Phantom sunrise

[Diesel_Thunder]

I'd like to share this picture I took of our Phantom this past weekend. We tugged her out to the ramp for display at our local air show (Wings Over Houston), and she attracted a lot of interest!

Edited October 31, 2022 by Diesel_Thunder

[RaisedByWolves]

Phantastic photo

[SgtPappy]

Awesome work, that you and your team do! Hopefully one day I'll get a chance to visit.

[Diesel_Thunder]

It’s a lot of work, but worth it. We had quite a few former crew stop by during the show while she was out. We would let them inside the rope so they could get up close to her. There was a retired Israeli Air Force pilot that flew their Phantoms stop by and was happy to see a Phantom again. We even had a USAF Wild Weasel Captain (G model) that was very happy and emotional as he reconnected with his past when he flew them. 
 

Certainly puts things in perspective and gives the crew and I even more purpose as we keep up the work to preserve and phly our Phantom!

[Tengu]

@Diesel_Thunder, that's awesome.  Just making sure I read that correctly, your org performed a flying display, not just static?

Do you only participate in Wings over Houston, or do you make it to any of the other Texas / southern airshows?

It's getting harder and harder to photograph Phantoms airborne, so I'd might even consider a ticket to Texas next year.

[Diesel_Thunder]

We had 4 aircraft out for the show, 3 as static displays and 1 that flew. The TA-4, F-4, and F-100 were static displays, and our Me-262 flew both days in the show. Wings Over Houston is hosted annually on the airfield where we keep the aircraft, and are more than happy to participate every year. Our goal is to get the Phantom back in the air, and once that happens she likely will go back on the airshow circuit. I don't know for sure as that is down the road, and we have to get her flight worthy again first.

 

[Elf1606688794]

RF-4C?

[Diesel_Thunder]

On 12/5/2022 at 9:17 PM, Elf1606688794 said:

RF-4C?

No, ours is a hard wing F-4D, built in 1964.

[Aussie_Mantis]

Found this somewhere- I think it was tumblir?- and thought you'd like it. Enjoy.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Aussie_Mantis

[elchacal]

Nice pic! 

[Elf1606688794]

I made that pic my wallpaper.

[plott1964]

[Elf1606688794]

My new wallpaper. This is the ramp at Seymour Johnson although the aircraft are not parked in rows like when I was there. However, I worked on Phantoms from the 337th (red tail stripe) and 335th (green tail stripe) squadrons. I loaded weapons on all of the aircraft in this photo.

Iirc, the white building that says Munitions Handling on it is where our stocks of impulse cartridges were stored for easy access to all the AMU's weapons flights.