I was born in 70, my father was an engineer at MDC. I’ve always wondered if my rabid love for the F-4 was brand loyalty, or just because it’s so damn cool.
I spent 4 years in as a plane captain and Aviation Machinist's Mate in two US Navy F-4 squadrons in the late 1970's. Allow me to supplement. The splitter vane is there to reduce the flow of air into the engine inlet at supersonic speeds. The GE J79 or any other turbojet engines will flame out if the air enters the engine at supersonic speeds. The splitter vane will move out as the aircraft approaches transonic speed, stay out during supersonic flight and move back into open position below supersonic speed as shown in the video. You'll notice that the splitter vane has hinges on it. It is for this purpose. Thank you for bringing back memories of my youth.
When sitting in the back seat you can watch the ramps move out as your speed increases to mach 2. Also, you can observe the shockwave which appears as a line right ahead of the intake and watch it. What you don’t want to see is the shockwave disappear that means a compressor stall because the engine can’t handle supersonic air. Slow down and restart the engine and all is good.
I was an aviation electrician on the Phantom for VF-102 Diamondbacks out of Oceana, and also did some brown shirt- plane captain duty. My favorite was to be beside the Phantoms at night on the cat shots! Nothing like that raw, pure, power!!
The funny thing about the gun, the original design actually DID call for a gun, but it was removed on the assumption that future air to air combat would exclusively involve missiles.
@@thedubstepaddict3675 The F-4E was the first phantom to have an internal gun. It also had a transistorized radar while the C and D models had Large vacuum tubes. The APQ-120 radar in the E model was smaller and lighter due to the transistors replacing the vacuum tubes.
I was an Aviation Ordinanceman in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. The F4 Phantom is my favorite. Much like the UH-1 Huey and it’s distinctive sound so too the Phantom and those J-79’s produce its own distinctive sound.
I guarded F4's at Clark AFB just before Mt Pinatubo erupted. It was such a privilege to do so before they were phased out. Awesome aircraft and incredible piece of history.
I was in Manila during the Cory Aquino coup attempt. Who was responsible for flying two F 4's at just above the buildings in Manila ? I was walking on United Nations Blvd when the jets ripped over head. Ever person on the street, including me, fell on our stomach in fear. We thought the world had ended.
I enlisted in the USAF in 1981 as an Aircraft Armament Systems Specialist. My first Aircraft was the F-4E at Hahn Air Base Germany. We transitioned to F-16's (Block 15). I was lucky enough to be Stationed at a Test squadron. Where I also worked other various models (C,D,F,G,J, RF and British)of the Phantom. I also worked various other aircraft from Navy, Marines, Foreign countries. A6, A7, A10, AV8, B57 ( Canberra), F5, F8, F14, F15, F16, F18, F20, F106, F111, F117,,YF22, YF23, Jaguar, Tornado and Mirage even a few unmentionables. We were mainly Weapons Testing. When they made the QF-4 Drones it about broke my heart.
@@Frankie5Angels150 Underpowered? LMFAO. There is a HUGE difference between the problematic P&W-TF30 powered F-14A and the powerful-reliable GE-F110 powered F-14D Super Tomcat. The Super Tomcat Was NO-WAY underpowered. As for your ROE, that was during peace time engagements. Had there been a full blown war against the Soviet Union you bet there would be no Visual I.D.ing going on. But that kind of war never happened so the Phoenix never got a fair chance. But I do agree, the F-14 was mainly hype, because although on paper, in theory, and as advertised, it could carry a ton a weight in weapons (thanks to the powerful F110 engines) in the strike roll (Bombcat) but in practicality there was no place to put it. Hard points are at a premium on the Tomcat. And it usually only carrried four 2k lb bombs. That's a lot of airplane for 4 bombs. Also it was very expensive to operate and a maintenance hog.
When I was commissioned in 1978 my first assignment was to Nellis AFB, Nevada. World-wide, every thing fighter was mainly F-4s. The F-15 had started delivery 3 years before and the C and D models wouldn't start delivery until the following year. The F-16s had started rolling off the assembly line. The wing at Hill AFB transitioned from F-4s to F-16s and then the tenant 474TFW at Nellis AFB transitioned. Nellis was great because practically everything in the flying inventory was there or passed through there, including Navy fighter and attack planes flying from California that came to play at Red Flag exercises. The Aggressors were F-5s I saw the last two Tennessee ANG F-100 Super Sabers pass through on their way to the boneyard at DM. After two years, I went to Kunsan AFB, Korea and after a year of F-4s the 8 TFW transitioned to F-16s. The Koreans flew a squadron of F-86 Sabers at Kunsan. F-86, F-100, F-105, F-111, F-117, F-4, F-5, A-7, F-14, F-15, F-16, British Buccaneers. I was in the Air Force at a very good time. I loved the Air Force but every Airman gets only a slice of a very long loaf.
Kudos to you Sir! I was on three carriers with F-4's as the Fleet Fighters at the same time. We had 10 different airframes on board not even counting Tomcats because they weren't in abundance yet!!
I was an assistant crew chief on F-4D. I worked on the flight line. 66-7605 was my bird. I was assigned to the 184th TFG from 83-87. Enjoyed it. Nothing was more funner than running them them on the trim pad after rebuilding the throttle quadrants. P.s. little red indicator popped up on your wing indicates your wings tips are not locked down. So you can fold them for congestive parking.
Somewhere I have pictures of your Phantom along with 66-7553 , 66- 7694, both of the tripple 6's before they crashed( I think one crashed and the other burned on the ramp , can't remember ) , and 66- 0298 , several others that are escaping my mind at the moment . Including the one that took put the bell telephone poles lol.
Matt I am so jealous. You get to work in one of my all time favorite places. I was hoping to get to meet you at Wings Over The Rockies. But I’m taking my son to the Museum Of Flight in July. Maybe then.
I volunteer in the Restorations Department at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum where Matthew was Curator when this video was filmed. I was also an Instrument Systems Specialist on the Phantom from 1970 though 1978, with a tour in Ubon in '72 - '73 and a tour in Osan '75-76. Matthew had the personality to make these short films crackle. Was a pleasure to serve with him from 2014 'til he went to the Air Museum in Seattle.
That gun on the belly is a SUU-23 not a 16. It has an internal turbine to power it that is fed air from the intake above the gun muzzle opening. The SUU-16 had a flip out turbine to power it up. In the image of the "Spook" you can see the flip out turbine next to the spooks hand. The SUU-23 could be fired at higher speeds and could spool up faster than the SUU-16.
My dad was stationed in Ubon Thailand from '65-'66 and told me a about an incident that happened to one of his F-4s that he was flight crew on. The F-4 came back from a mission with barbed wire between the wing and the pylon. Evidently the pilot had misjudged his flight trajectory and realized he was going to make ground contact, he wound up "slapping" the ground with his F-4 bouncing back up into the air and flew off, dragging barbed wire with him. Since my dad worked on F-4s I was fortunate enough as a young boy to sit in the cockpit of many F-4s while my dad was working on the weekends.
When he is talking about the engines you can see the rear of an AIM 7 missile, just behind it you can see a little bump, that's the rear signal horn (antenna). Used to tune missiles before launch. I am a "Gunfighter", I have the certificate to prove it. But I served with them 1970-1971 as a Weapons Control Systems specialist. I was promoted to Sergeant and Staff Sergeant at Danang then home of the 366 TFW.
Im a Brit and served in the air force but worked mostley on helicopters but the Phantom was my favorite fast jet . When you got to talking about the gun it took me back to a time when i was on detachment in the Falkland Islands. I went to the main airfielsdat Stanley to drop some gear off that we could not service and met up with a friend from my home base in the UK . We went outside to look at the QRF Phantom on the ready pan. I looked at the gun and said (and as soon as the words left my mouth i thought what a dumbass thing to say) how can they fire that with out blasting the fron wheel off. LOL
Late in the life of the F4 they came out with a low smoke J79 engine that greatly reduce its visual signature. Was waiting on flight line at Nellis AFB for a flight of 4 coming into Red Flag. We knew 1 had both smoke engines, 2 had 1 of each, 1 had 2 low smoke. Sharp eyes picked up the high smoke dual engines at about 20 miles, but not til about 5 miles for the no smoke plane, even though you knew it was in the formation. Huge improvement.
Not every air force that had F-4 Phantom upgraded their engines. The problem was that the fix involved raising the temp limit on the engines to minimize the soot. You NEVER fully get rid of soot. Even clean engines "smoke" a little because they're burning kerosene. I know the Luftwaffe did not upgrade its J79s because doing so would have reduced the lifespan of those engines. As it stood, it was probably good for them NOT to upgrade the engines. They kept their Phantoms in service (due to delays with the EuroFighter) for at least another 10-15 years longer than they planned! The US air arms went ahead and upgraded their J79s because the engines were plentiful. Even if the J79 was out of production by the early 1980s, the spare parts to replace worn engine components were available for years. According to what I read in an old aviation book, the F-4 Phantom was supposed to be phased out originally by the early 1980s in US service. I have read that 1980 was the original phase-out date (for the Navy at least) but the cost of the Fourth Generation fighters was too high to completely replace the 3800 Phantoms the US air arms bought. The F-4 Phantom was on average $3million to $4million per plane by early 1970s currency standard. Even by the time their prototypes flew (1970 and 1972 respectively), the F-14 and F-15 were going to cost at least $18million to $20million per plane! There was no way they could afford to replace every F-4 in service with an F-14 or F-15 hence why they commissioned the F-16 and F-18. Even the F-16 (around $10million, IOC 1979) and F-18 (closer to $23million, IOC 1983) were orders more expensive than the F-4 Phantom but they had the advantage of greater reliability and less maintenance than the larger Teen Fighters (F-14, F-15). Still, not enough F-16s and F-18s could be bought to replace the F-4 entirely and the numbers of fighter squadrons whittled down. The F-4 HAD to be kept in service longer (at least 15 years longer!) to keep the tactical aircraft numbers up AND fulfill missions the F-16 and F-18 were not designed for (like SEAD/Wild Weasel). The F-4 itself had significant numbers of E-models (over 140) modded into Wild Weasels and was considered a better choice for that mission than the F-16 (back in the 1980s) because of the limited internal room for avionics growth in the F-16. Back in the day, the Air Force planners didn't anticipate electronics shrinking as much as they have to enable higher-capacity avionics to be installed in the small internal bays of the F-16 like they have. In fact, the new AESA radars being installed in Legacy F-16s (Block 40 and higher in USAF/ANG service) take up less volume and are lighter than the APG-68 radar!
One morning we were launching the first goes at Luke. For some unknown reason the crewchief on the next jet over stood up right behind the running engines. ( It was normal procedure to cross over from one side to the other while ducking under the engine exhaust). He got blown about 25 yards or so ass over teakettle across the flightline. Not only that but his face and arms looked like he had just gotten a bad sunburn. Needless to say, it took a long while for him to live that one down.
Let me try to one-up that ... we were working the midnight shift at Yuma (VMFAT-101) and I was in the backseat trying to find a discrepancy between the front scope and the back scope. I had a sergeant giving me what he was seeing on the front scope; oddly he was standing on the right-side of the front cockpit, something I found awkward (not much to stand or hold onto). All of a sudden I heard a thump. I stood up, looked around and then asked, "are you ok?" From down on the flight line, he hollers up, "yeah, I'm ok". Needless to say, he had fallen, in retrospect, quite a bit more dangerous than just falling off the F-4 -- because we had the radome pinned back to the fuselage. I'm not sure he ever lived that one down, as in my 6 years on the Phantom (and 2 on the Harrier, but I'm not interested in talking so much about that era), he was the only one to ever fall.
This fellow is one of my favorite Jet Fighters,I saw them Fly on a daily basis from Homestead Air Force Base. The Maco Squadron,which held the Vietnam fighter Ace fighter.
Very cool story. I did some further reading and was amazed that he actual got a reprimand for losing his own plane while saving his wingman from capture! The military re-examined the incident in 1989 and awarded both of them the Silver Star for their achievement.
My first job, 1979-1980, was working on the flight line for an FBO at Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg, Florida. . We would occasionally see USAF F-4s flying north past us over Tampa Bay, heading for MacDill Air Force Base in nearby Tampa, Florida. You could spot the Phantoms fairly easily from their _rather visible_ smoke trails.
Little bit of Trivia on the Splitter plate, the Soviets copied it EXACTLY For the Mig-23, down to the number of Boundary holes, and the Barrier Cutters behind the Plate.
I always wanted to visit War museums in USA, specially the ones with fighter jets and bombers. I'm glad I found this channel! It takes away a tiny bit of a craving of a war history!
Very good presentation. One other interesting thing about the splitter plate in front of the engine is that it controlled airflow into the engine at supersonic speeds. A jet engine will not accept supersonic airflow at its face; it will compressor stall. The splitter plate closed across the inlet as the airplane accelerated past mach 1 to mach 2 and changed the airflow to subsonic at the engine face. The backseater (GIB, or Guy in Back) observed the plate as it closed. If it did not close, the engine would stall.
Point of interest: the wingtip dihedral also provided the mechanical joint to accommodate wing fold for carrier-based storage. I spent many hours working on the F-4, (366 TFW, 389 TFS, MMS) and we would fold the wingtips up while working in a hanger. Also, the SUU-16, 20mm, G.E. Vulcan cannon gun pod is pronounced SOO-16 (Sue) by the Weapons Specialists, pilots, and crews.
@@flightedits7590 Those are engine bay cooling vents with opening and closing doors. The doors close when the gear is up. When ever the gear is down they are always open. You see them open here because the gear is down.
Since covid happened I've been building models of f4 phantoms and other aircraft on the 1/72 scale and I'm a bit of an ignorant person when it comes to this sort of history but I've learned so much by building them!!
These are fantastic! Thank you so much for your dedication and enthusiasm! You have a wonderful talent for entertaining while teaching. I can't stop watching the channel!
I thought that bird looked familiar! As an Explorer Scout (i was 14 or 15) in the late '70s early '80 at the Air Guard base at PDX, I actually serviced that VERY AIRPLANE! Just simple stuff a TSgt could oversee a handful of teens doing, but we all did ave to be checked-out on the Martin-Baker ejection seat to be able to work around it. I particularly remember this plane as it had 3 kills, which was the most of any of the F-4s there, and my birthday is may 1966, so the kill dates stood out to me. You failed to note one of the coolest things about the Phantom.... It's howl/scream on final approach. You could hear it for miles - including the high school i attended, which had windows that looked out on the glide path at PDX. Some evenings we would stand beside the runway while they took off! I felt the earth move under my feet! The power of ABs during take-off made everything shake! Those were the days.
I flew both the F-4E and RF-4C as the WSO/EWO. Great fighter! The splitter plate was primarily for controlling supersonic arias you described. The USAF originally designated it the F-110.
This really brings back memories. I was at Mtn Home AFB '69-72 and processed aerial recon film from the RF4C Phantom. Also Ubon RTAFB 73,74. Nothing like the sound of an F4 engine starting in the early morning to get the blood pumping. Sierra Hotel!
What always intrigued me the most was the shape of this jet and how quickly after WW2 the design was on the drawing board. Half of the wicked design came from wind tunnel tests. And to me, that makes it a menacing looking terror weapon.
This beautiful bird made up the majority of the fighter strength of the 2d Marine Air Wing when I was posted to Cherry Point in 1978-'79. I was born shortly after the maiden flight of the prototype.
The Kentucky Air National Guard flew F4s until the early 90s, when they switched to the C130. This is one of my favorite planes because I remember seeing them fly overhead all the time when I was a kid.
@@interman7715 Thanks, I was actually quoting a pilot from memory, I have edited my comment. I also found this, I suspect the RR Spey engined UK versions might have performed less well as a glider: From the F-4 NATOPS manual: “The aircraft will glide approximately 6 nautical miles for every 5000 feet of altitude. The recommended glide airspeed is 215 knots CAS. Below 50,000 feet, 215 knots CAS will provide near maximum glide distance and will allow the windmilling engines to maintain power control hydraulic pressure within safe limits.” With a dual engine failure and no restart, we were taught to eject and not to attempt a dead stick landing.
Fun fact about the splitter: it was capable of moving out and in (could be seen moving from the back seat) but in my 2000 hours flying Big Ugly, I never once had them move normally. Once we had a failure and they moved out and in violently, making a helluva racket and almost causing compressor stalls, but I had the WSO pull the Splitter circuit breakers and they locked in for the rest of the flight. After that, I would have the WSO pull them after takeoff on every flight and never had a problem, even at supersonic speeds, which was what they were designed to move for.
To clear, the F-4 on display at Museum of Flight is NOT one of the two aircraft (both F-4s) involved in the "Pardo Push" incident! Both of those F-4s were lost but not before Pardo pushed his wingman (80-100 miles?) into safer territory (Laos) to eject. All the F-4 aircrew (remember, both planes carried 2 crewmen each!) ejected safely. Pardo signed the arrestor gear of the F-4 on display in the video but it is NOT one of the F-4s that was involved in the Vietnam incident! Those planes were lost. Something similar to this incident happened in the Korean War where one F-86 was damaged badly. In this case, his engine was shut down and his wingman PUSHED his plane 60 miles by position his plane's nose onto the tailpipe of the damaged fighter! F-86 inlets go straight through the middle of the plane and into the engine. By plugging the nose of the undamaged into the tailpipe of the other, the rescuer was still getting air into his engine! The upshot of the F-86 incident was that unfortunately the guy the rescuer was trying to save didn't make it. He ejected safely but got tangled in his parachutes cords and drowned in water off an island.
Thanks Matthew - nice tour. A couple of notes: First, it's already been noted below that the gun pod is a SUU-23, not -16 ... the -16 has no air intake on the front; Second, regarding what you initially called the "Splitter Vane". The more usual term "Splitter Plate" or Splitter Plane", is generically (and confusingly) applied to the whole three part Variable Duct RAMP. The Splitter is the front /first part of the Ramp --- the part that "splits" the fuselage Boundary Layer Air away from the duct as you nicely explained. That first portion has no Bleed Air Holes - those are on the moveable second part of the ramp, as you nicely described. The third portion of the ramp, inside the intake, is slick and is hinged to the second, allowing those parts to move to position the shock wave on the lip of the intake so that the air entering the intake is subsonic (behind the shock wave). I appreciate your enthusiasm.
Actually the -23 DOES have an intake on the front. the intake was at the front, on top of the muzzle fairing. The -23 didn't have a flip out air turbine. The -16 didn't have an air intake on the front because it had the flip out turbine. Google the two and hiht images.
@@ILSRWY4 hello, it looks like Gene is speaking about the F-4's intakes for the J-79s not the gun. I received a strange response from TH-cam showing you commenting on my year-old posting but it never appeared in the stream.
@@ILSRWY4 Thanks. Your great video brought back fond memories of flying the F-4 for thirteen years (firing the M-61 in both gun pods, as well as internally in the E model).
Trivia: The F-4 had a distinctive exhaust note. No other aircraft, before or since, sounded like that. When Honda designed a new motorcycle (I think it was the CB-750.) the exhaust sounded just like the F-4 --- so they decided that was not acceptable and changed it to a more traditional motorcycle exhaust sound. I was an F-4 crew chief in Vietnam, and I also worked as a technical instructor for American Honda.
it has shot down mig-25s too during Iran and Iraq war , actually Iran has modified it with modern electronics and radar systems and it can mount Iranian version of phoenix missiles which has a range of 150-200 km ,. A reliable and trust worthy plane indeed
so too has Greece and Turkey modernized their's with latest electronics and radar. it can carry the AMRAAM Aim-120, which replaced the old Pheonix, and has a range of 150 miles.
Little brother was in the F-4 shop at Wright Patt when they were being phased out, he said they took the a couple of them and put them back to 1960's avionics for museums, but the low hour air frames they upgraded for Israel.
This guy is such a truly great presenter. I love his videos!
Thanks, Tom!
He is an idiot’. You know nothing so sad
In a Seasame Street sort of way.
Kinda Corky to me!! The Phantom was a serious Combat aircraft and should be presented as such!!
Is this for kids?
I flew the phantom from 1978 to 1996. their retirement .What an honor to have been able to have been part of history.
Kudos to you Sir!!
Hello sir, may I ask what that hook part sticking out of the tail is (Just above the parachute door)
If you're referring to the arresting gear, it catches the stop cable on carriers.
SWEET!
My dad was an AF WSO, in the 80's I grew up to Phantoms in the over head. I miss that roar of Freedom.
I was born in 1961, so for me the F-4 will always be the definition of what a jet warplane should look like.
For my age the definition of a jet warplane to me is an f-22
61’ me too. Always thought F4 was the baddest jet.
Phat as...
@@Anonymoususer1930
I was born in 70, my father was an engineer at MDC. I’ve always wondered if my rabid love for the F-4 was brand loyalty, or just because it’s so damn cool.
I spent 4 years in as a plane captain and Aviation Machinist's Mate in two US Navy F-4 squadrons in the late 1970's. Allow me to supplement. The splitter vane is there to reduce the flow of air into the engine inlet at supersonic speeds. The GE J79 or any other turbojet engines will flame out if the air enters the engine at supersonic speeds. The splitter vane will move out as the aircraft approaches transonic speed, stay out during supersonic flight and move back into open position below supersonic speed as shown in the video. You'll notice that the splitter vane has hinges on it. It is for this purpose. Thank you for bringing back memories of my youth.
When sitting in the back seat you can watch the ramps move out as your speed increases to mach 2. Also, you can observe the shockwave which appears as a line right ahead of the intake and watch it. What you don’t want to see is the shockwave disappear that means a compressor stall because the engine can’t handle supersonic air. Slow down and restart the engine and all is good.
I'm surprised the splitter doesn't break and fly off when going super sonic.
I was an aviation electrician on the Phantom for VF-102 Diamondbacks out of Oceana, and also did some brown shirt- plane captain duty. My favorite was to be beside the Phantoms at night on the cat shots! Nothing like that raw, pure, power!!
By chance were you in VF-74? Also the splitter vane is perforated so as not to choke the air entirely!!
@@steveowens913 hello there Steve we may have shared the flight deck together CV-59 and 68
Personally, the F-4 Phantom II, is to me, the greatest ever warplane.
YEs. If I were an airplane factory I would take it and just replace electronics and engines and make it flight again.
@@switted823 I also love the F-14D Tomcat. And the F-15E Strike Eagle. And the Panavia Tornado. ;)
I think the F4 wins based on longevity!
I've been fascinated by this beauty since the first fly by i ever saw.
Her elegance, her dance, her roar..she got me hooked
@Yoothana Mumme
You got it 👍
Matthew's positive energy is really inspirational!
The funny thing about the gun, the original design actually DID call for a gun, but it was removed on the assumption that future air to air combat would exclusively involve missiles.
didnt the later versions of the aircraft re-incorporate the gun in the design?
@@ObamaTookMyCat yes, they put a vulcan under the nose and put in a less powerful radar to re-balance
@@thedubstepaddict3675 The F-4E was the first phantom to have an internal gun. It also had a transistorized radar while the C and D models had Large vacuum tubes. The APQ-120 radar in the E model was smaller and lighter due to the transistors replacing the vacuum tubes.
@@alanhess9306 agreed good comment
First and last fighter made with no gun, which was a big mistake they found the hard way in 'Nam.
One the most iconic fighters of the U.S.Navy.
Great vídeo !
I was an Aviation Ordinanceman in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. The F4 Phantom is my favorite. Much like the UH-1 Huey and it’s distinctive sound so too the Phantom and those J-79’s produce its own distinctive sound.
I guarded F4's at Clark AFB just before Mt Pinatubo erupted. It was such a privilege to do so before they were phased out. Awesome aircraft and incredible piece of history.
I was in Manila during the Cory Aquino coup attempt.
Who was responsible for flying two F 4's at just above the buildings in Manila ?
I was walking on United Nations Blvd when the jets ripped over head.
Ever person on the street, including me, fell on our stomach in fear. We thought the world had ended.
Kudos 👍
@@cammontreuil7509 awww poor baby!! Try a court martialing the pilots!!
@@enricomandragona163 ? I thought it was fun !
I just want to shake those pilots hands !
@@cammontreuil7509 whatever
Phantoms Phorever! Thank you for posting!
I enlisted in the USAF in 1981 as an Aircraft Armament Systems Specialist. My first Aircraft was the F-4E at Hahn Air Base Germany. We transitioned to F-16's (Block 15). I was lucky enough to be Stationed at a Test squadron. Where I also worked other various models (C,D,F,G,J, RF and British)of the Phantom. I also worked various other aircraft from Navy, Marines, Foreign countries. A6, A7, A10, AV8, B57 ( Canberra), F5, F8, F14, F15, F16, F18, F20, F106, F111, F117,,YF22, YF23, Jaguar, Tornado and Mirage even a few unmentionables. We were mainly Weapons Testing. When they made the QF-4 Drones it about broke my heart.
Kudos to you!! While you were in Germany my friend was in Turkey doing MP duty! I was Fueling Phantoms in the Med!!
There is something special about the P-51, F-4, and the F-14. The best planes of their respective era.
Mega upvotes !!!
Luving my P-47's also
The F-14 was actually all hype. It was underpowered and it’s Phoenix weapon system was worthless because ROE mandated visually ID before firing.
@@Frankie5Angels150 Underpowered? LMFAO. There is a HUGE difference between the problematic P&W-TF30 powered F-14A and the powerful-reliable GE-F110 powered F-14D Super Tomcat. The Super Tomcat Was NO-WAY underpowered. As for your ROE, that was during peace time engagements. Had there been a full blown war against the Soviet Union you bet there would be no Visual I.D.ing going on. But that kind of war never happened so the Phoenix never got a fair chance. But I do agree, the F-14 was mainly hype, because although on paper, in theory, and as advertised, it could carry a ton a weight in weapons (thanks to the powerful F110 engines) in the strike roll (Bombcat) but in practicality there was no place to put it. Hard points are at a premium on the Tomcat. And it usually only carrried four 2k lb bombs. That's a lot of airplane for 4 bombs. Also it was very expensive to operate and a maintenance hog.
The F4 phantom is my all time favorite fighter jet period 💯💯💯
The phantom is really beautiful, both on the ground and in the air. Thank you for reviving my memories
Beautiful ? That's a relative description. I think it's the scariest, wicked, menacing looking jet ever built.
When I was commissioned in 1978 my first assignment was to Nellis AFB, Nevada. World-wide, every thing fighter was mainly F-4s. The F-15 had started delivery 3 years before and the C and D models wouldn't start delivery until the following year. The F-16s had started rolling off the assembly line. The wing at Hill AFB transitioned from F-4s to F-16s and then the tenant 474TFW at Nellis AFB transitioned. Nellis was great because practically everything in the flying inventory was there or passed through there, including Navy fighter and attack planes flying from California that came to play at Red Flag exercises. The Aggressors were F-5s I saw the last two Tennessee ANG F-100 Super Sabers pass through on their way to the boneyard at DM. After two years, I went to Kunsan AFB, Korea and after a year of F-4s the 8 TFW transitioned to F-16s. The Koreans flew a squadron of F-86 Sabers at Kunsan. F-86, F-100, F-105, F-111, F-117, F-4, F-5, A-7, F-14, F-15, F-16, British Buccaneers. I was in the Air Force at a very good time. I loved the Air Force but every Airman gets only a slice of a very long loaf.
Kudos to you Sir! I was on three carriers with F-4's as the Fleet Fighters at the same time. We had 10 different airframes on board not even counting Tomcats because they weren't in abundance yet!!
I was an assistant crew chief on F-4D. I worked on the flight line. 66-7605 was my bird. I was assigned to the 184th TFG from 83-87. Enjoyed it. Nothing was more funner than running them them on the trim pad after rebuilding the throttle quadrants.
P.s. little red indicator popped up on your wing indicates your wings tips are not locked down. So you can fold them for congestive parking.
Kudos to you Sir!!
Somewhere I have pictures of your Phantom along with 66-7553 , 66- 7694, both of the tripple 6's before they crashed( I think one crashed and the other burned on the ramp , can't remember ) , and 66- 0298 , several others that are escaping my mind at the moment . Including the one that took put the bell telephone poles lol.
With all its years in service, F-4 still an impressive machine
Matt I am so jealous. You get to work in one of my all time favorite places. I was hoping to get to meet you at Wings Over The Rockies. But I’m taking my son to the Museum Of Flight in July. Maybe then.
Look me up! :)
F-4 is one of my favorites!
I volunteer in the Restorations Department at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum where Matthew was Curator when this video was filmed. I was also an Instrument Systems Specialist on the Phantom from 1970 though 1978, with a tour in Ubon in '72 - '73 and a tour in Osan '75-76. Matthew had the personality to make these short films crackle. Was a pleasure to serve with him from 2014 'til he went to the Air Museum in Seattle.
Hi Danny. This IS The Museum of Flight in Seattle. We're happy to keep him on the air!
Matthew you are one if not the best presenter.
Love that u added the bloopers. Keep it up, can’t wait to see u guys in person again!!!
Love the bloopers.
That gun on the belly is a SUU-23 not a 16. It has an internal turbine to power it that is fed air from the intake above the gun muzzle opening. The SUU-16 had a flip out turbine to power it up. In the image of the "Spook" you can see the flip out turbine next to the spooks hand. The SUU-23 could be fired at higher speeds and could spool up faster than the SUU-16.
Thank you for an extraordinary well presented look at the phantom 11, your enthusiasm and knowledge knows no bounds
I'm glad you mentioned the Oregon Air National Guard, it's nice to see some recognition.
My dad was stationed in Ubon Thailand from '65-'66 and told me a about an incident that happened to one of his F-4s that he was flight crew on.
The F-4 came back from a mission with barbed wire between the wing and the pylon. Evidently the pilot had misjudged his flight trajectory and realized he was going to make ground contact, he wound up "slapping" the ground with his F-4 bouncing back up into the air and flew off, dragging barbed wire with him.
Since my dad worked on F-4s I was fortunate enough as a young boy to sit in the cockpit of many F-4s while my dad was working on the weekends.
Thank you so much for amazing stories regarding F4 Phantom.
F-4 and the A-10 are the coolest fighters out there.
Nice video, thanks! F-4 is an iconic aircraft and I love this bird! What I do miss is the sound of it’s engines....
Bob Pardo's F-4C is on display in Fairmount, Indiana at American Legion Post 313. His weapons officer Steve Wayne is from Fairmount.
When he is talking about the engines you can see the rear of an AIM 7 missile, just behind it you can see a little bump, that's the rear signal horn (antenna). Used to tune missiles before launch.
I am a "Gunfighter", I have the certificate to prove it. But I served with them 1970-1971 as a Weapons Control Systems specialist. I was promoted to Sergeant and Staff Sergeant at Danang then home of the 366 TFW.
The F-4. The meanest looking fighter jet of all time
Im a Brit and served in the air force but worked mostley on helicopters but the Phantom was my favorite fast jet . When you got to talking about the gun it took me back to a time when i was on detachment in the Falkland Islands. I went to the main airfielsdat Stanley to drop some gear off that we could not service and met up with a friend from my home base in the UK . We went outside to look at the QRF Phantom on the ready pan. I looked at the gun and said (and as soon as the words left my mouth i thought what a dumbass thing to say) how can they fire that with out blasting the fron wheel off. LOL
fantastic facts, I worked on the RAF version (no 54 sqd) as an armourer and enjoyed it 1971
Late in the life of the F4 they came out with a low smoke J79 engine that greatly reduce its visual signature. Was waiting on flight line at Nellis AFB for a flight of 4 coming into Red Flag. We knew 1 had both smoke engines, 2 had 1 of each, 1 had 2 low smoke. Sharp eyes picked up the high smoke dual engines at about 20 miles, but not til about 5 miles for the no smoke plane, even though you knew it was in the formation. Huge improvement.
Nothing like the Sound of a J-79!! BTW the F-4 J & S received the smokeless engine's as well!!
Not every air force that had F-4 Phantom upgraded their engines.
The problem was that the fix involved raising the temp limit on the engines to minimize the soot. You NEVER fully get rid of soot. Even clean engines "smoke" a little because they're burning kerosene.
I know the Luftwaffe did not upgrade its J79s because doing so would have reduced the lifespan of those engines. As it stood, it was probably good for them NOT to upgrade the engines. They kept their Phantoms in service (due to delays with the EuroFighter) for at least another 10-15 years longer than they planned!
The US air arms went ahead and upgraded their J79s because the engines were plentiful. Even if the J79 was out of production by the early 1980s, the spare parts to replace worn engine components were available for years.
According to what I read in an old aviation book, the F-4 Phantom was supposed to be phased out originally by the early 1980s in US service. I have read that 1980 was the original phase-out date (for the Navy at least) but the cost of the Fourth Generation fighters was too high to completely replace the 3800 Phantoms the US air arms bought. The F-4 Phantom was on average $3million to $4million per plane by early 1970s currency standard. Even by the time their prototypes flew (1970 and 1972 respectively), the F-14 and F-15 were going to cost at least $18million to $20million per plane!
There was no way they could afford to replace every F-4 in service with an F-14 or F-15 hence why they commissioned the F-16 and F-18. Even the F-16 (around $10million, IOC 1979) and F-18 (closer to $23million, IOC 1983) were orders more expensive than the F-4 Phantom but they had the advantage of greater reliability and less maintenance than the larger Teen Fighters (F-14, F-15). Still, not enough F-16s and F-18s could be bought to replace the F-4 entirely and the numbers of fighter squadrons whittled down. The F-4 HAD to be kept in service longer (at least 15 years longer!) to keep the tactical aircraft numbers up AND fulfill missions the F-16 and F-18 were not designed for (like SEAD/Wild Weasel). The F-4 itself had significant numbers of E-models (over 140) modded into Wild Weasels and was considered a better choice for that mission than the F-16 (back in the 1980s) because of the limited internal room for avionics growth in the F-16. Back in the day, the Air Force planners didn't anticipate electronics shrinking as much as they have to enable higher-capacity avionics to be installed in the small internal bays of the F-16 like they have. In fact, the new AESA radars being installed in Legacy F-16s (Block 40 and higher in USAF/ANG service) take up less volume and are lighter than the APG-68 radar!
Wow! Pardo Push story is beyond AMAZING! Only the finest airmanship!
Ngl the curator is the reason I subscribed to this channel he does a great job of presenting
One morning we were launching the first goes at Luke. For some unknown reason the crewchief on the next jet over stood up right behind the running engines. ( It was normal procedure to cross over from one side to the other while ducking under the engine exhaust). He got blown about 25 yards or so ass over teakettle across the flightline. Not only that but his face and arms looked like he had just gotten a bad sunburn. Needless to say, it took a long while for him to live that one down.
Let me try to one-up that ... we were working the midnight shift at Yuma (VMFAT-101) and I was in the backseat trying to find a discrepancy between the front scope and the back scope. I had a sergeant giving me what he was seeing on the front scope; oddly he was standing on the right-side of the front cockpit, something I found awkward (not much to stand or hold onto). All of a sudden I heard a thump. I stood up, looked around and then asked, "are you ok?" From down on the flight line, he hollers up, "yeah, I'm ok". Needless to say, he had fallen, in retrospect, quite a bit more dangerous than just falling off the F-4 -- because we had the radome pinned back to the fuselage. I'm not sure he ever lived that one down, as in my 6 years on the Phantom (and 2 on the Harrier, but I'm not interested in talking so much about that era), he was the only one to ever fall.
I love the museum of flight, the best aviation museum i’ve ever been. The new b-52 memorial outside was fascinating.
I have been to the Museum of Flight and loved it. plan to return, so much to see.
This fellow is one of my favorite Jet Fighters,I saw them Fly on a daily basis from Homestead Air Force Base. The Maco Squadron,which held the Vietnam fighter Ace fighter.
Very cool story. I did some further reading and was amazed that he actual got a reprimand for losing his own plane while saving his wingman from capture! The military re-examined the incident in 1989 and awarded both of them the Silver Star for their achievement.
My first job, 1979-1980, was working on the flight line for an FBO at Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg, Florida. .
We would occasionally see USAF F-4s flying north past us over Tampa Bay, heading for MacDill Air Force Base in nearby Tampa, Florida. You could spot the Phantoms fairly easily from their _rather visible_ smoke trails.
🦅😍😍👍 Die Phantom ist nicht nur ein Kampfflugzeug sondern auch ein Kunstwerk!! Dies phantastische Video kann einen nur zum Phantom Liebhaber werden.
I wish you were my teacher, you explain so good and detailed that make everyone understand.
You are wonderful, thanks for all info that you shared with us❤❤❤❤❤
I love the Bob Pardo story! I had heard of him doing this! He would have to be so precise to pull off pushing his wing man like he did!!😎💯👍
He was also the recipient of the Air medals & Flying Cross for his heroism which wasn't mentioned!!
Very nice video with a very enthusiastic presenter!
👍👍👍 From Portugal 🇵🇹🇺🇸
Very nice.
I want to visit your museum.
Man, Pardo's Push, damn.. Freakin inspired 👍😎 like a boss
Thank you! Awesome plane!
Thank you sooo much for the video. Bob Pardo's story is really fascinating. Salute!
So great to get up close!
Little bit of Trivia on the Splitter plate, the Soviets copied it EXACTLY For the Mig-23, down to the number of Boundary holes, and the Barrier Cutters behind the Plate.
Among the loudest, coolest fighters I've ever heard roar bye. That and the F-105 Thunderchief. They shake the earth.
Copy that!! 👌😎
Including F-104's !!
I knew; know some guys who flew F-4’s...
I am grateful for them...
I always wanted to visit War museums in USA, specially the ones with fighter jets and bombers. I'm glad I found this channel! It takes away a tiny bit of a craving of a war history!
Very good presentation. One other interesting thing about the splitter plate in front of the engine is that it controlled airflow into the engine at supersonic speeds. A jet engine will not accept supersonic airflow at its face; it will compressor stall. The splitter plate closed across the inlet as the airplane accelerated past mach 1 to mach 2 and changed the airflow to subsonic at the engine face. The backseater (GIB, or Guy in Back) observed the plate as it closed. If it did not close, the engine would stall.
Agreed as it's also perforated
One of the more brutal looking aircraft but boy, did this amazing machine do its job! The Phanton is the very definition of a fighter aircraft!
Point of interest: the wingtip dihedral also provided the mechanical joint to accommodate wing fold for carrier-based storage. I spent many hours working on the F-4, (366 TFW, 389 TFS, MMS) and we would fold the wingtips up while working in a hanger. Also, the SUU-16, 20mm, G.E. Vulcan cannon gun pod is pronounced SOO-16 (Sue) by the Weapons Specialists, pilots, and crews.
Hello sir, may I ask, what are those open hatches in the middle of the undercarriage (The ones before the gun pod)?
@@flightedits7590 Those are engine bay cooling vents with opening and closing doors. The doors close when the gear is up. When ever the gear is down they are always open. You see them open here because the gear is down.
@@ILSRWY4 thanks!
Since covid happened I've been building models of f4 phantoms and other aircraft on the 1/72 scale and I'm a bit of an ignorant person when it comes to this sort of history but I've learned so much by building them!!
Us ammo shortage when will it end‽
These are fantastic! Thank you so much for your dedication and enthusiasm! You have a wonderful talent for entertaining while teaching. I can't stop watching the channel!
I thought that bird looked familiar!
As an Explorer Scout (i was 14 or 15) in the late '70s early '80 at the Air Guard base at PDX, I actually serviced that VERY AIRPLANE! Just simple stuff a TSgt could oversee a handful of teens doing, but we all did ave to be checked-out on the Martin-Baker ejection seat to be able to work around it.
I particularly remember this plane as it had 3 kills, which was the most of any of the F-4s there, and my birthday is may 1966, so the kill dates stood out to me.
You failed to note one of the coolest things about the Phantom.... It's howl/scream on final approach. You could hear it for miles - including the high school i attended, which had windows that looked out on the glide path at PDX.
Some evenings we would stand beside the runway while they took off! I felt the earth move under my feet! The power of ABs during take-off made everything shake!
Those were the days.
Great video very entertaining and keep up the good work!
It is cool to learn new things!!!
A fantastic video... I hope to get out there one day and see her.
Hey found you again Matt glad wings over the Rockies told me you were here
Thanks for tracking me down! i will be glad when we can get out and film on the road again. :)
love ur videos Matt keep it up :D
I flew both the F-4E and RF-4C as the WSO/EWO. Great fighter! The splitter plate was primarily for controlling supersonic arias you described. The USAF originally designated it the F-110.
May I ask, why was there two splitter plates (one with holes and one smooth one before it)
@@flightedits7590 the holes allow some of the disturbed supersonic air to escape allowing for smother air to flow into the engine.
@@sharizabel2582 Thanks!
How was the Job as a Whizzo in the back seat? Exciting, routine, dangerous...?
Phantom, phantom, PHANTOM, PHANTOM!!
Purely from the perspective of BVR combat, this aircraft was far ahead of its time.
it was the pioneer
In my humble opinion, one of the greatest combat aircraft of all time.
This really brings back memories. I was at Mtn Home AFB '69-72 and processed aerial recon film from the RF4C Phantom. Also Ubon RTAFB 73,74. Nothing like the sound of an F4 engine starting in the early morning to get the blood pumping. Sierra Hotel!
I love the phantom👍🍺💓
THAT is REALLY COOL!!!
What always intrigued me the most was the shape of this jet and how quickly after WW2 the design was on the drawing board.
Half of the wicked design came from wind tunnel tests. And to me, that makes it a menacing looking terror weapon.
Awesome 👍 videos !
I got to see the Thunderbirds perform when they were flying F-4s: It was amazing to such a chunky-looking plane maneuver so well.
Very cool video man...
I learned something...
Ol Double ugly!
Best fighter/attack jet we ever built
This beautiful bird made up the majority of the fighter strength of the 2d Marine Air Wing when I was posted to Cherry Point in 1978-'79. I was born shortly after the maiden flight of the prototype.
The Kentucky Air National Guard flew F4s until the early 90s, when they switched to the C130. This is one of my favorite planes because I remember seeing them fly overhead all the time when I was a kid.
The pilots often referred to the F-4 as "The Brick" - because it proved the theory that if you provided enough power, you could make a Brick Fly.
Anhedral, dihedral and cathedral! Referring to the gliding potential of a block of granite.
I built a 1/9 scale model of the Phantom and it is surprisingly aerodynamic and requires very little power to fly.
@@interman7715 Thanks, I was actually quoting a pilot from memory, I have edited my comment. I also found this, I suspect the RR Spey engined UK versions might have performed less well as a glider:
From the F-4 NATOPS manual:
“The aircraft will glide approximately 6 nautical miles for every 5000 feet of altitude. The recommended glide airspeed is 215 knots CAS. Below 50,000 feet, 215 knots CAS will provide near maximum glide distance and will allow the windmilling engines to maintain power control hydraulic pressure within safe limits.”
With a dual engine failure and no restart, we were taught to eject and not to attempt a dead stick landing.
@ Jaydee ,And that is true ;)
seeing the F-4 Phantom as a transformer (Blitzwing) in the Bumblebee movie was so cool
THAT IS REALLY COOL
Cool you guys have one of the F4 Phantoms from The Gunfighters a special unit! 👍😃
Best Jet in history
Fun fact about the splitter: it was capable of moving out and in (could be seen moving from the back seat) but in my 2000 hours flying Big Ugly, I never once had them move normally. Once we had a failure and they moved out and in violently, making a helluva racket and almost causing compressor stalls, but I had the WSO pull the Splitter circuit breakers and they locked in for the rest of the flight.
After that, I would have the WSO pull them after takeoff on every flight and never had a problem, even at supersonic speeds, which was what they were designed to move for.
To clear, the F-4 on display at Museum of Flight is NOT one of the two aircraft (both F-4s) involved in the "Pardo Push" incident!
Both of those F-4s were lost but not before Pardo pushed his wingman (80-100 miles?) into safer territory (Laos) to eject. All the F-4 aircrew (remember, both planes carried 2 crewmen each!) ejected safely.
Pardo signed the arrestor gear of the F-4 on display in the video but it is NOT one of the F-4s that was involved in the Vietnam incident! Those planes were lost.
Something similar to this incident happened in the Korean War where one F-86 was damaged badly. In this case, his engine was shut down and his wingman PUSHED his plane 60 miles by position his plane's nose onto the tailpipe of the damaged fighter! F-86 inlets go straight through the middle of the plane and into the engine. By plugging the nose of the undamaged into the tailpipe of the other, the rescuer was still getting air into his engine!
The upshot of the F-86 incident was that unfortunately the guy the rescuer was trying to save didn't make it. He ejected safely but got tangled in his parachutes cords and drowned in water off an island.
Thanks Matthew - nice tour. A couple of notes: First, it's already been noted below that the gun pod is a SUU-23, not -16 ... the -16 has no air intake on the front; Second, regarding what you initially called the "Splitter Vane". The more usual term "Splitter Plate" or Splitter Plane", is generically (and confusingly) applied to the whole three part Variable Duct RAMP. The Splitter is the front /first part of the Ramp --- the part that "splits" the fuselage Boundary Layer Air away from the duct as you nicely explained. That first portion has no Bleed Air Holes - those are on the moveable second part of the ramp, as you nicely described. The third portion of the ramp, inside the intake, is slick and is hinged to the second, allowing those parts to move to position the shock wave on the lip of the intake so that the air entering the intake is subsonic (behind the shock wave).
I appreciate your enthusiasm.
I have no idea why parts of my post are lined out - they shouldn't be. Editorial "corrections" by someone?
Actually the -23 DOES have an intake on the front. the intake was at the front, on top of the muzzle fairing. The -23 didn't have a flip out air turbine. The -16 didn't have an air intake on the front because it had the flip out turbine. Google the two and hiht images.
@@ILSRWY4 hello, it looks like Gene is speaking about the F-4's intakes for the J-79s not the gun. I received a strange response from TH-cam showing you commenting on my year-old posting but it never appeared in the stream.
@@ILSRWY4 Thanks. Your great video brought back fond memories of flying the F-4 for thirteen years (firing the M-61 in both gun pods, as well as internally in the E model).
The 427 Cobra of Fighter jets.
Trivia: The F-4 had a distinctive exhaust note. No other aircraft, before or since, sounded like that. When Honda designed a new motorcycle (I think it was the CB-750.) the exhaust sounded just like the F-4 --- so they decided that was not acceptable and changed it to a more traditional motorcycle exhaust sound. I was an F-4 crew chief in Vietnam, and I also worked as a technical instructor for American Honda.
Iconic plane!
Thanks for the memory
I LOVE THIS CHANNEL!!!!!
it has shot down mig-25s too during Iran and Iraq war , actually Iran has modified it with modern electronics and radar systems and it can mount Iranian version of phoenix missiles which has a range of 150-200 km ,. A reliable and trust worthy plane indeed
so too has Greece and Turkey modernized their's with latest electronics and radar. it can carry the AMRAAM Aim-120, which replaced the old Pheonix, and has a range of 150 miles.
Little brother was in the F-4 shop at Wright Patt when they were being phased out, he said they took the a couple of them and put them back to 1960's avionics for museums, but the low hour air frames they upgraded for Israel.
WOAH. this guy works here? I used to work in the cafe in this museum. Awesome place
F4 Phantom II: the world’s greatest distributor of MiG parts