Anybody know the origination of the excerpt about the F4 "not winning any beauty contest". I think it's some sort of McDonell D. promotional piece, but I can't find anything online??
Was a "ramp rat" in an RF4C recon squadron at Tan Son Nhut, 1968. No ordinance, just cameras. While helping pilots climb the ladder to strap in; I often saw shaking boots. No guts, no glory. Alone, Unarmed, and Unafraid?
There are three aircraft that veterans of the Vietnam era will never forget: The C-141, the B52 and the F4 Phantom. All three are beautiful birds of a feather.
In the secret space program they never lose a combat mission because they always return to base 5 minutes before they leave, that way if they don't show up 5 minutes before, they scrub the mission...that's the power of time travel technology!
Also, I grew up with that aircraft. Seeing the Marines fly them at tree top level at Anza-Borrego desert scout camp, and the Air Force fly them out of George AFB in the desert-not knowing I would later join during the cold war and make them my life, my blood. I helped keep them at unusually high readiness rates for anything, and that was Desert Storm, but I had got out and worked for McDonnell-Douglas. Absolute great times. Every day I was in awe, and gave it right back to the crews.
That's one of the best videos of the F-4 period. If not the best. I worked F-4G Wild Weasels and F-4E's in the eighties, awesome aircraft, awesome people.
I know a old navy guy who was a Phantom driver. He always said the F4 II was proof that with enough raw power you can make a brick fly. But he also said he would fly a F4 till he died.
Google Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Seems many have already forgotten about him. He was a congressman that took millions from defense contractors to steer defense funding to certain contractors. Also brought in higher level officials too, including someone from CIA, in the fraud. Served 8 yrs Federal prison. Was pardoned by Trump due to his service in Vietnam....
Still a impressive aircraft today. They have one at the Hill Airforce museum. My uncle was on the Forrestall back then . He's lucky and is still around. He worked on the Navy version. He just retired as a civilian employee. I need to take a tour with him.
