F-4 Phantom

The story of the RAF Phantom crew that jokingly requested fuel from an Argentine Air Force KC-130 flying over the Falklands

The story of the RAF Phantom crew that jokingly requested fuel from an Argentine Air Force KC-130 flying over the Falklands

One of the Hercules’ men grinned at the Phantom crew and gave a thumbs up sign. Thus encouraged, Archie manoeuvred… Read More

2 months ago

F-4 pilot recalls when during a “snake check” down a jeep trail he had to do a 6-G pullup to avoid a pickup truck. He was accused by his neighbor of running him off the road with his Phantom II.

‘I assured him that I know his official green Chevy pickup very well and would certainly avoid him,’ David Storm,… Read More

4 months ago

Col. Joe Kittinger, USAF Fighter Pilot, POW and Longtime Freefall Record Holder Passed Away

Retired USAF Col. Joe Kittinger, whose 1960 parachute jump from almost 20 miles above the Earth stood as a world… Read More

10 months ago

F-4 Phantom II pilot recalls an Exhilarating Mach 2 Test Flight

‘There it is! Mach 2.0, twice the speed of sound. I could go on, Mach 2.4 is probably within reach,’… Read More

10 months ago

F-8 Crusader Vs F-4 Phantom II: US Naval Aviators recall the rivalry between the “Last of the Gunfighters” and the first “All-Weather Interceptor”

Many of the Phantom’s early cruises were as paired squadrons with F-8 units, which were regarded as “day fighter” (or… Read More

11 months ago

US Navy May Dismantle USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the service’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, at Commercial Yard

Due to a heavy workload at the US Navy’s yard Puget Sound, the service is looking to contract with a… Read More

1 year ago

US Naval Aviator recalls when a fellow F-4 Phantom II pilot had to eject because he ran out of fuel after he stayed in afterburner too long during ACM training

‘A guy who received his wings at the same time as I did, was in the F-4 training squadron with… Read More

1 year ago

The story of the Israeli F-4 flight that dodged (at least) 20 Syrian SAMs in a single mission during the Yom Kippur War

“During this flight, we really felt like missile hunters, though we were not sure who would hunt first: the missile… Read More

1 year ago

Former USAF F-4 Pilot explains how he was able to safely land his Phantom II after the Explosion of its Right Engine

The F-4 Phantom II’s fuel flow controller had NEVER malfunctioned. It wasn’t listed in the book of emergency procedures, the… Read More

1 year ago

This Israeli F-4 was shot down by an Israeli Nesher during the Yom Kippur War: the story of the only Blue-On-Blue incident that resulted in one IAF aircraft shooting down another IAF aircraft

This was a really rare Israeli air-to-air "friendly fire" incident and the only such incident that resulted in a "friendly… Read More

2 years ago

Former US Naval Aviator explains why of all the aircraft he has flown the iconic F-4 Phantom is his favorite

‘Although some thought it “ugly”, and it had a nickname of “double ugly” I loved its lines,’ John Chesire, Former… Read More

2 years ago

Blue Angels flying the F-8 Crusader would have been awesome, but it never happened. Here’s why.

At some point the Crusader was considered as replacement for Blue Angels Grumman F11 Tigers. One of the most capable… Read More

2 years ago

The story of the F-4 Kurnass escort missions for USAF C-5 and C-141 airlifters involved in Operation Nickel Grass, the US air bridge to Israel during the Yom Kippur War

‘At the time, I figured that I had placed an additional burden upon Kurnass squadrons that rotated the escort mission,… Read More

3 years ago

Massive sale of 105 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Japan approved

According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) is for 63 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs. Japan… Read More

3 years ago

Exhibit to Honor 1986 North Dakota Air National Guard F-4 Flight that Allowed Heart Transplant

The heart was stored inside a plastic picnic cooler filled with ice. The cooler was strapped to the backseat of… Read More

4 years ago

Former F-4 Phantom Driver tells the story of an Exhilarating Mach 2 Test Flight

‘We are supersonic and still accelerating, the maniacal engines will not be denied. With nothing else to do, I watch… Read More

4 years ago

That time two USMC F-4 Phantoms Nearly Shot Down two Cuban MiG-17s over the Keys

"The two MiG-17s went into a 60 degree port turn. I immediately thought they saw us and I slid to… Read More

5 years ago
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