Going Up!
Posted on 12/05/2014 7:09:47 AM PST by C19fan
Ok, can/could F-4 maintain a constant airspeed in the vertical?
Ok, can/could F-4 maintain a constant airspeed in the vertical?
The first Phantom was the McDonnell FH1, the Navy’s first operational jet fighter. It hails from around 1946.
The emergency procedure for out of control below 10000 feet was “ Eject”.
I asked the former chief pilot for NASA Dryden what his favorite plane was (he flew everything including the SR-71).
His answer... F4 Phantom. It was like the ultimate hotrod.
The last few years he headed the flight test group for the Eurofighter.
I can remember when the f-16 became operational and the f-4’s were being phased out.
Pilots and support crew had a saying: Better my sister in a whorehouse than my brother in an f-16!
i was on the fid in ‘79, watched an f4 eat a deck wrench on it’s way down the cat...
spit the engine out the end of the aircraft just as it cleared the bow...
pilot jettisoned all stores and we watched it sink below the bow. we waited for the crash... it never came
out in the distance in front of the ship it came into view, a mere feet from the water..
it slowly gained some speed and eventually climbed and returned to the ship...
one hell of a loud smoky aircraft it is..
Very cool photo, brother. Thanks for posting it.
If the F4 d has AIM-120 AMRAAM it can engage an F-18 at a fair chance of victory as the fight should be Beyond visual range. F-4E Peace Icarus 2000 has AIM-120
Only rules of engagement makes the Turn and Burn a requirement.
and as a bomb truck the F-4 is still a good platform just old and expensive on the fuel side.
RE FH1:
So that would be a first generation jet fighter, alongside F86s, P80/F80 Shooting Stars... same time frame.
Like the styles on those aircraft.
The question was if it could climb vertically. You correctly answered the question as it has to do with power to weight.
I believe the F-15 was the first American jet fighter to achieve positive power to weight ratios.
Interesting.
Another problem is if you try to turn and burn an F-4 you rapidly run out of mission capable aircraft. A very maintenance intensive aircraft.
An F-4 in a vertical climb was losing speed. An empty F-4E weighed 32,000 lbs. Fuel, crew, external tanks etc added weight. In theory, a completely stripped down F-4 could have a 1:1 thrust:weight ratio...moments before flaming out. Going up vertically with no fuel left would be bad.
I remember reading years ago about an Air Force Reserve squadron of F-4s kicking the butts of active duty F-15 squadrons. The phrase, “Old age and treachery always wins out over youth and enthusiasm.”
Not so. That was the F-15
Me too. Beat them at Nellis in 79 and 80
Could not accelerate in vertical due to thrust to wait ratio.
155 combat sorties in that aircraft.
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