Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: flight17 on August 29, 2012, 11:41:57 PM
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Well, as the title says, the museum i belong to has received its newest project; a F-4 Phantom. It came in last night on truck from Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton. It is a Vietnam Veteran and IIRC, they said it has two kills.
Today, we unloaded it and were able to power wash it. Back in May, when they demilitarized it, the fire department had to actually come in and hose it down because of all the bird poop and nests that were on it and built in it. There are still tons of nests in it though as there were many service panels that were open for years. Hopefully we will have it done by next year.
The F-15 took us only a year but needed to have a lot done to it. This should be easier, as for the most part, it will be just cleaning, putting back together and repainting. There is only two things on it that is damaged. One being the one wingtip, which was ripped off the plane during a windstorm and a spot on the the back of the plane, just forward of the tail, where it appears the wingtip might have struck.
Here are pictures
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd320/flightsimer/Air%20Heritage/IMG_1197.jpg)
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd320/flightsimer/Air%20Heritage/IMG_1191.jpg)
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd320/flightsimer/Air%20Heritage/IMG_1204.jpg)
Jim Ackley and I powered washed the entire plane and wing today after it was off the trailers.
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd320/flightsimer/Air%20Heritage/IMG_1226.jpg)
Before and Afters:
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd320/flightsimer/Air%20Heritage/IMG_1218.jpg)
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd320/flightsimer/Air%20Heritage/IMG_1233.jpg)
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd320/flightsimer/Air%20Heritage/IMG_1203.jpg)
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd320/flightsimer/Air%20Heritage/IMG_1238.jpg)
looking forward
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd320/flightsimer/Air%20Heritage/IMG_1246.jpg)
Up close
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd320/flightsimer/Air%20Heritage/IMG_1244.jpg)
In this pic is three out of our four Vietnam era aircraft
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd320/flightsimer/Air%20Heritage/IMG_1239.jpg)
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Wicked cool. :aok
Is it going to be flyable when finished?
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Glad to see she's found a good home. Any idea on what markings you gents are going to put on her? I imagine she's got more then her share of history being an F4C. Going to put her in her Mig Killer markings?
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Was that yalls OV1 Mohawk at Oshkosh? It was parked right in front of us
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Was that yalls OV1 Mohawk at Oshkosh? It was parked right in front of us
no, ours hasn't flown in like three years and we decided to permanately ground it as of this year as we don't have the money to rewire the entire aircraft.
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Man i just saw the first picture and found myself blurting aloud "ooooh baby, what happend to you?" :(
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Even power washing it made a huge difference. Flight, is it OK to share these pictures? I have a few friends who would be interested in them.
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Very nice! Static only? (we can dream, though)
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Even power washing it made a huge difference. Flight, is it OK to share these pictures? I have a few friends who would be interested in them.
Sure! We also have a Facebook if they want to follow the progress there. I will be adding photos as it comes along there in its album.
Very nice! Static only? (we can dream, though)
it would have literally taken an act of congress to have gotten it and been allowed to fly it. Any fighter that has flown within 30 years in active service is not eligible, by law, to be actually sold to a private party. Right now, even though it's indefinately ours, it's still owned by the USAF, just like our F-15.
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Wicked cool. :aok
Is it going to be flyable when finished?
Not possible, see post above.
Glad to see she's found a good home. Any idea on what markings you gents are going to put on her? I imagine she's got more then her share of history being an F4C. Going to put her in her Mig Killer markings?
I ideally want to reprint her in the markings she is carrying right now as its a nice looking camo design. Some camo just doesn't look as good as others, but I think was one of the nicer ones. The nose cone, which is not pictured will more than likely have the sharks mouth, at least if I again get my way, as I believe it previously had it.
But either way, we will reprint it in a scheme that it actually wore in service.
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Oh I wish that could be restored. :bhead
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Sure! We also have a Facebook if they want to follow the progress there. I will be adding photos as it comes along there in its album.
it would have literally taken an act of congress to have gotten it and been allowed to fly it. Any fighter that has flown within 30 years in active service is not eligible, by law, to be actually sold to a private party. Right now, even though it's indefinately ours, it's still owned by the USAF, just like our F-15.
Not many people could stomach the fuel bill of that thing either even if they did let you fly it.
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Not many people could stomach the fuel bill of that thing either even if they did let you fly it.
Very true, but first of all you'd have to deal with the maintenance bill to get the airframe, engines, electrical system, fuel tanks and control systems flightworthy. I used to work on the pointy end of F-4s, together with a bunch of other maintenance people in a bunch of specialties for the rest of the plane. To get a plane as complicated as the F-4 back to flight status after it's been sitting a zillion years is not simple and would be a major monetary sink hole. Then continuing maintenance testing and repair to keep it flightworthy would be a secondary fiscal drain.
Nice photos!
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Very true, but first of all you'd have to deal with the maintenance bill to get the airframe, engines, electrical system, fuel tanks and control systems flightworthy. I used to work on the pointy end of F-4s, together with a bunch of other maintenance people in a bunch of specialties for the rest of the plane. To get a plane as complicated as the F-4 back to flight status after it's been sitting a zillion years is not simple and would be a major monetary sink hole. Then continuing maintenance testing and repair to keep it flightworthy would be a secondary fiscal drain.
Imagine how much money the government sinks in these things (or newer things nowadays) 24/7 365 etc. ;)
I see F4's in active duty every summer when vacationing in Greece btw. They fly real low over the beaches almost daily.
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It'd be cool to find it's former pilots and have them tell some flight history/experience. :aok
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Not many people could stomach the fuel bill of that thing either even if they did let you fly it.
That's not even half the logistics/cost of it, but it is a nice chunk.
Jet-age aircraft are just a completely different animal in terms of maintenance, safety and precautions. IE: How many flying museums (most being NPOs, Paul Allen doesn't count :D ) will have (registered and current) state/fed licensed pyrotechnicians on hand to regularly deal with the ejection seats?
Still a very cool adition.
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It'd be cool to find it's former pilots and have them tell some flight history/experience. :aok
There's probably quite a few pilots that flew this bird. It might not be all that hard to find them.
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Ah, yes the mighty Rhino. Great looking even when she's in pieces.
(http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac270/puma44/86f0e77a4937f44309b43c76548d6547.jpg)
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Ah, yes the mighty Rhino. Great looking even when she's in pieces.
(http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac270/puma44/86f0e77a4937f44309b43c76548d6547.jpg)
:O
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Very true, but first of all you'd have to deal with the maintenance bill to get the airframe, engines, electrical system, fuel tanks and control systems flightworthy. I used to work on the pointy end of F-4s, together with a bunch of other maintenance people in a bunch of specialties for the rest of the plane. To get a plane as complicated as the F-4 back to flight status after it's been sitting a zillion years is not simple and would be a major monetary sink hole. Then continuing maintenance testing and repair to keep it flightworthy would be a secondary fiscal drain.
Nice photos!
Thanks.
Another issue is parts. We tried to get parts for a t-34, a plane which has been operated by hundreds or thousands of civil operators and because of where we got ours from,the navy couldn't sell us any pats that we need.
Not many people could stomach the fuel bill of that thing either even if they did let you fly it.
there are multiple ways organizations can make it work to at minimum break even on operating it. The Collings foundation have the single f-4 phantom on the US registry, and it pretty much doesn't fly without a paying passenger in the back seat. It is also paid to attend every airshow it goes to and I would guess it stays pretty local to their Texas base as well, unless there is some big time show that is willing to pay for it to come there.
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cool photos! :aok