| Tango01 | 16 Nov 2019 1:12 p.m. PST |
"The era of the F-4 Phantom, once one of the most popular fighter jets of the postwar age, is coming to a close. The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, first introduced in the 1960s, is slowly fading away as it's being replaced in many air forces by the F-35. The F-4 Phantom II first flew in 1958. The sequel to the otherwise obscure FH Phantom, the F-4 was originally designed as an attack fighter, a fighter jet capable of duking it out air-to-air with other fighters, but also capable of dropping bombs on target on the ground. The F-4 was large, with two J-79 engines and a crew of two, and proved adaptable to a variety of tasks. The airplane's crooked nose, serrated wing, and large air intakes were emblematic of Western air power during the Cold War…"
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Armand |
| Lion in the Stars | 16 Nov 2019 2:36 p.m. PST |
When I was growing up, the local Air National Guard squadron had RF-4s, and then F-4G Wild Weasels. After I left home, they transitioned to A10s. |
Fitzovich  | 16 Nov 2019 3:08 p.m. PST |
Growing up as a kid, the approach to Lambert St. Louis Airport was visible from my house. I saw many an F-4 landing after test flights from the factory. |
| Wolfhag | 16 Nov 2019 3:26 p.m. PST |
The Collings Foundation is operating a flying F-4. Wolfhag |
 Legion 4  | 16 Nov 2019 3:30 p.m. PST |
The F-4 has been flying for a lot of years. |
| Oberlindes Sol LIC | 16 Nov 2019 9:44 p.m. PST |
We got our money's worth on that design, I think. |
| Chuckaroobob | 16 Nov 2019 11:00 p.m. PST |
F-4 internal fuel is heavier than the combat weight of a MiG-17. Yeah, its a hoss!! |
| USAFpilot | 17 Nov 2019 5:22 a.m. PST |
The era of the F-4 has been over for decades. |
| Major Mike | 17 Nov 2019 7:12 a.m. PST |
Remember back in the mid 80's at the Red Flag (or what ever it was called) competition with the Air Force for putting bombs on target, the F-16 was king. But, once they turned off the electronics for part of the competition, no one could beat the old F-4 drivers and their MK 1 eyeball for putting steel on target, something they learned in Vietnam. |
| Legion 4 | 17 Nov 2019 8:22 a.m. PST |
Experience makes a big difference in many situations … |
| USAFpilot | 17 Nov 2019 10:08 a.m. PST |
Many of the best pilots are in the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard. Whereas their active duty counterparts are forced to change assignments every couple years and eventually have to do a dreaded staff job, the reserve component pilots can spend their entire career just flying one aircraft and thus become experts and have the best skills. |
| BW1959 | 17 Nov 2019 1:24 p.m. PST |
I remember when they had AF Reserve F-4's at Wright-Pat when
I was a student at Wright State you could her the F-4's in our classrooms. Awesome aircraft that was anything but stealthy |
| ScoutJock | 17 Nov 2019 2:04 p.m. PST |
Proof again that a barn door will fly if you hang big enough engines on it. |
| Tango01 | 17 Nov 2019 2:54 p.m. PST |
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| Legion 4 | 17 Nov 2019 3:31 p.m. PST |
I heard from some USAF pilots say, Proof that a brick will fly if you put big enough engines on it !  |
| USAFpilot | 18 Nov 2019 4:46 p.m. PST |
I'm going to brag a little. When I was an Air Force Cadet, I got an incentive ride in the back seat of an F-4. It was a single ship, practice bomb run. The pilot let me do an aileron roll on the way to the range. Lot of fun; never forgot it. |
| Tango01 | 18 Nov 2019 4:58 p.m. PST |
Good memories!… (smile) Amicalement
Armand |
 javelin98 | 18 Nov 2019 7:27 p.m. PST |
I hate to say it, but I never liked the F-4. Growing up in the 70's and 80's, the bloated, ungainly look of the thing always seems to remind me of the malaise that settled over the country after Vietnam. I was much more enamored of the then-new F-16s and F-15s. Those seemed much sexier, more capable, and more innovative. Obviously, none of this was based on logic. My preteen self looked at the lack of an internal gun and overall squat shape of it and decided that the newer jets were better. The F-4 was kind of like the Air Force's polyester bell-bottom pants. |
begins to think about terrain for Team Yankee.
