Phabulous Phantom Phlies

One of the two U.S. Navy McDonnell XF4H-1 prototypes is seen during an early test flight. This aircraft would become the F-4 "Phantom II", one of the most distinguished and widely used combat aircraft of the latter twentieth century. Also note the same manufacturer's F3H "Demon" and early F-101A "Voodoo" sharing the ramp.

[@jerrymail]

Cool images of the F4H-1. I think it is the BuNo. 142259, the very first F4H-1 to be tested in flight by Robert C. Little.

[@AvengerII]

I think the second Phantom II prototype still exists. It's marked 142260. It's the F-4 airframe that set the ultimate speed record for the type in 1960. It flew over 1700mph, or about Mach 2.62 It's supposed to be part of the San Diego Air & Space Museum collection. It's in storage waiting to be restored for display. I imagine that plane has NOT been worked on for over 40 years now! It's in the island annex location, not the main SDASM building in Balboa Park. The original Phantom II prototype was destroyed during a test flight in 1959. The A-models (45 built) and the second prototype were retired by the mid-1960s. They were never going to be deployed as frontline planes and they were surplus to requirements. They had so many B-models in service and the Navy started receiving J-models by 1968(?).

[@1z1q]

phrom the phat pharm