Im 81 now, and the best time of my life was at the PAX RIVER NAVY AIR TEST CENTER AT PAX RIVER MARYLAND 1960-1964.There i was a Plane Captain and was able to pull flight time in the back seat of the F-4 phantom we were testing. Because we flew MACH 2, i was given a gold MACH 2 PIN that came from McDonald Douglas. The test pilots i was so fortunate to work and fly with will always be in my memories!!!
My uncle piloted the F4 phantom in Vietnam, a few holidays he'd be home, I was 10 in 1970 and in awe, I always wanted to ask him about it but he didn't talk about it so I didn't ask. God bless all who serve this great country. 🇺🇸🙏
Mike , just want to thank you personally for having all of my all time favorite documentaries and even some I had or haven’t yet seen. My career is very stressful will very long hours , your channel is my go to for relaxing with my favorite docs , it’s strange maybe , but it’s like meditation .
Still the meanest,, junkyard dog looking airplane of all time. It has "trained killer" written all over it. The fact that it is still in use is a testament to McD's engineering brilliance
Been up close, and personal to many military aircraft, and the F-4 was a big boy. They say lessons learned with the F-4 lead directly to the development of the F-15 Eagle, another McD product, and a true dog fighter that remains undefeated for nearly fifty years. What I can say, is that the F-4 was very loud with afterburners on launch. But…NOTHING topped the F-111 with its AB’s lit. Can still hear the roar in memory…
The F-4, with two J 79 turbo jet engines, was an interceptor. Vietnam needed a fighter that could also dogfight. As an interceptor it was designed for using missiles to shoot down bombers and not the nimble turns of fighters. They added a gattling gun to shoot down Mig 17s in tight turning maneuvers. The F4 pilots learned new tactics using the superior speed to out run the Migs and end up on the Migs tail and then shoot him down with the gun. Radar ranging on the gun also gave a great advantage to the F4 pilots.
I was an f4 electrician with VF-102 at NAS Oceana, Va. Just shortly before my very happy release from active duty, the Blue Angels were going to perform at our base at Oceana. I was so excited, because back then I could "almost " do everything but dance on the wing of one of the Angels' Birds! And the entire weekend was a rain out!! Shoot! I still watch the Angels every chance that I get!
I worked on the Automatic Flight Control System on the F4s and RF4s for 3.5 years after basic and tech school ('64-'68). Until I watched this video I had never heard anyone but my wife refer to the drooping horizontal Stabilator. She call them "Droopies" not Phantoms. The drooping stabilator functioned as both an Elevator and stabilizer. It was interesting and more than a bit dangerous working around taxiing aircraft, with all the noise and climbing around on them in bad weather... but my hat's off those Navy pukes on carriers launching and recovering in that chaos. I never considered the Navy, I get motion sickness on small islands.
Yes! AFCS tech at Eglin AFB, Fla. Worked on F-4c, F-4d, F-4e and RF-4c. My favorite! Of course, we had other types,( F-105, T-38, F-100, A-7d, OV-10, HH-43b,UH-1h) but I spent most of my time on the F-4's. Looking back, I realize this was the coolest job ever.
I remember my first experience of taking my squadron's 12 F4's to "the boat, " that being the U.S.S. Independence. First of all, Good Grief! The size of that boat!!! And our flight deck life vests used a CO2 cartridge for inflation, but "allegedly, " ya don't pull the activation rope until ya hit the water and "resurface!" RIGHT!!!?? But I swear that the first time a Phantom SLAMMED DOWN on that flight deck, I almost pulled mine!!! They have called them a controlled crash!
What people don’t realize is that the problem with the phantoms wasn’t because they weren’t Manuverable but Due to the BVR only Doctrine the pilots wasn’t trained to Maneuver the phantoms. However the WWII Dogfighting trained pilots became ACEs in Vietnam and Dan Pedersen the founder of Top Gun with the phantoms and other Top Gun phantom pilots took the kill ratio from a 2:1 to 24:1 with the phantoms In Vietnam!
THE NEGATIVE dihedral of. the Elevators on the F 4 is a radical departure in design and prevented unstable shock waves turbulence on the flight control surfaces at Mach speeds and loss of control for the pilot.
Excellent documentary coverage video about Phantom 👻 👽 family aircraft's which proved its successful designs & aviation-navigation capabilities thanks for sharing. Mike Guardia channel always selecting Excellent subjects
So many technical errors in this video. (eg. @38:06 "missile on the right is a shrike" it has a optical nose, shrikes do not have that, they basically look like a larger Sparrow. it's a Maverick.) Those aside, it's a good video of the Phantom.
I NEVER understood why we went to the A-6 Intruder. Made absolutely no sense at that time. The F-4 carried more ordinance, had air to air capability, supersonic speed, and was already in service before the A-6. A few modifications to electronic packages and it EASILY could've done anything, and more, than the A-6!
At 37.56 it says the Phantom is caring a SHRIKE missile. That is incorrect, that's a Maverick on a jet from the 80"s. Note the full wrap around Euro 1 camo scheme v.s. the SEA or south east asia scheme in Vietnam.
@@wileyeyefloaty665 I've been searching the internet and have come up with nothing on this artist. Do you have any links or additional information? Thanks.
Perfect music for this intro an old classic jet but still has potential like all classic machines they age very well the f-4 phantom is one of my favorite jet fighters produced by the United States.
@@briancooper2112 The TF 30 was good at for one thing - speed at low altitudes. Don't forget, it was the engine used on its close sibling, the naval version of the General Dynamics/Grumman F-111. The F-111 was designed to penetrate under the radar at high speeds. Once the Navy rejected it, Grumman designed the F-14 using the available engine at the time, the TF-30. The F110 engine didn't come out until years later.
👎👎👎 You glossed over the wing-tip & elevator designs. I saw a documentary in which a critic called those "remedies" for an intrinsically poor aircraft design. Whacha got to say about them potatoes ?
Well... That's part of the program, not something Mike added in... Travel back in time 30+ years and take it up with the producer of this television program...
Im 81 now, and the best time of my life was at the PAX RIVER NAVY AIR TEST CENTER AT PAX RIVER MARYLAND 1960-1964.There i was a Plane Captain and was able to pull flight time in the back seat of the F-4 phantom we were testing. Because we flew MACH 2, i was given a gold MACH 2 PIN that came from McDonald Douglas. The test pilots i was so fortunate to work and fly with will always be in my memories!!!
McDonald lol ..
Was it red and white and come with a free Big Mac?
All joking aside it's McDonnell.
Not only was it an amazing plane, it was beautiful!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder??? So cannot call you out on that, but please accept there are other beholders?
*jet
👎🐒 Beautiful ? Have you made an appt. for a brain scan yet ?
My uncle piloted the F4 phantom in Vietnam, a few holidays he'd be home, I was 10 in 1970 and in awe, I always wanted to ask him about it but he didn't talk about it so I didn't ask. God bless all who serve this great country. 🇺🇸🙏
The Phantom II is an aviation legend.
Consider it was created in the early 50's....
The jet is more capable than any other aircraft of its time.
Straight to my favourites folder.
The F-4 Phantom is a great looking warbird and one of my favorites. Excellent video
Mike , just want to thank you personally for having all of my all time favorite documentaries and even some I had or haven’t yet seen. My career is very stressful will very long hours , your channel is my go to for relaxing with my favorite docs , it’s strange maybe , but it’s like meditation .
Yes! They mentioned the Demon!! I actually love the F3H Demon more than the F-4 Phantom.
Those are such badass planes!
Still the meanest,, junkyard dog looking airplane of all time. It has "trained killer" written all over it. The fact that it is still in use is a testament to McD's engineering brilliance
I used to love seeing the old smokey f4s at air shows. One of the best multirole fighters ever made sadly mist😢😢but much loved❤
You know you're watching a quality documentary on classic fighter jets when you hear that 80s synth guitar
Been up close, and personal to many military aircraft, and the F-4 was a big boy.
They say lessons learned with the F-4 lead directly to the development of the F-15 Eagle, another McD product, and a true dog fighter that remains undefeated for nearly fifty years.
What I can say, is that the F-4 was very loud with afterburners on launch.
But…NOTHING topped the F-111 with its AB’s lit.
Can still hear the roar in memory…
I'm thinking that when I first saw this, I must've thought the opening music was cool!
These were the type of tv shows I grew up on, not the modern bullshit. They should ban the modern shows.
Great tunes to this video and that is one sexy aircraft.
You don't look so bad yourself!
Proof that with unlimited power you can make a house fly.
Not just fly but fight effectively too 👍
Thanks for sharing Mike. Love the old bird.
The F-4, with two J 79 turbo jet engines, was an interceptor. Vietnam needed a fighter that could also dogfight. As an interceptor it was designed for using missiles to shoot down bombers and not the nimble turns of fighters. They added a gattling gun to shoot down Mig 17s in tight turning maneuvers. The F4 pilots learned new tactics using the superior speed to out run the Migs and end up on the Migs tail and then shoot him down with the gun. Radar ranging on the gun also gave a great advantage to the F4 pilots.
umm
F 4 is the best looking fighter jet ever
👎👎👎 NO ! F-86
In October 1998, I met Bri. Gen. R. Steve Ritchie at the Little Rock AFB Open House and had my picture taken with him.
Thanks for uploading. Awesome video!
I would have loved to experienced the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels during the Phantom era.
I was an f4 electrician with VF-102 at NAS Oceana, Va. Just shortly before my very happy release from active duty, the Blue Angels were going to perform at our base at Oceana. I was so excited, because back then I could "almost " do everything but dance on the wing of one of the Angels' Birds! And the entire weekend was a rain out!! Shoot! I still watch the Angels every chance that I get!
@@steveowens913 I volunteered for a couple air shows when I was stationed there from 2016-2020.
Always loved the look of the Camo West German Phantoms with rhe shark mouth.
Remember when we were actually proud of our military?.... I sure do miss the 80s/90s...
👎👎👎 Oh yeah, well I miss the 40s thru 60s; so what ?
I wish this series contained more foreign jets as well. Like the Mirage etc.
Why don't they make docs like this anymore? With archive footage of Afghanistan, Iraq ect.
I always loved the music in this 😎.
Super sonic legend, Mig buster💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
The F-4 Phantom II, Grandfather to the F-16, F-18
You mean F-15 and 18???
This one airplane had more nicknames than most people
I worked on the Automatic Flight Control System on the F4s and RF4s for 3.5 years after basic and tech school ('64-'68). Until I watched this video I had never heard anyone but my wife refer to the drooping horizontal Stabilator. She call them "Droopies" not Phantoms. The drooping stabilator functioned as both an Elevator and stabilizer. It was interesting and more than a bit dangerous working around taxiing aircraft, with all the noise and climbing around on them in bad weather... but my hat's off those Navy pukes on carriers launching and recovering in that chaos. I never considered the Navy, I get motion sickness on small islands.
Yes! AFCS tech at Eglin AFB, Fla. Worked on F-4c, F-4d, F-4e and RF-4c. My favorite! Of course, we had other types,( F-105, T-38, F-100, A-7d, OV-10, HH-43b,UH-1h) but I spent most of my time on the F-4's. Looking back, I realize this was the coolest job ever.
Greatest fighter ever made!
I remember my first experience of taking my squadron's 12 F4's to "the boat, " that being the U.S.S. Independence. First of all, Good Grief! The size of that boat!!! And our flight deck life vests used a CO2 cartridge for inflation, but "allegedly, " ya don't pull the activation rope until ya hit the water and "resurface!" RIGHT!!!?? But I swear that the first time a Phantom SLAMMED DOWN on that flight deck, I almost pulled mine!!! They have called them a controlled crash!
@@steveowens913 it's probably bc an already inlated west can-as claimed-break your neck if you jump from too high,like a carrier deck.
@@steveowens913
We still use CO2 cartridges.
When I was young I touched a Phantom in the Air Base of Rota, Spain. It was an open day and I got in love with this aircraft
It was an open fly & I fell in love with & touched my phantom.
What people don’t realize is that the problem with the phantoms wasn’t because they weren’t Manuverable but Due to the BVR only Doctrine the pilots wasn’t trained to Maneuver the phantoms. However the WWII Dogfighting trained pilots became ACEs in Vietnam and Dan Pedersen the founder of Top Gun with the phantoms and other Top Gun phantom pilots took the kill ratio from a 2:1 to 24:1 with the phantoms In Vietnam!
THE NEGATIVE dihedral of. the Elevators on the F 4 is a radical departure in design and prevented unstable shock waves turbulence on the flight control surfaces at Mach speeds and loss of control for the pilot.
Excellent documentary coverage video about Phantom 👻 👽 family aircraft's which proved its successful designs & aviation-navigation capabilities thanks for sharing. Mike Guardia channel always selecting Excellent subjects
So many technical errors in this video. (eg. @38:06 "missile on the right is a shrike" it has a optical nose, shrikes do not have that, they basically look like a larger Sparrow. it's a Maverick.) Those aside, it's a good video of the Phantom.
That doesn't look like a Shrike. It looks like a Maverick... The F-4 did carry Maverick Missiles so... Probably is..
I NEVER understood why we went to the A-6 Intruder. Made absolutely no sense at that time. The F-4 carried more ordinance, had air to air capability, supersonic speed, and was already in service before the A-6. A few modifications to electronic packages and it EASILY could've done anything, and more, than the A-6!
F4 was imo the best fighter jet of the era. Great video. I wish someone would upscale it with DL to high resolution and higher frame-rate.
At 37.56 it says the Phantom is caring a SHRIKE missile. That is incorrect, that's a Maverick on a jet from the 80"s. Note the full wrap around Euro 1 camo scheme v.s. the SEA or south east asia scheme in Vietnam.
Awesome plane still in service
A film all F-14 Tomcat lovers should watch...
the F-14 didn't last as long as what its predecessor did...sorry Grumman.
I always felt that the F-101 was part of the F-4 lineage along with the F-3. Interesting that there is no mention of it in this documentary.
The world's largest distributor of MiG parts
Do those tapes list the names of the songs in the credits?
Album: Feathered Mullet Mania
Artist: The Bright Windbreakers
You're welcome
@@wileyeyefloaty665 I've been searching the internet and have come up with nothing on this artist. Do you have any links or additional information? Thanks.
Legend 👍✈️
The phantom was sexy. Sounds weird to say, but it just was.
Perfect music for this intro an old classic jet but still has potential like all classic machines they age very well the f-4 phantom is one of my favorite jet fighters produced by the United States.
It’s called the flying brick.
@21:57: leading edge “slat,” not “slot”
Good nais f4👌👌👌👌👌
Heck yeah!
26mm Vulcan?
Shoot it was not ugly a fighter is not meant to look pretty it looked muscular powerful
What is an F-8 Corsair?
Anybody remember Robin Olds?
It was far from that one-sided combat against the MiGs, but ok...
The MIG may have been a near peer,but it's pilots were NOT....MONTE
This would have been a great video to watch all the way through but the music just became too annoying.
The „NATO Diesel“
1989? I thought they phased out in the 70s
24 F-4G Wild Weasel and 6 RF-4C served in Desert Storm. Last operational missions in March/April 1996.
Needed a cannon.
F8 corsair ??? Really? C' mon man ............ facts?
This is Great Planes. Not Great Fighting Jets.
Is a Fighter not an airplane now?
@@TK_FHW it’s just the name of the series. Not the actual title for the aircraft itself.
F4 K best of the best?
Disregard tomcat
Embrace phantom
F14 is America's proof to the world that with big enough engines even a brick can fly!
Tf-30 of F-14 were crap. P&W upgrades were far better.
@@briancooper2112 The TF 30 was good at for one thing - speed at low altitudes. Don't forget, it was the engine used on its close sibling, the naval version of the General Dynamics/Grumman F-111. The F-111 was designed to penetrate under the radar at high speeds. Once the Navy rejected it, Grumman designed the F-14 using the available engine at the time, the TF-30. The F110 engine didn't come out until years later.
Lol I didn’t realize we had sO many comedians 😒 nobody ever considers what the brick felt about flying 😳
Op is proof that even parroting long inaccurate statements , there's always somebody who can f'k it up.
That would be the space shuttle
like
👎👎👎 You glossed over the wing-tip & elevator designs. I saw a documentary in which a critic called those "remedies" for an intrinsically poor aircraft design. Whacha got to say about them potatoes ?
I may be in the minority (after reading other comments) but I could have done without the music.
Well... That's part of the program, not something Mike added in... Travel back in time 30+ years and take it up with the producer of this television program...
I gave you a 👎 for the crap you chose for me to listen to.
The same as grepin of sweed if Vietnamese have better mig thay might win Air fight against the Us air force ? Mig25 ,23 ,su but they we're no match.
It was a pig.
F-4 my favorite all time.
F-4 was obsolete way past 1989.
There you are again on every one of his videos and others, don't you have a life!
Lots of other countries bought em. Japan didn't depart from them all that long ago, I don't think. A Google search would verify when...
Narrator sucks. Awesome jet!