I don't think anyone is dim enough to launch an aircraft from a carrier with the wings still folded! SFAIK the RN Phantoms (FG1s) had hydraulic wing fold so if they were down they were locked
RAF Phantoms were mostly manual wing fold so the outer panels were lowered manually and then mechanically locked by groundcrew turning a locking device. There was "Tell-Tale" button a bit bigger than a cotton reel which protruded from the top surface of the wing and could be seen on the walk round and from the cockpit, unless it was dark. Certainly one launched from Bruggen, and crashed, due to the wings being down but not locked.
Last edited by A2QFI; 3rd Aug 2012 at 20:10.