LINK TO MINI DOCS CHANNEL: ruclips.net/channel/UC7fHdUKjyFQjy_LUMEuBrJg See you guys over there. Thank you to everyone who already subbed over there, thank you for your support, you guys are the best.
I was an F4 WSO during the 70’s. Korea, Germany, Utah. The radar was great for its time, but the major problem with it was the ground return. If the aircraft was locked on and flew thru the ground return, quite often the radar lock transferred to the ground return and guidance to the Sparrow missile was lost. The AIM 9 was rear aspect only and you had close to the 6 o’clock position to lock on to the enemy’s heat signature. I loved the F4. It was a great fighter for its day. When I first met an F15 in 76, it really watered my eyes. We were in a traffic pattern and the F15 was behind us giving ATC our position, altitude and airspeed. Two days before I left the Air Force, I sat in the first F16, tail no. 001, delivered to Hill AFB. I believe that aircraft is now sitting on a pedestal at the main gate to Hill AFB.
I was at the show the day that the first F-16's were brought to Hill AFB. Great memories and that was a fun experience. F-16 is still my favorite of "modern" fighter craft. Although I love the F-4 Phantom. What a beauty. That first fly-by in this vid was so neat!
Even as a Mig-21 guy I'm crazy excited for the Phantom. Vietnam-era air combat was so dynamic and so interesting that one could dedicate and entire channel to nothing but those battles and never run out of stuff to cover. Looking forward to lots more F-4 content when it finally drops!
It should be noted that ONE of the reasons the Sparrows did not perform well was a strict VID (visual identification) requirement of bandits over North Vietnam. If Phantom crews had been allowed to engage more freely the sparrows would have been fired at the edge of visual range, often against what might have been NON maneuvering targets - as many bandits would have no RWR. No way of knowing they had been shot at. Also, because of that experience, the British actually installed a cockpit TELESCOPE for the RIO to VID. 🤣😅
@@SupaMan2122 I'm not sure if they did it for the Falklands specifically. I just know that they did. The telescope protruded out the right side of the RIOs cockpit if I remember correctly. So, if the Phantom locked a target. The pilot would have to center the lock, and the telescope would be aligned with the boresight of the Radar for VID.
RIP my buddy Jerry Underwood, former F4 jock in Vietnam who "foolishly" admitted to knowing how to fly a taildragger, and soon found himself training Laotian pilots how to do CAS in A1 Skyraiders. He would've loved this vid.
as cool as the f4 was, the A1 was a great friend to many on the ground and CAS pilots are still the only pilots in the airforce that mean anything to anyone on the ground. i'm sure he was honored to be chosen to teach the fine art of CAS.
She's a heavy girl according to the devs, thanks to the conformal tanks and extra avionics. Different animal than the F-15C. Probably still a monster in BVR, though.
Thank you for this video. My grandfather was a rated F4C pilot who deployed to Vietnam in the backseat. He died in a D model while night bombing a truck convoy over the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos March 21, 1968.
Great video as always, GS. I’ve heard that due to the Phantom being a hard wing, it could do some crazy stuff. I heard an F-4 pilot even letting his Phantom temporarily depart from flight to get a MiG to overshoot before latching onto its tail. Perhaps we could see some of that?
That was a USAF thing and it was 100% not approved. Dan Pedersen has an account in his book about starting the Top Gun program, of a USAF test pilot crashing a literally showroom new Phantom trying something like that.
Growing up as a kid, staring at photos of Phantoms, i wanted to fly an F-4. Im getting those memories back watching this.. also, between Razbam and Heatblur i think the Eagle will come out first
My neighbor was an F4 pilot. Sadly his health is failing and I rarely see him anymore, but we used to chat at the mailboxes every afternoon, and did he have some stories to tell. He was based out of Bergstrom AFB here in Austin. Another guy was one of two AF pilots rated to land a C130 on Arctic pack ice. Sadly he died about 3 years ago. The whole neighborhood was built to be housing for AF officers in the 60s and a bunch of them just stayed after they retired, and a few are still kicking.
This makes me smile!!! The F-4E was the first airframe I worked when I joined the USAF in 1985. For the first three years I was assigned the F-4E at Seymour Johnson, AFB North Carolina and at Taegu AB in South Korea. I know this is the "C" model, straight missile launcher.
I’m really impressed at the detail and quality of VSN’s newer stuff, compared to their old stuff it’s night and day. I’m really interested to see what they’ll do with the F-35 cockpit that’s planned.
Great video! Could you try it with friendlies in the airspace, so you have to visually ID your targets? Not having an IFF was a huge handicap on the early sparrows. Plus, most early Vietnam fighters didn’t have an RWR either
I still think about an F-4 that flew by the heavy cruiser I was on over in Vietnam. He was about 75 feet off the deck and about 40 yards away. The sonic boom was horrendous, and he was flying out of a vapor cone, just awesome, some things stick in your head forever...
I'm reading Dan Petersen's book "Topgun" about the creation of the US Navy's fighter weapons school. They didn't just teach dogfighting there, they also worked with defense contractors to make the equipment better. One of the problems with the early AIM-7s was they had fragile components that didn't take a beating too well. Topgun staff helped the manufacturer design more robust missiles that could take all the Gees better and for Navy aircraft the controlled impacts of deck landings.
AWESOME to see the F-4 in action!! I hope you can do some F-4Es in Vietnam next!! When I joined the AF back in 1981 the first aircraft I worked on was the F-4E including one that had two kills from Vietnam! We even had Col Chuck DeBellevue, one of the few Vietnam aces as our DCM!
Dude, you just said an SA 2 never killed anyone and then you got yourself killed by an SA 2 while flying my second most favorite jet. Love your vids. Keep up the great work.
Brutaaaaaaaal!!! GS, it's just what I asked you for some time!!! the F-4 Phantom II and you piloting it!!! excellent video!!! You just made my day!!! Thank you very much GS!!! 😃😃😃😃
When I was a kid we lived near Andrew's AFB. They had a few wings of F4s, both USAF and Naval Reserve. They would make the glasses in the cabinets sing as they smoked and thundered over my childhood like Norse gods. They also had F105s when I was a younger lad, but we'll talk about them when DCS releases a Thud.
I'm not a pilot or military or anything but love ur vids,also thank you for the red arrows pointing to what your talking about ,explaining..etc..helps a shit load to be able to understand your lingo
Haven't Razbam hinted that the F-15E might hit in February? Obviously that cold change, but even so, it seems like it's close. Heatblur, OTOH, haven't really talked about the Phantom at all. It's possible that they are doing a thing where they maintain radio silence until they release it, but the pessimist in me feels like it's probably just not ready yet. Super-excited for the Phantom, though!
I really like the way that when the pilot dies, the commentary just cuts out. Dead is dead, man. There's no reason GS couldn't continue talking over the video, but nope he lives in the situation, and when your time's up, you're done. Much respect GS.
I love the F-4! During the video's low flyover shots, the sound effect is waaaay too muted. Years ago the NVANG flew Phantoms out of the Reno airport, almost over my house. Those babies were shake-the-whole-house LOUD!
Of course I'm not a player but I am impressed, yes. Actually I'm flabbergasted, and only we Americans could create a sub-culture where ordinary people use military grade simulators to occupy their leisure time. Keep up the good work, Sidewinder, I'm loving these videos.
"SA-2 never hurt anybody" said no F4 pilot ever ! Randy Cunningham once described the F4 pilot's perspective of an incoming SA-2 to that of trying to dodge a rocket propelled telephone pole headed straight for you. I'm guessin' that if F. Gary Powers were alive today he would mount a rather substantive argument to the contrary as well. Loved the video and looking forward to more "smoking death" Phantom offerings from your channel.
Heh, I don't know about everyone else, but I find the RWR on the F4 Phantoms particularly endearing. I'll always like the little *Meep meep....Meep meep* .
I grew up under the Poway TACAN, then El Toro airspace in the late 70's/early 80's F-4s and A-4s, Hercules and Hawkeyes, Broncos and Buses. Years later as a young adult I ended up a Marine Grunt with Harriers and Hornets pulling CAS for us, but my days as a kid were spent on the hilltops peacefully watching tail markings. That opening flyby felt a little nostalgic.
I am obsessed with Vietnam Era air power. Cool to see these videos. Favorite plane is F100. Got to go to the USAF museum in Ohio and got to talk with a Vietnam F100 pilot. His stories were amazing. It was like the wild west with how they conducted missions!!!!
Flying anything pre-computerised BVR must’ve been so intense. I personally would’ve loved to have flown in the 50’s when there was still a mix of piston and turbine propulsion…. Saying that, watch “Devotion”… best flying movie I’ve seen in years outside Top Gun
Keep in mind that migs are to be used with ground station guidance so in reality you wouldn’t find random migs runnign around. In reality it would be multiple contacts heading at you but you’re not sure if it’s friendly or not since most of air activities are from your side.
Super excited for the Heatblur F-4. If you need good reading on Vietnam air combat I suggest Cheating Death. Pair that with Across the Fence to get a SOG perspective on the ground and you'll be humming Fortunate Son constantly.
The one thing that I noticed was that you didn't have to hold the bandit, growling for a few seconds, before you fired. Pilots that flew, using the early sidewinders, say that they had to keep the growl toning for a few seconds before they could fire or the missile would not track. Very nice video!!!
It should be remembered that the North Vietnamese were massively outnumbered in the air. It wasn't unusual for 2 or 3 MiG-21's to be sent up against a formation of 40 or 50 aircraft in a strike package. There were times when there were only 8 operable MiG-21's in the entire country, vs. about 1200 combat aircraft fielded by the United States. The hit & run tactics the VPAF eventually came to prefer weren't because the MiG pilots weren't confident of taking on the Phantom in a dogfight, but rather because they simply didn't have enough aircraft to make it worth the risk. Even if the North Vietnamese been able to achieve a 5 or 6 to 1 kill ratio against the F-4, they still would have run out of planes in no time.
I used to see these air craft every now and again when I was in the navy 85-89 them and the f14 were always my absolute favorite to watch while they flew over our ship.
GS was flying too high in the end there, bro needed to channel his inner Stephen Stills from the song Treetop Flier: "People been asking me, "Where'd you learn to fly that way?" Was over in Vietnam, chasin' NVA The government taught me, and they taught me right, Stay under the treeline, and you might be alright I'm a treetop flyer"
I think it's a bit unfair to say MiG-21 have no chance against F-4. MiG-21 hold a commendable KD ratio against F-4, especially considering their main mission is to go find the striker element rather than dog-fighting, and usually fight an overwhelming wing. Main downside for MiG is its puny radar (which doesn't help that MiG don't have a RIO in the back to work the radar) and lackluster range
in case other fellow f4 virtual pilots are wondering how to know when sidewinder has it's track, the star icon on top right of the sight indicates it got a tone. somehow other aim9 variants doesn't have the growling sound other than J variant only.
Yep I'm stoked for the F4 and the videos to follow. Definitely one of my favorite aircraft of all time. I had two instructors in college, one used to fly the F4 and one was an F4 crew chief. Those guys had some killer stories.
F4 black smoke was supposedly a favorite for the enemy to track movements when spotting a spec in the sky was difficult. The old smoke trail pointed to the F4.
I really enjoy your Vietnam era scenarios. The Phantoms just missed the digital media/go-pro universe so it's nice to see them here. Glad guys like you can recreate it. I think the Phantom's J-79s contributed greatly to its ability to fight and come home. Looking forward to an F-8 Crusader fight...someday? BTW your mini-docs are great. The cool thing about warplanes is you can't really study them without studying history. Check six...
Story: I went to visit a great uncle (who was a weapons manager guy / red shirt on a carrier) who's dad was an F-4 pilot. One of his stories about his dad was when his F-4 back-seater said he had a dream that their engines has stalled or something like that and they crashed (apparent this was a big problem with the model that they flew). And then sure enough the next day their engine broke mid flight and they had to punch out over the ocean.
The military underestimates how important it is to have the right shape for the plane to be easily held in the hand. Hopefully they'll start taking that into account for gen 6 😎
Your videos are beautiful and very engaging! I have a question for you, since it is not mentioned in the description, which monitor are you using? How many inches do you recommend?
Man, the F-4 is such a beautiful aircraft. But also as it relates to DCS, I firmly believe it's gonna be the best balance between old analog systems and new digital high tech for maximum fun
The Phantom always had a significant power advantage over the MiGs, so it was how you played your cards. Once our pilots were taught to use that to their advantage and go after the vertical, the kill ratio went way up.
Technically, it doesn't hurt if you die instantly... 😋 Just got the game (finally), and I'm looking forward to the F-4. I've had a love for them since I was a kid. Never seen another aircraft that looked so unorthodox, yet so equally badass.
4:13 😱 a Sidewinder without growling fired by Growling Sidewinder... that's fun 😅 Yesterday a patch was out to solve some bugs including this, but I don't know if the added sound is the historical one. Ciao
When i was about 4 or 5 yrs old....lived in Fairfield Iowa...the F4s flew over quite a bit....loud as hell but very memorable.... I assume there was a National Guard base nearby....this was in like 1974 or75
That was a great video... I sat there watching on the edge of my seat, and then nearly fell off it when that SAM hit you!... Very excited the F-4 is coming though 🙂
LINK TO MINI DOCS CHANNEL: ruclips.net/channel/UC7fHdUKjyFQjy_LUMEuBrJg
See you guys over there. Thank you to everyone who already subbed over there, thank you for your support, you guys are the best.
F15 vs NGAD
Subbed, watched every vid all the way through, and liked them all. Thanks for the top tier content, man!
This is my favourite aircraft and you FINALLY taking it out, after all this years of waiting!!!
Bro said sa-2 never hurt nobody.
: it took that personally.
Awesome channel once more keep up
GS: "It's alright, a SA-2 never hurt anyone"
SA-2: "Hold this, my dude"
Francis Gary Powers: "First time?"
A classic GS moment
I'll take 'Things engraved on a fighter pilot's tombstone' for $200 Alex...
That's what happens when you get greedy.
The SA-2 demands your respect.
I was an F4 WSO during the 70’s. Korea, Germany, Utah. The radar was great for its time, but the major problem with it was the ground return. If the aircraft was locked on and flew thru the ground return, quite often the radar lock transferred to the ground return and guidance to the Sparrow missile was lost. The AIM 9 was rear aspect only and you had close to the 6 o’clock position to lock on to the enemy’s heat signature. I loved the F4. It was a great fighter for its day.
When I first met an F15 in 76, it really watered my eyes. We were in a traffic pattern and the F15 was behind us giving ATC our position, altitude and airspeed. Two days before I left the Air Force, I sat in the first F16, tail no. 001, delivered to Hill AFB. I believe that aircraft is now sitting on a pedestal at the main gate to Hill AFB.
That is remarkable. I think we're still new building F16Vs, and still flying B52s. Lol, practically the same USAF you left
I was at the show the day that the first F-16's were brought to Hill AFB. Great memories and that was a fun experience. F-16 is still my favorite of "modern" fighter craft. Although I love the F-4 Phantom. What a beauty. That first fly-by in this vid was so neat!
I was at Langley withnF15s when the Air Force accepted delivery of the first F16.
I think they might've moved the F-16. The only plane I've seen on a pedestal by one of the gates is an F-4 outside Roy gate and the museum
Was going to comment on that, the first was low against the ground and the second he had blue sky on him.
“Getting good performance out of the sparrows today” = stuff Vietnam pilots didn’t say.
Ahahah ya “things that never happened in Vietnam”
Navy: disagrees
The man with the epic Stache disagrees.
USAF ace Steve Ritchie might disagree. All of his kills were Sparrow kills.
@@PrimarchX sparrow kill ratio in Vietnam would definitely agree
Even as a Mig-21 guy I'm crazy excited for the Phantom. Vietnam-era air combat was so dynamic and so interesting that one could dedicate and entire channel to nothing but those battles and never run out of stuff to cover. Looking forward to lots more F-4 content when it finally drops!
Check out Bruce Gordon, that guy got plenty of stories from his time in service
Yes, it's personal and up close, almost like a gun.
you red bastard!
@@adamwee382 Imperialist swine! :)
@@madaxe606 :)
It should be noted that ONE of the reasons the Sparrows did not perform well was a strict VID (visual identification) requirement of bandits over North Vietnam.
If Phantom crews had been allowed to engage more freely the sparrows would have been fired at the edge of visual range, often against what might have been NON maneuvering targets - as many bandits would have no RWR. No way of knowing they had been shot at.
Also, because of that experience, the British actually installed a cockpit TELESCOPE for the RIO to VID. 🤣😅
Telescope in aircrafts, because after all you can be a stealthy flying submarine going under the enemy’s aircraft and radars.
For Falkland Islands?
@@SupaMan2122 I'm not sure if they did it for the Falklands specifically. I just know that they did. The telescope protruded out the right side of the RIOs cockpit if I remember correctly.
So, if the Phantom locked a target. The pilot would have to center the lock, and the telescope would be aligned with the boresight of the Radar for VID.
So that's basically the purpose of the camera system on the Tomcat I take it?
Same applies to modern day stealth I would say. too. Cant be sneaky if you aint allowed to sneak
RIP my buddy Jerry Underwood, former F4 jock in Vietnam who "foolishly" admitted to knowing how to fly a taildragger, and soon found himself training Laotian pilots how to do CAS in A1 Skyraiders. He would've loved this vid.
Rest in peace
as cool as the f4 was, the A1 was a great friend to many on the ground and CAS pilots are still the only pilots in the airforce that mean anything to anyone on the ground. i'm sure he was honored to be chosen to teach the fine art of CAS.
Rest join piece fucking warrior it's because of you we all are free
@@trschreck yep just like the A-10 today
@@Bolter024 officers are not drafted. Almost all pilots are Officers.
GS : "SA-2s never hurt anyone"
famous last words
I was just about to say the exact same thing LOL
I love how he immediately tried to un-jinx himself with “that’s not true”
Unfortunately, that is not how that works.
Typical GS with his overly optimistic jinx sealing his fate 😂
Leopard 2 and Ross Fobair would like to have a word.
Well I liked the last word: Ouh!
I find myself watching these in a daily basis, really makes a guy get into this dcs stuff. Thanks man for sharing your videos with us.
My pleasure thank YOU for watching
@@GrowlingSidewinder and now I know why your DCS videos look so great - reshade. Can you post your reshade preset somewhere please?
There's more than 7,000 languages according to google and you choose to speak facts
I've got a mix of excitement and horror for the F-15. The days of ruling the skies in the Viper could be down to a matter of a few weeks.
She's a heavy girl according to the devs, thanks to the conformal tanks and extra avionics. Different animal than the F-15C. Probably still a monster in BVR, though.
In the newest razbam strike eagle radar video, he can lock a target at over 100 miles. Viper can lock at like 40 🥴
“She’s a heavy girl according to the devs”.
Doesn’t matter. He who has the best radar, wins. 😊
@@Silversmok3 *Laughs in MiG-31*
Well, someday hopefully. :p
Hornets for sure going to only be hugging the valleys haha
Thank you for this video. My grandfather was a rated F4C pilot who deployed to Vietnam in the backseat. He died in a D model while night bombing a truck convoy over the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos March 21, 1968.
God I Cannot WAIT until the F4 Phantom Gets Released. My grandfather was a Rio in them as well as the F105-106 Starfighters.
“I think we’re gonna make it. We’ll be alright. An SA-2 never hurt anyone. We defeated those last two. Oh SHI-“
Growling just loves tempting fate.
"Today is a good day to be a F-4 pilot"
S-75 operator: "hold my rice!"
🤭
@Stevie w. Had me in stitches!
Below 5000 feet SA-2s were basically useless
Great video as always, GS. I’ve heard that due to the Phantom being a hard wing, it could do some crazy stuff. I heard an F-4 pilot even letting his Phantom temporarily depart from flight to get a MiG to overshoot before latching onto its tail. Perhaps we could see some of that?
That was dubbed the Phantom tumble. It was pretty wild.
That was a USAF thing and it was 100% not approved. Dan Pedersen has an account in his book about starting the Top Gun program, of a USAF test pilot crashing a literally showroom new Phantom trying something like that.
Just imagine what kind of stresses that put on the airframe....
Sounds like a challenge for GS 🙂
@@connarcomstock161 I remember that was a maneuver covered in that show Dogfights and it was performed by a Navy pilot
Yes! FINALLY SOME VINTAGE STUFF! We needed a break from all the modern flanker/viper/hornet stuff
AMEN
Need the F-8 Crusader next too!
Growing up as a kid, staring at photos of Phantoms, i wanted to fly an F-4. Im getting those memories back watching this.. also, between Razbam and Heatblur i think the Eagle will come out first
Eagle?
@@BARelement F-15E model.
F4 is complete garbage tho
The Phantom is my 3rd favorite fighter behind the Viper and the Tomcat. Some Vietnam action with Phantoms and Fishbeds sounds great to me.
My neighbor was an F4 pilot. Sadly his health is failing and I rarely see him anymore, but we used to chat at the mailboxes every afternoon, and did he have some stories to tell. He was based out of Bergstrom AFB here in Austin. Another guy was one of two AF pilots rated to land a C130 on Arctic pack ice. Sadly he died about 3 years ago. The whole neighborhood was built to be housing for AF officers in the 60s and a bunch of them just stayed after they retired, and a few are still kicking.
The last time I drove a Phantom was way back in Jane's USAF. I'm so looking forward to doing it again in DCS.
This makes me smile!!! The F-4E was the first airframe I worked when I joined the USAF in 1985. For the first three years I was assigned the F-4E at Seymour Johnson, AFB North Carolina and at Taegu AB in South Korea. I know this is the "C" model, straight missile launcher.
I always loved the look of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. Such a great looking aircraft in my eyes.
I’m really impressed at the detail and quality of VSN’s newer stuff, compared to their old stuff it’s night and day. I’m really interested to see what they’ll do with the F-35 cockpit that’s planned.
Great video! Could you try it with friendlies in the airspace, so you have to visually ID your targets? Not having an IFF was a huge handicap on the early sparrows. Plus, most early Vietnam fighters didn’t have an RWR either
I still think about an F-4 that flew by the heavy cruiser I was on over in Vietnam. He was about 75 feet off the deck and about 40 yards away. The sonic boom was horrendous, and he was flying out of a vapor cone, just awesome, some things stick in your head forever...
I'm reading Dan Petersen's book "Topgun" about the creation of the US Navy's fighter weapons school. They didn't just teach dogfighting there, they also worked with defense contractors to make the equipment better. One of the problems with the early AIM-7s was they had fragile components that didn't take a beating too well. Topgun staff helped the manufacturer design more robust missiles that could take all the Gees better and for Navy aircraft the controlled impacts of deck landings.
I also read that book. It was very good. I like to see him try the egg maneuver that is explained in the book.
funny thing about Vietnamese pilots of the time. a surprising number of them had blue eyes and spoke Russian
The F4 makes the F14 avionics look modern lol
AWESOME to see the F-4 in action!! I hope you can do some F-4Es in Vietnam next!! When I joined the AF back in 1981 the first aircraft I worked on was the F-4E including one that had two kills from Vietnam! We even had Col Chuck DeBellevue, one of the few Vietnam aces as our DCM!
Last time I 'flew" a Phantom II was in Chuck Yeager's Air Combat. That wasn't yesterday.
The fact the F4 is still in service, says a lot for it.
Dude, you just said an SA 2 never killed anyone and then you got yourself killed by an SA 2 while flying my second most favorite jet. Love your vids. Keep up the great work.
Brutaaaaaaaal!!! GS, it's just what I asked you for some time!!! the F-4 Phantom II and you piloting it!!! excellent video!!! You just made my day!!! Thank you very much GS!!! 😃😃😃😃
When I was a kid we lived near Andrew's AFB. They had a few wings of F4s, both USAF and Naval Reserve. They would make the glasses in the cabinets sing as they smoked and thundered over my childhood like Norse gods. They also had F105s when I was a younger lad, but we'll talk about them when DCS releases a Thud.
Love how these missiles predict the flight path and intercept.
Ya, it’s cool to watch that part.
I'm not a pilot or military or anything but love ur vids,also thank you for the red arrows pointing to what your talking about ,explaining..etc..helps a shit load to be able to understand your lingo
As a wise old fighter pilot says, “never scoff at a ‘duck.’”🦆
Haven't Razbam hinted that the F-15E might hit in February? Obviously that cold change, but even so, it seems like it's close. Heatblur, OTOH, haven't really talked about the Phantom at all. It's possible that they are doing a thing where they maintain radio silence until they release it, but the pessimist in me feels like it's probably just not ready yet. Super-excited for the Phantom, though!
Really enjoying the content! F4 is a definite day one purchase when heatblur brings theirs out
God damn it. You got me all excited thinking it was the real modual
I really like the way that when the pilot dies, the commentary just cuts out. Dead is dead, man. There's no reason GS couldn't continue talking over the video, but nope he lives in the situation, and when your time's up, you're done. Much respect GS.
I love the F-4! During the video's low flyover shots, the sound effect is waaaay too muted. Years ago the NVANG flew Phantoms out of the Reno airport, almost over my house. Those babies were shake-the-whole-house LOUD!
I loved the camera work on the third kill. I looked like the MiG was the missile trying to hit the actual missile.
Of course I'm not a player but I am impressed, yes. Actually I'm flabbergasted, and only we Americans could create a sub-culture where ordinary people use military grade simulators to occupy their leisure time. Keep up the good work, Sidewinder, I'm loving these videos.
"SA-2 never hurt anybody" said no F4 pilot ever !
Randy Cunningham once described the F4 pilot's perspective of an incoming SA-2 to that of trying to dodge a rocket propelled telephone pole headed straight for you.
I'm guessin' that if F. Gary Powers were alive today he would mount a rather substantive argument to the contrary as well.
Loved the video and looking forward to more "smoking death" Phantom offerings from your channel.
Heh, I don't know about everyone else, but I find the RWR on the F4 Phantoms particularly endearing. I'll always like the little *Meep meep....Meep meep* .
Its quite a cute sound
I grew up under the Poway TACAN, then El Toro airspace in the late 70's/early 80's F-4s and A-4s, Hercules and Hawkeyes, Broncos and Buses. Years later as a young adult I ended up a Marine Grunt with Harriers and Hornets pulling CAS for us, but my days as a kid were spent on the hilltops peacefully watching tail markings. That opening flyby felt a little nostalgic.
6:38 GS really channeling his inner Canadian here
I am obsessed with Vietnam Era air power. Cool to see these videos. Favorite plane is F100. Got to go to the USAF museum in Ohio and got to talk with a Vietnam F100 pilot. His stories were amazing. It was like the wild west with how they conducted missions!!!!
The Phantom always cuts a menacing looking profile. Cool looking old bird. My high school in Germany was on a F-4 base.
I find the F4 one of the most beautiful planes ever made
I think that the eagle is the best probably because I got a ride in the f15 but I never realized how good the f4 was
Flying anything pre-computerised BVR must’ve been so intense. I personally would’ve loved to have flown in the 50’s when there was still a mix of piston and turbine propulsion…. Saying that, watch “Devotion”… best flying movie I’ve seen in years outside Top Gun
Keep in mind that migs are to be used with ground station guidance so in reality you wouldn’t find random migs runnign around. In reality it would be multiple contacts heading at you but you’re not sure if it’s friendly or not since most of air activities are from your side.
If I'm not mistaken Migs would stick around areas where they have SAM's as backup.
Legends never die.
12:15 “Overconfidence makes you careless.” Bonus points to the people who knows what that quote’s from.
That was an expert job of holding the SA-2 telephone pole with the face of an F4 Phantom. Another one for the highlight reel.
Does anyone else instinctively clinch up when GS says something like "we're good" or "yeh, I'm fine"?
Super excited for the Heatblur F-4. If you need good reading on Vietnam air combat I suggest Cheating Death. Pair that with Across the Fence to get a SOG perspective on the ground and you'll be humming Fortunate Son constantly.
The F4 Phantom is a wicked looking plane. Always one of my favorites.
The one thing that I noticed was that you didn't have to hold the bandit, growling for a few seconds, before you fired. Pilots that flew, using the early sidewinders, say that they had to keep the growl toning for a few seconds before they could fire or the missile would not track. Very nice video!!!
radar missiles dont growl
There is a famous old proverb, when the AIM 7s run true, there could be a SA 2 for you lol! Good vid!
Most of my instructors in HAF are phantom guys but the AUP model which have mfds and a HUD and their stories are insane
It should be remembered that the North Vietnamese were massively outnumbered in the air. It wasn't unusual for 2 or 3 MiG-21's to be sent up against a formation of 40 or 50 aircraft in a strike package. There were times when there were only 8 operable MiG-21's in the entire country, vs. about 1200 combat aircraft fielded by the United States.
The hit & run tactics the VPAF eventually came to prefer weren't because the MiG pilots weren't confident of taking on the Phantom in a dogfight, but rather because they simply didn't have enough aircraft to make it worth the risk. Even if the North Vietnamese been able to achieve a 5 or 6 to 1 kill ratio against the F-4, they still would have run out of planes in no time.
I used to see these air craft every now and again when I was in the navy 85-89 them and the f14 were always my absolute favorite to watch while they flew over our ship.
GS was flying too high in the end there, bro needed to channel his inner Stephen Stills from the song Treetop Flier:
"People been asking me, "Where'd you learn to fly that way?"
Was over in Vietnam, chasin' NVA
The government taught me, and they taught me right,
Stay under the treeline, and you might be alright
I'm a treetop flyer"
I think it's a bit unfair to say MiG-21 have no chance against F-4. MiG-21 hold a commendable KD ratio against F-4, especially considering their main mission is to go find the striker element rather than dog-fighting, and usually fight an overwhelming wing. Main downside for MiG is its puny radar (which doesn't help that MiG don't have a RIO in the back to work the radar) and lackluster range
I did my tour with the F-4 Phantom II in Chuck Yeager's Air Combat.
"One just passed me by hahaha... OOOF" Famous last words!
Keep the vids going GS!
in case other fellow f4 virtual pilots are wondering how to know when sidewinder has it's track, the star icon on top right of the sight indicates it got a tone. somehow other aim9 variants doesn't have the growling sound other than J variant only.
Yep I'm stoked for the F4 and the videos to follow. Definitely one of my favorite aircraft of all time. I had two instructors in college, one used to fly the F4 and one was an F4 crew chief. Those guys had some killer stories.
F4 black smoke was supposedly a favorite for the enemy to track movements when spotting a spec in the sky was difficult. The old smoke trail pointed to the F4.
As a old Phantom Phixer I gotta say its good seeing them perform again Thanks again G.S for a really excellent vid keep `em coming please
The rwr actually sounds like battle hardened fur Elise...
Famous last words "An SA-2 never hurt anyone" - priceless - great vid
I suggested a long time ago that you should have a 2nd channel for your documentaries. Im glad you did it.
Also subscribed :)
12:00
Gs: “SA-2’s never hurt anybody”
Narrator: “That day, they would in fact, hurt someone.”
Worked on the F4 in the Corp. VMFA 112. Long range high speed is where ours shined. Always came back with over Gs when they tried to dog fight
I really enjoy your Vietnam era scenarios. The Phantoms just missed the digital media/go-pro universe so it's nice to see them here. Glad guys like you can recreate it.
I think the Phantom's J-79s contributed greatly to its ability to fight and come home.
Looking forward to an F-8 Crusader fight...someday?
BTW your mini-docs are great. The cool thing about warplanes is you can't really study them without studying history. Check six...
Story: I went to visit a great uncle (who was a weapons manager guy / red shirt on a carrier) who's dad was an F-4 pilot. One of his stories about his dad was when his F-4 back-seater said he had a dream that their engines has stalled or something like that and they crashed (apparent this was a big problem with the model that they flew). And then sure enough the next day their engine broke mid flight and they had to punch out over the ocean.
"Ole Smokey..." A pencil line drawn across the sky, at the end of which one finds a phantom in burner.
Had a few little toy planes as a kid and loved the F4. It was so easy to hold and play with because of the shape. 😂
The military underestimates how important it is to have the right shape for the plane to be easily held in the hand. Hopefully they'll start taking that into account for gen 6 😎
Nice to see the loudest and smokiest aircraft I grew up with. You could see the smoke trails from 40Klm away
Your videos are beautiful and very engaging! I have a question for you, since it is not mentioned in the description, which monitor are you using? How many inches do you recommend?
That SA-2 kill at the end after being overly confident CLASSIC GS 😆
When Heatblur comes out with their F4, it would be good if it was in a package with an authentic for the time Map of Vietnam.
Watching that Sparrow pull lead to nail the third Fishbed was beautiful!
Loving the content, especially your "minidocs" watched them all and can't wait to see more!
Thank you for your support. Much love.
Man, the F-4 is such a beautiful aircraft. But also as it relates to DCS, I firmly believe it's gonna be the best balance between old analog systems and new digital high tech for maximum fun
The Phantom always had a significant power advantage over the MiGs, so it was how you played your cards. Once our pilots were taught to use that to their advantage and go after the vertical, the kill ratio went way up.
Here’s your new subscriber for the mini docs RUclips algorithm
You just know when disaster is about to strike. It is usually preceded by the words, "We'll be fine, we have defeated that missile." or similar.
Technically, it doesn't hurt if you die instantly... 😋
Just got the game (finally), and I'm looking forward to the F-4. I've had a love for them since I was a kid. Never seen another aircraft that looked so unorthodox, yet so equally badass.
4:13 😱 a Sidewinder without growling fired by Growling Sidewinder... that's fun 😅 Yesterday a patch was out to solve some bugs including this, but I don't know if the added sound is the historical one. Ciao
When i was about 4 or 5 yrs old....lived in Fairfield Iowa...the F4s flew over quite a bit....loud as hell but very memorable.... I assume there was a National Guard base nearby....this was in like 1974 or75
That was a great video... I sat there watching on the edge of my seat, and then nearly fell off it when that SAM hit you!... Very excited the F-4 is coming though 🙂
Ah the distinct roar of the old smokestack. I love the F-4
Didn't know the RWR made that sound XD. sounds kinda funny
I think the Mudhen will come first, due to the fact they’ve announced a pre order already
I’ve been waiting for F4 content forever please do more!