Some surprising (for me, at least) info about the Phantom F-4

[Rolim]

Some surprising (for me, at least) info about the Phantom, in "Where Have All the Phantoms Gone?" from Air & Space magazine. ( http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/Where-Have-All-the-Phantoms-Gone.html )

 

... Control sensitivity varies widely. It takes full aft stick to raise the nose for takeoff, yet at certain fuel loadings and at speeds just above Mach 0.9 at low altitude, moving the stick only one inch can produce 6 Gs on the airframe. At above Mach 2, on the other hand, the shock wave that is created moves the center of lift so far aft that pulling the stick all the way back produces only about 2 Gs.

 

(Any flight sim doing this? :joystick:)

 

 

 

... The commander of the 82nd Aerial Target and Recovery Squadron, which conducts the drone shootdowns, is Lieutenant Colonel J.D. “Bare” Lee. A former F-16 pilot, Lee also has 1,500 hours in the Phantom. He still recalls the first time he took to the air in one. “I was shocked at how much more difficult it was to fly than I thought it would be,” he told me. “When I got home, I told my wife, ‘I think I just traded in a Porsche for a ’72 Cadillac.’ ”

 

 

... The drone launch order was soon passed, and the operators got the Phantom rolling. LaCourse made a correction to get the aircraft precisely on centerline as both afterburners lit. Fifteen seconds later, I watched the pilotless aircraft take off.

 

The F-4 proceeded out over the gulf. The first aircraft fired its missile. The ground controller monitoring the telemetry radioed the air crews: “No hit.”

 

The Phantom flew on.

 

My emotions tangled: I wanted the aircraft to survive, but I also wanted it to fulfill its intended mission.

 

The four F-22 Raptors spread out. Each launched a missile. Over the radio we heard “Fox-four”—all shooters had fired.

 

Then: “Splash.” A direct hit.

 

Brackin and I walked back to the van and got in. Brackin was staring straight ahead. Then he turned to me. “So now you know,” he said, grinning. “It takes four Raptors to kill an F-4.” :clap:

 

:book:

[tflash]

Nice, Rolim,

 

Good that there are still Phantom fans around here!

 

Phantoms forever!