*smiles*....heard them for a year, 24/7...loud, VERY LOUD, the trim pad was only about 1/4 mile away from my bunk....had a Marine bird rotate right after lift off once and scare the dog snot out of me when he roared over us full AB round 60ft haulin...I know he did it on purpose,can’t prove it,it was against regs, it hurt our ears...but I know it,I know it.
When I was 10 years old, my dad got orders to Yokosuka, and our flight landed at Atsugi (I think)
I was ten years old, and as we taxied by those rows and rows of Phantoms in the black and dark green camouflage, I had my nose pressed against the window.
I was a fanatical model builder, and to see them live for the first time was a real thrill!
That damn plane. I fell so far behind in school because I sat in class all day drawing that plane instead of paying attention.
I was on Swift Boats and I can remember crusing along off shore a mile, 115-degrees, barely coherent, 3/4 asleep, patroling along at 5kts and an F4 would do a little practice run on us. About 100-feet overhead with full burners, requiring an immediate change of underwear.