One of the coolest things I ever saw was an F-4 nose up (probably near a stall) at treetop level rocking back and forth. It looked like it was walking on the tree tops. That was one amazing aircraft.
The strangest thing! We were at the Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin Air Force Base FL yesterday and there was a painting of that event on display.
My father worked on the F-4 as a flight mechanic from start to finish of its production. So I have a liking for that plane.
The F-4 General Electric J79 engines advertised its arrival with a smoke trail visible 25 miles away.
During the Second World War this was called “coming in on a wing and a prayer”. I salute any pilot that can have the presence of mind and the ingenuity to come crippling home with an aircraft demonstrably no longer airworthy.
Aerodynamically, this should not have been possible. Only by the most arcane application of physics could it succeed.
Hot, blind, dead-stick, with the glide angle of a brick.
Great story. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for the post. I have 2 AF grandsons and I know they enjoyed it. I love sharing history, actual recountings so they will know what is possible.
Back in the late 60’s/early 70’s, I was with a DOD contractor working at MCAS Beaufort (think Parris Island) repairing/rebuilding F-4B’s, C’s, and D’s.
And while we were there I even got to do a repair on one of the Blue Angel’s when they were passing through.
Not all of them were Marine Corp. Occasionally we’d get AF and Navy models come through.
Looking at the battle damage on some of these it was amazing they could still fly. Panels missing, wire harnesses hanging out, and so many holes they looked like swiss cheese.
And since our rent house in Beaufort was right under the flight path, my wife and I became very familiar with the compressor ‘howl’ from the J-79’s as they throttled back on approach. BTW the ‘howl’ is supposedly what led to the name ‘Phantom’.
About 10 years later we moved into our new house in the Clear Lake area south of Houston when I went to work for NASA on the Shuttle. The moving van had just left and we were looking at all the boxes piled up around us when we heard a rumble overhead and then the distinctive ‘howl’.
My wife looked over at me with a big smile, and said, “Phantoms. I think we’re home.”
Turns out our house was right under an approach path for Ellington AFB.
Thanks for sharing a great and fascinating story.
Robin Olds’ crew...he sure trained them well.
Great Story. Unfortunately, in todays Air Force and todays “leadership” all four would have been courts martialed.