Things some people do not know about the F-4: It was the first fighter to have a full intercept radar and computer though it was analogue. The analogue computer suffered from drift so Jack Kirby of TI invented the IC to stop components experiencing different temperatures as much as possible (to reduce drift). The J-79 engine was the first to have variable stators. The sheer amount of wiring in the F-4 was THE reason for starting research into what became the MIL-STD-1553B bus. The IDF called one variant "Kurnass" (Sledgehammer). The RAF variant had RR-Spey engines which are more powerful than the J-79 (by about 10%)but it was slower because this screwed up the aerodynamics so badly. The RAF Phantoms flew with Skyflash instead of Sparrow missiles. The F-4G holds the record as the longest lived "Wild Weasel" of all time. The F-4 is still in use with Greece, South Korea and Japan. For some reason F-4 pilots are referred to as "drivers" and this is roumoured to be a joke going back to the Vietnam war.
@@nhatpham9933 It's actually lighter than modern equivalents. IE the F-15E is a tad under 2000 pounds heavier empty weight. You cant call the Raphale or Typhoon equivalents though as they were initially designed for a different job.
@@gordonlawrence4749 Fully digital as far as I know. They have Multi functional displays now in the cockpit, new radar and guidance systems, etc. I believe they gave the contract to the Germans back then. The Greeks wanted a bit more life time for the F4 until the F35 is delivered.
SOU6900 I was in a helo squadron. We had a pilot who flew Tomcats and Hornets, but his jet career was over after his second ejection. His spine had actually compressed more than an inch.
SOU6900 I loved those birds, but they were a maintenance nightmare. I went through some training back in 2004 with some F-14 guys and they were saying the maintenance-to-flight hours were 40-1. Lol 40 maintenance hours for 1 flight hour.
@@sab368iceman5 and/or because it's a multi-purpose aircraft, you can "dump" a wide variety of armament on it (and truck because pilots are refered to as drivers as said per @Isael)
My favorite airplane of all time .. I was at Udorn, Thailand in 1971 watching them take off and (mostly) return safely. The guys that flew them in combat were the baddest dudes in town at the time!
I worked maintenance on F-4C's at Luke AFB for about three years before transitioning to F-16's. Although I spilled a lot of blood, sweat, and tears on the Phantom, it remains my favorite jet.
Cool lookin plane, but wouldn't even stand a CHANCE against the stuff we have now. Still, could probably beat an F35 if said F35 was forced into a dogfight lol
Since 2017 they are being put out of service. Hopefully they will get replaced with saab gripen. PS: Our military is definitely not shit, our airforce and navy are superior to the turkish ones in multiple ways.
I worked on F-4s altogether for 8 years maintaining comm/nav systems during my 30 years in the USAF. It was a privilege I cherish. It is my favorite airplane, just beautiful.
When you have to sleep ready, all it takes is from you to wake up, go to the plane, sit, get all systems check, get permission to take off, and throttle the plane up all the way to over Mach 1. Seven minutes. Pilot was always wearing his overalls, his G-suit was ALWAYS at hand (when they did not slept with it, sitting instead of lying down), pistol and his ammo at his pillow and chest, and the plane was always fueled and armed.
The phantom is just plane beautiful. I grew up, in Fargo ND, through the 70’s and 80’s, and the air natl guard flew those. They flew over my neighborhood, heading to and from the guard station. I had a high school teacher who flew those with guard. Beautiful, and loud as hell.
Flying dump truck is a pretty good description of my favorite fighter...I was a weapons release technician on F-4's and, yes, they can carry a dump truck load of ordnance, and at twice the speed of sound...They could kill you and everyone around you before you even knew they were in the neighborhood...The A-1E was also called a flying dump truck because it could carry more than its own weight in ordnance...Both were, and are great aircraft!...
Was a proud member of USS Independence CV-62 from 1972-75 working in AIMDs Jet Shop. My specialty, the F-4J GE J-79-10 turbojet engine. I was a jet engine test cell trouble shooter. I can still hear the sounds of them turning up.
The F4 originally didn't come a gun which was a big oversight esp. given the fact that the missiles at the time weren't particularly reliable. A gun pod was added later. It was a missile truck in the beginning. A heavy bird meant for long range interception and not for dog fighting. The pilots at the time did, however, manage to coax some major stunts out of it. It was very tough which helped its survivability. The German air force used it for a very long time up until the early 90s when it was replaced by the Tornado which is might now be replaced by the F-18 to carry nuclear weapons.
I know a guy that flew F-4 Phantoms in Vietnam 1966-67. They did not have guns on them which was very frustrating. He was telling me they later put the pods on them but the first pods they put on them were not worth a crap. Very inaccurate. they finally came out with a better one But by that time his Tour of Duty was up and he resigned from the Air Force because of the way the Vietnam War was being run by our politicians. He had lost three friends over there who were 105 Pilots so he had enough and got out when his hitch was up
Mykov Rivera none taken. When the F-4 was originally designed in the 1950’s it was thought that in future combat the planes would fire missile’s from long range and guns would not be needed. The Air Force later modified their F-4’s with guns but the Marines and Navy did not
do remember this plane in the mid 80s or so when it was said the Philippine government in august of 1987 called on Clark air base to somewhat distract the old plane by the coup plotters who bombed some areas in a police hqtrs,then came this F-4 phantom that shocked the pilot of that plane and left
I was once in a bizarre vantage point and caught an F4 and an F16 dogfighting. The F4 was giving the F16 the business. It was 1988 or 1989. I was in the USAF stationed in Germany. I was on on top of some building, maybe a hanger detailed to watch the Germans work. We had a mock air field attack. My base had F15s and a base 8 miles away had F4s and F16. Add the Canadian F18s and the air above me was crazy. On the back side of the flight line was a huge ravine. I never really took note of it before that day. But I was maybe 3 stories up when these two jets made everyone on the rooftop drop down because they seemed so close as they roared by. The F16 was actually the prey for the F4. He chased it down into the ravine. I expected the F16 to be maneuverable but I had no idea what the F4 was capable of. The F4 was known as the flying brick. That turned out to be a lie. 30 some years later and I'll never get rid of that image and the sounds. So close you could see rivets.
the Phantom is my all time favorite aircraft I have sat in many when I lived in Beaufort,sc and being an avid model builder have built many Phantoms over the years. I would love to have a phantom sitting in my front yard
Here is a couple of tidbits of information for you then. The IDF called one variant "Kurnass" which means sledgehammer, and because it was the first fighter to have a relatively complex analogue computer, the earliest ones had some "drift" issues (analogue multipliers for example tend to drift up or down on the output as temperature changes). This resulted in 1958 or there abouts Jack Kirby of Texas Instruments trying to put both transistors for a "long tailed pair" (an essential component to make any analogue computing function) on the same piece of silicon so they were in the closest possible proximity to reduce temperature differentials. So we have the F-4 to thank for computers in a way.
F-4B PHANTOM I have a question for you have you built the Aceademy F-4C Vietnam version ? does it have early style navy pyiions or late style or are both included ? would appreciate your input on this I plan on getting the Acaedemy kit because of the 1 priece fuselage thank you for your time hope to hear from you on this matter happy modeling stay the course Bruce
Worked on the 119 ecm pod on F-4D at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge, England. Scary beast for my first jet avionics assignment. After being signed off on the ejection seat, I could sit in the back seat and test our ECM pod in STANDBY for errors. Other times I would help the RHAW shop with their little scope and receiver, walk around the plane with a "Squirt" box to see if the RHAW scope would show where I was. The AN/ALQ-119 pod would be installed in the missile #1 position with a heavy adapter plate. One guy would hold up the plate on his back and the other guy would start putting in bolts. We used a trailer to haul the pods out to the planes and an MJ4 or 8 (funky bomb loader) to pick up the pods, drive over and raise them up while a friend would connect the electrical parts, and tell the loader to go up, dwn, sideways, etc for the hooks to line up and then a tool turn would grab the pod. A bit noisy and in the winter, fingers would find the safety wire! ouch!
Lived on NAS Pensacola, back when the Blue Angels were flying F-4's. Saw, firsthand one day, the ability of an F-4 to stand on it's tail from a near-stall, light the afterburners, and climb straight up. I'm told it was the first aircraft that could do such a thing. Certainly left an impression on my then 14 y.o. self, aye.
I was a kid on my grandfather's farm in indiana. I think maybe they used the valley for training but the hill on one side was huge. They had a schedule we all got used too. I was sitting on that hill when one came through and waving my arms like a lunitic. I saw the cockpit and the driver waved at me. Made my day. But...he saw me! Streaking through the valley he saw me! So much respect
I am a USMC brat. Born 1965, lived all over the world. My Dad flew A-4s and OV-10s from 1967 to 1971. I grew up hearing those stories. That said, by 1975 he was commanding an MARTD in a certain southern city. Many of the guys that were in it...some active duty, some reservists...had experience flying the F-4. The best review I ever heard was “it’s a Mach 2 dump truck. Won’t turn, has no gun”. It’s a spastically fact that first generation sidewinders/Sparrows had a 10% kill rate. So why do people think this airplane was so fantastic? It’s one and only real success was when Robin Olds fooled the North Vietnamese into thinking a big bunch of F-4s was the daily shipment (same route, altitude, call signs) and ambushed the shit out of them. Kudos to General Olds.
Not sure if it has already been posted so apologies if it has, but there was another F-4 dual ejection flyer over Vietnam. His name was Jim Laing who was a RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) in the Navy. I came across this tidbit while reading the book"Topgun" by Dan Pedersen, the founder of the Navy's famed "Topgun School" In the book there is even a picture of one of the actual ejections taken on April 24, 1967 after the strike on Kep. The caption says both ejections were due to battle damage so apparently the wingman's RIO snapped a picture of him ejecting just a millisecond before the pilot ejection. He survived to become one of the founding "Original Bros" of the Topgun School. I highly recommend this book as it details exactly how we ended up in the skies over Vietnam flying aircraft with no guns but only missiles that often didn't work, pilots who didn't know how to dogfight and tactics that doomed many whose names are now on the Wall of the Vietnam War Memorial. We owe a great debt to these patriots and the hard won lessons they taught our current generation of pilots. It also makes me wonder sometimes if we may be repeating the same mistake by placing way too much emphasis on Stealth technology and technology in general. The lesson learned in the skies over Vietnam was that ultimately the best dogfighter survived the encounter. Byron (Tim) Barnes, SSgt USMC 1973-1980, F-4 Electrician.
The F-4 Phantom, is THE reason, that the Navy Fighter Weapons School, AKA Top Gun, was started, the pilots got TOO used to the missiles, that they lost the ability to "dog fight" and the NV pilots used that to their advantage. I have had the honor, of working with Both a Retired Air Force, AND a retired Navy Phantom driver, it was awesome to just sit, and listen to them swap stories, about flying the same, but different, aircraft over Vietnam.
My Late Father was a Aircraft Electrician with the USAF, and he worked on the F-4 Fighters. His last duty station was with the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing out of Torrejon, AFB, Spain. He retired in 1975 after leaving Spain, and he out processed out of No Hope Pope! 22 years of service in SAC, MAC & TAC. RIP Dad.
The F4 was "bad to the bone" just sitting on the tarmac. It looked like it was doing mach 3 while sitting in a hangar. I worked on the AIM missiles in the USAF and I've seen a lot of F4's, they're so cool. However, many of the pilots called them the "lead sled".
My Father was a WSO, I grew up with Phantoms in the overhead, 4 ships at 500' every 30 seconds or less. Seymour, Clark, Mather, Homestead, Bergstrom... good times.
I like the F-11 Tiger more, but that's a Navy-only plane. Then, there's the F-104 with those stubby wings, the F-5/F-20, another Navy plane, the F-8... The F-4 is up there, though.
Awesome - Legendary Jet ! Seen the Last German Luftwaffe F4 flying on a "Pharewell" tour here in Germany a couple of years ago ! ( Jagdgeschwader 71 Richthofen - the Red Baron squadron ) Salute from Germany !
Brother knew he was going to get drafted an was from Navy family, so joined an became a F-4A plane captain on Enterprise during V.N. an he loves this plane!
Crew Chief on F-4 in Torrejon Spain in 71to 74. Got a backseat ride while TDY inTurkey. Broke the sound barrier while flying from the backseat. Strafed some Turks in a boat on a lake, not with rounds, just dove in on them. Buck
I was stationed at Ubon, Thailand, from September 17, 1970, to September 17, 1971. I calibrated the Weapons Control Systems and Radar for the aircraft that the ejection seat was salvaged from, F4-D #66-8774 (and all the rest stationed there). 8774 crashed on Feb. 26, 1971. The F4 could also carry one 3,000 pound LGB on the centerline mount, known as a "Fat Albert". I often felt they should have been designated an "FB-4D", for Fighter Bomber.
Truly incredible engineering achievement, just 16 years after the end of WW2 and you had this? In addition and as a British person I am duly proud that we designed and built the essential piece of equipment to assist in running away from this beast.
how sad, noting was shown of the RIO or back seat area, or how if you eject how much space was set so you didn't leave your knees under the dash, could have been better!
As an Ammo Troop and later an EOD Tech we had F-4s standing nuke alert at Tainan AB Taiwan, supported F-4c's & D's at Udorn and Ubon ABs Thailand and F-4Es at McDill & Moody AFB. Even with the "Phantom Bites" I loved this aircraft.
On paper, the F4 never really was outclassed by any US jet minus the F-15 and F22. Its replacement in the Navy, the F-14 really was not better in any meaningful way, and cost more in $ per hour. Given tech updates and modern engines, the F4 could still be a front line fighter/ground attack today without a major risk to its pilots.
Thank you for this very informational video...and thank you to the men like Ed Payne who fought so bravely in Vietnam. I know the things they did and saw left lasting scars on them. God bless them and all veterans.
Brought back bad memories of a bad ejection from an F4N BN 151410 in Jan 68. Just off the base at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. Mine was an Martin Baker Mk V seat that totally fucked up. Between the F4 and my botched ejection my combat flight career ended on January 27, 1968. I still have nightmares about that.
The F4 has long been my favorite fighter. Possibly because it is like me- big, ugly, and effective. But there is a certain beauty in a purposeful form. It is the original, multirole, joint service aircraft- all 3 air services used them. We gmfound out during Vietnam whaf a good bomb truck it made. After being replaced in the air superiority role, it continued as a Wild Weasel because it was so good. Then in the early 80's, USAF retrofitted them (i assume G models) with the F15 engines (Pratt & Whitney, i forget the designation). Then they could REALLY punch holes in the sky. I did not know it is still in active service with 3 nations. That is great.
Torrejon AB Spain, worked on F-4Ds. Remember the built-in ladder well. I was stationed at TJ 1981-85, Electronic Warfare Tech... working mid-shifts was great (breakfast at midnight and breakfast at the end of the shift) :)
I remember my very first air show. The Blue Angels were there and flew this jet. I never forgot it. I joined the military and fought in Afghanistan right after 9/11. I’ll never regret or forget my service. I’ll ALWAYS protect those who cannot protect themselves. And it’s all because that damn loud ass plane shot over my head at 500 knots.
I started on the wrong end of these videos because I'm left wondering who the clean cut guy is who pushed out my favorite hippy who normally hosts these videos.
Assuming this is the same aircraft that was in the training hanger at Lowry AFB, I learned how to load and maintain F-4 weapons systems on it in 1986. To my recollection, the training hanger also housed an F-15, an A-10 and an A-8.
I used to like watching these things launch off carriers, because of their weight they would drop some. and if you were back far enough they would disappear for a second, and then shoot up into to the sky with their AB blasting, beautiful to see
So many missed opportunities in this video like walking around the aircraft showing us both cockpits questions you could of asked like what it was like to fly? What was it like to fight in? Etc etc etc
In 1971 I was in Ubon, my AFSC was a 461. I was driving a bomb lift truck from the flight line up to the on base bomb dump. While I was Jamming (pun intended) I heard something coming up behind me / beside me. I looked over and it was a F-4 and the cowl was up and a big mustached pilot gave me the thumbs up. "Hit the gas" a few times. (I think he was challenging me to a race) and then boogied on past me laughing. To funny.
The F-4 G E J79 engines announced their arrival with a smoke trail visible 25 miles away-a Phantom calling card that would take two decades to engineer out-the first F-4 production models rolled off the assembly line with Mach 2 capability as standard equipment and a 1,000-hour warranty and delivered to California’s Naval Air Station Miramar in December 1960.
I worked F-4D alert when in the USAF. that E model in the picture is nice and clean! I see that aircraft was retired before TCTO adding leading edge slats.
The JDF, Greece, and RKAF still have a handful in operation. The chief issue is wing area, drag, and engine power to weight. The J-79 was a damn good engine for it's day, but it's day was to be honest 50 years ago. The dry weight of the J-79 is approximately the same as the P&W F119 but the F-119 produces approximately double the thrust. The J-79 is also 10% more fuel hungry than the worst of modern engines in it's class (though it was 30% better than it's contemporaries). The Phantom was also designed before area rule was understood fully, so it creates more drag than it would if this had been taken into account. Wing area is 530 sq feet which does not sound huge until you compare it to the F-15E which is only 608 sq feet even though it's 25% heavier at full load at takeoff. IE 88% of the wing area for 75% of the weight and remember the empty weights are almost the same F-4 30,500 lb ish as opposed to 31,700 lb ish. The F-15 has a maximum take-off of 81,000 lb as opposed to 61,800 ish for the F-4. That extra wing area is nothing but drag at over 350kt even at full load. So for the 1960's it was superb, but technology was moving so fast that by the 1980's the F-15E totally outclassed it. I won't bother going into why the electronics are crap by modern standards because it involved a knowledge of analogue computers.
@terry waller I had heard that but was not sure the Greek ones got the upgrade. The IDF just put their own electronics in and RKAF I think got the upgraded F4-E after the USA ANG retired them. That said I'm going from memory on this issue so could be completely wrong.
@@gordonlawrence4749 Good, but please don't call the superb electronics of the Phantom crap. The radar for instance would still do a Phantastic job but with fewer target capabilities,etc. Analog computers did great for the requirements. And American quality. Exellent, , but superceded.
I actually had one break the sound Barrier above the playground at my school. I think it was 2nd grade making the year 77 or 78. It is still very vivid in my mind, he was so low I could see the ribbing in his breathing tube, and the next thing you know it's just a cloud and a bang. Broke a few windows from what I remember.
Here’s some trivia: I worked on RF-4B’s, with VMFP-3, when I was in the Marines. 1988-1989. All of our stowed ladders were welded into place because they kept opening during flight.
What a great plane, it was awesome to work on, I was an Aviation Ordnanceman in 81' and it was the first plane I worked on along with the A4 Skyhawk. Too bad it was replaced in 82 on my carrier..
The F-4 is a work of art in its design. It's got all the right curves in all the right places. A beautiful plane.
Living proof that with enough thrust, even a brick can fly.
Gordon Reiher That’s what my wife has been trying to prove with the grocery-getter!
check the f104 lol
Things some people do not know about the F-4:
It was the first fighter to have a full intercept radar and computer though it was analogue.
The analogue computer suffered from drift so Jack Kirby of TI invented the IC to stop components experiencing different temperatures as much as possible (to reduce drift).
The J-79 engine was the first to have variable stators.
The sheer amount of wiring in the F-4 was THE reason for starting research into what became the MIL-STD-1553B bus.
The IDF called one variant "Kurnass" (Sledgehammer).
The RAF variant had RR-Spey engines which are more powerful than the J-79 (by about 10%)but it was slower because this screwed up the aerodynamics so badly.
The RAF Phantoms flew with Skyflash instead of Sparrow missiles.
The F-4G holds the record as the longest lived "Wild Weasel" of all time.
The F-4 is still in use with Greece, South Korea and Japan.
For some reason F-4 pilots are referred to as "drivers" and this is roumoured to be a joke going back to the Vietnam war.
Did they called themselves drivers because the phantom was so heavy like a flying bus ?
I want to mention that the remaining 36 hellenic F4s got updated with advanced electronics in the early 2000s.
@@Gentleman...Driver was it the digital system or the advanced analogue one though?
@@nhatpham9933 It's actually lighter than modern equivalents. IE the F-15E is a tad under 2000 pounds heavier empty weight. You cant call the Raphale or Typhoon equivalents though as they were initially designed for a different job.
@@gordonlawrence4749 Fully digital as far as I know. They have Multi functional displays now in the cockpit, new radar and guidance systems, etc. I believe they gave the contract to the Germans back then. The Greeks wanted a bit more life time for the F4 until the F35 is delivered.
2 ejections?? I hope he enjoyed his career flying Heavies or Helos afterwards.
I thought you could punch out 3 times...
SOU6900 I was in a helo squadron. We had a pilot who flew Tomcats and Hornets, but his jet career was over after his second ejection. His spine had actually compressed more than an inch.
@@user-pe1ns8bd6j I like Tomcats...
SOU6900 I loved those birds, but they were a maintenance nightmare. I went through some training back in 2004 with some F-14 guys and they were saying the maintenance-to-flight hours were 40-1. Lol 40 maintenance hours for 1 flight hour.
Brad D Read my previous comments in this thread.
that dump truck flew my cousin thru 2 tours of vietnam and he came home ALIVE!
It is with good reason that the Hebrew name for the F-4 is Kurnass which means "sledgehammer".
One of my favourite aircraft...
@@robertdore9592 In some respects it was way ahead of it's time. Pity the politicians screwed some aspects up.
@@sab368iceman5 its just a joke man, im pretty sure he referred to it as a dump truck because the host said the pilot was an "F-4 driver"
@@sab368iceman5 and/or because it's a multi-purpose aircraft, you can "dump" a wide variety of armament on it (and truck because pilots are refered to as drivers as said per @Isael)
My favorite airplane of all time .. I was at Udorn, Thailand in 1971 watching them take off and (mostly) return safely. The guys that flew them in combat were the baddest dudes in town at the time!
I worked maintenance on F-4C's at Luke AFB for about three years before transitioning to F-16's. Although I spilled a lot of blood, sweat, and tears on the Phantom, it remains my favorite jet.
We still use them here in Greece!!!
@M D ,USA last used it (for combat) in 2013 and still uses them (for targets lol).
Cool lookin plane, but wouldn't even stand a CHANCE against the stuff we have now. Still, could probably beat an F35 if said F35 was forced into a dogfight lol
Robert W. ,once in Vietnam,a trainee pilot shot a f-4 with a mig-15 lol.
Yes
Since 2017 they are being put out of service. Hopefully they will get replaced with saab gripen.
PS: Our military is definitely not shit, our airforce and navy are superior to the turkish ones in multiple ways.
I worked on F-4s altogether for 8 years maintaining comm/nav systems during my 30 years in the USAF. It was a privilege I cherish. It is my favorite airplane, just beautiful.
Supersonic in seven minutes from a dead sleep? I don't even have my feet on the floor seven minutes after waking up.
When you have to sleep ready, all it takes is from you to wake up, go to the plane, sit, get all systems check, get permission to take off, and throttle the plane up all the way to over Mach 1. Seven minutes.
Pilot was always wearing his overalls, his G-suit was ALWAYS at hand (when they did not slept with it, sitting instead of lying down), pistol and his ammo at his pillow and chest, and the plane was always fueled and armed.
The phantom is just plane beautiful. I grew up, in Fargo ND, through the 70’s and 80’s, and the air natl guard flew those. They flew over my neighborhood, heading to and from the guard station. I had a high school teacher who flew those with guard. Beautiful, and loud as hell.
Flying dump truck is a pretty good description of my favorite fighter...I was a weapons release technician on F-4's and, yes, they can carry a dump truck load of ordnance, and at twice the speed of sound...They could kill you and everyone around you before you even knew they were in the neighborhood...The A-1E was also called a flying dump truck because it could carry more than its own weight in ordnance...Both were, and are great aircraft!...
Was a proud member of USS Independence CV-62 from 1972-75 working in AIMDs Jet Shop. My specialty, the F-4J GE J-79-10 turbojet engine. I was a jet engine test cell trouble shooter. I can still hear the sounds of them turning up.
The F4 originally didn't come a gun which was a big oversight esp. given the fact that the missiles at the time weren't particularly reliable. A gun pod was added later. It was a missile truck in the beginning. A heavy bird meant for long range interception and not for dog fighting. The pilots at the time did, however, manage to coax some major stunts out of it. It was very tough which helped its survivability. The German air force used it for a very long time up until the early 90s when it was replaced by the Tornado which is might now be replaced by the F-18 to carry nuclear weapons.
I know a guy that flew F-4 Phantoms in Vietnam 1966-67. They did not have guns on them which was very frustrating. He was telling me they later put the pods on them but the first pods they put on them were not worth a crap. Very inaccurate. they finally came out with a better one But by that time his Tour of Duty was up and he resigned from the Air Force because of the way the Vietnam War was being run by our politicians. He had lost three friends over there who were 105 Pilots so he had enough and got out when his hitch was up
Christian O. Holz only the Air Force had gun pods, the Marines and Navy did not
@@zeeeman8744 no offense sir,but why only the air force and not the navy and the marines
Mykov Rivera none taken. When the F-4 was originally designed in the 1950’s it was thought that in future combat the planes would fire missile’s from long range and guns would not be needed. The Air Force later modified their F-4’s with guns but the Marines and Navy did not
do remember this plane in the mid 80s or so when it was said the Philippine government in august of 1987 called on Clark air base to somewhat distract the old plane by the coup plotters who bombed some areas in a police hqtrs,then came this F-4 phantom that shocked the pilot of that plane and left
I was once in a bizarre vantage point and caught an F4 and an F16 dogfighting. The F4 was giving the F16 the business. It was 1988 or 1989. I was in the USAF stationed in Germany. I was on on top of some building, maybe a hanger detailed to watch the Germans work. We had a mock air field attack. My base had F15s and a base 8 miles away had F4s and F16. Add the Canadian F18s and the air above me was crazy.
On the back side of the flight line was a huge ravine. I never really took note of it before that day. But I was maybe 3 stories up when these two jets made everyone on the rooftop drop down because they seemed so close as they roared by. The F16 was actually the prey for the F4. He chased it down into the ravine. I expected the F16 to be maneuverable but I had no idea what the F4 was capable of. The F4 was known as the flying brick. That turned out to be a lie. 30 some years later and I'll never get rid of that image and the sounds. So close you could see rivets.
That sounds absolutely amazing. I'm glad you were lucky enough to have that experience
0:45 johns reaction to f-4 driver is perfect
This was so much fun to hear about my precious school friend from over 50 years ago, Ed Payne! So proud of him❤️
No walk around of the jet? That sucks
Yeah, this seemed a bit rushed.
What? he showed a ladder. No dihedral...no anhedral...no APU turbine. . .but that ladder was bad ass.
The F-4 is one bad ass fighter/ bomber. It served our military well. I love the F-4 phantom!👍👍🔨
Same here , greetings from Germany :)
the Phantom is my all time favorite aircraft I have sat in many when I lived in Beaufort,sc and being an avid model builder have built many Phantoms over the years. I would love to have a phantom sitting in my front yard
Here is a couple of tidbits of information for you then. The IDF called one variant "Kurnass" which means sledgehammer, and because it was the first fighter to have a relatively complex analogue computer, the earliest ones had some "drift" issues (analogue multipliers for example tend to drift up or down on the output as temperature changes). This resulted in 1958 or there abouts Jack Kirby of Texas Instruments trying to put both transistors for a "long tailed pair" (an essential component to make any analogue computing function) on the same piece of silicon so they were in the closest possible proximity to reduce temperature differentials. So we have the F-4 to thank for computers in a way.
F-4B PHANTOM I have a question for you have you built the Aceademy F-4C Vietnam version ? does it have early style navy pyiions or late style or are both included ? would appreciate your input on this I plan on getting the Acaedemy kit because of the 1 priece fuselage thank you for your time hope to hear from you on this matter happy modeling stay the course Bruce
My very own F4. RC model actually.
Worked on the 119 ecm pod on F-4D at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge, England. Scary beast for my first jet avionics assignment. After being signed off on the ejection seat, I could sit in the back seat and test our ECM pod in STANDBY for errors. Other times I would help the RHAW shop with their little scope and receiver, walk around the plane with a "Squirt" box to see if the RHAW scope would show where I was. The AN/ALQ-119 pod would be installed in the missile #1 position with a heavy adapter plate. One guy would hold up the plate on his back and the other guy would start putting in bolts. We used a trailer to haul the pods out to the planes and an MJ4 or 8 (funky bomb loader) to pick up the pods, drive over and raise them up while a friend would connect the electrical parts, and tell the loader to go up, dwn, sideways, etc for the hooks to line up and then a tool turn would grab the pod. A bit noisy and in the winter, fingers would find the safety wire! ouch!
Lived on NAS Pensacola, back when the Blue Angels were flying F-4's. Saw, firsthand one day, the ability of an F-4 to stand on it's tail from a near-stall, light the afterburners, and climb straight up. I'm told it was the first aircraft that could do such a thing. Certainly left an impression on my then 14 y.o. self, aye.
I trained on the exact same F4E there in the museum back in 1986 back when Lowry was still active training base for 462's.
That eye-patch thing : wow ...
We still fly them in Hellenic Air Force and they rule :)
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I was a kid on my grandfather's farm in indiana. I think maybe they used the valley for training but the hill on one side was huge. They had a schedule we all got used too. I was sitting on that hill when one came through and waving my arms like a lunitic. I saw the cockpit and the driver waved at me. Made my day. But...he saw me! Streaking through the valley he saw me! So much respect
The F-4 proved that given enough power even a brick can fly. That's what my uncle told me he did 3 tours and retired a full bird Col.
I am a USMC brat. Born 1965, lived all over the world. My Dad flew A-4s and OV-10s from 1967 to 1971. I grew up hearing those stories.
That said, by 1975 he was commanding an MARTD in a certain southern city. Many of the guys that were in it...some active duty, some reservists...had experience flying the F-4.
The best review I ever heard was “it’s a Mach 2 dump truck. Won’t turn, has no gun”.
It’s a spastically fact that first generation sidewinders/Sparrows had a 10% kill rate.
So why do people think this airplane was so fantastic? It’s one and only real success was when Robin Olds fooled the North Vietnamese into thinking a big bunch of F-4s was the daily shipment (same route, altitude, call signs) and ambushed the shit out of them. Kudos to General Olds.
16 years of experience on various models of the F4 aircraft. 33rd TFW, 432 TRW, 75th/ 67th TRW, 52nd TFW, 50 th TFW, and 31st TFW. Knew them well.
There’s nothing more badass than an F-4 taxing by. Then there’s the afterburner flames streaming over the jet blast deflector on the carrier catapult.
Not sure if it has already been posted so apologies if it has, but there was another F-4 dual ejection flyer over Vietnam. His name was Jim Laing who was a RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) in the Navy. I came across this tidbit while reading the book"Topgun" by Dan Pedersen, the founder of the Navy's famed "Topgun School" In the book there is even a picture of one of the actual ejections taken on April 24, 1967 after the strike on Kep. The caption says both ejections were due to battle damage so apparently the wingman's RIO snapped a picture of him ejecting just a millisecond before the pilot ejection. He survived to become one of the founding "Original Bros" of the Topgun School. I highly recommend this book as it details exactly how we ended up in the skies over Vietnam flying aircraft with no guns but only missiles that often didn't work, pilots who didn't know how to dogfight and tactics that doomed many whose names are now on the Wall of the Vietnam War Memorial. We owe a great debt to these patriots and the hard won lessons they taught our current generation of pilots. It also makes me wonder sometimes if we may be repeating the same mistake by placing way too much emphasis on Stealth technology and technology in general. The lesson learned in the skies over Vietnam was that ultimately the best dogfighter survived the encounter. Byron (Tim) Barnes, SSgt USMC 1973-1980, F-4 Electrician.
The F-4 Phantom, is THE reason, that the Navy Fighter Weapons School, AKA Top Gun, was started, the pilots got TOO used to the missiles, that they lost the ability to "dog fight" and the NV pilots used that to their advantage. I have had the honor, of working with Both a Retired Air Force, AND a retired Navy Phantom driver, it was awesome to just sit, and listen to them swap stories, about flying the same, but different, aircraft over Vietnam.
I miss my F-4 Phantoms. Whenever I see the or get close enough to smell that musty aircraft smell, I get goosebumps. Love this aircraft.
My dad loves this bird. As he put it "with enough thrust you can get a brick to fly".
with the history of this aircraft this video could have been way longer than just 6:52 . but all in all it was good .
I get the eye patch concept but did not imagine the nuke connection till now. I figured it was for flying into the sun and that also makes sense.
My Late Father was a Aircraft Electrician with the USAF, and he worked on the F-4 Fighters. His last duty station was with the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing out of Torrejon, AFB, Spain. He retired in 1975 after leaving Spain, and he out processed out of No Hope Pope! 22 years of service in SAC, MAC & TAC. RIP Dad.
The F4 was "bad to the bone" just sitting on the tarmac. It looked like it was doing mach 3 while sitting in a hangar. I worked on the AIM missiles in the USAF and I've seen a lot of F4's, they're so cool. However, many of the pilots called them the "lead sled".
The IDF called one variant "Kurnass" (Sledgehammer).
"A triumph of thrust over aerodynamics" too. ^_^
@@ragingjaguarknight86 I once heard someone describe the F4 as flying the same way a brick would if you angled it right and pushed hard enough.
Actually, that was not the F-4, that was the Thud, the F-105 Thunderchief.
Elmo Franklin Actually, that was not the F-4, that was the Thud, the F-105 Thunderchief that was referred to as the Lead Sled.
My Father was a WSO, I grew up with Phantoms in the overhead, 4 ships at 500' every 30 seconds or less. Seymour, Clark, Mather, Homestead, Bergstrom... good times.
you have got to be kidding, this is what you show about the F-4!!!!!!
Hands down, THE coolest-looking fighter ever made. McDonnell Douglas made some great goddamn planes.
I like the F-11 Tiger more, but that's a Navy-only plane.
Then, there's the F-104 with those stubby wings, the F-5/F-20, another Navy plane, the F-8...
The F-4 is up there, though.
@@KutWrite Great plane but I always thought it ungainly looking compared to the century fighters. The F5 was the perfect looking fighter IMO.
Awesome - Legendary Jet ! Seen the Last German Luftwaffe F4 flying on a "Pharewell" tour here in Germany a couple of years ago ! ( Jagdgeschwader 71 Richthofen - the Red Baron squadron ) Salute from Germany !
Thanks so much! When I'm local I'll DEFINITELY visit. Very intrigued.
Brother knew he was going to get drafted an was from Navy family, so joined an became a F-4A plane captain on Enterprise during V.N. an he loves this plane!
That is a gorgeous facility you have there.
Crew Chief on F-4 in Torrejon Spain in 71to 74. Got a backseat ride while TDY inTurkey. Broke the sound barrier while flying from the backseat. Strafed some Turks in a boat on a lake, not with rounds, just dove in on them. Buck
FMS Electrician at the same time in Torrejon. I lived i Alcala De Henares and Meco!
It's a work of art!
I was stationed at Ubon, Thailand, from September 17, 1970, to September 17, 1971. I calibrated the Weapons Control Systems and Radar for the aircraft that the ejection seat was salvaged from, F4-D #66-8774 (and all the rest stationed there). 8774 crashed on Feb. 26, 1971. The F4 could also carry one 3,000 pound LGB on the centerline mount, known as a "Fat Albert". I often felt they should have been designated an "FB-4D", for Fighter Bomber.
That was one of two ejection seats. CPT. RODNEY D COLLINS was KIA. I wonder if the guy doing the video knew the history of the aircraft.
My brother was plane captain of this F-4 on Enterprise aircraft carrier during Viet Nan! Many stories he could tell!
Truly incredible engineering achievement, just 16 years after the end of WW2 and you had this? In addition and as a British person I am duly proud that we designed and built the essential piece of equipment to assist in running away from this beast.
how sad, noting was shown of the RIO or back seat area, or how if you eject how much space was set so you didn't leave your knees under the dash, could have been better!
Marissa you are absolutely correct the Phantom was a two seater and we complemented each other. It was an amazing bird for its time.
Are you an aviation nut Marissa?
@@jamesblair8436 no but my room mate is he's a 12 yr Navy Vet who uses my laptop from time to time!
James Blair, why would you ask a question like that ?
The whole reason i clicked the video was to see the backseat...
As an Ammo Troop and later an EOD Tech we had F-4s standing nuke alert at Tainan AB Taiwan, supported F-4c's & D's at Udorn and Ubon ABs Thailand and F-4Es at McDill & Moody AFB. Even with the "Phantom Bites" I loved this aircraft.
I always enjoy hearing about fighter jets, but don't appreciate being treated like an 8 year old.
Thank you for all the amazing videos can't wait for future ones👍👍👍👍
Awesome, you guys are amazing.
Awesome!...love this channel!...I will share!👍😎✈
I saw a F-4 flying today in South Korea. They are still in use today.
Freddie B Have you seen The Iranian new fighter jet? Let’s just say the F-4 can give it a hard time on a dog fight..lol
On paper, the F4 never really was outclassed by any US jet minus the F-15 and F22. Its replacement in the Navy, the F-14 really was not better in any meaningful way, and cost more in $ per hour. Given tech updates and modern engines, the F4 could still be a front line fighter/ground attack today without a major risk to its pilots.
Thank you for this very informational video...and thank you to the men like Ed Payne who fought so bravely in Vietnam. I know the things they did and saw left lasting scars on them. God bless them and all veterans.
Brought back bad memories of a bad ejection from an F4N BN 151410 in Jan 68. Just off the base at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. Mine was an Martin Baker Mk V seat that totally fucked up. Between the F4 and my botched ejection my combat flight career ended on January 27, 1968. I still have nightmares about that.
Number one favourite fighter of all time.
My dad flew them, what a great jet! Tried my hand at the simulator once, flat spin....ugly, lol
Nice Museum, spent the day there with my niece and nephew couple years ago.
The F4 has long been my favorite fighter. Possibly because it is like me- big, ugly, and effective. But there is a certain beauty in a purposeful form. It is the original, multirole, joint service aircraft- all 3 air services used them. We gmfound out during Vietnam whaf a good bomb truck it made. After being replaced in the air superiority role, it continued as a Wild Weasel because it was so good. Then in the early 80's, USAF retrofitted them (i assume G models) with the F15 engines (Pratt & Whitney, i forget the designation). Then they could REALLY punch holes in the sky. I did not know it is still in active service with 3 nations. That is great.
Torrejon AB Spain, worked on F-4Ds. Remember the built-in ladder well. I was stationed at TJ 1981-85, Electronic Warfare Tech... working mid-shifts was great (breakfast at midnight and breakfast at the end of the shift) :)
I was a mechanic ( crew chief ) on an F--4D at George AFB , Homestead. AFB , Kunson Korea.
Sorry to comment on a 2 yr old video. I was a INS tech on E models in Germany from Jan 78 - Dec 79. Awesome airplanes
Longer videos!!! Preferably more input from general Barry. A 30 min. Interview with the pilots would be the bees knees man
Nice video! 👍
I was always a fan of the F-4. I thought it had that look of killing with style.
I remember my very first air show. The Blue Angels were there and flew this jet. I never forgot it. I joined the military and fought in Afghanistan right after 9/11. I’ll never regret or forget my service. I’ll ALWAYS protect those who cannot protect themselves. And it’s all because that damn loud ass plane shot over my head at 500 knots.
Phantastc!.. thanks👍✈️
Great job, as usual!!
I started on the wrong end of these videos because I'm left wondering who the clean cut guy is who pushed out my favorite hippy who normally hosts these videos.
Assuming this is the same aircraft that was in the training hanger at Lowry AFB, I learned how to load and maintain F-4 weapons systems on it in 1986. To my recollection, the training hanger also housed an F-15, an A-10 and an A-8.
Pretty neat stuff 👌
love the video!! ❤😃
The F4 Phantom was one of our coolest looking planes.
I used to like watching these things launch off carriers, because of their weight they would drop some. and if you were back far enough they would disappear for a second, and then shoot up into to the sky with their AB blasting, beautiful to see
So many missed opportunities in this video like walking around the aircraft showing us both cockpits questions you could of asked like what it was like to fly? What was it like to fight in?
Etc etc etc
In 1971 I was in Ubon, my AFSC was a 461. I was driving a bomb lift truck from the flight line up to the on base bomb dump. While I was Jamming (pun intended) I heard something coming up behind me / beside me. I looked over and it was a F-4 and the cowl was up and a big mustached pilot gave me the thumbs up. "Hit the gas" a few times. (I think he was challenging me to a race) and then boogied on past me laughing. To funny.
This is one hell of a pretty airplane.
Woe. HOW COOL IS THAT.
I have the pleasure to see that aircraft/fighter to fly almost every thursday.. for training over the area i live...
Beautiful
The F-4 G E J79 engines announced their arrival with a smoke trail visible 25 miles away-a Phantom calling card that would take two decades to engineer out-the first F-4 production models rolled off the assembly line with Mach 2 capability as standard equipment and a 1,000-hour warranty and delivered to California’s Naval Air Station Miramar in December 1960.
it took only a few years to design new combuster cans for these. it was a simple solution.
I grew up at Clark Air Base in the Philippines and the F-4's were the primary jet stationed there.
I worked F-4D alert when in the USAF. that E model in the picture is nice and clean! I see that aircraft was retired before TCTO adding leading edge slats.
I wonder with modification if the F-4 Phantom could still be a viable piece for an air force today??
1joshjosh1 Even in 2018, it still is for a few countries ! Phantoms Phorever !
ruclips.net/video/lIusHJR3_4s/видео.html
Hope that this is an adequate answer to your question....... the best Phantom in the World H.A.F
The JDF, Greece, and RKAF still have a handful in operation. The chief issue is wing area, drag, and engine power to weight. The J-79 was a damn good engine for it's day, but it's day was to be honest 50 years ago. The dry weight of the J-79 is approximately the same as the P&W F119 but the F-119 produces approximately double the thrust. The J-79 is also 10% more fuel hungry than the worst of modern engines in it's class (though it was 30% better than it's contemporaries). The Phantom was also designed before area rule was understood fully, so it creates more drag than it would if this had been taken into account. Wing area is 530 sq feet which does not sound huge until you compare it to the F-15E which is only 608 sq feet even though it's 25% heavier at full load at takeoff. IE 88% of the wing area for 75% of the weight and remember the empty weights are almost the same F-4 30,500 lb ish as opposed to 31,700 lb ish. The F-15 has a maximum take-off of 81,000 lb as opposed to 61,800 ish for the F-4. That extra wing area is nothing but drag at over 350kt even at full load. So for the 1960's it was superb, but technology was moving so fast that by the 1980's the F-15E totally outclassed it. I won't bother going into why the electronics are crap by modern standards because it involved a knowledge of analogue computers.
@terry waller I had heard that but was not sure the Greek ones got the upgrade. The IDF just put their own electronics in and RKAF I think got the upgraded F4-E after the USA ANG retired them. That said I'm going from memory on this issue so could be completely wrong.
@@gordonlawrence4749 Good, but please don't call the superb electronics of the Phantom crap. The radar for instance would still do a Phantastic job but with fewer target capabilities,etc. Analog computers did great for the requirements. And American quality. Exellent, , but superceded.
We had a saying about the F-4..."An F-4 is proof with enough power you can make a brick fly." Udon July 1970-Dec 1972
I actually had one break the sound Barrier above the playground at my school. I think it was 2nd grade making the year 77 or 78. It is still very vivid in my mind, he was so low I could see the ribbing in his breathing tube, and the next thing you know it's just a cloud and a bang. Broke a few windows from what I remember.
Really cool
We still use f4 phantom 2020 terminator in Turkish air force..
upgrade from Israel?
he said that the pilot that punched out twice was amazing, if you had to eject twice you must not have been that amazing
Great to see the MB seat.. my grandad worked for Martin Baker in Denham UK for 38 years in the sheet metal workshop.. he made many of the parts..
Nothing like a JDAM in the Morning! 🔔🔔🔔🇺🇸
The lead sled! beautiful plane. SAM KILLER! THEY ALSO FLEW IN HUNTER KILLER FORMATIONS.
Here’s some trivia: I worked on RF-4B’s, with VMFP-3, when I was in the Marines. 1988-1989.
All of our stowed ladders were welded into place because they kept opening during flight.
My grandpa worked on those in Vietnam very cool
What a great plane, it was awesome to work on, I was an Aviation Ordnanceman in 81' and it was the first plane I worked on along with the A4 Skyhawk. Too bad it was replaced in 82 on my carrier..
I remember the Ol’ Double Ugly from the video for “Rock the Casbah” by The Clash.
I worked on these at bein hoa Vietnam as an electrician , one hell of an aircraft .
One hell of a lot of wires if I remember correctly too. The F-4 was THE reason for a move to fly by wire and the MIL-STD-1553B bus system.