The Warplane That Will Not Die (F-4)

Time Magazine ^ | December 4, 2014 | Mark Thompson

[C19fan]

Think of it as the return of the Phantom.

Fly boys of a certain age perked up with reports Thursday that F-4 Phantom II’s belonging to the Iranian air force — or what’s left of it — have attacked targets belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) in recent days.

[C19fan]

The Turks fly updated Phantoms. A reconnaisance version got shot down over Syria in 2012. I love the saying about the Phantom if you have big enough engines you can make a brick fly. :)

[rfreedom4u]

The F-4 (like the Warthog) proves that if you take care of a good piece of equipment it will last a long time.

But I wouldn’t want to fly an F-4 against an F-18 flown by our Marine pilots.

[JRandomFreeper]

Maintenance pigs need love, too. LOTS of TLC.

/johnny

[Red_Devil 232]

[central_va]

The first plane the could accelerate going straight up vertical on AB’s. (At least that is what my primary instructor told me).

[KarlInOhio]

The F-4 was designed to turn jet fuel into noise. Flight was an interesting and potentially useful side effect.

[central_va]

The F-4 was designed to turn jet fuel into noise and smoke.

Fixed.

[bunkerhill7]

All they gotta do is a Smokey the Screamer F4 low 50 foot pass over ISIS. They`ll all be DEAF, permanentlty.

[central_va]

Had the aerodynamic characteristics of a pair of pliers.

[Iron head mike]

Shure don’t miss standing on my head in the rear cockpit.

[central_va]

The F-4 proves that if you strap a jet engine to anything it will fly.

[JRandomFreeper]

The only way to do a proper cockpit FOD check is to open the cockpits, turn the AC upside down and shake it.

5 minutes later, a screw WILL lodge under the left rudder pedal.

No thanks. I'll take a modern AC that can actually be maintained.

/johnny

[The Great RJ]

Look at the B-52 that will probably still be flying in 2020

[miele man]

for later read

[SkyDancer]

In reading aviation history I thought it was the Century series F-104 that did that first or something something sound barrier.

[central_va]

My primary instructor flew F-4’s in ‘nam. He told me the F-4 could accelerate straight up. Maybe he meant the first plane HE flew that could do that.. Not sure so long ago.

[NFHale]

WWII P47 was the Thunderbolt... the A10 Warthog is Thunderbolt II...

F4 is the Phantom II... What was the original Phantom I, and from what time period?

[NFHale]

NICE....!!

[C19fan]

It was 40s era naval jet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_FH_Phantom

[IYAS9YAS]

It must be what you grow up with. They flew F-4s out of the Boise Air Port (Idaho ANG, Gowen Field). I grew up watching them. I have a distinct liking for them. It was the reason I went into the Air Force. I was going to be a jet engine mechanic, then made the very unwise decision, upon the concerned rhetoric of a MEPS paperwork pusher, to become a linguist (I'd taken German in high school, and they were looking for fodder, I guess).

Shoulda stuck with my original intent.

All of it stemmed from growing up around muscle cars. The F-4 and muscle cars were kissin' cousins in that theory of big engines and bricks.