"Better a sister in a whorehouse than a brother in F-14s."

[Robert Coats]

Excellent read from the Car & Driver archives...Larry Griffin's July 1982 article about his ride in an US Navy F-4 Phantom II...

Bend the Sky

[pavulon]

Wowzers!!

[onewhippedpuppy]

What a great read!

[Rickysa]

Thanks for that!!!!....

[silverc4s]

Speechless! Thanks for the link..

[jgreen]

Originally Posted by Robert Coats

Excellent read from the Car & Driver archives...Larry Griffin's July 1982 article about his ride in an US Navy F-4 Phantom II...

Bend the Sky

I have been looking for a reprint of this article!!! Scott and I went to high school together in Des Moines......I had lost touch with him after graduation and was blown away when I picked up that issue of Car & Driver.

[nzporsche944s2]

One of the coolest quotes I've read this year...

"Any yo-yos get cross-eyed and we send over an F-4 to rearrange their furniture."

[dave 911]

Great read. As we used to say in my old naval aviation days (former S-3 Viking flight officer here), "Sierra Hotel"....aka $hit hot

My only comment is that the title of the thread is a bit misleading...The F-14 (now retired) did everything the F-4 did, but better. That said, though, there was nothing like seeing/feeling/hearing an F-4 full afterburner take-off, or a flight of 4 Phantoms come in for the break. . .

Thanks for posting!

[Amail]

I was smitten with F-14's, probably having a lot to do with Top Gun. It's cool to read a piece written in 1982 that praises the outgoing (now completely obsolete) platform and kind of poo pooing the newcomer. Fun read.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by Amail

I was smitten with F-14's, probably having a lot to do with Top Gun. It's cool to read a piece written in 1982 that praises the outgoing (now completely obsolete) platform and kind of poo pooing the newcomer. Fun read.

now also obsolete yet still completely kick-ass too!

[VINMAN]

The Phantom has, and always will be my favorite military plane.


.

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by dave 911

Great read. As we used to say in my old naval aviation days (former S-3 Viking flight officer here), "Sierra Hotel"....aka $hit hot

My only comment is that the title of the thread is a bit misleading...The F-14 (now retired) did everything the F-4 did, but better. That said, though, there was nothing like seeing/feeling/hearing an F-4 full afterburner take-off, or a flight of 4 Phantoms come in for the break. . .

Thanks for posting!

I don't thing the Tomcat did any Wild Weasel or recon work. I could be mistaken.

[Tobra]

I remember that article. I always wanted a ride in a fighter. Closest I ever came was one time in a helicopter...

When the ship was in dry dock in Long Beach, you could put your name on a list to get a ride down to San Diego with the Captain, who would take a helicopter and fly down. I got "lucky" and got a ride one time.

With all due respect to Paul, it will be a cold day in Hell before I ever willingly climb into a helicopter. I swear that man was trying to get one of us to crap his pants. Fortunately, someone had told me not to eat until we got to SD, my dumb ass never thought to ask why.

[Hawkeye's-911T]

there was nothing like seeing/feeling/hearing an F-4 full afterburner

I can't help myself - I have to trot out this line again - the F-4 - the world's only 'supersonic locomotive'. Damn, they really were absolutely awesome aircraft in their day - even in static display.

Cheers
JB

[Steve Carlton]

Just a menacing and brutal looking machine. A thug! Amazing how much more fuel it burns with the afterburners on. How much difference do they make?

[Baz]

As a little kid in the 60's the coolest thing you did with your model aircraft carrier was re-arranging your F-4's on the carrier deck.

[Steve Carlton]

Some random pics...

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Used to park next to them in MHV all the time - was quite sad to learn that they were being used as target drones for AAMs.

[Cajundaddy]

Great airplane.

One of my long time customers was a USAF F-4 Phantom pilot. He loved that jet and preferred it to the more modern F-16s and F-15s. He had to punch out twice though due to engine failures, once over Texas and once over Nam. Fortunately the good guys were there to pick him up quickly and get him back to base.

[quicksix]

http://images.forwallpaper.com/files/images/9/9526/95269ac0/978337/a-7-corsair-ii.jpg
fighter pukes have their place..
on the fantail
or" bending the sky"

but when the mission calls for close air landscaping..
standby