During flight operations in 117 Combat Wing in Andravida are filmed two night takeoffs and landings. The fighters are all F-4 AUP Phantom II from the 339 All Weather Squadron of the Hellenic Air Force.
Our barracks were located just to one side of the approach path, about 400m before the runway. I used to sleep like a log. When I was at home on leave I woke up several times missing the noise of approaching jets.
Navy F-4’s were always taking off from Cubi Point airbase in the P.I. In 1972. A group of us would get a case of beer and go to the beach near the end of the runway and watch in amazement as they hit the afterburners and disappeared!
When stationed at George AFB in the 70s, I would drive out by the runway surveillance unit at night to watch, feel, and smell the F-4 launches. 35,000 pounds of thrust, then kick-in the burners, lit the area up. The standing joke was that the F-4 (fondly known as the 'Lead Sled') was proof that you could make a brick fly with a big enough engine.
When I was in the USAF my home close to the end of the runway and when the F4 was taking off the wine glasses in the cabinet would dance off the edge of the shelf. Would watch them do night take offs. They would barely use 100 feet of runway and be straight up thousands of feet in seconds. Was awesome to watch them . Still my favorite.
Big time fan of this bird. Have talked and stood with the Blue Angels when I was 11. Even watched one at night go off the end of the run way at 29 Palms. Was blessed to go to Miramar weekly too lots of go fasts
I grew up around Roosevelt roads naval station puerto rico during the 90s and the phantom 2s would rip open the skies they took off in clusters and would break the sound barrier regularly during exercises.
Got to see hundreds of these launch and recover, along with other birds, USN 68-74, NAS Miramar, 70-74, ETR-2, maintained GCA RADAR and TACAN. Part time job at station auto hobby shop
@@gojo76 Probably a rookie as you said. The first guy taking off also performed an early rotation if you ask me. So it might actually be the same pilot but don't quote me on that. I didn't review both cases that closely since I was distracted and flattered at the same time by the sound of that old beauty.
Those birds are heavy!!! Watching buddy ride a wheelie on takeoff for like 200yds was awsome!!! Those landing. Geez. The first night landing was hard 😂😂😂. The second fella set her down on the dead wheels. Rode it for 100 yds, then set the nose down softly. Wow. Those look like a handful to land and takeoff!! New pilots have it wayyyyy easier than these fellas did. Wayyyy easier.
Hi, I'm a huge aerospace fan artist and I'm about to release a song called "Supersonic", a tribute to aviation. Is it possible to use this EPIC full afterburner footage for the musical video? Obviously giving the credits and gratitudes in the description. Greetings from Chile!
Our base had some hills in the distance. The best acoustice were in the cold evening air, after wheels up, when our Kurnass gained some hight the sound of those magnificant J-79 turbojets would reverbarate off those hills for miles and miles into the clear darkening sky. No other jet sounds like a Phantom.
Speaking of A/B's and Chu Lai, I was a night-check ADJ-2 with VF-121 at Miramar , which is just down the road from Chu la Vista. A frequent 'gripe' from pilots was that the burners didn't light off. My job was to crawl up into the arse-end and replace the igniters which were right behind the turbine section. And then to have the bird fueled and then to tow it down to the high-power turn-up area by 395. Screen the intakes, chock the wheels, chain it down including a massive chain at the hold-back on the keel. Check the pins in the ejection seat, climb in, and turn one or both engines up to idle and check for normal operation - RPM, hydraulic pressure, EGT, fuel flow, warning lights. If everything was groovey, I'd close the canopies and get down to the task at hand. First, bring an engine up to 100%, scan the gauges, and then ease the throttle into the first stage of a/b (of 4 stages) . If things went well, I'd like to ease back to 100% and then, 'balls to the wall !' Full a/b : a deafening noise, a trembling shudder, the nose of the bird scrunching down maybe half a foot. Scan the gauges, then back to 100%. And, since once is not really a thorough test, I'd give it another. And because I actually took pride in my work and would be signing my name on the work order, I'd give it another. And maybe one or two more because it was actually kinda hypnotic. Wasn't too much later, the mayor of Chula Vista called the brass at Miramar and said, "Knock that shit OFF ! We got people trying to sleep over here." End of fun. End of story.
zooming right at the time of the begining of take-off prevents seeing the real acceleration of the plane ... unfortunately every take-off shooter do it.
We still fly all of them today but have been long taken out of combat by all of our nations including the USA because they are costly to maintain,operate,spare parts are a nightmare and some toher things too.
they do but it is barely visible at the night. Actually i used to be an airman in this specific airbase once, and remember waiting impatiently for the night take-offs! The sound of the J-79s with full afterburners is something to remember for the rest of my life...
Amazing old bird but man, what a fuel hog - 120,000 pounds per hour, which means that at full afterburner the F4 has 8 minutes flying time on a full load.
@@SirensAndAlarmsOfNorthernIL Internal fuel is 2000 gallons or about 13K pounds. That actually works out to about 7 minutes flying time at full afterburner if you do the math. Even the externals (about 8500 pounds) would only add about 4 minutes. Of course, no one is going to fly an F4 that long at full AB so it's a bit of a moot point. Still, she ain't no Prius. LOL
