Why British pilots loved the F-4 Phantom

[@rudyyarbrough5122]

It's funny to hear a story from a British pilot about burning the paint off of an F-4 because the same thing happened to me on my Mach II indoctrination run. I was a 2nd Lieutenant in the USMC and joined an F-4B squadron. McDonnell was awarding Mach II pins to the pilots who broke Mach II in the F-4. I went up to about 30,000 feet and started a slight descent in full afterburner. I watched the airspeed indicator as it climbed toward Mach II. Going through Mach I was not even noticeable and the speed climbed at a pretty good rate. I got to Mach 1.9 and the needle stopped. I pushed the nose over a little more but it would not budge. I was still in afterburner so the fuel burn rate was tremendous and I had to start thinking about getting home. I pulled the power back to cruise and landed disappointed that I had not reached Mach II. The crew chief came over to me as I deplanned and said come look at this. He showed me where all of the paint had burned off of the access door panels and the radome was also blackened. He found out that the air data computer had failed and that is why the speed would not go any higher. They figured that I had probably gone over Mach 2.3 or higher! I got my pin after all! I love that brute of a plane and she always got me home.

[@ostorry]

What a fantastic story, you must wear that pin with pride!

[@skepticalbadger]

Great story, thank you

[@newton18311]

The English Electric Lighting never had that problem, Maybe Inferior paint.

[@donwyoming1936]

We had that problem with the F-111s. They'd come back with all the paint burned off the leading edges. Pilots playing dumb. Oh no. They never went above MACH 2

[@jiceBERG]

She's a beautiful machine. Tough as nails, as big as a bus and and as fast as a nitro dragster

[@hughjass1044]

I don't know how anyone could think it was ugly. I think it's one of the most badass looking combat aircraft ever.

[@Sergiblacklist]

Probably because it was such a new shape for the time fighter's before this where much rounder

[@shupichii9647]

The A10 is the most beautiful aircraft ever built. NOBODY can match flying tank. ;)

[@terraoftime]

@@shupichii9647 i like the A-10 and all but nothing can match the Tomcat for looks.

[@idkmycatiscute]

Personally my favourite is the javelin just because it's got two massive engines either side of the pilot , it's also just big lol

[@BrotherAlpha]

I 100% agreed. Best looking fighter of all time.

[@dondouglass6415]

Great video. I hung out the back of a Herc refueling aircraft while a Phantom was refueled over the Falklands in 1986. I was 24 and shall never forget that experience and the Phantom pilot waving at me as I took a photo.... Memories are made of this... 😊

[@chrisblay]

Apparently the Phantom was in UK service until as late as 1992. That's not bad going.

[@aarashpirzada6751]

I was going to like this , but I can’t ..coz it had the perfect number of likes “69”

[@michaelmazowiecki9195]

F18

[@duartesimoes508]

@@chrisblay I saw RAF Phantoms in the Montijo AFB Tiger Meet in Portugal, in 1987. They were all light grey and from Wattisham, if I remember well. I was told that they were former USN F-4Js. Plus F-111s, F-104S, Mirage F-1, Alpha Jets, F-16, F-15C, Tornadoes, F-4F and our own Fiat G-91 and A-7P, C-130 and P-3. Glorious times indeed...

[@Hattonbank]

Still flying with the Hellenic AF, that’s really good going!

[@jefreagan]

My old man flew the F-4E in South East Asia in 1968-1969. I was just a nipper, but I couldn’t have been more proud. In my life, I have built dozens of F-4E models. The profile, the paint, the beastly brute power of that craft is magnificent. At Williams AFB, my dad took me to the Air Mobile shack on the runway, and when 2 Phantoms took off at after burner, I thought my chest would shake apart. One of a kind.

[@rebreaville9332]

I was lucky to get 1000 hours in F-4E and F-4G Wild Weasel jets. I flew into 1995 at Nellis. In exercises with F-15, F-16 jets, we could stay alive and even get kills but it took a lot of perfect execution. Loved the jet, loved the men I flew with in the 422 TES. Can’t say enough about the maintainers who kept our jets flying.

[@odonovan]

@rebreaville9332, if they had gone along with the Israelis' plan to up-engine the Phantom, you would have walked all over the 15s and 16s. In 1987, the Israeli Phantom used as a testbed had a well over 1:1 power to weight ratio and could supercruise. The US said no to it because there were so many Phantoms still flying, the export market for 15s and 16s would have dried up and McD/D would have been selling nothing but conversion kits. 😄

[@rebreaville9332]

@@odonovan Not only did the Israeli mod come with PW1120 (?) engines, it had a PD radar and other goodies. The USAF did not want more capable F-4s, they wanted them retired. The Phantom was great to fly and fight and I remain very fond of it. As a young guy, it was simply thrilling to walk up to and strap on. The F-15E was in very good way, the mighty son of Phantom and I had time in it as well. Before the F-22, it was the most lethal aircraft in the world. Unreal jet.

[@DoBraveryFPS]

Seeing as you still had the speed, did you feel the F-4 could still compete using hit-n-run tactics?

[@rebreaville9332]

@@DoBraveryFPS Yes. We had a lot of energy and could show up fast, leave fast. Two guys in the plane were worth a lot, Very survivable to the end. We got all aspect Aim 9Ms which gave us point/shoot kill and we were lethal with it.

[@DiceStrike]

@@odonovan The British Proposed F-4L? Would have had a better engine that the Israeli phantom (basically sustaining vertical flight like the electric lightening) would have had been armed with AiM54 missiles

[@russellbateman3392]

I'm nearly 70. I grew up with the dream of flying the F-4 one day. I built models of them as an adolescent. Fortunately, the Paris Treaty was signed in my senior year of high school, but, unfortunately, the need for so many pilots also dried up. Ultimately, I pursued a life very different from the one I had dreamed of. Today, however, there is still no aircraft more beautiful (and yes, badass) to my eyes than an F-4 Phantom II.

[@odonovan]

@russellbateman3392, I was in USAF Officer Training School in late '81. I was on track to be a back seater and was going to try for F-4s, because few people wanted the posting anymore. What they didn't know is that, as the Phantoms were phased out, they were retraining F-4 aircrews (front and back seater staying together as a unit) directly over to the Strike Eagle. If I had done that, when my time came to be able to apply for pilot training (six years after commissioning), I would have an advantage in getting an F-15, since I already had "time in" the airframe. Unfortunately, a medical condition prevented me from realizing my dreams. "Woulda, coulda, shoulda," I guess.

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

What is stopping either of you from booking a flight in one, if they offer commercial flights? Edit: typo

[@alexdarcydestsimon3767]

@@sjonnieplayfull5859 i was about to ask that.

[@MongooseTacticool]

DCS World flight sim will have an F-4E soon, so if you have grandchildren with gaming PC's, you may have a chance :D

[@rael5469]

Myself and my partner were the last Crew Chiefs to work on the B-52D in the background. My name would be in the maintenance log book if they still have it. The pilot who flew it there in 1983 (I think) was a highly experienced Vietnam war Veteran and a great guy. He has since passed away. There is a video of the plane arriving in Duxford with a short interview of Colonel Nerger.

[@capobilotti]

YES, and you've discovered YT in 2021. Now back to watching teletubbies and cockysucky your imaginary partner.

[@SpiritOfMontgomery]

Dude that is insanely cool

[@ラーメンのボス]

@@rael5469 “partner”?

[@rael5469]

@@ラーメンのボス Yes. Partner: "1. either of a pair of people engaged together in the same activity."

[@terryboyer1342]

I heard the son of British F-4 back seater relate a story of when as a child he attended a squadron family party. Pilots often talk disparagingly of back seaters saying they take up space and add weight they rather have as fuel. This particular pilot however took him aside and said back seaters can be very useful. "If I crash in the jungle or desert I can eat him". Love British humor!

[@chrisnizer5702]

The F-4 was proof of the old adage that with a big enough engine anything will fly. Always loved the iconic F-4 Phantom II. Thanks for showing it some love!

[@wreython]

Similar to the automative adage of, "you can't beat cubes"

[@chrisnizer5702]

@@wreython No substitute for cubic inches! Absolutely my friend, Semper Fidelis.

[@inquisitorwalmarius6650]

makes warhammer space marine flyers look less stupid, but only less.

[@jamesalias595]

My first assignment in the US Air Force was to Spangdahelm Germany which had F-4E and F-4G's at the time. The pilots that flew in Nam, especially the wild weasel one's were crazy. One day while working in the office with the widows open on the 2nd floor, I see this F-4 streaking towards the building below the 2nd floor, as he pulls up over the building the roar of the jet engines blew all the papers in the office all over the place.

[@jwingate2060]

As a Crew Chief of some 40 years ago, it was a blast to be part of such history. I used to look at them in the still of hanger maintenance and its profile was very graceful but deadly. Long live the phantom!!!

[@peterwhitaker4038]

i went to an airshow at the old Liverpool airport (now a Marriot Hotel) in late 1970's. A phantom of R.A.F. came in across the river Mersey at such speed and noise with it's wingtips tilted up and it's rear stabilizer wings turned downwards almost counter balancing it. never have i forgotten that aircraft and love to see anything about it today, if anyone says it is ugly,,,,beauty is in the eye of the beholder, i love it to bits

[@danielearley5062]

I remember watching an interview with Capt Eric 'Winkle' Brown about the F4, he was of the opinion that if the Royal Navy had kept the Phantom's, the Argentinian fighter jets would never had made it even halfway to the Falkland islands in 1982. They looked incredible futuristic at the time and even now, still don't look to much out of place 60 years later.

[@Beowulf_DW]

And he would have been right. The Phantoms used by the UK were based on the F-4J used by the USN, which had more advanced radar and fire control than the USAF’s F-4E. If the UK could have used their Phantoms in the Falklands, Argentine pilots would have had to deal with Skyflash missiles fired from beyond visual range, long before the fleet even started seeing them appear over the horizon.

[@johngregory4801]

Winkle Brown knew more about aircraft than almost anyone alive during his career. No doubt he was absolutely correct.

[@grrfy]

yes,but there withdrawal was one of the reasons it did happen then.With the scrapping of Ark Royal RO9 it was pretty obvious it would be a good time to invade.

[@RCAvhstape]

There is a price to be paid for giving up conventional aircraft carriers. The Royal Navy would've been better able to project power with a carrier loaded with Phantoms and Buccaneers, or maybe even Grumman Intruders. The Harrier was and still is a capable aircraft, the US Marines still use them for the time being, but it's limited in fleet defense and bombing capacity.

[@hansulrichboning8551]

Bad luck that HMS Ark Royal was decomissioned shortly before the conflict. A mixture of F4 and Harriers would have given much bigger headache to the Argentinians.

[@blindarcher4962]

Grew up on a Phantom base in Europe 70-90s; nothing like that Phantom roar of freedom. Scout leader was a simulator operator, while other scouts were learning to shoot bows we were shooting AIMs

[@ivyfalls1]

My late father was a career USAF officer and F-4 pilot in Vietnam. 210 missions. I still have the Ace of Spades patch that was given to my father, call sign “Falcon."

[@corysadler405]

The F-4 was by far the loudest of the many jet aircraft that flew in the Hill AFB air show I went to a few years back. Its engines roared a deep growl that shook the earth.

[@johnmorris7815]

As a kid my ATC unit did a summer camp at RAF Wattisham the home of two F4 squadrons, loved the look of the thing, later in 1987 while operating with my first airline I used the same RAF base for a few months, by now the F4 was getting old and the number of emergency recoveries was becoming a problem, she was eventually retired in favour of the Tornado. Much later I became friends with a chap who had flown the air defence variant of the F4, he said at high alpha the roll axis was “a bit iffy” and you mostly had to rudder the ship around like an old ww1 aircraft, he later went on to do exchanges with the USAF flying the F16 and the RAAF and their F18’s. Nice guy, just another A320 driver who would never tell you unless you asked that he was a highly regarded fighter pilot, he unfortunately died a few years back from a brain tumour.

[@barryhumphries4514]

Was your first airline Suckling Airways formerly based out of Ipswich? I was based in ATC at RAF Wattisham at the time!

[@johnmorris7815]

@@barryhumphries4514 yes it was, we used to report at the guard house then us and the passengers were escorted to the VAS. Wow that brings back memories, I left the airline in early 88 to join BMA at EMA, I probably spoke to you quite a bit as we used to call on the way up and back to MAN even before we became residents.

[@ut000bs]

I had a cousin who flew the F-8 Crusader and then the F-4. He flew the F-8 for 2 years and loved that plane but he really loved the Phantom. He talked about it a lot. He skippered an F-4 fighter squadron during Vietnam and retired a captain. You could touch the afterburner on a Phantom and the smoke trail would cease.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

I would argue that the lack of a gun was not what doomed so many a Phantom pilot in Vietnam. It was the unreliability of air to missiles and a general lack of air to air training in the USAF and USN. The USN would never use guns on its Phantoms but score impressive kills again with better air to air training and a better sidewinder missile then the USAF had. Who often had to make do with the useless AIM-4 Phoenix instead. And the USN F8 Crusader squadrons, which did game with 4 guns each, never downed a MiG with their guns either, all missiles. As for the F-4 being ugly, HELL NO! One of the most beautiful aircraft ever produced.

[@bikecommuter24]

I think you meant the Aim 7 Sparrow for the Air Force the Phoenix is actually the AIM 54 and it was only used by the later F14 Tomcat The Aim 4 Falcon was used by the Phantom but that missile was retired in 1963. Not trying to be mean here but just wanted to clear it up, Im a Retired USAF Jet Mechanic worked on A10's and F15C/D and the Aim 7 did failed a lot in Vietnam for the F4 in fact a lot of the time the Pilots would fire off a pair of Aim 7's at a target to get a hit on it. I was just watching a video on it, look up Operation Bolo and Col Robin Olds.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@bikecommuter24 Thanks for the info. I think I got my information from one of the Osprey books. I think the one about Crusader units in the Vietnam war. As they carried the Aim-9D. It did reference Operation Bolo and Colonel Olds.

[@RacerX1971]

But you need guns for closed air combat, missles needed distance

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@RacerX1971 That was what the fighter mafia argued. But in the case of the USN all F-4 MiG kills in the Vietnam war were with missiles. Even after Top Gun was introduced. The Crusader, the socalled last gunfighter which had 4 guns, scored all its kills with sidewinders, if only because its guns had a nasty habit of jamming after intense turns. Even the one kill that a Skyhawk pilot made, and they had guns too, was with an unguided zuni rocket. I think the only gun kills that USN pilots made were from Skyraider pilots. But they probably had the best guns in aircraft at the time and the element of surprise on their hand. The problems with dogfighting in Vietnam were not so much lack of guns but lack of air to air training, very restrictive rules of engagement and inadequate missiles for the job. The AIM-7 Sparrow was of little value and scored very poorly, as did the AIM-4 Phoenix. AIM-9 was the best missile to have, IF you knew how to use them well. Most of the aircraft that did have guns rarely got to use them in a dogfight because they often jammed in a dogfight. There's a reason why the Israeli's opted to have 30mm cannons in their Skyhawks instead of the 20mm that were standard in US versions. As did Singapore. In that sense installing the vulcan gattling style guns in the F4 and A7 were game changers.

[@duartesimoes508]

@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 well written, but the AIM-4 is the _Falcon,_ by far the worse missile of that generation. The _Phoenix_ is an outstanding missile and is designated AIM-54.

[@jimreilly917]

In the early 90s I was at Holloman AFB NM. I remember going to the flight line seeing on one side an entire squad of Phantoms…sporting the Iron Cross. Then one took off…and ratttled every bone in my body. Awesome planes for their day.

[@jamessnyder1175]

My dad worked there in the 1980s as aircraft crew man to T38 trainers. The Iron cross was what the German Air Force used for their Eid weasels trainings during that time.

[@jimreilly917]

@@jamessnyder1175 the Iron Cross is the regular symbol for German Air Force, like the white star in the blue circle with white bars is the USAF symbol. I just think it’s cool that former enemies are now allies, and have been for decades. Plus the Iron Cross just looks badass.😁🍻

[@Atpost334]

Amazing fighter because it crossed the line that very few fighter aircraft have in being used as the primary fighter by the U.S. Navy, Marines and Air Force. It remains the only aircraft to be used by both the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds.

[@nicholasklangos9704]

Good video! I crewed F4E&G for my first 8 years of service, it was a hard aircraft to work and demanded blood, sweat and tears every day and night, but once I knew her I was her master and my jet did things and flew like crazy! I even got a ride in my F4E 740663 before moving to tankers. I went Mach 2.3 and pulled 7.5 +Gs and 4 negative went inverted an did a bunch of barrel rolls and all kinds of tricks over the Mohave Desert it was a kick in the ass!! Have great pictures!! What a jet!!

[@thelostone6981]

I had never heard of that Vietnam story of the F-4 hitching onto a troubled F-4 before! This is why I love museums and I’m glad to see educational videos produced by the fine people at the Imperial War Museum.

[@peatbogg3688]

He didn't hitch on to a troubled F4, he got behind it, the troubled F4 lowered their arrester hook, and he approached until he made contact between the hook and the canopy bow. Then he *pushed* his wingman across the border.

[@dukecraig2402]

​@@peatbogg3688 And he got his ass chewed out for damaging his aircraft in the process of saving the other guys from having to bail out over enemy territory. That's the military.

[@alexsis1778]

There's a pair of pretty similar stories I've read about 2 different KC-135 tanker aircraft saving pilots. The shorter of the two that I don't have a reference for off-hand was when a tanker received a call that an F-4 had taken a missile strike and was rapidly losing fuel. The tanker pilots broke protocol to fly into North Vietnam to meet up with the damaged aircraft and his wingman. Normally when closing the fighters will perform a 180 to drop in behind the tanker while it maintains level flight. In this instance with the tanker flying north and with the damaged F-4 rapidly losing fuel and lacking the control to even perform the maneuver, the tanker performed a loop to form up with the F-4s. While in the midst of this loop the final engine on the F-4 flamed out and it started to lose altitude. The tanker started to dive attempting to mate with the stricken F-4 and eventually managed to mate up while in a 30 degree dive. With the damaged F-4 now attached to the tanker they started transferring fuel in the hopes the F-4 could reignite its engine, but the boom operate quickly canceled the transfer since he could just see the fuel gushing out of the plane. Instead, the tanker decided to lock the fuel probe into the boom and essentially towed the stricken plane out of hostile airspace so the crew could eject over friendly airspace. The second story was told by Walter J. Boyne about a KC-135 which was scheduled to refuel a pair of F-104s. After refueling their assigned targets the tanker received an emergency request from a pair of Navy KA-3 Skywarrior tanker aircraft. One of them had a malfunction which prevented them from utilizing their refuel tanks for their own use and was critically low on fuel. The KC-135 diverted and managed to meet up with the KA-3 when it had less than 3 minutes of fuel remaining. It refueled the first KA-3 and then proceeded to start refueling the wingman. While this was going on a pair of F-8s showed up with one of them having less than 300 pounds of fuel remaining. This critically low F-8 attached to the currently refueling KA-3 which initiated the first tri-level refueling in history. While this was happening the first malfunctioning KA-3 shared its otherwise unusable tank with the F-8's wingman before linking up to refuel from the KC-135 for a second time. Their day not quite over, a pair of Navy F-4s arrived on scene with insufficient fuel to return to their carrier. Now low on fuel themselves the KC-135 crew turned south towards their base in Da Nang and refueled the F-4s while en route. They landed back at base with less than 10,000 pounds of fuel remaining, less than 5% of what they took off with on what was supposed to have been a trip to refuel only a pair of aircraft.

[@jamjardj1974]

@@alexsis1778Remarkable stories.

[@richardmarshall4322]

What she didn't say was the USN F4J she stood by for most of the programme was one of 16 F4Js supplied to Britain to plug a gap in the UK air defence as the Lightning was being phased out. 74 Squadron at RAF Wattisham in Suffolk opperated them from 1984 to 93. I was stationed there from 84 to 87. Remember them well, they were painted a pale blue rather than air defence grey.

[@Snake-ms7sj]

The reason the Lightnings were being replaced was not because of thier performance, which was impressive, but because they had very short range.

[@mylovelybeard]

Thumbs down I'm afraid, range is performance.@@Snake-ms7sj

[@mylovelybeard]

Gave you a super thumbs up, I think it was 15 airframes if I recall correctly. And I'm not sure what the decision for their purchase was (beyond the natural Tory " . . they're cheap . . "). It was probably Lightning as you say plus Tornado delays plus over-commitment to Stanley/MPA by the overall Phantom force. Never really thought of them as being blue, just looked grey to me - but then Needham and Stow were grey a lot of the time too. But I was stuck in Commcen, so I didn't get to love them as much as I'd have liked to. In fairness, whilst at Coltishall, I never saw the hastily painted Op Granby Jags as pink . . . hope that helps.

[@richardvernon317]

@richardmarshall4322 The f-4J(UK)'s were procured because of the requirement to put Phantoms on the Falklands. The RAF had to have a set number of fighters to met NATO commitments. The only reason that the Lightning was in service past 1976 was there were not enough Phantom's in the British Inventory to met those commitments, plus hold a servicing and big enough attrition reserve until the Tornado ADV entered service. Had the RAF and Royal Navy not cancelled their final orders for the Phantom in 1968 (32 FGR2's and an option for 7 FG1's) there would have been more than enough Phantoms to replace all of the Lightnings in 1976 when the Jaguar replaced the Phantom in the ground attack role).

[@colingraham1065]

Some years ago I was lucky enough to witness close up four phantoms in a pack do a full Nato scramble take off (full afterburners) after close of play at the IAT at Boscombe Down. The sheer noise asaulted all the senses turned up to 11. Awsome!

[@christophers7753]

Oh yeah, the noise, I can easily imagine, I experienced ANG Phantoms roaring blasting out of the Reno airport on very cold spring day in the early eighties

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

I grew up near Volkel airforce base here in the Netherlands. As a teen in the 80's we would often go to watch the aircraft take off and land. That was the time when the RNLAF transitioned from the F-104 to the F-16. And the F-104 has the same glorious engine as the Phantom. Great sound. And occasionally, if we were lucky we got to see some Phantoms from other NATO countries too. I remember hearing that there were Phantoms on the base got us going there.

[@thekinginyellow1744]

And believe it or not, swing and mid shift maintenance personnel learned to sleep through that. :)

[@christopheripad477]

It wasn’t just the pilots, engineers loved them too. My father was Royal Navy working on Phantoms and hated the move from ‘real’ aircraft carriers to the new and improved through deck cruisers that carried the Harriers.

[@robertnelson3179]

Thanks for the look back I was a Mech in the USMC and worked on them until my last year in when they went to F18. Awesome bird to see and work on.

[@trespire]

Was a structural technician on IAF Kurnass (Es) & RF. Still miss working on them on the B-Check. A true work horse. Long live Spook

[@justincase5272]

Posing right in front of my favorite aircraft, the one I flew. :) The Phantom was THE coolest fighter of the 1960s.

[@chiefsilverback]

We visited the museum this year whist on a trip to the UK and we had a great time. My boys kept asking if we were going to go back but unfortunately our itinerary didn't allow for it. We were there on a slightly wet Monday in early July and not only were there relatively low visitor numbers we also got to enjoy a Spitfire and a P51 flying laps and putting on a bit of a show for us. If you find yourself in the vicinity it is well worth a visit, or two..

[@BooklessT]

As an Air cadet in the late sixties, we went to RAF Alconbury, home to the USAF Phantoms. We were all politely stood around the ladders while the American officer told us about the aeroplane. He then made the mistake of saying "If anyone would like to sit.....". I never heard the rest as he was trampled to the ground by thirty 14/15 year olds in blue. The F4 has always been one of my favourite aircraft. It just looks like it will do the business, whatever it is.

[@Turboy65]

Most of the distinctive features of the F-4 were engineering solutions to problems. The Phantom had many such design compromises but had such a robust design, and enough power, that it overcame its own limitations and became a legend.

[@johnshields6852]

My uncle piloted the F4 phantom in Vietnam when I was a kid, I was in awe. God bless America.🇺🇸🙏

[@timgosling6189]

Just to note that the F-100 and A-4 were the first Weasel platforms, followed by the fine work of the F-105 Thud. F-4 variants were initially unsuccessful but eventually came good as the Wild Weasel IV. I was down in the Falklands, doing AAR for 'Phandet', and they were impressive aircraft. We would have sent them to Gulf War I but it was politically unacceptable not to send the new F3 Tornados, regardless of which would have been the more capable choice...

[@petesheppard1709]

The F-105F carried the Weasel load over Vietnam; Phantoms only came in at the very end.

[@Twirlyhead]

@@petesheppard1709 That's what he said 🙄

[@petesheppard1709]

@@Twirlyhead'Fine work' is accurate, but IMO understated what was accomplished by the F-105Fs, especially given their very heavy losses.

[@michaeld5888]

Interesting having heard pilots refer to the Tornadoes as a politicians aircraft. I clearly remember a Tornado pilot describing with absolutely no shame felt or doubt how he would immediately depart the area rapidly if a Mig 29 appeared anywhere in the vicinity.

[@petesheppard1709]

@@michaeld5888Smart. The Tornado was in no way a dogfighter. It was designed as a low level light bomber, with the mission of intercepting heavy strategic bombers kluged on as an afterthought.

[@terr0rwolf]

Thank you for this portrait, as a long time phan of this aircraft, it covers a lot of stuff very well! Long live the Phantom!

[@maverick1685]

I really enjoy these videos but I also enjoy reading the commentary from all the former Pilots & Service Personnel too. Thank you one and all for your Military Service. Cheers!

[@rf4c1018]

I've never seen a brick fly 1,600 MPH. I was an Air Force F-4 crew chief and it was a Fabulous Phantom.

[@Spothface]

Hi Ya Bud. I was a Crew Chief on F4 C and the D model. When I hear someone say that will be the day when Pigs Fly I always laugh say that day has already passed, my Pig flew great !! My last two years was at Hill on the first F16 combat wing the 388th. Fault codes to tell you whats wrong made my job fairly easy. You had to be a real Jet Mechanic to work the Pigs.

[@IndyCarFanatic]

1:50 The man on the right is Col. Robin Olds USAF. One of the best American fighter pilots. Absolute legend.

[@slartibartfast5800]

According to Bob Hope "the biggest distributor of MiG parts in south east Asia".

[@rmyrvold]

Col. Olds did an engagement in one of my BAK-12 barriers in 1968 at Bien Hoa AB Vietnam. I was only 20 years old at the time and now I'm 75.

[@presidentoxford]

They arrived at Amberly, QLD early 1970 ( Not Ringo's song ) as a stopgap for F111 delayed delivery. I lived 3 miles west of the base & they were always flying. As then & now they were rocket powered trucks. What's amazing is MD then produced the F15 which needs no superlatives.

[@KernowekTim]

A legendary machine. Thank you Emily, you always provide us with excellent information, presented in an extremely clear and engaging format, for newcomers and 'old-timers' alike: like me.

[@derin111]

I always find it amazing that aircraft of this performance and sophistication were already designed and in action so relatively soon after WW2. Imagine the havoc what amazing jets like this and their ordinance could wreck if they were available to one side or the other just a relatively few years before!

[@dogsbodyish8403]

My thoughts too - but, as weapons get more and more sophisticated and capable, they also get a lot more expensive. I somehow doubt that a few Phantoms (even fewer than The Few) would have been much good against hoards of German bombers during the Battle of Britain...

[@derin111]

@@mikespencer4922 Sorry! I never knew that despite getting a Grade A in both my English Language and Literature O-Levels in 1977. I always thought it was "to wreck havoc"...which sounds more logical but is evidently wrong! Haha...even at 60 years old you learn something new every day! Thanks!

[@inquisitorwalmarius6650]

the jet race really started to go fast in late 44 and early 45. after getting their hand on the german research(ers) it started to go really quick. also because the nations was more than willing to splurge to get the upper hand with the new looming threat of the soviet in the late 40's. some already worked many plans up against them while they where allies. as turncoats cant be trusted when the common enemy is defeated. even Paton (I think it was( many got different opinions of the man but he was kinda right in his assesment in some ways)) said it would have been better to work with the germans against the russians than experience the cold war, as you could debate and actually relate better with the germans than the soviets. I may sound dumm to some but i did read a lot of history when i was a bit younger, and this note i found a bit peculiar. but as time progress, i see more and more what he meant. we where better suited to tackle the germans in a political and general way than how we could with soviet at any day. also to anyone pointing to the nazis and the holocaus. look up how many and how the societ killed in the name of the union. i rather be without either to be honest buuuuut history is history, and those who dare to correct it in a narratives interest instead of bringiing out the truth can go suck on the arse of the dead Lenin in Mosqau. I am open for debate but dont strawman me, i want to learn not be brainwashed or led astray. sorry OP but i went on a side rant. but i felt it intrinsic to the history of the jet race.

[@Tuhoeterra]

still blows my mind that centurion was the answer to the heavy tanks of Nazi Germany.

[@Kspat2]

The F4 and A6 Intruders were always my favorite models to build

[@robd3747]

Growing up near MIramar NAS in the 1970's Phantoms were a common sight. Even saw the Blue Angels perform in Phantoms!

[@brucebourgoin6834]

I worked on the E model for four years and loved every minute of it.

[@PaulabJohnson]

What an iconic aircraft and a great video. Thanks!

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

I used to watch them doing touch and goes in the evening at MacDill AFB. I never got tired of the roar or the sight of the afterburners.

[@DavidEVogel]

The first time that I saw USAF Thunderbirds they were flying the F-4 Phantom. At low altitudes the F-4 sounded as loud as a freight train. Impressive.

[@Sturminfantrist]

when i was a Boy/teen there wasnt a need to go to airshows we had our "airshows" every autumn during the big manouvres between Weservalley and Solling regiion near the east german Border, they came in alone, in pairs sometimes up to four Planes often at treetop level, sometimes the flew dogfights between the 60s and late 70s with all sorts of Planes F-104G, Hunters (not sure if Belgium or British) , Buccaneers, F-4/RF-4/FGR (RAF, Luftwaffe and USAF), Jaguars, Mirages, and all sorts of Helos, Transportplanes, on the Roads, Fields and forrests all the Tanks, APCs and Trucks, it was like a warzone . It wasnt impressive especialy at treetop level it was breathtaking! btw, Two F-4 crashed during the manouvres near my Hometown one F-4D (USAF) went down at a hill of the Solling Forrest and a RAF FGR Phantom only few kilometer away in Höxter region

[@HCH944]

@@Sturminfantrist I experienced that crash of the FGR2 live on the radio.... Never in my 38 years of service I heard again a flight lead freaking out like that about loosing his wingman.....was cruel...... If I remember right it must have been around 1977.....

[@Sturminfantrist]

@@HCH944 yes was in mid or late 70s , if i remember right in both cases the Crews couldnt eject, heard the FGR was to slow in a Curve and stalled but iam not 100% sure. terrible story RIP both Crews ! Served at a Naval airbase/Base defense early 80s luckly we had no crashes

[@HCH944]

@@Sturminfantrist I don`t know the reason of that crash and I never tried to investigate..... The FGR2`s had been on a low level-sweep.....searching for air targets...... Was in a designated low flying area- forgot he number- so they were allowed to go down to 250ft !!!!!!!! At that height you do not survive the slightest mistake...... Got some hours on an A-jet and believe me...at that height the trees are f*cking tall and close to your ass!!!!!!!!

[@Sturminfantrist]

@@HCH944 Thank you very much for the info.

[@duanelavely5481]

I was a Weapons Control Systems technician & operator on the F-4 C, D, & E. My 1st combat assignment was to the 12th TFW @ Cam Ranh Bay, S. Viet. I arrived during the 1st Tet Offensive & departed during the 2nd Tet. In between, I was sent to Teague, S. Korea as part of Operation Combat Fox. One of the 4 squadrons of F-4's at Cam Ranh was sent to S. Korea as part of this classified mission in response to the hi-jacking of the USS Pueblo spy ship by N. Korea. Upon being relieved by the Ca. Air National Guard, we returned to Viet. a handful at a time. It was up to us individually to find military or civilian transportation back. My group of about 6 men managed to obtain a flight from S. Korea to Tokyo via an Air America (CIA) corp. jet. We stayed at the Tokyo Hilton until we were out of money & then caught a ride to Phu Kat on a C-141. Phu Kat was under attack so we had to wait a couple of hrs. before making our final hop back to Cam Ranh. Stateside I was fortunate to see the Navy Blue angles perform in F-4's.

[@bobapbob5812]

I served in an F4D squadron in the Philippines; 523 Tac Ftr Sq. The F4D had a mounted Gatling gun as a stop gap for the F4E.

[@KI.765]

It's amazing this plane from the late 50s is still somewhat competitive even today. Some designs are just so solid and reliable you just cant get rid of them

[@henryhodgens4312]

I might be mistaken but I believe the F-4's J-79 engine was the first to have a sophisticated afterburner lighting off in segments...big difference from the F-3H Demon's roar, silence, then KABOOM. I used to live only a few miles from Boca Chica NAS, Key West, FL back when the Navy transitioned from the F-3 to the F-4.

[@b.griffin317]

Shoutout to Duxford for being one of the best parts of my UK visit last year.

[@John-pn4rt]

12:55 F4s also served in Germany in the air defence role from 1977 when 19 and 92 squadrons replaced their Lightnings at Gutersloh with Phantoms at Wildenrath.

[@jamesscullion3162]

And accidentally shot down an RAF Sepecat Jaguar when the phantom pilot forgot he was flying a fully armed QRA bird and fired a missile instead of triggering a seeker head

[@dufushead]

You brought back lots of memories, including lots of books about aircraft I bought second hand for my kids when they were small. They're probably in the garage somewhere. The kids are still here too, but in their 30's.

[@slartibartfast5800]

Minor thing but the "F86 Super Sabre" pictured was an F86 Sabre. The Super Sabre was the F100, an entirely different aircraft.

[@TheRealWindlePoons]

In the early '70s phantoms were based at RAF Conningsby. I was at school at nearby Boston and in the air cadets. I still remember an evening visit to Conningsby, standing in the control tower witnessing phantoms on afterburn taking off for a dusk sortie. Even in the sound-proofed tower these things were *loud* . We had a technical hanger tour and I got to sit in the cockpit. I didn't join the RAF after school but became an engineer and went on to work in aerospace both military and commercial.

[@pittsky]

Excellent. My 2 favourite planes are the F-4 Phantom and the F-14 Tom Cat.

[@thelostone6981]

Two very good choices. For me, I’d place a couple of WWII planes at the top; the P-51 Mustang and B-17. As a Yank,and as the grandson of a B-17 radio man that flew over Germany, those two just speak to me.

[@davericketts9101]

I remember in the early 1970s, going to Yeovilton Air Display, with my father. This was in the days when aircraft were allowed to fly directly over the crowd and the opening of the display, was a large formation of Phantoms, flying from behind the crowd, low over the airfield, then going into a steep climb, on full afterburn. The Tannoy system had just failed, so we had no warning. The result was a collective gasp, some children screaming, followed by a huge cheer. I went on to join the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy in 1975. Sadly, there are no such recruitment incentives for teenage boys or girls these days.

[@BionicRusty]

Love Emily’s presentation of these videos. She tells the story so well. Great video. One of my most prized childhood poster planes.

[@Eric-s4l4f]

The F4 was my childhood favorite fighter. I would enjoy a conversation with this young Lady.

[@BeatPoet67]

I lived near RAF Lossiemouth as a kid and would see Phantom's on a regular basis, along with Buccaneer's, Gannet's, Shackleton's (I can still hear the comforting drone of their engines), Jaguars and Sea Kings. But I loved the Phantom. The last time I saw one flying is when two Luftwaffe one's passed directly over my school playground in Aberlour (not far from Lossiemouth) in the early 80's at about 300 feet, trailing sooty black smoke trails. They were beautiful beasts. I also saw a Luftwaffe Starfighter the same day (what a plane!). There were so many flights at Lossiemouth then. When I go back now, I'm lucky to hear one every other day.

[@qq-uh2mx]

I have relatives who flew the F-4 Phantom in the Vietnam War and after the war. The F-4 Phantom is one hell of a demon to be reckoned with in battle. The same wonderful company that built the A/B-26, C-47, AC-47 and other fine aircraft from St Louis. The F-4 Phantom is nicknamed the St Louis SLUGER. I like the F-4 Phantom a lot, even though you grew up with the J-35 Draken, A/J-37, J/A-37 Viggen and saab 105 or sk-60.

[@JD-tn5lz]

I still remember being on the receiving end of a mock attack run while I was at 29Palms. Big ol' F-4 Phantoms rolled in, USMC pilots, and to this day I still see the grin of the lead pilot. USMC close air support, nothing and nobody better. Marine pilots always remembered they were Marines first, pilots second.

[@glynnwadeson5605]

Strangely enough, as a sixth former, just prior to going to university in 1968, walking in the fens, near the Wash training ranges, in Eastern UK with some classmates , we were mock attacked by a US Phantom and all dived to earth! Just had a glimpse of a smiling pilot ! A local farmer told us the US air force used the Wash for training at the time.

[@ÆthelwulfOfNordHymbraLand2333]

In that case any air force pilot could say they're soldiers first and pilots second.

[@bigtoad45]

1982 I was onboard the USS Midway CV-41 and we flew Phantoms. Newer aircraft were available at the time but our Phantoms carried on for a while longer. They were a good plane.

[@carlosspiceyweiner3305]

My brother flew the F-8 and called the F-4 the “the station wagon”. There was quite the rivalry between the two.

[@MrCox2121]

Great video. My dad flew the F-4C/D/E, including a tour in Thailand during the war. Growing up on F4 bases around the world was an adventure.

[@tim_davidson6344]

The US Air Force addressed the lack-of-guns shortcoming on their F-4C and F-4D variants by developing the SUU-16A 20mm gun pod and mounted it on the center-line hard-point. The USAF would later configure its F-4E variant with an internally mounted 20mm gun. Additionally, the US Navy developed their own Mk4 20mm gun pod.

[@duartesimoes508]

The SUU-16A was not the solution for air to air combat. It had great weight, great drag, great load factor and was very innacurate. Coronel Robin Olds, for example, strictly forbade his pilots to seek combat against the Migs just because they had the SUU installed because he knew they would have no chances. It was effective for ground straffing only. The F-4E was a different matter, its built in M-61 was fully effective. Still, the F-4 always had a hard time dogfighting a Mig-17. It hadn't been conceived to do so.

[@irvan36mm]

Lived near NAS Oceana in Va Beach during the ‘70’s. All you heard were Phantoms, Skyhawks Intruders and Corsair II’s- day and night. Never got tired of them

[@paulturner9765]

I was on duty in approach control at RAF Shawbury in March 1970. We were handed over a PAN PAN from Uxbridge. A Royal Navy F4 had had a double flame out and was over Shrewsbury. The ops procedure said the pilot should have ejected. However to his credit, he realised that an out of control F4 over an urban area would be a disaster. With great skill by the pilot and approach controller, a flamed out controlled descent was carried out successfully. I went into local control in the tower to watch the landing, no hydraulics. A barrier engagement at 180 knots was spectacular!

[@uranus.tlatoani]

A narration without heart, I feel like in the school, with a boring teacher, the F-4 is beloved, can't you find a Pilot to make a most entertaining, hearthbreaking narrative

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

Great aircraft. Sounded incredible when fitted with two Spey engines. Definitely old smokey. They were designed to never have a major servicing. When the hours got that high, they were scrapped

[@peterrollinson-lorimer]

Excellent video, short, concise and well researched. The key to these docs for me is the style of the narrator, and I am very impressed. Thank you.

[@tommissouri4871]

13:14 - I haven't been there in a very long time. Of course, there were few of the F-4 there and mostly F-15 and F-18. Those were the days. I was working on some F-4 documentation and went out to the plant for some things I needed to do on an AC. I dropped into the backseat of one and couldn't see out over the sides. One of the guys there laughed and told me normally I'd be sitting on a parachute.

[@Russ1963]

I worked on F-4s in 1983 and 1984 at George Air Force base California when I was 19 &20 years old. I had a great time

[@rocketrudolf3854]

I built models of this plane as a kid, great memories,I thought it was a cool Looking plane myself.

[@odonovan]

13:15 - BZZZZZT! WRONG! But thanks for playing. That's a Convair F-106 Delta Dart. BTW, it was fun being on MacDill AFB (Tampa, FL, USA), when they had Phantoms stationed there. A pair of them would fly over the base exchange (retail store), and the alarms on all the cars would go off at once. Those fuggers were LOUD. Many of the pilots and their families had bumper stickers which said, "Jet noise, the sound of freedom."

[@tango-1vs9]

British pilots love F4, American pilots love F4, Turkish pilots love F4, everyone loves F4!

[@TimBarnett-pl9kd]

My brother was F-4 fighter plane captain on Enterprise aircraft carrier during VN! He loves this plane!

[@abitofapickle6255]

The Phantom and Thunderchief are probably one of the coolest American jets ever made. The gun cam footage the museum posted are actually from F-105's getting mig kills.

[@HackyMoto]

In the mid 80’s, I was taking off from RAF Coningsby in a prop trainer. We were passing through 2,000ft when we were passed by two US Phantoms on our starboard side. They passed so close that we could easily see the pilot of the lead aircraft who gave us the Queen’s Regal Wave before heading into the clouds. It was watching the Phantoms of 111 squadron (and the English Electric Lightnings) that flew regularly around our home near RAF Leuchars that instilled in me the desire to be a pilot. Never ever got to fly in that beautiful bird.

[@davidellis2021]

The fuselage is mostly made of aluminium not titanium. The only mostly titanium aircraft is the SR-71.

[@trespire]

Yup, 2024 T4 if I recall. The only titanum were the hot pannels on the tail, inboard parts of the horizontal stabalizers and the arrestor hook.

[@martinconnelly1473]

@@trespire I have a feeling parts of the BLC ducting were titanium.

[@trespire]

@@martinconnelly1473 That would make sense. As a structural technician, my focus and experience was with the airframe structure. Repairs to the hot pannels and horizontal stabalizer were very frequent.

[@barrytipton1179]

Yes just the bit aft of the afterburners was titanium

[@aidanburford1841]

That’s my Dad at 5 minutes in. Thanks IWM, what a treat

[@0159ralph]

It's too bad the F 4 wasn't used during the Falklands conflict. I know the Brits had success with the Harriers, but the Phantom would have given Argentina more grief during the shooting war. I know the UK an angled deck carrier several years before the conflict and operated the Phantom's from its flight deck. It may have made a huge difference during the war and ship losses for the RN wouldn't have been that bad.

[@jonathanmimnagh8956]

I've often thought that would be a good :"what if", the RN Phnatoms and a full Size carrier group with buccaneers etc, plus also the gannet as AEW. AEW would likely have saved several ships and cost the enemy more aircraft, as all to often the enemy were intercepted after bomb runs rather than when inbound. The Duxford F4 seen is an F4S, an updated F4J. I seem to recall the UK acquiring some F4J for Phandet which were called F4J(UK)???

[@woodrow60]

Perhaps Argentina would not have invaded the Falklands if the UK had retained that big carrier-phantom capability in the 1980s.

[@grrfy]

Ark Royal RO9 scrapped 79,Falklands 82, It seemed to work well for a while, then a perfect oppotunity for The Argentine forces presented itself. .@@woodrow60

[@StewartWalker-hy1eo]

The cat & trap ( catobar) carrier would have been a disaster during the Falklands war because of the weather

[@richardvernon317]

@@jonathanmimnagh8956 The Phantom in the US Air Museum is one of the 15 Ex USN aircraft operated by the RAF and is a F-4J(UK) repainted in USN markings.

[@firesail6707]

That was very well done. Happy to have found the channel.

[@cageordie]

Like many people who watched Sailor, which needs its original Pink Floyd soundtrack back on the Vieques episode, the RN Phantoms and Buccaneers are some of my favorite aircraft.

[@MasterCheeks-2552]

bucc, bucc, bucc

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

If you already don't know it, there's a youtube channel called super8 rescue. The guy digitizes old super8 cine films. But he served on Ark Royal, and he has TONS of footage of Phantoms and Buccs taking off and landing on Ark Royal. Filmed by the actual sailors themselves.

[@mpol701]

Gf uncle gave me a sepia air to air photo of him and others in formation, he was flying xv407 at the time, lovely photo treasured

[@barniem3148]

Little mistake at 13:15 I noticed - that's a delta winged F-106 "Delta Dart", not a Phantom. Otherwise a great video!

[@01Sassoon]

The McDonnell Douglas F4 was proof, that if you strap a large enough engine on a brick, you can make anything fly ;) A piece of history, and fantastic combat record. Superb, beautiful, aircraft.

[@BrianHensley-jz1bj]

I was the son of a retired service man who set up in Southern California and on the weekends we would go to El Toro Marine base for stapes. When my parents shopped we would park at the parking lot closest to where they would take off from, if they were flying that day. Absolutely loved watching them take off or fly over our house thru the seventies.

[@shadeburst]

Phantom Over Vietnam, John Trotti USMC, cover notes: "If you stop for a moment and imagine the wildest, fire-breathingest, farthest-out thing in the world,, and then let your imagination out one more notch, you've got it indexed. It was a healthy Phantom hauling buckets into its element... coming off the catapult where it'd gone from zero to one-eighty in two and a half seconds. The word for it is awesome."

[@thepaperboy9009]

Thank you for this lovely documentary presentation. What happened to the color at 10:18? Looks like v-log without a LUT or color profile applied.

[@Seminal_Ideas]

12:22 The British selection of the Phantom was not based on the cancellation of TSR2 but on the cancellation of the P1154.

[@thekinginyellow1744]

or both since the F4 essentially fulfilled both roles. Still, I think the world would have been a better place had the TSR2 and the Avro Arrow - which was cancelled for similar reasons - be pursued to completion

[@geoffc3191]

I think the F111 was also part of that political order/cancel/order/cancel kerfuffle

[@newton18311]

The Cancelation of the superior TSR2 was Political a sellout by Wilson.

[@stephenpage-murray7226]

@@thekinginyellow1744 TSR-2 had many problems and limited range etc

[@richardvernon317]

@@newton18311 Complete Bullshite I'm afraid. TSR2 had eaten up all of the R&D Budget set aside to develop the aircraft and was burning through all of the funding allocated to build the production aircraft. The RAF Engineering boys at CSDE had an absolute fit when they got their hands on the prototype notes for the aircraft due to all of the design flaws in the aircraft and the RAF;s Operational Requirements Branch had also crunched all of the figures that BAC had given them and they had found that the aircraft was totally incapable of meeting the RAF's operational Requirement. It was badly overweight, couldn't met the Speed, Altitude, Range or short runway requirements. The Nav Attack system didn't work in trial aircraft as the Computers in it were nowhere near powerful enough in speed or memory. Plus the Forward looking Radar didn't have definition required to find the targets it was suppose to be able to find. Engines were also nowhere near having the major issues with them being fixed. The RAF told Wilson to kill it and buy the F-111.

[@UriahHeep100]

Breathtakingly, Stunningly Beautiful!! No other Aircraft comes close!!

[@NesconProductions]

Though long retired from service with the US forces & RAF the F-4 Phantom remains in active service in several other countries. If operators so choose the addition of a newer ASEA radar these aircraft could still be a very useful asset on the modern battlefield (a WSO & targeting pods greatly increase capabilities). See Ukraine as a country that could use such a platform much how they deploy their surviving Su-24's, but would have a markedly better air-to-air capability.

[@clevlandblock]

Nicely done video here...concise, nicely paced, fun to watch. I have lifetime memories from Blue Angels F4 demonstrations in the 70s.

[@davidcroucher1399]

Very good vid bar the bit mentioning the F86- it is the original sabre. The f100 is the super sabre with much higher performance! Plus Vulcan 20mm cannon not machine gun... Much more destructive. It was the only plane to have a confirmed supersonic gun kill at the time.

[@toomanyuserids]

The F-100 had internal 20mm guns, not a Vulcan. It was a notoriously dangerous plane to learn to fly.

[@shokomiya6004]

great vid and great to hear from BR, same in Japan we used F-4EJ till 2021, really good aircraft.

[@mario3804]

I love the Brits loving our planes, they love our helicopters too. It was awesome to see Brits purchasing Apaches but I do love the Puma and the Tornado so we have mutual respect and admiration for each other equipment.

[@barracuda7018]

I am Turkish, our pilots love the good old Phantoms more than F-16 's..😂...There must be a reason for this...

[@fergystuff]

Never forget, when i was a young one there was a Phantom on display at the Iowa State Fair, it was huge...and I always wondered how they got it there and back from the airport.

[@charlieohalloran02]

I'm not sure all British pilots loved the phantom. My grandfather, who had flown hunters and lightnings beforehand, has nothing good to say about it. Personally, I reckon it was because he had a wso in the back telling him what to do.

[@n2uid01]

If he flew the EE Lightning anything else was passe!

[@moltderenou]

@@n2uid01 I thought the EE flew you

[@jtidsskids]

Oi! he had a navigator in the back.

[@danielfield2570]

Brilliant every video from IWM is fantastic, thoroughly enjoyable.