G.J.S

Ethan. (Vague memory - the number afterward denoted which area it operated)

There have only been 2 purchases I regretted - this map is one of them (the other had wings and rhymed with Gawk). Only flown about 5 times since purchase about two months after its initial release. Each time a slideshow. Such a shame.

Do it! You’ll love it. Have a great time.

Very nicely done. 1:72 is a scale I’ve never really got on with - the details such as the antenna wire would be just too much for me to adequately reproduce, but you have nailed it. Kudos.

Gracias Eduardo.

Noticed skins in the video upon release that aren't in the pack, like the RN. Are they to come later?

Welcome Sir. Some of the Spang drivers I’ve met were some of the ballsiest flyers (pre-16!). Myself, I was FGR2 (RAF). Always thought the originals were developments of the ‘C’ frame? Not ‘D’. And they REALLY shoehorned the wiring looms into them! Fires were a common threat I believe.

At the risk of stating the obvious, you need to speed up. If the enemy is turning, try and cut across the circle. If the enemy is a much faster type than whatever you are flying, are you able to force him to turn hard and slow down? (If you are missile armed, launch one - the enemy will try to avoid it). If you are flying a WW2 type, then you need to pick your victim, not just go after anything that crosses your nose. Look for stragglers, ones that are alone etc etc. Keep relatively high, then you can use your height advantage to dive upon an enemy, which will give you a speed boost by using gravity. Youtube has many “how to’s” type instructional videos. Above all else - practice. Find what works in a given scenario, and add it to your bag of tricks. A2A is one field where you are NEVER finished learning.

Beautifully finished work there chap. Really nice.

The extra recoil thrust won’t amount to much chap. And the deck crew won’t welcome you back after you strafe them upon departure lol.

Crack on gents, what would I know . . .

You’ll need waterproof faith! You won’t get it off a flat top. Even an FG1 wouldn’t do it without a bridle slingshot. Seeing how many Phantom ‘Echoes’ it would take grinding below the bow of a carrier to bring it to a stop could be fun however.

Back of a cigarette packet calculations I’d say a take off roll of around - with absolute minimal fuel and NO ordnance - likely around 1100 meters. Then IMMEDIATELY form up on a tanker. Not too sure of accel rates for J79, but even if being generous, launch from flat top unlikely. Airspeed would be so low that the moment you have to rotate nose up due to no more deck, you will immediately be in buffet and stalling out, prior to becoming a speed bump for the carrier.

When you get the F-4, you will realise that the AoA gauge will show you when you are doing well - or your aircraft is about to start chasing its own tail, and you are just an unfortunate, regretful passenger.

Never saw a ‘D’ during my time on type, ‘G’ & latterly ‘L’. Launch restrictions basically the same, as the missile airframe itself needs to clear the rail.

It will be at the point of firing, more than that may cause missile fin impact to the rail (the aft fins on the winder versus the tip of the rail) if higher G is in effect at launch. It’s just to guarantee that it will leave the rail as god intended, after it’s clear it can rack up whatever it needs to.

. . . Said most single seat jocks who just had their asses handed to them because whilst lining up on a target ahead, couldn’t check six.

HOTAS and Phantom in the same sentence????

Certainly is a AGM-130, utilising the short chord GBU-15. Being mid ‘90’s and due to the colouring, it’s likely a test round being used before being declared operational (late ‘90’s).

Higgins in the back seat

CBU-52 & 71. In the US arsenal.

Total agreement. The fact that ANY fully modelled F-4 is inbound should be a cause for celebration, not argumentative “column” measuring. Other variants are to follow, maybe not the specific model from a specific timeframe, but others are coming. Either way, it’s going to be interesting watching some cry foul when they realise that the F-4 is not a flying laptop. It will not help you, the slightest ham-fisted input will result in the aircraft actively trying to end you, but the fact that here is an aircraft with hydraulic muscles - not electrons - will take you back to PURE flight, where finesse and self control will be rewarded with an aircraft that will respond willingly. Regardless of variant, rejoice. A total disregard for enemy aircraft is coming, with twin fires and a swagger that just says “f#*k you!” to any perceived superiority. The beast is back . . .

Sgt.Pappy, yes the UK F-4 was slower, but acceleration wise we could accelerate much more rapidly than other variants, top end speed suffered though. Officially limited to M1.8, I’ve heard of crews seeing M2 - but it was a struggle to attain that. At higher altitudes the accel rates fell off, but medium alt to low alt, the UK F-4 was blisteringly quick. As for cost - they most certainly were the most expensive variants ever built! Ridiculously so, more Phantoms could have been purchased (J or even S birds which would have more than met requirements) for the same outlay. As for worst performing, I would disagree, for the UK requirement, they met the desired points (at the time). The vertical was our playground - meat on the table!