F4 Phantom
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Bit of a guess... is it Torquay Chris? Or is my geography Fawlty...
Gnome de PPRuNe
Join Date: Jan 2002
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Age: 60
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If it is Torquay, they are positioning for a second attack!
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victor two, a US Navy F-4 did manage to get airborne with its wings folded, the jet in question was a VF-14 F-4B coded '112/AB'. The crew was Greg Schwalber and Bill Wood, apparently "unusual handling characteristics" drew their attention to the fact and after dumping all stores they made a safe shore landing!
Regards, RP
Regards, RP
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
I seem to recall an F4 out of CY which lost a wing outboard of the fold mechanism. They flew it around for a while and even slowed for a slow speed handling check to see if it might be possible to land it. Then the duty pilot in the tower suggested they see how it handled with the flaps down - which, being naive types, they did.
Loss of hydraulics was swiftly followed by a double ejection.......
Don't know about the F4 getting airborne with wings folded, but it happened several times in the Crusader. One pilot unloaded the aircraft and locked them down in the air, a second flew an abbreviated circuit and landed - wheels up. Obviously not his day.
Loss of hydraulics was swiftly followed by a double ejection.......
Don't know about the F4 getting airborne with wings folded, but it happened several times in the Crusader. One pilot unloaded the aircraft and locked them down in the air, a second flew an abbreviated circuit and landed - wheels up. Obviously not his day.
Realise that I'm showing myself as a youngster, but my abiding memory of the Phantom is of being a spacey visiting Wildenwrath in the late 80s. Having been up all night waiting for the flight over from the UK and arriving, after a while (I'm sure it was Bruggen we flew into in those days), at Wildenwrath and having got my head down. We were all awoken by the most tremendous noise just behind us as the morning pair lifted into the sky at about 0830 local! Fantastic sight!
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Thanks Rhino
Rhino,
Thanks for the info on that navy F4. Talk about pioneering the use of the world's meatiest winglets! Love the Rhino title too. I had an ex flatmate (female) that my mates called the " White Rhino". Ended up changing the locks on her after she accused me of stealing her cat's food. I digress.
Thanks again for the info.
cheers
Vic
Thanks for the info on that navy F4. Talk about pioneering the use of the world's meatiest winglets! Love the Rhino title too. I had an ex flatmate (female) that my mates called the " White Rhino". Ended up changing the locks on her after she accused me of stealing her cat's food. I digress.
Thanks again for the info.
cheers
Vic
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Re the FGR2 launching without the outter wing locked. Didn't the SSKC (it was that long ago) make a flight safety film out of the story with the actor who used to play Mr Bronson in Grange Hill as the chief?
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Re the FGR2 launching without the outter wing locked. Didn't the SSKC (it was that long ago) make a flight safety film out of the story with the actor who used to play Mr Bronson in Grange Hill as the chief?
BTW Wasn't there a FS film about Harriers with Richard O'Sullivan?
Regards
-Nick
Last edited by Maple 01; 22nd Apr 2004 at 21:35.
I remember the wing fold doings now. The FGR2 was in the main down to brute force ie two hairy ****** riggers would push the wing up to one very sticky footed rigger who would be leaning way out past a safe angle waiting to grab the tip and lift the whole thing past vertical. You have to appreciate that this operation, in fact the whole F4 thing, pre-dated the H&S at work Act. Lowering was the reverse, the most important aspect was to make sure that the sticky footed rigger's reach coincided with the hairy ****** riggers reach otherwise the wing would crash down with a horrendous thump (once "thumped down" on the Chief's head, but that's another story). To lock down you used a speedy to wind the mechanism over then "Excalibur" to wind in the little day-glo plug.
The matelots, and their FG1, didn't have the necessary ooomph and strength of wrist and instead relied on hydraulics.
The matelots, and their FG1, didn't have the necessary ooomph and strength of wrist and instead relied on hydraulics.
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My favourite F4 story
In early 1974, I was the pilot of one of a pair of aircraft (not F4s) going on detachment to Tengah, Singapore. The old Tengah, with Singapore AF Hunters, RAAF Mirages, and RNZAF Bristol Freighters!
At Masira, in the Gulf, we met up with a formation of 4 aircraft also travelling to Tengah, a Nimrod and two Victor tankers supporting an F4 Phantom. We all arrived in Tengah on the same day. Later, during conversation over a pint in the ‘Swill’, we found out that the Phantom was from Boscombe Down, and it was there to carry out paint trials at high speed, for the Concorde.
After a couple of days, the Phantom appeared on the Flight Line but minus the normal pointed underwing tanks that it had flown in with. In their place were two specially prepared underwing tanks, that instead of having the pointed fronts, had chisel shaped upper and lower frontal surfaces, with about 6 facets, each at a slight angle to the other. These modified tanks were painted white, with Concorde paint, but because they were modified, they could not carry fuel.
The pilot of the Phantom was Commander in the Fleet Air Arm, going slightly grey, and the navigator was a youngish RAF Flight Lieutenant. For a few days they flew up over Malasia, but with only internal fuel, their sortie lengths were limited. After a couple of days, they came to our detachment and asked if we could help. It seemed that they really wanted to fly these tanks through quite heavy rain, and at quite a speed.
The next morning, my navigator and I were off the west coast of Malasia, when we saw a really big cumulous formation (it really was abig b****r), so, as arranged, we called up Singapore Flight Watch on the HF. They advised us that the Phantom would be getting airborne shortly, and could we keep an eye on the Cu and update the crew as they approached us. This we did.
After a short time the Phantom crew radioed us to say they were at FL410 and about to enter the Cu. We could almost hear the 'banzai' as the phantom pitched in and accelerated. After a minute or so we heard a faint voice calling to say they were recovering to Tengah, and could we follow them.
The Phantom landed at Tengah before us, but we parked on the pan adjacent to it. When we looked at it, we thought it looked a little ragged.
The front of both underwing tanks had split open, assuming the look of a pair of large forward facing white daffodils, and the perspex radome was missing from the front of the fuselage, so was most of the radar. The front of the fuselage was very plate shaped.
My nav and adjourned to the Swill, where we met up with the Phantom crew. The Commander had a gin in his hand and was admiring the aviation cartoons on the ceiling of the bar; the Flight Lieutenant was drinking a Tiger beer, but about a quarter of it had been spilt due to his rather shaky hand. He also had rather a glazed expression on his face. The Commander said that today’s sortie was a bit of a setback, but not to worry, they had some spare modified tanks, and had signalled Boscombe to send out a 'tin' nose for the Phantom. A little more beer was spilt.
The ‘tin nose’ duly arrived on the next VC10, and was fitted, along with some new ‘modified’ tanks. After a couple of days, the F4 was airborne again, following directions for another big Cu. The result was predictably similar. By now, we thought the pilot was definitely greyer, and we thought the navigator must be getting very thirsty, as most of his beer was going on the floor. Also his eyes were getting rather large and staring. They did a few more sorties, until they ran out of modified tanks, and then gave up. The entourage duly disappeared off to the west.
At Masira, in the Gulf, we met up with a formation of 4 aircraft also travelling to Tengah, a Nimrod and two Victor tankers supporting an F4 Phantom. We all arrived in Tengah on the same day. Later, during conversation over a pint in the ‘Swill’, we found out that the Phantom was from Boscombe Down, and it was there to carry out paint trials at high speed, for the Concorde.
After a couple of days, the Phantom appeared on the Flight Line but minus the normal pointed underwing tanks that it had flown in with. In their place were two specially prepared underwing tanks, that instead of having the pointed fronts, had chisel shaped upper and lower frontal surfaces, with about 6 facets, each at a slight angle to the other. These modified tanks were painted white, with Concorde paint, but because they were modified, they could not carry fuel.
The pilot of the Phantom was Commander in the Fleet Air Arm, going slightly grey, and the navigator was a youngish RAF Flight Lieutenant. For a few days they flew up over Malasia, but with only internal fuel, their sortie lengths were limited. After a couple of days, they came to our detachment and asked if we could help. It seemed that they really wanted to fly these tanks through quite heavy rain, and at quite a speed.
The next morning, my navigator and I were off the west coast of Malasia, when we saw a really big cumulous formation (it really was abig b****r), so, as arranged, we called up Singapore Flight Watch on the HF. They advised us that the Phantom would be getting airborne shortly, and could we keep an eye on the Cu and update the crew as they approached us. This we did.
After a short time the Phantom crew radioed us to say they were at FL410 and about to enter the Cu. We could almost hear the 'banzai' as the phantom pitched in and accelerated. After a minute or so we heard a faint voice calling to say they were recovering to Tengah, and could we follow them.
The Phantom landed at Tengah before us, but we parked on the pan adjacent to it. When we looked at it, we thought it looked a little ragged.
The front of both underwing tanks had split open, assuming the look of a pair of large forward facing white daffodils, and the perspex radome was missing from the front of the fuselage, so was most of the radar. The front of the fuselage was very plate shaped.
My nav and adjourned to the Swill, where we met up with the Phantom crew. The Commander had a gin in his hand and was admiring the aviation cartoons on the ceiling of the bar; the Flight Lieutenant was drinking a Tiger beer, but about a quarter of it had been spilt due to his rather shaky hand. He also had rather a glazed expression on his face. The Commander said that today’s sortie was a bit of a setback, but not to worry, they had some spare modified tanks, and had signalled Boscombe to send out a 'tin' nose for the Phantom. A little more beer was spilt.
The ‘tin nose’ duly arrived on the next VC10, and was fitted, along with some new ‘modified’ tanks. After a couple of days, the F4 was airborne again, following directions for another big Cu. The result was predictably similar. By now, we thought the pilot was definitely greyer, and we thought the navigator must be getting very thirsty, as most of his beer was going on the floor. Also his eyes were getting rather large and staring. They did a few more sorties, until they ran out of modified tanks, and then gave up. The entourage duly disappeared off to the west.
Maple 01
Yup correct on the Richard O'Sullivan vid. If I remember correctly, it was the missed call, no breakfast taxi onto the runway when not cleared sketch.
Remember Safety Catch (I think) too?
Yup correct on the Richard O'Sullivan vid. If I remember correctly, it was the missed call, no breakfast taxi onto the runway when not cleared sketch.
Remember Safety Catch (I think) too?
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Couldn't stay out of this one any longer. Oh the nostalgia! The "Raspberry Ripple" (Alcock and Browne), the Wildenrath barrier engagement and the hi fi story, Fox 2 on the Jaguar. Been there seen them all. Keep the stories coming and this has to make sticky!!!