the orange Braniff 747s of the 70s, but cooler!
Not only is it visually striking, but the plane looks NEW. Big thumbs up for that! The F-4, for those who don't know it so well, was probably the all-around toughest AND most versatile fighter/interceptor that has ever been put in the air, to this day. It might not have been the absolute fastest or the absolutely most maneuverable plane in the sky, but it could haul a lot, haul it fast, duck and dodge quite well, take a lot of damage from what it failed to avoid, deliver the weapons on target and on time, and still get you home. Its service record is an enviable one. Significantly, all the services that flew fighters (meaning AF, Navy, and Marines) all selected the Phantom for their primary fighter/interceptor role. Not bad, considering it was designed only for the Navy! Almost ALL of our allies have flown the Phantom, and some still do. It probably was modified in more ways than any other fighter platform ever made. Unfortunately, you won't be seeing many of them flying as retired warbirds due to the very high costs of maintenance. The Collings Foundation operates the only civilian owned F-4 in America, and their designated chief F4 pilot is none other than Vietnam Phantom Ace B. Gen. Steve Ritchie. www.collingsfoundation.org CJ |
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Absolutely. Thank you, CMJohnson, for that post. |
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Germany still flys them as trainers for the Tornado, they can still be seen flying around Holloman AFB in NM nearly every day.
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I think Germany and Japan still use them as interceptors, right?
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Yeah, it's much less cool now Thanks Wobblin, the F-4 is my favorite plane, too. i must have built ten or fifteen models of them as a kid.....and I got to see the Blue Angels fly them at Quonset Point at least twice. |
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This is a model with a real turbine engine.
For scale reference......... Among other actual scale operaing functions including drouge chute, drop tanks, flaps, ailerons, full moving stab, rudder, functional retractable shock absorbing landing gear with full gear doors and wheel brakes, functional opening canopy, the nose gear can be pumped up with air to raise the AOA (angle of attack) on the wing just like the real Naval carrier bound Phantoms, all by remote control. Following picture shows the difference in AOA of two model Phantoms. The model on the right has it's nose gear raised for a carrier take off...... Drop tank...... Much more information can be found at www.bvmjets.com |
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I remember that, clear as a bell. Big article and pics in AW&ST. Merlin |
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