±Recent Visitors

Recent Visitors to Com-Central!

±User Info-big


Welcome Anonymous

Nickname
Password

Membership:
Latest: HighestAce
New Today: 0
New Yesterday: 0
Overall: 6648

People Online:
Members: 0
Visitors: 641
Total: 641
Who Is Where:
 Visitors:
01: Community Forums
02: Community Forums
03: Community Forums
04: Community Forums
05: Community Forums
06: Member Screenshots
07: Member Screenshots
08: Member Screenshots
09: Photo Gallery
10: Home
11: Community Forums
12: Community Forums
13: Community Forums
14: Community Forums
15: Member Screenshots
16: Statistics
17: Community Forums
18: Member Screenshots
19: Community Forums
20: Photo Gallery
21: Community Forums
22: Member Screenshots
23: Community Forums
24: News Archive
25: Member Screenshots
26: Downloads
27: Community Forums
28: Community Forums
29: Community Forums
30: Member Screenshots
31: Community Forums
32: Member Screenshots
33: Community Forums
34: Community Forums
35: Community Forums
36: Community Forums
37: News Archive
38: Community Forums
39: Photo Gallery
40: Downloads
41: Downloads
42: Community Forums
43: Member Screenshots
44: Community Forums
45: Community Forums
46: Community Forums
47: Home
48: Community Forums
49: Home
50: Downloads
51: Community Forums
52: Community Forums
53: Member Screenshots
54: Community Forums
55: Community Forums
56: Home
57: Community Forums
58: Community Forums
59: Home
60: Member Screenshots
61: Member Screenshots
62: Photo Gallery
63: Member Screenshots
64: Photo Gallery
65: Community Forums
66: Downloads
67: Community Forums
68: Photo Gallery
69: Home
70: Community Forums
71: Community Forums
72: Member Screenshots
73: Community Forums
74: Member Screenshots
75: Community Forums
76: Home
77: Photo Gallery
78: Community Forums
79: News Archive
80: Community Forums
81: Community Forums
82: Member Screenshots
83: Community Forums
84: Downloads
85: Photo Gallery
86: Community Forums
87: Member Screenshots
88: Downloads
89: Photo Gallery
90: Home
91: Downloads
92: Home
93: Community Forums
94: Community Forums
95: Photo Gallery
96: Home
97: Community Forums
98: Community Forums
99: Home
100: Community Forums
101: News Archive
102: Community Forums
103: Community Forums
104: Community Forums
105: Photo Gallery
106: Member Screenshots
107: News Archive
108: Member Screenshots
109: Community Forums
110: News Archive
111: Community Forums
112: News Archive
113: Community Forums
114: Photo Gallery
115: Community Forums
116: Home
117: Community Forums
118: Home
119: Community Forums
120: Community Forums
121: Photo Gallery
122: Community Forums
123: Community Forums
124: Photo Gallery
125: Community Forums
126: Photo Gallery
127: Community Forums
128: Member Screenshots
129: Photo Gallery
130: Home
131: Member Screenshots
132: Community Forums
133: Home
134: Home
135: Community Forums
136: Member Screenshots
137: News Archive
138: News Archive
139: Community Forums
140: Photo Gallery
141: Community Forums
142: Community Forums
143: Photo Gallery
144: Member Screenshots
145: Member Screenshots
146: Home
147: News Archive
148: Community Forums
149: Downloads
150: Home
151: Community Forums
152: Home
153: Photo Gallery
154: Member Screenshots
155: Home
156: Member Screenshots
157: Member Screenshots
158: Downloads
159: Photo Gallery
160: Community Forums
161: Photo Gallery
162: News Archive
163: Home
164: Community Forums
165: Home
166: Photo Gallery
167: Community Forums
168: Community Forums
169: Community Forums
170: Community Forums
171: Community Forums
172: Community Forums
173: Home
174: Community Forums
175: Home
176: Home
177: Community Forums
178: Photo Gallery
179: Photo Gallery
180: Community Forums
181: Photo Gallery
182: Member Screenshots
183: Community Forums
184: News Archive
185: Home
186: Community Forums
187: Photo Gallery
188: Community Forums
189: Home
190: Home
191: Downloads
192: Photo Gallery
193: Community Forums
194: Photo Gallery
195: Photo Gallery
196: Community Forums
197: Photo Gallery
198: Photo Gallery
199: Community Forums
200: Community Forums
201: News Archive
202: Community Forums
203: Community Forums
204: Community Forums
205: Photo Gallery
206: Community Forums
207: Community Forums
208: Community Forums
209: News
210: Photo Gallery
211: Community Forums
212: News Archive
213: Home
214: Member Screenshots
215: Member Screenshots
216: Community Forums
217: Community Forums
218: Photo Gallery
219: Photo Gallery
220: News Archive
221: Photo Gallery
222: Member Screenshots
223: Community Forums
224: Photo Gallery
225: Photo Gallery
226: Community Forums
227: Community Forums
228: Downloads
229: Community Forums
230: Community Forums
231: News Archive
232: Community Forums
233: Community Forums
234: Member Screenshots
235: Community Forums
236: Community Forums
237: News Archive
238: News Archive
239: Photo Gallery
240: Community Forums
241: Photo Gallery
242: Member Screenshots
243: Community Forums
244: Your Account
245: Member Screenshots
246: Community Forums
247: Photo Gallery
248: Community Forums
249: Photo Gallery
250: Community Forums
251: Community Forums
252: Home
253: Community Forums
254: Member Screenshots
255: Treasury
256: Member Screenshots
257: Member Screenshots
258: Community Forums
259: Member Screenshots
260: Photo Gallery
261: Member Screenshots
262: Community Forums
263: News Archive
264: Member Screenshots
265: Community Forums
266: Community Forums
267: Community Forums
268: Photo Gallery
269: Member Screenshots
270: News Archive
271: Community Forums
272: Community Forums
273: Community Forums
274: Community Forums
275: Community Forums
276: Member Screenshots
277: Photo Gallery
278: Photo Gallery
279: Member Screenshots
280: Community Forums
281: Member Screenshots
282: Photo Gallery
283: Member Screenshots
284: Community Forums
285: News Archive
286: Member Screenshots
287: Home
288: Member Screenshots
289: Community Forums
290: Community Forums
291: Community Forums
292: News
293: Member Screenshots
294: Community Forums
295: Photo Gallery
296: Community Forums
297: Home
298: Community Forums
299: Photo Gallery
300: Community Forums
301: Home
302: Community Forums
303: Community Forums
304: Community Forums
305: Community Forums
306: Member Screenshots
307: Photo Gallery
308: Community Forums
309: Community Forums
310: Community Forums
311: Community Forums
312: Community Forums
313: Community Forums
314: Community Forums
315: Community Forums
316: Member Screenshots
317: Community Forums
318: Community Forums
319: Photo Gallery
320: Community Forums
321: Home
322: Photo Gallery
323: Community Forums
324: Community Forums
325: News Archive
326: Statistics
327: Community Forums
328: Member Screenshots
329: Home
330: Community Forums
331: Community Forums
332: Member Screenshots
333: Community Forums
334: Member Screenshots
335: Home
336: Community Forums
337: Community Forums
338: Community Forums
339: Community Forums
340: Member Screenshots
341: Community Forums
342: Home
343: Community Forums
344: Community Forums
345: Community Forums
346: Member Screenshots
347: Member Screenshots
348: Photo Gallery
349: Community Forums
350: Community Forums
351: Community Forums
352: Photo Gallery
353: Member Screenshots
354: Photo Gallery
355: Downloads
356: Community Forums
357: Home
358: Member Screenshots
359: Downloads
360: Photo Gallery
361: Your Account
362: Community Forums
363: Downloads
364: Home
365: Community Forums
366: Member Screenshots
367: Community Forums
368: Community Forums
369: Community Forums
370: Photo Gallery
371: Home
372: Community Forums
373: Home
374: Photo Gallery
375: Home
376: Home
377: News Archive
378: Community Forums
379: Community Forums
380: News Archive
381: Photo Gallery
382: Community Forums
383: Community Forums
384: Community Forums
385: Community Forums
386: Member Screenshots
387: Photo Gallery
388: Community Forums
389: Community Forums
390: Photo Gallery
391: Member Screenshots
392: Community Forums
393: Community Forums
394: Community Forums
395: Community Forums
396: Downloads
397: Community Forums
398: Community Forums
399: Photo Gallery
400: Community Forums
401: Photo Gallery
402: Community Forums
403: Photo Gallery
404: Community Forums
405: Community Forums
406: Community Forums
407: Community Forums
408: Home
409: Community Forums
410: Member Screenshots
411: Community Forums
412: Community Forums
413: Downloads
414: Member Screenshots
415: Community Forums
416: Home
417: Community Forums
418: Photo Gallery
419: Community Forums
420: News Archive
421: Community Forums
422: Community Forums
423: Community Forums
424: Home
425: Photo Gallery
426: Home
427: Member Screenshots
428: Photo Gallery
429: Community Forums
430: Community Forums
431: Community Forums
432: Community Forums
433: Community Forums
434: Community Forums
435: Community Forums
436: Community Forums
437: Community Forums
438: Community Forums
439: Community Forums
440: Community Forums
441: Member Screenshots
442: Community Forums
443: Community Forums
444: Community Forums
445: Photo Gallery
446: Home
447: Photo Gallery
448: Community Forums
449: Home
450: Community Forums
451: Community Forums
452: News Archive
453: Photo Gallery
454: News Archive
455: Community Forums
456: Home
457: Community Forums
458: Community Forums
459: Home
460: Community Forums
461: Community Forums
462: Community Forums
463: Member Screenshots
464: Member Screenshots
465: Community Forums
466: Photo Gallery
467: Community Forums
468: Community Forums
469: Photo Gallery
470: Community Forums
471: Community Forums
472: Home
473: Member Screenshots
474: Member Screenshots
475: Community Forums
476: Supporters
477: Photo Gallery
478: Community Forums
479: Photo Gallery
480: Community Forums
481: Community Forums
482: Community Forums
483: Community Forums
484: Community Forums
485: Community Forums
486: Community Forums
487: Photo Gallery
488: Member Screenshots
489: Community Forums
490: Home
491: Community Forums
492: Community Forums
493: Member Screenshots
494: Member Screenshots
495: Photo Gallery
496: Member Screenshots
497: Member Screenshots
498: Community Forums
499: Community Forums
500: Member Screenshots
501: Community Forums
502: Member Screenshots
503: Member Screenshots
504: Home
505: Photo Gallery
506: Photo Gallery
507: Member Screenshots
508: Home
509: Community Forums
510: Community Forums
511: Community Forums
512: Community Forums
513: Community Forums
514: Community Forums
515: Photo Gallery
516: Community Forums
517: Community Forums
518: Community Forums
519: Downloads
520: Photo Gallery
521: Member Screenshots
522: Photo Gallery
523: Community Forums
524: Community Forums
525: News Archive
526: Photo Gallery
527: Downloads
528: Community Forums
529: Community Forums
530: Community Forums
531: Member Screenshots
532: Community Forums
533: Community Forums
534: Member Screenshots
535: Photo Gallery
536: Community Forums
537: Community Forums
538: Community Forums
539: Community Forums
540: Home
541: Member Screenshots
542: Member Screenshots
543: Community Forums
544: Photo Gallery
545: Community Forums
546: Community Forums
547: News
548: Community Forums
549: Community Forums
550: Member Screenshots
551: Community Forums
552: Home
553: Community Forums
554: Community Forums
555: Community Forums
556: Home
557: Photo Gallery
558: Home
559: Community Forums
560: Community Forums
561: Photo Gallery
562: Community Forums
563: Community Forums
564: Community Forums
565: Photo Gallery
566: Home
567: Home
568: Community Forums
569: Community Forums
570: Member Screenshots
571: Member Screenshots
572: News
573: Photo Gallery
574: Community Forums
575: Member Screenshots
576: Community Forums
577: Community Forums
578: Community Forums
579: Community Forums
580: Community Forums
581: Member Screenshots
582: Community Forums
583: Member Screenshots
584: Community Forums
585: Community Forums
586: Community Forums
587: Community Forums
588: Community Forums
589: Community Forums
590: Community Forums
591: Community Forums
592: Photo Gallery
593: Community Forums
594: Photo Gallery
595: Member Screenshots
596: Home
597: Community Forums
598: Photo Gallery
599: Home
600: Community Forums
601: News Archive
602: Community Forums
603: Home
604: Community Forums
605: Your Account
606: Community Forums
607: Community Forums
608: Community Forums
609: Community Forums
610: Community Forums
611: Community Forums
612: Community Forums
613: Member Screenshots
614: Member Screenshots
615: Home
616: Community Forums
617: Member Screenshots
618: Community Forums
619: Home
620: Community Forums
621: Member Screenshots
622: Community Forums
623: Downloads
624: Member Screenshots
625: Member Screenshots
626: Community Forums
627: Community Forums
628: Community Forums
629: Community Forums
630: News Archive
631: Community Forums
632: Community Forums
633: News
634: Community Forums
635: Photo Gallery
636: Community Forums
637: Community Forums
638: Community Forums
639: Community Forums
640: Member Screenshots
641: Community Forums

Staff Online:

No staff members are online!
Great pics! :: Archived
A general meeting place for all pilots!
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Post new topic    Revive this topic    Printer Friendly Page     Forum Index ›  Officer's Club

Topic Archived View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
JG300-Ascout
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 05, 2005
Posts: 6257
Location: Cyberspace
PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:09 pm
Post subject: Great pics!

sharpshooter-maj.com/h...twtd02.htm

Go to bottom of page for more in-flight wingtip-to-wingtip shots of F4's.


More good shots on this page:

sharpshooter-maj.com/h...oshoot.htm

_________________
"All facts go to clearly prove that Shades is a thrice-cursed traitor & mentally deranged person steeped in inveterate enmity toward mankind"
Back to top
View user's profile Photo Gallery
JG300-Stoopy
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 05, 2005
Posts: 5840
Location: Group W bench
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:42 am
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

TON of great pics!!!

WOW!!!!! Love the F-4, I grew up as a little kid watching them haul @ss down on the deck out in the desert near George AFB where we lived!!! Dig the idea of a "Phan-con"!

What a great resource....

_________________
"Once your reputation is ruined, you can live quite freely."
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website Photo Gallery
Joe_D
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 29, 2006
Posts: 2067
Location: Razorback Country
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 1:22 pm
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

I remember those Phantoms (F4G's).

Used to see them fly over all the time at Irwin. George is no more and was pretty trashed when I went through there in 2002 on the way to Forbes Field in Kansas.

Here's an F4E I took a picture of back in the 70's. Bob Smart might recognize the location.



Joe D
Back to top
View user's profile Photo Gallery
JG300-Ascout
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 05, 2005
Posts: 6257
Location: Cyberspace
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 1:45 pm
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

- Joe_D
I remember those Phantoms (F4G's).

Used to see them fly over all the time at Irwin. George is no more and was pretty trashed when I went through there in 2002 on the way to Forbes Field in Kansas.

Here's an F4E I took a picture of back in the 70's. Bob Smart might recognize the location.



Joe D


Joe,

I think most or all of those pictured are F4E's. All on missions to north of the seventeenth parallel in that series.

Fine looking planes.

_________________
"All facts go to clearly prove that Shades is a thrice-cursed traitor & mentally deranged person steeped in inveterate enmity toward mankind"
Back to top
View user's profile Photo Gallery
JG300-Ascout
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 05, 2005
Posts: 6257
Location: Cyberspace
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 3:25 pm
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

Bob Smart or anybody:

What are the small inlets forward of the pilot's cockpit and low on the nose for?

_________________
"All facts go to clearly prove that Shades is a thrice-cursed traitor & mentally deranged person steeped in inveterate enmity toward mankind"
Back to top
View user's profile Photo Gallery
bsmart
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 23, 2006
Posts: 2523
Location: Central Maryland
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:04 pm
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

- JG300-Stoopy
TON of great pics!!!

WOW!!!!! Love the F-4, I grew up as a little kid watching them haul @ss down on the deck out in the desert near George AFB where we lived!!! Dig the idea of a "Phan-con"!

What a great resource....


I only spent a few weeks at George AFB and don't have very fond memories. It was in the 'spring' of 1982. We were involved in a huge combined exercise (Gallant Eagle 82) that was designed to show the 'Rapid Deployment Force' could deploy and fight anywhere in the world in a very short time.

It was a deployment on the level (or actually above the level) of the initial response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait 8 years later. Airlift was in such short supply that there were C-141Bs that were rushed throuh the 'stretch' program (cut the airframe in front and in back of the wing and insert plugs ) and were flying with Zinc chromate green plugs in front and in back of the wings and the interiors unfinished (as if any airlifter looked like the interior was finished Rolling Eyes ) because they didn't take the time to finish painting them before putting them back in service

Anyway we were living in a tent city and the weather was nasty. The few locals we talked to swore that it was the coldest April they could remember. I remember it raining, snowing, sleeting and hailing in one 24 hour period. On top of that the supply people only planned for enough diesel fuel to heat the tents based on 'normal' weather. Then the fuel supply pipeline into the base had problems with water contamination and they had to start running tank truck convoys over the highway just to proivide fuel for the aircraft let alone provide heat for the tents.

The 82 Airborne flew non stop from the East Coast on the second or third day and jumped in. The problem was that the winds were marginal for the jump when they took off and by the time they arrived were above the normal safety zone. a decision was made that they would jump anyway since this was an 'operational need'. Our pilots were flying top cover for the jump and they said it was spectacular but we heard later that casualties from the jump were heavier than expected. I provided a an airborne BG a ride in our flightline truck when I saw two 'army types' hobbling along the road from towards the command complex. He and the captain with him had both sprained or broken legs and were 'walking' from the Hospital to the CP on crutches. He confirmed there had been several deaths but his one comment has stuck with me. We had heard 5 jumpers died. He said 'Thats true and it sounds terrible and will be all over the news. But when we lose one jumper in a jump of 250 troops no one notices. We put over 7500 people on the ground today. we were actually afraid we would lose 7-10. Overall we did better than we had any right to given the weather'.

Hopefully we began learning lessons about how to deploy large forces (and redeploy them afterwards, The confusion in trying to get everyone back home was terrible) that helped out later but we made a lot of mistakes that time.

_________________
Bob Smart ([email protected])
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
bsmart
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 23, 2006
Posts: 2523
Location: Central Maryland
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:14 pm
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

- JG300-Ascout
Bob Smart or anybody:

What are the small inlets forward of the pilot's cockpit and low on the nose for?

Cooling and possibly Ram air for the M61 Vulcan gun. Not sure if it is just cooling or if it also provides power to a RAT (Ram Air Turbine). They also are on some F-4C &D aircraft. I can't remember if they are on teh Navy F-4Bs. The older radar system put out a lot of heat so it needed a lot of air flowing past it.

Pod mounted M-61s used a RAT to generate the power to work the gun. I'm not sure if the one in the F-4E used that or power from the main power bus.

I don't recognize the ZF tailcode I used to have a list of some of the tailcodes and remember some but ZF doesn't ring any bells.

I know ZZ was the code used by the wing at Kadena when they converted from F-4s to F-15s (about 1979 or so)

_________________
Bob Smart ([email protected])
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Joe_D
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 29, 2006
Posts: 2067
Location: Razorback Country
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:31 pm
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

Ascout,

I was commenting on the F4's Stoopy said he saw. IIRC by '87 George was a "Wild Weasel" outfit. Sometimes they'd come in so low you'd swear they would hit our antennas. On many occasions you'd feel the heat. Most of the time they'd play the RED force, depending on the ROE. With the A10's being Blue.

Gallant Eagle, big stink over that jump, was all over Stars and Stripes. Described how the winds dragged some troopers to death once they landed. The comments by the paratroopers are so true. There's a reason why they get jump pay (I don't think it's enough). The single fatalities usually never even make local news. The two years I spent at NTC we had at least one fatality per rotation (14 rotations per year back then). Everything from Heat Stroke, to soldiers being crushed by tanks. Certain units were notorious for having fatalities. It was just a dangerous place.

Joe D

BTW: The F4E picture is from Langley
Back to top
View user's profile Photo Gallery
JG300-Ascout
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 05, 2005
Posts: 6257
Location: Cyberspace
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:42 pm
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

- Joe_D
Ascout,

I was commenting on the F4's Stoopy said he saw. IIRC by '87 George was a "Wild Weasel" outfit. Sometimes they'd come in so low you'd swear they would hit our antennas. On many occasions you'd feel the heat.



...and smell the fumes? Smokey devils, ain't they? Laughing

_________________
"All facts go to clearly prove that Shades is a thrice-cursed traitor & mentally deranged person steeped in inveterate enmity toward mankind"
Back to top
View user's profile Photo Gallery
bsmart
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 23, 2006
Posts: 2523
Location: Central Maryland
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:05 pm
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

- Joe_D
Ascout,

I was commenting on the F4's Stoopy said he saw. IIRC by '87 George was a "Wild Weasel" outfit. Sometimes they'd come in so low you'd swear they would hit our antennas. On many occasions you'd feel the heat. Most of the time they'd play the RED force, depending on the ROE. With the A10's being Blue.

Gallant Eagle, big stink over that jump, was all over Stars and Stripes. Described how the winds dragged some troopers to death once they landed. The comments by the paratroopers are so true. There's a reason why they get jump pay (I don't think it's enough). The single fatalities usually never even make local news. The two years I spent at NTC we had at least one fatality per rotation (14 rotations per year back then). Everything from Heat Stroke, to soldiers being crushed by tanks. Certain units were notorious for having fatalities. It was just a dangerous place.

Joe D

BTW: The F4E picture is from Langley


I didn't even think about Langley but yea the one thing that might have IDed it is behind the plane. I'm guessing it is the transient area near building 757 (the old hangers, the Tower was on Building 756, Most of my time I was assigned in 755)

Yea we heard several troopers were drug on the ground and at least one was hit by a cargo load that was misdropped .

After the main exercise was over the Fighter types set up a 'King of the Hill' competition in the Airspace. The incoming flights would que up with the AWACs and take on whoever currently controlled the sky. We had Navy, Marine, Air Guard, and I think even Canadian aircraft 'playing'

It wasn't much of a contest actually. 1 TFW queued up 8 Eagles and sent one pair into the space. They took it from a Navy F-14 pair. The second Eagle pair watched from the outside until the first two ran low on fuel then 'tagged in' the third pair then got ready while the 1st pair hit a tanker. The fourth pair did an overwatch (Just to make sure no one tried to sneak in while the defenders were busy, you can't trust fighter pilots to play by the rules Mr. Green ) I don't think we lost control of the space the entire time (although the Marines almost did with the Harriers. As one of our pilots said "Those f%#@ers don't fight fair, they STOP" but we had some experience with them from Red Flag Laughing ) They rotated through several times (You burn gas fast in air combat) I wish I had some gun footage from that day or better yet the ACMI recordings that could be played back like a video game. Just the UHF radio we were listemning to was great.

_________________
Bob Smart ([email protected])
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Joe_D
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 29, 2006
Posts: 2067
Location: Razorback Country
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:03 pm
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

Yep,

I think it was called the transit apron. Being TAC HQ's all sorts of cool stuff would fly in. Riding the bus back from school we'd check to see what was out there. If there was, my friend and I would try to get back out that way to snap a picture without getting caught by the Flight Line SP's. Real pain was getting from the LTA side back over before it got dark. Quite a ways to go when you depend on your feet or a bicycle. I got maybe 8 or 9 decent pictures of different aircraft. None are flying today and some were just about retired at the time (F100). This hobby lasted about 2 months. Cost of film, distance, and lack of decent pictures ended it. That and spending more time with the opposite sex. The latter being the main reason Wink .

Joe D
Back to top
View user's profile Photo Gallery
Shades
Forum Tree-Rat

Offline Offline
Joined: Mar 07, 2005
Posts: 6475
Location: 3rd Branch up, 'Ye Olde Oak', Green Wood.
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:59 pm
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

I used to visit my Aunt and Uncle on the not-exactly-big-city Isle of Wight in the Summer as a pre-teen and watched those beggars buzzing the beaches.
T'was most excellent (as the pre-teens of today might say).

Only other thing I enjoyed on that overgrown sand-castle was the Hendrix festival.., except.., I WAS ON THE OUTSIDE!!!
WHAHHHHH!!!

[edit: Oh.., and all the Red Skwirrells... Mr. Green ]


_________________
Skwerl's place.

Com-Central's cutest, fluffiest, twitchiest, tail.
CPU > Intel i9-9900k (o/c 4.9GHz); COOLING > BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 4;
MOBO > ASUS PRIME Z390-A; RAM > 2x32GB Corsair LPX 2666MHz;
GPU > Gigabyte GEFORCE GTX650Ti PCI-e 3.0 2Gb GDDR5;
AUDIO > Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music (plus - Universal Audio UAD2 Quad Custom accelerator);
HDD > 3x1TB+ M.2. SSDs; LCD > DELL - S2419HGF (1920x1080);
PSU > 650W be quiet Straight Power 11 - 80+ Gold;
CASE > BeQuiet! SILENT BASE 601; OS > Windows 11 Home Advanced (64-bit).
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website ICQ Number
JG300-Stoopy
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 05, 2005
Posts: 5840
Location: Group W bench
PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:51 am
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

- Joe_D
Ascout,

I was commenting on the F4's Stoopy said he saw. IIRC by '87 George was a "Wild Weasel" outfit. Sometimes they'd come in so low you'd swear they would hit our antennas. On many occasions you'd feel the heat. Most of the time they'd play the RED force, depending on the ROE. With the A10's being Blue.


Heya Joe,

I lived in the High Desert south east of George AFB from '62 to about '72, and '62 was maybe a bit early for the F4's but I was only 1 year old at the time anyway and my a/c recognition skills were kinda fuzzy at that age....but anyway, back then the desert was very sparsely populated and it was very easy to be able to see all the way across most of the valley that comprises the Hesperia / Apple Valley / Victorville area. I literally grew up with F4's in the distance and sonic booms and have many great memories of that era.

By around 2nd or 3rd grade my buddies and I were accomplished aircraft spotters and our regular dirt-lot baseball games would be interrupted by the sound of one or two VERY loud jets somewhere across the valley, and we'd all stop and gather together and try to spot 'em. We couldn't always find them but got better at it once we learned to look WAY ahead of the sound, and they'd be down low on the deck just HAULING. This of course led to the revelation that they were supersonic! We'd amassed a good collection of aviation knowledge by that time and had heard about Mach numbers, and the accepted scientific method to calculate Mach was to estimate the plane lengths between where we saw the plane, and where the sound was coming from behind it, and approx. each 10 plane lengths between the plane and the sound it made would equal one Mach number...so it wasn't unusual to see those babies doing Mach 2 about 500 feet above ground, and there were rumors of a Phantom equipped with special engines that could do Mach 3 or 4, easy...but we only saw it a few times and it was always further away than the rest, so gathering intel on it was pretty hard. Smile

My Dad was building a rock retaining wall around the front yard of our house and he and I would get up early and head out in his old Ford pickup truck and go out to Bell mountain, east of George AFB, to go get rocks for it. I wasn't sure why we had to go so far just for rocks, although I think I understand his reasoning now. Anyway, one morning we were picking out rocks that met our criteria and tossing them in the bed of his pickup, and this perfect shadow of a jet airplane came across the ground right through where we were standing as an F4 came over the top of the hill directly overhead....I remember covering my ears and turning to watch it's shadow ripple across the desert floor. COOL!

We moved away and my Mom and I returned in about '77 or so, and I was working at a polishing shop. One of the older employees lived in Lucerne, well east of George AFB, and apparently those F4 drivers REALLY went to town out in that area. He had a private well on his property and a very high water tank that made a good reference point for them I guess, because he said he was buzzed all the time...he'd called the base commander a couple of times to complain, and said the base commander asked if he got a tail number or anything, to which he replied "Hell I can tell you what color eyes that sumb!tch had!!!!"

If I remember right there were some fatalities as well, particularly a story about a pilot who had chosen to ride it in rather than eject over a populated area (may have been Victorville)...but that's maybe local urban legend, I don't know.

Anyway...lots of good memories. Was sad to hear of George closing down when it happened even though I'd moved away again long before it did, and even sadder to see the F4's being retired. But even the desert in that area has changed so much itself, and isn't the grandeur it used to be either, so it's just as well I guess. What a chapter, and I feel lucky to have seen a bit of it.

EDIT: Dang almost forgot! Seeing the Thunderbirds perform in F-4's at Geroge AFB when I was 9 or 10 years old...damn, now THAT was an airshow!!!!

_________________
"Once your reputation is ruined, you can live quite freely."
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website Photo Gallery
RCAF_Wingnut
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 29, 2005
Posts: 786
Location: Omaha, Ne.
PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:12 am
Post subject: Re: Great pics!



Gentilemen, I spent the better part of 11 years working around F-4D, F-4E, and F-4G aircraft, while I was in the US Air Force. Oh, and Joe_D, I was one of those flight line Security Police (Sp's). Of course the aircraft pictured above was an F-4E. That section under the nose with the black front was a 20mm Vulcan cannon. The engine intakes are located on the sides of the aircraft, behind the pilot in front, and between him and the back seater. There are 2 members of the aircrew. The rear seater is called a weapon systems operator, or Wizzo. He helps the pilot operate the main weapons, except the nose cannon, and identifies the targets for him. There are two small air inlets down low on the fuselage in front , and I think they were inlets to help keep some of the electronics cool, and for instrumentation on the plane.



Here is a closer view of the E model so you can see the intakes and the gun.

The D model didn't have a gun as a permanent part of the plane. Later in the Vietnam war, it was determined that the aircraft was unable to defend itself effectively with just missiles, and they made centerline pods that contained a 20MM cannon. It wasn't as accurate as the E model because it was brought in as a stop gap measure until they could get aircraft with cannons mounted as part of the plane. The targeting system wasn't linked with the gun pod, so the pilot had to guess the deflection when shooting. the tracers loaded in the gun helped a little. In the E model, the gun targeting system was linked with the gun, so the plane could do help with deflection when in gun combat.



Here is an example of the D model, and you can tell it doesn't have the cannon in the nose. In fact, it was one of the aircraft that I work around, note the SP on the tail. All of the F-4s at Spangdahlem (SP) had those letters.

Here is a couple ideas of what the SUU-23/A gun pods looked like that was used on the F-4D.





The F-4G look like the F-4E except the section where the gun was, didn't have an opening in the front for a gun. It was used as a sensor that detected anti-aircraft missile radar systems in operation. The G model, also called the Wild Weasel was used to locate and destroy those Sam radar sites so the rest of the bombers and fighters could go into a target area without the threat of being shot down by the missiles. The crews set themselves up as a target to get the enemy to target them, and when they did, it was too late. The Harm anti-radiation missile system carried on the G was already locked and launched.

Here is a picture of an F-4G. The two outer missiles are Harms. You can tell by the clipped fins at the rear of the missile. Sparrow missiles have fins like the front ones on the Harms, both front and rear.


_________________
"May your Enemys Run With Fear!!"
Back to top
View user's profile Photo Gallery
JG300-Stoopy
Power User

Offline Offline
Joined: Jan 05, 2005
Posts: 5840
Location: Group W bench
PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:24 pm
Post subject: Re: Great pics!

There was a very good documentary on the F4 Phantom on the Military Channel I saw a while back, that went into detail about that gun pod - there were two versions, as I understand? Something to do with the first version having some problems with the generator, which had a pop-out design to put it into the windstream and spool up, so as to power the gun.

They had a lot of footage of that gun pod in action and it was pretty impressive.....

_________________
"Once your reputation is ruined, you can live quite freely."
Back to top
View user's profile Visit poster's website Photo Gallery
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic    Revive this topic    Printer Friendly Page    Forum Index ›  Officer's Club
Page 1 of 2
All times are GMT - 6 Hours
Go to page 1, 2  Next

Archive Revive
Username:
This is an archived topic - your reply will not be appended here.
Instead, a new topic will be generated in the active forum.
The new topic will provide a reference link to this archived topic.