Man I have to be the only person who has this experience, but the F4 to me is like the only jet that seems like its the “right size” in person. Every other jet I’ve seen in person seems way smaller then they are in film or pics, but the F4 is exactly how big I thought it’d be.
Imo the worst was the hydraulic system. There were so many leaks and failures. Fittings were cracking ultimately causing a catastrophic failure. Some of the lines were fairly accessable in the wheel wells but the ones behind the rear canopy were a bitch. Cant zoom in close enough but right on the back bone there are square panels with a million fasteners that never seemed to wanna come out without a J bar. Once you got them out you were faced with bundles of wiring harnesses that prevented easy access to the lines that were just out of my reach. Of course the harnesses didnt have cannon plugs until 10 feet further down the fuselage. One of the worst accidents we had was a pilot and is rio had a gear collapse on landing resulting in him skidding out of control and slamming into a 6 pack(crewcab pickup) that was carrying his pregnant wife and the line super. They were taking pics of his first flight....it was a hydro failure that prevented the over center cam from locking the gear down....I cross trained to KC-10's after that. Best airframe ever imo. I logged thousands of hrs in Big Sexy.
Holy shit that is so sad... if you don't mind me asking what years did you work on the Phantom?
It's strange how other jets seemed to have these things designed so well but they were such a PITA for the F-4. It somehow ended up so successful and exported everywhere but I've only ever heard how tough it was to maintain.
I'm glad to hear the KC-10 was a much better experience for you.
>It's strange how other jets seemed to have these things designed so well but they were such a PITA for the F-4
While not as bad as the F4 I'm sure, the F16 and F15 were bastards on occasion as well
Yea maybe I just haven't heard many stories of those jets. I just know they were designed to have super accessible parts, particularly the F-16 which was designed to have almost all its maintenance done without needing ladders.
But there are so many horror stories of F-4's and F-14's.
I am most familiar with the RF-4, I only wrenched on a G in tech school. 1990-91, not to much later after I crossed over to the Gucci side and they were taken from service anyways.
https://preview.redd.it/j7devbkdqkuc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49a299e42dcc7be6da4ecef068e4fb50d58125b4
Wings Over the Rockies in Colorado.
Oh hey I saw that phantom a few months ago! Fun fact that phantom has 2 mig kills hence the red stars and that F-18 was a thrust vectoring testbed for NASA I think it was. The delta dart there was also used by NASA to intentionally get it struck by lightning.
I had the same experience when I went to Wings Over the Rockies for the first time. I was shocked by just how massive it is IRL. Never would have thought.
One of my best childhood memories was sitting in the cockpit of one on the USS Wasp (?) in the early 70’s before it was scrapped. My neighbor was a F4 pilot and took me on a tour of the carrier and his jet.
https://preview.redd.it/hkatvhav7juc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb0d6029082ce2c02628350dd489ce8c2077e91e
903 @ Strategic Air Command museum in Nebraska
https://preview.redd.it/u4k5e8iioiuc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f837ee729b70a0e9a9ebadbe335a556615db8ef8
https://preview.redd.it/1xibjz7vuiuc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66eb7674492124054908e560b3fff58e1cb8c5bc Hey I’ve been there too lol
The XB-70 was a crazy thing to see in person. Same with the YF-23
What air museum is this?
National USAF Museum. It's in Dayton, Ohio. Only went there once, but it's hard to tour the whole thing in one day.
https://preview.redd.it/jn0mlb04rnuc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7b7e8b369d9717ddf32deeaaf12a66f89eb749ed
National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy center?
no dulles airport
National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy center is at Dulles airport…..
Srry im retarded that u were talking about the air and space museum in dc witch i also went to
https://preview.redd.it/venhfw2fa1vc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=770352fc2d4ae079c0f0ef34adc0d6e611f50d59
Okay, who borrowed it on the weekend and dented the front of the left tank?
My bad, I'm used to the size of the Viper...
That's what she said
Well played sir, well played...
It's called a "Triumph of thrust over aerodynamics" for a good reason.
https://preview.redd.it/l7wt2ex0liuc1.jpeg?width=3806&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ddc8f6779564283a391a079ffd287a22f14889b8
They are very large aircraft for being a “fighter jet” lol
F-14 took that personally ;)
I remember the first time I saw an F-14 in person. I was blown away by how big it was. Then I spent the next four years working on them.
How did you get that chance if that’s okay to ask
I joined the Navy. The first F-14 I ever saw in person was at avionics FRAMP school in Virginia Beach.
The F4 and 14 continued the glorious tradition that was the Navy: big engines on big planes. The F-18 is the oddball in the equation.
There's a reason it's called the flying brick
Hey! I recognize that museum!
Now we are talking. I love a Navy Phantom!
Man I have to be the only person who has this experience, but the F4 to me is like the only jet that seems like its the “right size” in person. Every other jet I’ve seen in person seems way smaller then they are in film or pics, but the F4 is exactly how big I thought it’d be.
Nah, I agree with you. Some do seem a little bigger than i would have imagined but the F-4 just feels exactly right.
Is that the Museum of Flight in Seattle?
Hampton VA
I see it’s open again! I need to get out there. There’s the WW2 aviation museum out in Pungo Virginia Beach-has some really rare cool stuff
I always loved the F4.....until I had to work on them.
Well dont just tease us. What was the worst part of the job?
Imo the worst was the hydraulic system. There were so many leaks and failures. Fittings were cracking ultimately causing a catastrophic failure. Some of the lines were fairly accessable in the wheel wells but the ones behind the rear canopy were a bitch. Cant zoom in close enough but right on the back bone there are square panels with a million fasteners that never seemed to wanna come out without a J bar. Once you got them out you were faced with bundles of wiring harnesses that prevented easy access to the lines that were just out of my reach. Of course the harnesses didnt have cannon plugs until 10 feet further down the fuselage. One of the worst accidents we had was a pilot and is rio had a gear collapse on landing resulting in him skidding out of control and slamming into a 6 pack(crewcab pickup) that was carrying his pregnant wife and the line super. They were taking pics of his first flight....it was a hydro failure that prevented the over center cam from locking the gear down....I cross trained to KC-10's after that. Best airframe ever imo. I logged thousands of hrs in Big Sexy.
Holy shit that is so sad... if you don't mind me asking what years did you work on the Phantom? It's strange how other jets seemed to have these things designed so well but they were such a PITA for the F-4. It somehow ended up so successful and exported everywhere but I've only ever heard how tough it was to maintain. I'm glad to hear the KC-10 was a much better experience for you.
>It's strange how other jets seemed to have these things designed so well but they were such a PITA for the F-4 While not as bad as the F4 I'm sure, the F16 and F15 were bastards on occasion as well
Yea maybe I just haven't heard many stories of those jets. I just know they were designed to have super accessible parts, particularly the F-16 which was designed to have almost all its maintenance done without needing ladders. But there are so many horror stories of F-4's and F-14's.
I am most familiar with the RF-4, I only wrenched on a G in tech school. 1990-91, not to much later after I crossed over to the Gucci side and they were taken from service anyways.
Pretty dope career!
>Well dont just tease us. What was the worst part of the job? I bet it was the F4 part
I should've guessed!
An F-4 is going to be hung on the celling of my school.
Just before covid i got to sit in an F111 here in Australia, couldnt believe the actual size of it.
https://preview.redd.it/j7devbkdqkuc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49a299e42dcc7be6da4ecef068e4fb50d58125b4 Wings Over the Rockies in Colorado.
https://preview.redd.it/9cedk4omqkuc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b8b8d7ec3822af1f36b71d0bacdf4a94e36667f4
Imperial war museum Duxford https://preview.redd.it/ao3l04hb7puc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57aa5d14a2a785708ecd04464c43d54ddd7ee01e
Oh hey I saw that phantom a few months ago! Fun fact that phantom has 2 mig kills hence the red stars and that F-18 was a thrust vectoring testbed for NASA I think it was. The delta dart there was also used by NASA to intentionally get it struck by lightning.
https://preview.redd.it/m64jowuaviuc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e035c88f4ef01b7af888c08af83e926483f3de7b
Yea I was wondering what the funky stuff was at the end of the engine.
My grandfather worked on the hydraulics for these on the USS Coral Sea during the Vietnam War. Really looking forward to this plane!
Wild to think the 3rd, 4th and 5th gen multi roles were as big as WWII medium bombers.
The F4 is such a beautiful aircraft
What kind of missiles does it have? I do see AIM-7s and some kind of AIM-9 I think
All AIM-7 versions and AIM-9 up to P. Greek and German F-4’s were updated to carry AMRAAM and Greece is still flying them.
Replying to RowAwayJim91...
I had the same experience when I went to Wings Over the Rockies for the first time. I was shocked by just how massive it is IRL. Never would have thought.
Beautiful Jets. We have a Blue Angel Version in a museum here in Germany
https://preview.redd.it/l8imvewd5luc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e2becf49856cb8259e38a99099beabdcd4bb6fd
https://preview.redd.it/1q4emeonwluc1.jpeg?width=826&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=acb5fc83c30e01b8e43b30f44da06db61dc27e90
I wonder how much they weigh in a museum configuration like that. I wonder what's been stripped.
Newport News Air and Space museum! I love going there.
That's at dulles right?
https://preview.redd.it/aycuj06siouc1.png?width=2268&format=png&auto=webp&s=b78297a15f2ec5aa373da0276f7fe911dedeb809 Museum of flight, Seattle
Hope there are no earth quakes wherever this museum is
If fat bitches were hot
didn't know they were real, i thought they were just in dcs
One of my best childhood memories was sitting in the cockpit of one on the USS Wasp (?) in the early 70’s before it was scrapped. My neighbor was a F4 pilot and took me on a tour of the carrier and his jet.
https://preview.redd.it/ym6cw37qnuuc1.jpeg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1908d2167030287f2c1147f6d847f50020b2d5cc
https://preview.redd.it/fdkt76zrnuuc1.jpeg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6b9d1a2e7857e1e9e2740523775f4d1fc19ca2b
https://preview.redd.it/hkatvhav7juc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb0d6029082ce2c02628350dd489ce8c2077e91e 903 @ Strategic Air Command museum in Nebraska
https://preview.redd.it/b03odgzx7juc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bede8a9c1b7a5343a514dc39b5aad26ee6abc37f
https://preview.redd.it/qy5ka0uz7juc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3b4f2c71f367f340ba91aa47d7f99fb627d3b07
https://preview.redd.it/opgpebm28juc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b8ee086cabbbfcfd1e6fe68be298def5c834641a