Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Vraciu on October 23, 2016, 09:22:48 PM

Title: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Vraciu on October 23, 2016, 09:22:48 PM
http://www.collingsfoundation.org/aircrafts/f-4d-phantom/

Yeah, I am so doing this.   :rock

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=cCQnRKPIYZc
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: colmbo on October 23, 2016, 11:19:02 PM
I had to pass on my ride in the Phantom to have been flown by Steve Richie.  As an incentive to get pilots out of tour they offered a ride in the Phantom to anyone that spent 50 days out on tour.  Mike, one of the new B-17 pilots, and I looked at each other and grinned....we had already signed up to be out all year.

As it turned out I checked my phone message at the SLC airport on the way back to Alaska for a quick break....if I could be in Houston the next morning the Phantom was mine.  Grrrrr!!!  Schedule just wouldn't allow it, I had to decline -- another opportunity never came up.
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Vraciu on October 24, 2016, 12:44:22 AM
^^^^^^^ Major bummer, man.   :frown:
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Gman on October 24, 2016, 02:52:04 AM
Their F4 price is pretty attractive considering what it costs to fly the Migs in Russia and other Eastern Euro countries that offer such rides.  Plus you don't have to travel to Euro/Russia as well if you live in the USA. 
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Vraciu on October 24, 2016, 10:13:38 AM
Their F4 price is pretty attractive considering what it costs to fly the Migs in Russia and other Eastern Euro countries that offer such rides.  Plus you don't have to travel to Euro/Russia as well if you live in the USA.

Indeed.   If I get a bonus this year I am going for the F-4.   Scooter next year. 
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Ramesis on October 24, 2016, 10:40:49 AM
I was in the Navy 70 - 73 and was shot off the CV in the back seat of
a Phantom (don't recall the model). Our squadron was doing a month of carrier quals
and I was awarded the honor as the most proficient AE.
I can tell you... being kicked in the back while sitting in a chair
doesn't even begin to describe the feeling. BTW, the F4 was not from our squad
(VC-10) since it flew F-8ks with no backseat

 
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Serenity on October 24, 2016, 10:55:22 AM
I probably wouldn't...

Mostly because I tend to get a little air-sick from the back seat...
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Vraciu on October 24, 2016, 11:00:38 AM
I probably wouldn't...

Mostly because I tend to get a little air-sick from the back seat...

Plus you already get to fly T-45s. 
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Serenity on October 24, 2016, 11:36:52 AM
Plus you already get to fly T-45s.

They're nothing compared to an F-4 though! I love the Phantom, and I wouldn't turn down the chance, but I'm surprisingly bad at handling motion and G forces when I'm not at the controls.
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Vraciu on October 24, 2016, 01:34:14 PM
They're nothing compared to an F-4 though! I love the Phantom, and I wouldn't turn down the chance, but I'm surprisingly bad at handling motion and G forces when I'm not at the controls.

Try being an instructor for a bit.  You'll be cured in a week.  ;)
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Serenity on October 24, 2016, 01:37:09 PM
Try being an instructor for a bit.  You'll be cured in a week.  ;)

lol. Having been a student?! Hell no!

"Uh... yeah, sir, I TOTALLY saw that traffic..."
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: DaveBB on October 24, 2016, 03:39:30 PM
Is the CF F-4 allowed to go supersonic anywhere?  Perhaps over the ocean?
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: BuckShot on October 24, 2016, 06:02:19 PM
A-4!

...because it's one of my favorites.
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Vraciu on October 24, 2016, 07:32:26 PM
lol. Having been a student?! Hell no!

"Uh... yeah, sir, I TOTALLY saw that traffic..."

 :pray  :D
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Spitter on October 24, 2016, 07:42:17 PM
That looks like a blast!  Do they at least do some aerobatics? I imagine going supersonic might be a bit hard on the engines if they want to keep them flying a long time.

I thought my time in the Extra 300 was expensive!!   :eek:

I'm gonna see if they need any engineering, maybe I can get a discount....  :pray
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: SFRT - Frenchy on October 24, 2016, 07:47:13 PM
I have to look into this since I'm pages away from finishing this book.  :lol

(http://generalaviationnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Robin-Olds-book.jpg)
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Gman on October 24, 2016, 09:24:02 PM
Great book.  You should check out Mark Berent's "Rolling THunder" series Frenchy, great F4/Vietnam historical fiction from a guy who formed and ran the F4 night attack squadron in Vietnam.

Heh, first question I had as well was wondering if the F4 ride would allow you to go super sonic someplace.  I know the guys here in Calgary that own a couple Mig21 2 seaters down in Nevada are allowed to break the barrier in certain airspaces with their planes.

Ramesis, very cool - F8 Crusader is one of my favorite fighters of that era to read about, Barret Tillman has written some interesting stuff about it and is an x Crusader pilot as well.  Last of the Gunfighters.  There's a great episode of that old "Dogfights" history channel show about an F8 pilot in a large fight in Vietnam in one.  The French flew them for  along time from the carriers as well, those birds lasted a long, long time for them. 

I'll find a recent vid of a South Korean show of force on their air weapons range, it has everything in their air and ground inventory shooting live ammo, and the range ain't very far from the cameraman.  Some great ROK F4 footage of them dropping 16 500 or maybe 1000lb bombs x a 4 ship, HUGE flattening of the targets on the hills, probably 60+ bombs in the target zones from one pass.  Pretty impressive for older birds.

Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Mister Fork on October 25, 2016, 09:56:48 AM
Great book.  You should check out Mark Berent's "Rolling THunder" series Frenchy, great F4/Vietnam historical fiction from a guy who formed and ran the F4 night attack squadron in Vietnam.
+1 on Rolling Thunder...great reads.

Havn't ready Fighter Pilot yet - I'll look for it on Amazon.
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: SFRT - Frenchy on October 25, 2016, 10:59:42 AM
YeeYee ... Rolling Thunder is next.

I'll buy it next. $12,000 is a bit steep for 40 minutes. I'd would have thrown about half  :old:
Title: Re: Fly an F-4 or A-4? Why Not?
Post by: Vraciu on October 25, 2016, 12:39:40 PM
I have to look into this since I'm pages away from finishing this book.  :lol

(http://generalaviationnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Robin-Olds-book.jpg)

Christina Olds is a friend.  She co-wrote that with Ed Rasimus.  Raz wrote two other books which are truly outstanding.  WHEN THUNDER ROLLED about his Vietnam tour in F-105s and PALACE COBRA about his return to Nam in F-4s.  I read the latter first.  Absolutely fabulous