The Story Behind The Navy F

The Story Behind The Navy F

The Story Behind The Navy F-4 Phantom Fighter
There was an aircraft that used to fly throughout our skies that was affectionately called the Phantom II or the Navy F-4 Fighter. It was a very powerful plane that appeared to prove the speculation that you possibly can make a rock fly should you put big enough engines on it. It was a MIG Killer in Vietnam and used extensively in each theater of the world. It had two large engines that delivered 25,000 lbs of thrust and when the afterburners had been lit up, it might rock the bottom for miles away. The early versions just like the F-4C may very well be seen for miles as that they had a huge smoke path, this was later modified within the F-4D and F-4E variations. There were also versions used for air recon missions that had photograph cameras on the bottom. The F-4G was known as the Wild Weasel and had the capability of taking out enemy air defenses, which proved to be very worthwhile during the attacks in opposition to the North Vietnamese air protection system. The Phantom had two seats and that pilot was in the entrance seat, and instantly behind him was the weapons officer in any other case referred to as the WISO. These plane have been featured in lots of films such Prime Gun or Hamburger Hill to mention only a few. The plane is now retired from active service, final flown by the Air Nationwide Guard and Air Pressure Reserves, and now can often be seen as static aircraft all around the US. The testomony to the glory days of a real fighter, and though it was hated by upkeep personnel it carries a special place in the hearts of these of us who labored on it.
The Phantom was definitely a loud and leaky aircraft that loved to fly, actually for those who flew the aircraft consistently it could rarely break, however let it sit for even a few days and it took a significant effort to get the aircraft back up again, such was the legacy of the Phantom. There was also a novel thing that all maintainers came to know as nicely known as the Phantom chew, as this plane had many jagged and protruding drains that may inevitably lower or hurt you. Still it was a badge of honor to get it, but in the event you were lucky you simply lost a uniform and no pores and skin. The Phantom had light strips on the perimeters and when it was sitting on the top of the runway and lit up the afterburners it was really an amazing sight. That has been captured by many photographers, but it needed to be seen to be believed. Fortunately there are some F-4's featured in numerous air present acts and in case you are fortunate to see one, make sure you watch it on take off, that is the place the legacy of the Phantom was born, the power and might of McDonnell-Douglas engineering in all 5,195 of the Phantoms that were produced from 1958-1979.
I used to be stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines within the late 80's and started working on these mighty beasts known as the Phantom. Our aircraft, of course had Shark Teeth painted on the nose and had been feared immensely by our good buddies up there in North Korea. The that means of the teeth painted on the nostril was to signify concern to the Asian people, however I appreciated it from a strictly creative prospective. The Phantom dominated the Pacific those days and even those up and coming F-16 Falcons needed to bow in respect when the F-4 Phantom II rolled by, and it was not till the F-15 Eagles started to switch the aircraft within the stock that signaled the tip of an era. Phantoms of the Air Drive now stay on in our memory only.
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