Chris Kebab, you're right, it was Leuchars and not Abingdon where the F-4K crashed that Bob Prest mentions, I had the 'beer goggles' on when I posted the reply, well thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it!:O

Regards, RP

treadders-
ooops!, not the best way to remember a display, I like to recall Phantoms blasting through and rocket climbing into the blue (or more typically 8/8!) surrounded by a halo of vapour! - awesome.
RAF flew the Phantom until Autumn '92 (Good God - just realised that was 11 years ago!!), no solo in '91 for some reason but 74 had the honour of performing the last UK Phantom displays during the '92 season using 2 a/c with joint 56 & 74 sqn markings. This season was'nt without mishaps however as the AAR probe door fell off whilst practising at Mildenhall- landed in someones back garden -ouch! From then on the dirty barrel roll was replaced with level fly bys - much more photogenic and less stressfull on the old girls.

RP/CK-

thanx for the info - I'm sure I've seen Abingdon mentioned somewhere - I'll do some more digging.
Apparantly 4 Phantoms were lost in '78- 2 FG1s (May & Nov) and 2 FGR2s- (July & August) Presume the Naval one you refer to would be XT868, 12 May.

Must have been '92 then - like I say, a fantastic display it was, as I recall much of it was tight to the airfield but not at all on the edge... there was probably a height restriction from Stansted, so no rocket rides to the stratosphere. The landing was probably a bit hot, and caught out by the downslope - not the only one over the years, as some video footage I've seen bears out...!

Does anyone remember Pigpen's F4 display onetime at Coningsby? Recall him doing some kind of slow speed barrel roll and getting severely caught out by the speed switches! On a more positive note John Connor gave a cracking F4 display at Wildenrath (back in '82 I think), even if he was on 19 Sqn....

I'm not sure where,[airfield] but that excellent UK book on the Phantom describes a double ejection following the nose-cone opening just after take-off!

You're not thinking of the RAF Phantom on approach to Alconbury are you? I think it was on a PD when the radar nose cone unlatched and swung open. The pilot wasn't able to control it (not unsurprisingly) and both crew safely ejected. What is so memorable about this one is that a 'spotter' sat in the undershoot, with a motor wind camera, caught everything on film. From this comes that unbelievable series of shots of the Phantom disintegrating bit by bit as it impacts mother earth.

I was also at Finningley in 88 and I concur with Hairy's observation that the Phantom was right on the edge during that display practice. I can remember seeing the onset of wing rock at the bottom of the loop. Shame they got it wrong at Abingdon and lucky it wasn't the following day when the crowds would have been there. I flew over there a week or two back and I think the outline of the impact is still just visible on the grass, even after all these years. :ugh:

My father & younger brother were watching the display practices at Abingdon from by the Air Traffic tower in 88 - which was close to the 08/26 display line for those Bof B displays.... and remembers the Phantom very vividly.

At my Abingdon Fayre event this year, i spoke to a local who remembered the crash, and he said he , at that time he lived on the wootton road ( just outside the eastern boundary off RWY 26), and was watching the practicies from his garden........ and preceeded to tell me that when the Phantom impacted, a big chunk of engine i think he said went into his garden / shed!

It pi**es me off when you get people asking to see the film footage of a crash immedietly after something like this if you have ie: video filmed it..... i know this is going off thread abit but i was very lucky to escape death back in July this year at Duxford with the unfortunate & sad RNHF Firefly accident - i was on a hedgeline filming the aircraft outside the airfield near Duxford village when i realised it was going pear shaped which was more or less in front of me so just ran for it & prayed.
It crashed 250ft other side of hedge to one side but the amount of photographers & the like wanting to see my bit of film footage of it - unbelievable really considering 2 people just died .
i gave it straight to the Accident Investigation Branch the following week.

Old Memories and Absent Friends
 

Gentlemen,

A bittersweet thread this one! Funny to thing that it is so long ago that Chris and Jack went in. Lovely blokes both of them, and Chris with a young family too. Strange to think back too to Pat's incident with the nose cone opening on finals to Alconbury. If I remember rightly, the nose folded over and blocked the intake, and it was not only the drag of the flat front, but the loss of engine power at such low speed that led to the loss of the jet.

We lost a fair few of the Phantoms in those days, it was after all a beast to fly with lots of little foibles, but we also did a lot of flying. Although there weren't quite so many wars, we certainly flew well close to the edge. I certainly lost a lot of mates and think of them often.

God bless their memory.

Rev C

Rev C - Chris Lackmans son James joined the local Abingdon Air Cadets about 5-7 years ago, i think the family moved down to here to Abingdon not too long after the terrible loss.

Neil,

My lord. James was a baby last time I saw him (literally), just before Chris went on to the Phantom. Where does the time go!

I was really pleased when I heard that Chris got the aeros slot. I saw the display a couple of times, and thought it was pretty good - loud and fast. To be honest, and I am not an aeros afficionado, it was the best one since John Connor's display. Those who saw John's display will know what I mean. If my memory serves JC used to have the "Talking Armpit" in the back didn't he?

I have seen many friends spear in, but I have to tell you that his was the saddest case as the Lackmans were such a lovely couple, and James was the happiest baby I have ever met, or had the pleasure to look after. Jack was a good mate too, but I couldn't describe him as lovely really without losing too much credibility.

I am glad to see him following his dad's footsteps. I hope that he does well.

Thanks for the news, and God Bless

Rev C