F-4 Phantom II - In The Movies

[@chris.3711]

My mother is a former USMC mechanic. This was one of the planes she maintained throughout the 80's. There is a reoccurring joke in our family of how she can remove an engine from an F4, tear it apart, and put it back together, and back in the plane, but she can't change the oil in her own car.

[@danieldunlap4077]

I was an aviation structural mechanic on f-18 Charlie's, foxtrots, Seahawks, but ask me to Do repair work on a car and yeah.... I'm going to just take it to the shop

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Love hearing these personal and family insights. That would be one hell of a fun career.

[@samholdsworth420]

Wait, the Marine corps accepted women? That's pretty bad ass

[@chris.3711]

@@samholdsworth420 Women served in none combative roles during that era. In fact she fought her superiors hard to be allowed to participate in M16 training. The purpose being that should she be deployed to a hostile area, if their position was to be overrun, she would need to know how to protect herself. She earned the rank of Marksman.

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

Similar to electrical engineers. Can handle massive and complicated works but wouldn't dare do their own wiring at home

[@kingkoopa64]

The many things the f-4 phantom II did on the screens. .bombing .dogfighting. .Carpet bombing .slaying dragons .and trying to destroy a yellow camaro (or volkswagon beetle sometimes) Truly a multi tasking machine

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

Leeloo Dallas: *"Multipass!"*

[@Vol_ante]

Slaying dragons heck yeah

[@kingkoopa64]

@@Vol_ante scale skin buggers never saw the steel thunder pass by

[@gamerfan8445]

King you forgot turning into a leg for a robot

[@Nacoli_Tomahawk]

.Guiding target for rocket artillery now that called multitasker

[@fortis3686]

1:14 For those wondering. In that Anime, it features the JSDF’s Phantoms obliterating dragons, and bombing the Imperial Senate building of a fantasy empire

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

Sounds cool! I'll check it out, I love tech vs. magic.

[@mill2712]

@@warpartyattheoutpost4987 The name is Gate if you're interested.

[@RazerTheDuck]

video really went from very realistic combat simulator to *MEDIVAL ACE COMBAT SHIT*

[@Huntersimon1439]

LOL the Novel and Manga is better then the Anime,because the Anime is censorship they Censored the Battle and darkstory from the Web novel Light novel and Manga but the anime didn't go further from the story They Skipped alot of Content from the Novels and Manga and The other reason production budget in anime we didn't know what cause of Gate OPEN but in Novel and Manga it mention longtime ago.

[@jeremiahparina4483]

The Gate ; Thus the JSDF fought there

[@carlparlatore294]

Flew the Phantom from 1967 until 1977 - logged over 2800 hrs. - three combat tours - used all the systems on the jet including the MB H-7. Oh by the way I went to pilot school with Don Schultz who you can see lower right at 1:48.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Very cool! Thanks for checking out my video. Love hearing from people who did the real thing.

[@fletsepopje]

Thank you for your service

[@ridersbay8802]

Thank you for your service

[@carlparlatore294]

@@fletsepopje Thank you for your kinds words!

[@carlparlatore294]

@@ridersbay8802 It was an honor and privilege to service my country especially when I was allowed to fly fighters 🙂

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

*Brutal beauty!* As a kid I saw the Blue Angels and the Phantom was the 1st airplane model kit I built... to me the most aesthetically appealing plane of the Cold War.

[@charlescoulon7336]

I had no idea the Angels used to fly phantoms until I read your comment. Very cool.

[@bigdave6331]

i think its one of the prettiest planes to ever grace the sky, up there with p51 f16 etc

[@davidhoffman6980]

It's definitely one of the best looking cold war jets, but it's going up against the SR-71, the XB-70 Valkyrie, the F-106 Delta Dart, the F-14 Tomcat...

[@LostShipMate]

@@davidhoffman6980 The NF-104A Star Fighter needs a mention (The custom variant F-104 tested by Chuck Yeager), the SR-71 still has everything else beat though.

[@davidhoffman6980]

@@LostShipMate right you are.

[@philstubblefield]

The F-4 was easily my favorite fighter growing up. I always loved the contrasting dihedral and anhedral surfaces! Thanks, Johnny! 😁 And thanks for the pointers to the Iranian and Turkish movies! 👍

[@KomarBrolan]

Yeah, the joke was the plane was half-way out the hanger when the door slammed down on it.

[@philstubblefield]

@@KomarBrolan LOL! Now that you say it, I remember hearing that joke many years ago. Thanks for refreshing my memory! 😂

[@arnijulian6241]

Of yank gear I like Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star & the variant T-33 called T bird. I'm amazed based on the British H-1-B-jet engine shared to the USA that they even managed to build a Porotype in 143 days much less have something introduced in 1945 just after the ww2 ended in may 1945. F4 Phantom II gets way to much hype though not all undeserved as I explained in a separate thread.

[@ITSSIRWAN86]

Hell yeah dude love from iran also we both are not only f4 fans and also halo fans :)

[@ksfirewolf1530]

The F-4 is my favorite aircraft. In my stories it’s literal copy is not only named following the F-4 “Phantom” pattern (the F-5 “Ghost”, F-6 “Shadow” and F-7 “Yokai”) but is quite literally an F-4 redesigned VERY slightly to be capable of space flight and combat. I adore this plane and I’m a bit sad that there aren’t many films dedicated to the F-4, but I’ll take what I can get.

[@Perfusionist01]

On a personal note; the local Air National Guard flew RF4C recon Phantoms for a number of years. When landing the aircraft made a wonderful howl (I was told it had to do with the compressor in the engine). You could always tell a Phantom at low altitude by that sound. My father retired as a Major General and before his retirement the Air Guard team took him up in an RF4C to go supersonic.

[@brucebourgoin6834]

I was an F4-E mechanic for four years in Germany. Great plane. I leaned so much working on the phantom and I was sad to see them leave as we received the F 16 in 1982. I was stationed in Germany for four and a half years. Transitioned to communications and saw the F4-G Wild Weasels in Saudi Arabia. Two of them I worked on when they were E models. Still think it was one of the best aircraft of the time.

[@whawaii]

Would I be correct in guessing that either of you were at RS? My family got stationed there in '76 & we left in '82. Loved hearing all the howls of the planes from the 512th & the 526th.

[@capital101]

@@whawaii you would be correct. I was 512th.

[@franklinmallory2005]

,I was at Shaw working on the RF4C at that same time frame as an APG in phased doc they were on their way out being replaced by the F-16 I left the Air Force in Jan 83 I still miss it!

[@soupfork2105]

The movie Iron Eagle II (1988) features a lot of F-4E's playing as Russian MiGs. The "Lateral instability" wasn't an inherent design flaw, it was caused by the vertical stabilizer in the original design being too tall for carrier operations. Shortening the vertical stabilizer to fit the F=4 witihin carrier size limits was what caused the instability and necessitated the angling of the wings and tail.

[@rayburton2934]

A 1974documentary film titled "Threshold" about the Blue Angels flying the F-4J Phantom was released. It got limited theatrical release. The in cabin and under wing footage was fantastic. It was released in VHS years later, but a far as I know was never released in DVD.

[@PolarizedMechs]

It should be on KZbin.

[@Aroo_0]

@@PolarizedMechshere it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6ikiKGIoN9qmsk

[@BringTheRain]

Love the F-4 Phantom, thanks for covering it!

[@martinlagrange8821]

We did get to see a reconnaissance Phantom in a still well-regarded SF film, 1971's 'Andromeda Strain', taking FLIR images of the point of contact. Later on, another RF-4 and its pilot meet a remarkably grisly end.....

[@dwmzmm]

When my dad (USAF, retired in 1969) got stationed at Eglin AFB, Florida in late 1966, we moved to a house in nearby Niceville, FL. Lo and behold we happened to live right under the path the US military aircraft landing at Eglin flying low overhead. This was my introduction to the F4 Phantoms, the most common aircraft we'd see literally hundreds of time daily when beginning their final approach to Eglin. Was very noisy at first, but we got used to it. And the elementary school I had to enroll in was Edge Elementary a few miles away, which also happened to be where these aircraft flew over making their final approaches to Eglin. Yes, it was very noisy there too, but again we got used to it (my 5th grade teacher happened to be a USAF veteran who worked on the T6 Texan aircraft, I think he loved that aircraft more than his wife). That teacher allowed us students to bring our plastic model aircraft collections and have them hanged from the ceiling of the classroom for decorations. Fun and unforgettable days of our childhood!!

[@ccdee89]

I grew up in Valparaiso. Still true today, I fell asleep to the sounds of F-15 and F-16s of the fighter wing every night.

[@dwmzmm]

@@ccdee89 Cool!! I hope to make a little vacation to that area to see our former home and schools as well as visit the Air Force Museum that's near Eglin.

[@cubstercubman6158]

I crewed the F4 Phantom for 17 years. It's my all time favorite military aircraft. Love Spooky.

[@frontrowcouch]

Just a small note, the F-4 didn't leave USAF service fully until 2016. QF-4s not only operated as aerial targets but they flew manned training sorties as well. The F-4s featured in the movie "Sully" that you included in this video are actually from that USAF unit, 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron and they assisted in the filming of that sequence.

[@bredbox1]

They still break one or two out of moth balls and fly them in AZ

[@emperorofchicken]

My dad is a Vietnam veteran and spent a lot of time at the big base at Danang. He has a lot of stories but he has always said that seeing, hearing, and feeling the F4 Phantoms take off and hitting afterburner was one of the most awesome displays of power he ever saw. Even compared to hearing the B-52s over head and then feeling the rumble as their bombs hit the ground, rolling thunder.

[@mbr5742]

I once watched a B52 and a german F4F in formation. The F4 is HUGE but it fits in the space between the B52 nose and leading edge of the wing...

[@potatomuncher87]

There's a Navy F4 on display just off of I-12E nearby Satsuma, Louisiana. The landowner was a Phantom pilot during Vietnam and bought his old ride after he retired. All things considered, it appears to be in really good condition.

[@odstbravo2887]

I’ve been past there a million times and never knew the history behind it. Now I know lol

[@LostShipMate]

There's around 4 Phantoms near Peoria, Illinois in outdoor displays. Its amazing how massive these planes are, reading about it just doesn't make that clear. Sadly they are all in mothball condition, no engines, covered up canopy's, etc.

[@bongodrumzz]

The F-4, I grew up with this, saw it plenty of times overhead in lots of places, you know loud places lol, so thanks Johnny, nice one indeed.

[@spamviking]

A guide at a museum I visited, a former USAF ground crewman who serviced F4s, said it was "Proof that with enough thrust aerodynamics don't mean shit."

[@renegadeleader1]

One of the more fascinating stories about this plane is the fact that it only exists because it's predecessor the F3H Demon was a single engined underpowered mess. The engine the F3H was originally designed for didn't work so McDonnell had to settle for a weaker engine as it was the only one that would fit at the time. Knowing this was unsatisfactory to the Navy the designers went back to the drawing board and redesign the Demon to be powered by larger twin engines. This "super demon" eventually got it's own designation as the F-4 Phantom II.

[@itsjohndell]

I flew the F4E USAF, from 1975 to 1979. I saw the Angels fly it at Lakehurst when I was 14 and swore I would fly it too. Spook I am I'll still fly it against you in your choice, old man I am. Any day.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thanks for stopping and leaving a comment. It's always an honor to have the real deal show up.

[@itsjohndell]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Always watch your channel, one of my favorites. Other than the Air Force my deal was Warner Brothers, 6 inch WB tat on the right 6in Air Force on the left. Waited til I was 60+ to mark myself inside. Keep up the good work, History and Movies. Good stuff Buddy.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Thank you for your service...

[@kev_boi2747]

My Step dad was a former USAF Mechanic maintained the F16 and said that the F4 had terrible Aerodynamics and it proved that if you put enough thrust to a brick it can fly

[@corbynxavier1162]

Good vid Jonny as always

[@garfieldsmith332]

Always loved hte F-4. Probably because of the upswept wings and down sweeping tail plane. Made it look unique.

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

It is a beautiful contrast!

[@danbuchman7497]

Glad you included the “Threads” clip, I wasn’t aware it was an F4, thought it might be a Harrier since it was located in Sheffield, but it makes sense since the air base is American, so I’m guessing now that all the scenes of planes taking off are F4’s. Threads is the best of all the nuclear war films in terms of civilian losses and is definitely a warning to our time. Much better than The Day After or On the Beach IMHO.

[@richardvernon317]

The military aircraft in Threads are British RAF Phantom FGR 2's. The footage coming from a BBC "Man Alive" Documentary called "Phantom" about RAF operations during an exercise at RAF Wildenrath in West Germany made in 1980. During filming of that program, one the the Phantoms being filmed crashed, killing the crew. The base in the film Threads was RAF Finningley which in time of war would have been a base for USAF Reserve or ANG F-4 units that would have come forward from the USA to fight over Europe. Its normal role being the flying training school for multi engine pilots and RAF non pilot aircrew.

[@danbuchman7497]

@@richardvernon317 Hi Richard, thank you for filling in those details. I think Threads would be an excellent film to do a remake of with what we have learned about nuclear winter since the original came out. Finally, so sad that the crew crashed. Just terrible. I hope their families were well looked after.

[@yellowprime8491]

"The Great Santini" always gave a friend of mine a bittersweet smile. He was an Airforce brat and too many themes of that flick hit too close to home for him.

[@mrjockt]

Although I spent the majority of my Air Force career working on Tornado’s, due to my secondary duty on the visiting aircraft flight on my station I ended up cross training on German RF-4E’s and F-4F’s, U.S. RF-4C’s and F-4G’s as well as our own FGR.2’s (F-4M).

[@KenSmith-bv4si]

While stationed @Kadena ABF back in 76, I got to have my name on an F4-D model as Crew Chief, I forget the tail number plus its been 47yrs. The F4 is the last of the "true mechanics" airplane, the pilots always had more the a few writes for you to phix when they landed.

[@timberskypilot]

My Dad Mac McKinney MSGT. was stationed there then with the 18 TAC Fighter Wing. I used to come to work with him often.

[@Orca19904]

In addition to the US films shown here, the Phantom also had a couple of minor roles in "Flight of the Intruder" and "We Were Soldiers".

[@dougmasters4579]

And a brief appearance in Die Hard 2: Die Harder.

[@Flyboy207]

I remember the first time I ever saw a Phantom. It’s on display at a national guard base, which I visited for the first time when I was 13. I believe it’s an F-4D. I had never seen a fighter jet so imposing and aggressive, and I have been attached to them ever since.

[@TrickiVicBB71]

Great video as always Johnny

[@ritualfivegaming743]

The F-4 Phantom II is one of my favourites i've seen one fly over a memorial site in Australia it had the RAAF's roundel on it. It's awesome to know the RAAF used F-4 E Phantom II.

[@AwesomeNinja1027]

The F-4 Phantom was also featured in the anime Area 88. But the role was minimal as the show focus primarily focused on the A-7 Corsair, the F-14 Tomcat, the British Harrier jet, the French Mirage fighter jet, and the F-5 Tiger. It would be nice to see an American film highlighting the F-4 just as Hollywood did on the F-14 Tomcat (Top Gun), F-16 Falcon (Iron Eagle), and the F-18 Hornet (Independence Day, Top Gun Maverick).

[@theorganizer1273]

Quick Correction: The star of Area 88 is the F-8 Crusader... the A-7 Corsair is an aircraft based on the F-8 for ground attack missions...

[@AwesomeNinja1027]

@@theorganizer1273 thanks for the correction

[@michaelmappin4425]

In 1969, I was attending my first airshows. The F4 was the star I instantly fell in love with. Both the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels were flying it.

[@SnakierElm62]

Great work man, love this jet

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

My first full-time job, 1979-1980, was working at Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg, Florida {USA}. We would occasionally see F-4 Phantoms flying over Tampa Bay, headed toward MacDill Air Force Base in nearby Tampa, Florida. They were easy to spot due to their smoke trails.

[@vill5325]

Great overview The mentioned battle at Sharm El Sheikh was even more impressive when you note that the phantoms were on the ground when the MiG's came to bomb the airfield, and the pilots said that if they had waited one minute for permission to take off, they would have been bombed

[@bryburiya2709]

Could you make one about the F-5 Tiger? I think it's a jet that has made several notable appearances in media particularly as the black MiG-28 in Top Gun

[@tdrewman]

My father was in the air force for 25 years. He was SR NCO and his squadron would load the F-4s with bombs and missiles. We were stationed at Homestead AFB where there 2 F-4s that had Mig kills. One had 2 and the other had 3.. When the F-4 service was starting to wind down, another F-4 with with Mig kills was lost. The F-4 at Homestead was ordered to be retired and sent to the Air Force Academy. The F-4s were replaced by F-16s around 86-87.

[@kurtwk]

You also see f4s briefly in The Clash video “ Rock the Kasbah” 😝

[@Shoelaces77]

Such an underatted channel. You deserve more views and likes

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Kind of you to say 🙏

[@joeyhales5160]

Its also briefly used in The Clash - Rock the Casbah music video

[@jaysonpida5379]

RF-4Cs at Bergstrom AFB, Austin Tx. Now it's the city's international airport.

[@bigblue6917]

Well the Phantom definatelly on my list of favourite American aircraft. One of those were you would hate to have been on the business end of it. Robin Olds who planned the famous Operation Bolo flew the Phantom. He got four kills but made sure he did not get his fifth as he would have been sent back home. I watched a video a couple of days ago which was an interview with a Royal Navy pilot who flew Phantoms. He mentioned that if they had still been flown by the Navy during the Falklands War the Argentinian jets would have been intercepted long before they got to the islands which would have very much shortened the war. Also the Argentinian troops on the islands would have had to have faced Phantoms carrying a full bomb load. And if the Phantom was flying so would the Buccaneer as well. And at Red Flag the USAF defenders never got anywhere near the Buccaneer. Apparently the reason the Royal Air Force used the Roll-Royce engine was be that it was maximised for flying below 30,000 ft as its main role was ground attack.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

True...

[@PolarizedMechs]

The reason why Buccaneers did so well at Red Flag was because they tended to operate around 50 feet. They were the only participants warned about hitting power lines...in a climb.

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

@@PolarizedMechs... I bet the WSOs wished the pilots were flying *"solo"* instead of *"so low"!*

[@bigblue6917]

@@PolarizedMechs Actually it was often much lower that that. I came across an interview with a Royal Air Force pilot who flew the Buccaneer at Red Flag and the were initially flying at 5 to 10 feet until they noticed it was causing a dust trail and had to moved up to 15 to 20 feet. The USAF defending the target could not touch them, They did their attack before the missile air defence could pick them up and excited over a ridge. The fighters tried to get an air shot here but the Buccaneers flew upside down over the ridge over the top of the ridge so the fighters could not get a shot.

[@somethingelse4878]

Love the F4 as a kid and as i read a lot of US AUS Vietnam memoirs still do Nice to see a clip of Danger Close in there

[@jamesdavis4307]

My grandfather set one of those records in testing for US Navy. I remember him telling me stories about how fast it was but couldn't turn for crap lol

[@icanreadthebible7561]

"4 mile turn" comes to mind.

[@rudyyarbrough5122]

I flew the F-4B with the Marines and flew it in Vietnam. It was a flying truck and you could hang any amount of ordinance on it and it still lept off the runway. It was every kid's dream to push the throttles full forward to afterburner and feel the power! It was a big cockpit compared to many at the time and was well laid out. Unfortunately, the canopy was a blended one that merged with the fuselage and rear vis was terrible. The Mig-21 was not any great plane but the tactics were mostly ground-guided radar attacks from the rear. They would do hit and run and they did not go into a dogfight if they could avoid it. It was a real pleasure to fly and always brought me and my RIO home. It was like driving a Ferrari and I knew that if I had to get away there wasn't an enemy plane in Vietnam that could catch me. I dropped all kinds of bombs but my favorite was the Snake eye that had fins that opened so they would not be below the plane when they exploded. We ran into many Marine units pinned down begging for help and it was a great feeling to help them out with a load of snake eyes or napalm. Down low it was as stable as driving a truck on the freeway. It will go down in aviation history as a real war bird.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Amazing to hear from you and your experience. Thank you for sharing and adding your personal experience to the history. It's important!

[@333jarhead]

A fellow F4 guy snake and nap in the morning. What else would you want? VMFA 333 Triptrey Semper fi brother. Just a old Marines opinion.

[@type-10]

I don't know much about military aircraft, but the F-4 phantom II is by far my favorite. Partly because it works well and because there's a Russian song dedicated to it, but mostly because it just looks amazing.

[@kimjongoof5000]

Very insightful video and thanks a lot for mentioning the F-4’s use in Japanese Tv and movies! The F-4 is a jet that can be found in even the most obscure Japanese shows like Izenborg or Mirrorman. I myself prefer the F-86 and F-104 over the bulky looking F-4, but it’s still an aircraft with a tasteful design

[@thunderboltcougar5626]

F4 Phantom was the very reason why i love iron eagle 2 movie, more than the iconic f16.

[@leestamm3187]

As an old Carrier brownshoe, I think the Phantom was, and still is, the coolest looking airplane I ever saw. The earsplitting sound of them doing touch and goes on the Big E back in the day is a very fond memory.

[@ReallyOldDog]

Tom Cruise should make a Top Gun prequel featuring this jet and how his dad saved Viper's ass over Vietnam.

[@HappyBear376]

Smashing idea my guy!

[@theprinceoftides6836]

Sweet. There's not enough films and documentaries about the air war in Vietnam, especially the Danger Zone lethality of MiG alley.

[@pauldeegan6652]

’Top Gun: The Beginning’. Good idea.

[@smeagollumartin]

Blitzwing as a phantom was an incredible idea

[@vgotnofingers]

Well done, Sir. Rock solid piece.

[@michaelguice8941]

I was a Marine F4 S mechanic from 83-87. It was one badass aircraft.

[@natedrawsthings]

My introduction to the F-4 was actually in Wild America. Very short scene, but was enough to really get me hooked on the plane.

[@LewisB3217]

One of my favorite jets, so beautiful

[@Kruppt808]

Sidewinder missile name is the best ever.

[@ELCarnerojrLFDO]

1:15 1:18 F4 Phantom: GOOOOOD MORNING VIETNAM!

[@ponz-]

Love your stuff bro thanks for the video!

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thanks man! More to come

[@robertsrobots6531]

In case no-one else has mentioned it: There's a couple of miniature visual effects Phantoms in Die Hard 2. And in Ice Station Zebra when the (also miniature) Soviet MiG-21s overfly the base, they are replaced by footage of real Phantoms.

[@fatih2944]

0:36 is from Anotolian Egle movie for Turkish Airforce. Pilot is female jet fighter pilot HIZARCI.

[@Foomba]

One description of the F4's appearance is, "Stepped on than kicked in the ass". Alluding to the dihedral bends in the wings and the appearance of the tails horizontal stabilizers. Another great video by you.

[@steveblackbird]

Huge favourite the F-4 Phantom II. Here in Australia we had them as an interim whilst waiting for the F-1 11 to be completed. Many in the RAAF (as an aircraft engineer I worked with a few RAAFies in my 30+ years) wished we kept the Phantoms. They were returned to the US. All were "E" models without the manoeuvring slats. The British Phantom's were redesigned quite extensively to fit the RR Spey turbofan engines and despite being more powerful were noticeably slower in top speed. They did however burn less fuel.

[@waverly2468]

"To Take up Serpents" episode of 'The Lieutenant" is on you-tube. It features the F-4. I need to give "Bumblebee" another look since it's on Paramount +.

[@bobroyes589]

An excellent episode! Featuring the early 'B' bird. some A-4's too.

[@geordiedog1749]

Very iconic bit of kit!

[@Nugire]

That BF Vietnam footage gave me flashbacks. Ah, good times.

[@callsigntonks4029]

Not first but one of my favorite jets so keep it up johnny! :)

[@serenity8401]

Nice compilation. Area 88 is an anime that includes F-4 Phantom action in every episode. It should be definitely in the list ;)

[@fudalefu1]

I’d really love to see a modern aviation action movie staring a Phantom going up against modern jets. If they could somehow make up a narrative where that would make sense, without suspending too much disbelief and reality. Maybe a war game with aces in Phantoms vs rookies in modern jets. Or maybe a modern military gets their jets taken out on the ground, and needs to pull out phantoms from retirement.

[@mhos6940]

Another great video Johnny! Especially since it about my all time favorite aircraft. Love those PHABULOUS PHANTOMS!

[@WardenWolf]

I will always love the F-4. It is the meanest looking plane we ever fielded, and the original Joint Strike Fighter, seeing service with the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. It was an excellent platform that could have been updated with even greater potential, as Israel nearly did before deciding to retire them.

[@Dragonicus375]

I'm just glad that in the Transformer bumblebee movie that Blitzwing becoming an American icon aircraft is very impressive.

[@theorganizer1273]

If there's going to be a Top Gun Prequel, then the F-4 Phantom II will be the star of that movie as it was one of the first aircraft to be assessed for its underwhelming performance in Vietnam and founding of Top Gun in 1969...

[@mikeb.5039]

A honorable mention would be the late Robert Conrad movie where he played a USMC F-4 instructor pilot but was grounded due to health condition and went to command a ROTC unit at a school he attended. I believe the name is Hard Knocks.

[@markchapmon8670]

I always felt the F-4E was the fighter plane that most looked like a war machine. Spent a few years as an F-4 Crew Chief. The one's flown during my time as Osan AB, Korea had the shark teeth on them. Fond memories.

[@AndyWhyberd]

How they have never made a film about Operation Bolo is beyond me..

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

For dramatic purposes and baby boomer angst most mainstream 'Nam movies focus on reluctantly recruited draftees rather than willing fighters.

[@icecold9511]

If it isn't mentioned somewhere, the biggest failing was tactics. They had to be in close and get vis ID of a bandit. That heavily affected aim 7 missiles reliability.

[@mnguy98]

The F-4 was also operated by the German Air Force during the Cold War period as well, where it gained one of my favorite nicknames for it; "die Eisenschwein", or "the Iron Pig"

[@mbr5742]

Also known as the Luftverteidigungs-Diesel (Air Defence Diesel) due to it's "slightly dark" exhaust

[@OhioCruffler]

Another big disadvantage the Phantom had was it's exhaust; in certain weather conditions it could be seen a long way off.

[@PolarizedMechs]

The later F-4s cured this, but it wasn't until the 1980s.

[@smittywjmj]

Engaging the afterburner tended to dissipate the smoke trail, but of course it's not very fuel efficient.

[@smittywjmj]

@@PolarizedMechs F-4J and F-4S models were using reduced-smoke J79-GE-10B motors as early as 1977.

[@rolfagten857]

Really John, it's a beautiful plane, the lines are almost as beautiful as those of an ME-262. Kuddos to one of my favorite KZbin channels!🤗👍👍👍💗

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thanks Rolf! I agree two very beautiful aircraft

[@airmackeeee6792]

Nice use of "Danger Close" mate. 🇦🇺👍

[@GeoCalifornian]

Most don’t know but the F-4 Phantom was featured on an episode of Mannix in the 70s. I remember it like it was yesterday. /So cool!

[@Corium1]

the phantom is such a iconic plane, it's the only one of its kind to be used by all the branches that have aircraft!

[@nvgboiyes6386]

I like the Phantom, and it is just very recognizable, as it’s profile is very distinct from like a mile away.

[@090giver090]

That was right about time. I've just finished my watchlist and wondered about some interesting titles :)

[@ewfisher89]

The F-4 was also prominently displayed in Iron Eagle II alongside the F-16, where the F-4 was referred to as a MiG.

[@dougmasters4579]

The Phantom also had cameo's in Die Hard 2 and Flight of the Intruder.

[@nathanmeece9794]

I remember when the F4 Phantom was at Seymour Johnson AFB assigned to the 4th Fighter Wing. I had cousin who husband was an electronic technician at the base .He done some work repairing the F4 simulator. He invited me over to try it out. I have never seen so many instruments in my life. I enjoyed trying it out. Wish I could could have tried the B52 simulator since the bombers were still there.

[@OriginalThisAndThat]

Old planes sexy as hell - Phantom, Tornado, Tiger.. Such a beauties! Also F-14 and 'newer' like F-16 (even tho F-16 had first flight same year as Panavia Tornado 1974, but F-16 has been updated to this day). Tomcat made its first flight next year after first man set his foot on moon.

[@jamesturner9651]

Probably my favorite aircraft of all time. May be ugly but she's gorgeous. When my Dad was in the air force during Vietnam he was attached to a squadron flying these (he wasn't a pilot)

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

Brutal beauty... I think she's the prettiest bird of the Cold War and was the first plastic model kit I picked out to build as a kid in the early '80s.

[@jamesturner9651]

@@warpartyattheoutpost4987 While I'm a navy man I got my dad a thunderbirds model lol. She was a truly outside the box design and had very real lasting power.

[@SchrödingerKousae]

GATE is my favorite depiction of the F-4

[@Idahoguy10157]

F-4 Phantom II; the world’s greatest distributor of MiG parts

[@moonshineofthemoon8054]

You should cover up the F14 next! I would love to see it and keep up the great work Johnson!

[@mbryson2899]

Speaking of crossover interests, in '87 an F-14 shot down an F-4 over the Med. Things got very tense...

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

@@mbryson2899, and Iran fielded both the F-4 and the F-14. Arms dealing is... interesting.

[@moonshineofthemoon8054]

@@mbryson2899 is there footage of this?

[@mbryson2899]

@@moonshineofthemoon8054 I'm sure there is because Tomcats had that spiffy camera system back then. I doubt the DoD made it available to the public, though. Over the years I've read four or more fairly detailed accounts, but blue-on-blue incidents are often heavily redacted and often biased. It is worth diving down the rabbithole, though. I don't know if the F-14 crew got to paint a victory flag on their plane.

[@moonshineofthemoon8054]

@@mbryson2899 wow ill try to look for the footage of this, thanks for telling me this.

[@AvengerII]

A note about the F-4J(UK) in British service. It NEVER operated off UK aircraft carriers! The last conventional CATOBAR UK carrier retired in 1978 or 1979. Since late 1980s, the Royal Navy has only operated Harrier-type STOVL planes (now F-35s) from aircraft carriers equipped with ski jump ramps! The majority of British Phantoms (F-4K/UK RN designation FG.1 and F-4N/UK RAF designation FGR.2 models) were equipped with Rolls Royce Spey afterburning turbofans that gave them roughly 20% more power over GE J79 turbojet-equipped F-4 Phantoms (which was close to 99% of all other F-4s built probably; the British bought just under 200 Phantoms). UK Spey Phantoms had a higher initial rate of climb and higher speed (Mach 1.2) at low level than the J79 Phantoms. One huge drawback of the Spey engine was that like the TF30 turbofan it lagged behind throttle inputs, especially at lower power settings. (That was a problem most early afterburning turbofan engines.) You couldn't throttle-slam it into full afterburner like you could the J79 turbojet. ** The Spey engine redesign for UK Phantoms was a local jobs program but it had performance benefits for the plane until it reached high altitude. UK Phantoms were speed-limited to Mach 2.1 because of the redesign of the aft fuselage to accommodate the larger Spey engines. That thicker aft waist increased drag at altitude. The F-4Js the UK bought were lower-time airframes that were retired from US service years before. They were refurbished and used to augment the UK Phantom force. The J models were closer structurally to the F-4K and F-4N Spey models than the F-4S (which was an updated, slatted wing J conversion; less than half the J-models built were converted to F-4S standard). [I've heard the Navy wasn't willing to part with any F-4 S-models and preferred to sell the RAF J-models. The F-4S continued in service with the US Marine Corps until 1992; all F-4 models had been retired from US Navy service by 1987.] The UK regularly deployed Phantoms to the Falkland Islands as a first-line of defense after the 1982 Falklands War. The J-models were bought to augment the Phantom force of the UK since it was felt the RAF was lacking numbers and other aircraft types (the Lightning for instance) were retiring by the late 1980s. The J-models were replaced first as the Tornado ADV F3 became available in the late 1980s. UK operations of Phantoms ceased by 1992.

[@EdwinYee1]

One of my favorite pictures of the F-4 is one on the cover of a famous book called "The Dying Place" by David Maurer

[@TotallyNotAFox]

Maybe I didn't catch the mentioning, but we germans also had F-4 - with F-4F models being in service till 2013

[@KomarBrolan]

My favorite fighter due to living at Bitburg AFB for 5 years. 36th TFW rules!!!!!

[@johnjacobjinglehimerschmid3555]

F4 has always been my favorite USAF jet. The Corsair favorite propeller driven.

[@Tigershark_3082]

The anime Area 88 had a lot of goode use of the F-4, so I recommend checking that out

[@christophersnyder1532]

There are other anime that has the Phantom, Area 88, and less predominantly, Blood: The Last Vampire. Will you ever have a video about the H-53 Super Stallion? Great video as usual. Take care, and all the best.