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What’s It Like To Fly The F-4G Wild Weasel? | Starbaby Pietrucha (Part 1)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ส.ค. 2024
- Former F-4G Wild Weasel EWO, Starbaby Pietrucha shares what it was like going through F-4 training, the role of the Wild Weasel Phantoms, the munitions it could carry, flying in live theatres and much more.
As you can imagine, there are plenty of great stories throughout!
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This book is well worth picking up "F-4 Phantom II Wild Weasel Units in Combat" amzn.to/478i8yH
I worked Weasels at the end of Nam when they flew Thuds (F105s) and used the smaller APR 46. I was an ECM wienie. I have previously worked Buff-Ds and later worked Fs, Gs, and Hs for SAC.
In Nam, the average life expectancy for a Weasel crew from the time of engagement with a SAM3, SAM2, or SAM6 was 10 seconds. You had to defeat the SAM in about 10 seconds or they sent a letter of condolence to your family. They used a variety of tactics and regularly changed them but they were so good that, when the SAM operators realized a Weasel was in the area, they turned off their radar and equipment and went for a pee just in case the Weasel found the unit.
We called that radar suppression and began using it to protect other planes on their missions. We would send teams of Weasels into area to shut down the SAMs so the other planes could safely fly into and through that area and didn't pull the Weasel teams until after the last of our other aircraft were out of the area. Weasels were first in and last out.
The Weasels didn't start flying F4s until after I went to another unit. I also worked ECM on F4Es, A7Ds, and RF4Cs.
A funny side note is that there was actually a Weasel pilot with the rank and name of "Major Catastrophe". I was walking down the hallway to their offices and saw it on his door. Imagine being his EWO in combat. 🙂 That was in 73 at Korat, Thailand.
If you are interested in SAMs.
th-cam.com/video/noYxsLqSMjI/w-d-xo.html
F-4 will always be my favorite jet . I got an incentive ride in an E when I was in Korea . I was at Nellis when they closed George and their jets came to Nellis .
I was a flightline EW tech and worked on the F-4G at Clark AB in the Philippines from 1985-88. The weasel system at that time was the APR-38. We had two F-4 squadrons at Clark, the 3rd TFW and the 90th TFW. The 3rd flew F-4Gs and F-4Es. The 90th flew only F-4Es. I remember all the F-4s in the 3rd having centerline tanks, F-4Gs and F-4Es. The F-4Es in the 90th flew with two wing tanks.
As far as the loadout was concerned, I don't ever remember the F-4Gs carrying anti-aircraft missiles. It was always AGM-78s, AGM-88s, and dumb bombs. The APR-38 could pass on targeting info for bomb toss.
Starbaby is the best, I’ve seen interviews with him which brought me to tears of laughter!
Nice to see Starbaby has a new TH-cam channel.
SD is having a break 😂
He doesn't, he's a good mate of the guy who's been doing it for a few years. 10% true.
"Some air conditioning would have been nice"
😂
Great interview! From a guy who's quiet on the mission he knows how to tell a good story!
If ever a (signed) autobiography from a fighter aviator needed publishing. Starbabys is it! Endless reams of anecdotes, stories and very interesting av-geek factoids. People can't get enough of Starbaby Mike. Brilliant interview lads. (Just dont mention English "cuisine" or Spanish fish guts).
Cheers!
Working on it.
@@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions nice one 👍👍👍
Nice one. Currently building an F-4G kit. ;-)
It was always nice to see a wild weasle overhead. Same for mud bombers ( specially spads ).
1970 - 72
I heard Starbaby mention flying gunnery range missions from George AFB up to China Lake. But I didn't hear him mention Cuddeback AGGR, which was the primary range George AFB aircraft used when I was there from 1975-79. I don't remember any of our birds using China Lake at all.
Note: I'm not saying that they didn't use China Lake, just that I never heard about it, Whenever a squadron was using the range at Cuddeback they would have one of their pilots down on the ground there. And during the down time is when I would sometimes chat with them. There was a tiny dining room up there with a cook and was usually we could talk. Loved working up there. After four years I was PCS'd to the huge aerial gunnery range at Gila Bend, Arizona. Was there a year and then volunteered to go fly with the Hurricane Hunters out of Keesler AFB. Fun times....
What a True Pleasure THIS EWO was to listen to!
Thank You!
Cheers!🎉🇨🇦🍺
تحياتي من المغرب🇲🇦
فيديو كان رائع جدا ومفيد 🙏❤
I worked with A10, F16 & F15 crew chiefs that were former F4E & G model maintainers and they all shared one thing in common. They all admit that the F4 was always their favorite fighter to maintain.
Great Interview!
Turning up amongst more modern platforms in a Phantom must have been like showing up in a 69 Stingray. Everyone glad they have satnav and airbags, but secretly rather be cruising in the Corvette.
What a great interview.
That was bloody excellent!
The competition in the fazes of training was similiar to what we did in the army , just very different subjects.
I was a crew chief on F-4E/G's at George AFB, CA, and Clark AB, PI. When I was at George AFB, I had an EWO who wrote in the aircraft maintenance forms, that the Weasel equipment did not work in the off position.
And he was correct.
I told him that he had to turn on for it to work. I was the assistant crew chief on the Wing Commander's jet. I complained to the Deputy Commander for Maintainance. I asked him how do I correct this problem. He took the forms and wrote something. The DMC and I agreed that the LT need to do some push ups for his stupidity. I asked him what he got his degree in, and he said aeronautical engineering. I said, " Are you sure that you didn't get in music appreciation. One of the other Ewo's was laughing, and I told him that he has a master's degree in music appreciation. The LT said he could do my job better than me. I told him that he wasn't smart enough to do my job. I have stories about your fellow air crew members. I used to call you guys my whiners because they would whiners, "Chief was this."
@@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions I was one of the meanest crew chiefs on the flightline. I was with the 561st AMU from 12/86 to 10/88.
This was a really good watch.
Thanks
So funny I was doing A scheduled inspection with a bore scope on a J79 and had tell the boss we needed to pull the engine he calling me a idiot, there’s no right up from the pilots about the engine and I yell back go Fing look your self he goes my god it’s hurt and tells me sorry lol your right
Great stuff, AI. Thanks very much!
Cheers
I would recommend a smoother intro other than just "when did you become interested in aviation".
Maybe start with introducing them by full name (including the nickname).. And maybe give a quick overview of their accomplishments/career. But then say, "welcome to the show"
-Let them respond-
And then say "so i was thinking we could start off with how you got interested in aviation in the 1st place, and then you can walk us through some of your career".
That would help 'set the scene' before they begin their stories, and would sound like a more natural conversation instead of an interview/interrogation. Otherwise i think you're doing great & ive enjoyed the few videos of yours ive watched so far👍
I graduated in 85. Would have killed to fly f-4 wild weasels!
My German is the same as Starbaby's (then?) wife.
I like this powerful fighters jets
Why did they change the wingtip of the F-15? On the prototype/pre-production model the tips were parallel to the fuselage, whereas on the A-model they're at a 45° angle. What was the reasoning behind this? (I may be wrong, it may have changed between the A and B models.)
As I recall it was a drag / wingtip vortices thing, and it might have happened before the production A Models. But that's before my time.
👌
Did you have Steve Canyon comics in NZ?
No.
@@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions Too bad. They had great stories which were thinly veiled real world.
Could the F-4G carry Shrikes in the Sparrow conformal hardpoints?
No. Shrike is not a Sparrow and is rail-launched.
@@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions Holy crap! Wasn't expecting an "Actual" reply! Hey, sir! AH64D/E CW4(R) , thoroughly enjoyed and respected your Comanche & the Albatross paper!
Was there a command list for the -47 ?
Yes, of course. There was a list of both addresses and commands.
@@StarbabyAirPiracyProductions Do you speak also Polish ?
Not a word
One question, why do Americans call Aerobatics Acrobatics? Acrobatics are done on the ground.
Dad and brother were tanker pilots. They came into Iraq for you? Yeah, thank you tanker guys....
I heard Starbaby mention flying gunnery range missions from George AFB up to China Lake. But I didn't hear him mention Cuddeback AGGR, which was the primary range George AFB aircraft used when I was there from 1975-79. I don't remember any of our birds using China Lake at all.