Cold War F-4M Phantom Pilot, Part 1: Tug Wilson 

Can listen to these guys all day everyday of the week.

I had the pleasure to work with Laid Back as a 74Sqn ground crew liney. He was so on a level with the whole Squadron. 74Sqn was a special time for all of us. The African tribal shield and cross spears painted on the side of his bondome is a reflective reminder of those great days. We still have 74sqn reunions and talk fondly of our times, he was a proper TIGER 🐅🐅🐅

F4E phantom they were a Beast. Just Awesome to be around.

Tug speaks with such passion about his ‘love’ of the Phantom, as a former RAF Phantom armourer I still feel the same way and this some 30+ years later! This jet gets into and stays in your soul!!!!!!

Claim to fame - I had a back seat trip in 19 Sqn Phantom "G" while on Op Granby in Cyprus during the first Gulf "Regime Change." It was the jet that had just come off "Q" and was fully loaded. My mate Dick Wheatley was back seater in the other, unarmed, Phantom in our pair. I was Nav Inst and had no idea how the radar worked. Dick, being an Air RadarCpl, started giving me a layman's guide on how to turn the MCS on so that I could track the jet he was in. His Sgt overheard the instructions and politely instructed me not to touch the MCS controls, period. To be honest I had no intention of doing so. I remembered that in 92 Sqn Crew Room at RAF Wildenrath they had the tail fin of a Jaguar that was shot down by an experienced Phantom Nav by mistake. So we taxied out but had to hold on the runway threshold as a small black aircraft, with a Snoopy painted on it's tail, came in to land closely followed by it's chase car to reattach it's landing gear outriggers. We took off into the late afternoon sun of a cooling Cyprus. We went into reheat at some points and strangely enough the thing that surprised me most was when the pilot, after warning me to make sure my restraining straps were locked, deselected reheat - it was like hitting a brick wall. Of course I had my full sick bag upon landing. But this I put down to the sausage sandwich and "Sexy Orange" drink I had just eaten, from six fingered Fred (?) the nice Cypriot guy who ran the cafe on the dispersal. Why did we get the flight? Because we had the foresight to arrange back-seat medicals as soon as we touched down in Cyprus. Then we put our name on the list and it just so happened that we knocked off at 12 midday, the flight slots came up and were the only ones with the required paperwork. A number of years later I managed to get two back seat trips in a Harrier T10, one of which we were one of the two Bounce aircraft on a pilot's final exam flight while on detachment to Leuchars with 20(R) Sqn Harrier OCU.

Another terrific interview both interesting and informative. Tug Wilson is an excellent narrator: smooth, unhesitatingly articulate and obviously knowledgable. Thanks again for another important look into the fighter pilot world.

Thank you algorithm for showing me this channel. Thank you Steve and Tug.

The name Tug is also an automatic nickname in the RAN for anyone named Wilson, for that same reason this Tug gives! I love interviews like this, thank you!

I can never forget a full scramble of speys on reheat at 5am in pairs. It’s teeth rattling. My house was less than 2km from the end of the runway. Firebirds always seemed cooler than the tigers. They seemed full of themselves at wattisham iykyk

Thanks to both of you gentlemen!

I love Tug Wilson is imaging particular Secundary Vous

Keep the phantoms coming. My grandfather died in an F-4D in Laos bombing trucks

RIP Chris.... Great episode thanks.

This one is for Tug...I am originally from Stainforth, spent 21 years in the USAF, almost 9 years as an F-4 Crew Chief.....

Excellent interview. Fair play to Tug Wilson. His modesty and dedication are evident.

Brilliant episode! (To correct and add to Tug: AlphaGolf (AG) are Volkel (Netherlands) F-16s… AJ were Leeuwarden F-16s, AK were Soesterberg F15s, AM were Twenthe F-16s.)

Great episode

Used to watch Vulcans out of RAF Finningly when I was little...

Tug, it's brilliant you are so open to the 'jelly' time. I can imagine a lot of pilots were not so open to their feelings. I will buy your book when I'm off my arse 👍

Tug is an old next door neighbour of mine. Top bloke, very funny !

Great episode, I love hearing about the stories of what it was really like, and I get a real sense of it from Tug. Thanks

Classy, Steve. Nice one.

Watched every minute. Us F-15 guys had a joke about the F-4 that the only thing that kept a Phantom aloft was the same thing that kept a brick flying once you’ve thrown it. I always thought it looked cool and menacing. My experience with F-4 was removing stuck screws on some fuel panels on a transient bird once, and our battle damage training article.

Great insight. Loved this interview. I read Tugs book a few months ago. So cool to have these interviews to draw on.

Brilliant! Thanks Gents.

Loved that, look forward to hearing Tug talk about his time on the F18.

Fantastic interview as always. Mr. Wilson s book was already on my list to read. The blend of talk abaut technical aspects of British Phantoms and reminiscence abaut RAF Cold War culture reminded me of Paul Courtnage web journal / internet memoir / blog titled "Vox Clamantis in Deserto - Courtney s Hournal", You can still find it completely archived on WayBackMachine complete with links and extra materials. It s still a fantastic resource for anyone interested in topic of RAF Phantoms and life in Cold War RAF fighter squadron or how it was for a Brit to be a Eagle Driver on exchange tour in Tyndall AFB in late 1980s.

A great character and story teller. Thanks for this!

Nice, down to earth interview. Enjoyed this one! I think being humble and self critical is essential during anyone's aviation career.

Wonderful..... will read the book, cheers Tug and Steve

Awesome content, thank you!

Loved that. Can’t wait for episode 2. Thanks Tug for your time. Will be seeking out that book. Thanks as always Steve.

Outstanding yet again

Thanks for doing these.

Thanks again for this Steve and Tug

I had seen you mention Tug’s book earlier and bought it right away. A great story and told so well. Thanks for writing it, Tug. Another outstanding interview, Steve!

Super interesting, thanks

another wonderful episode, packed with info and have tons of gems as well for the comedic side of things...can't wait for the follow ups. :) q: the phantom in the background picture is called blue zulu if i heard it correct - what does zulu mean, is it a squadron call, etc? cheers.

Preview comment. Really looking forward to this one. 👍🏼

RIP Mr Laidlaw-Bell.

Being smitten by a big ugly piece of stinking metal haha Great episode, thanks for this.

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