And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
From History.net: The F4H-1 Phantom II was originally designed for the U.S. Navy, and when it first emerged from McDonnell’s St. Louis factory—a big, heavy two-seater with its wingtips bent upward and its elevators splayed downward—it seemed to fly in the face of every lesson learned about fighters. The Phantom was capable of carrying up to 16,000 pounds of missiles, bombs and other ordnance, but had no guns. It was borne along by two engines that, in the words of Vietnam veteran pilot Dick Anderegg, provided“proof that if you put enough thrust behind a brick you can make it fly.”
Those bad boys help us out several times when out Huey gunships were forced down. Normally we covered our own troop carrying Hueys when they were on the ground from enemy fire or mechanical issues. Great times for a young Tennessee kid and they paid me to do that job. Hard to beat that deal for sure!
I Love the Phantom. I think it's scary looking. Fighter Aircraft should be scary looking. You want your enemies to think "what sort of people would create such a beast?"
Happy Hooligans, my old unit. 178FS out of Fargo. We flew alert out of Kalmath Falls Oregon for a number of years before switching to Langley on the east coast.
Wow!
ReplyDeleteOld Droopy Nose
ReplyDeleteTestament that given enough JP-4 you can make a brick fly...
ReplyDeleteI thought that referred to the Thud.
DeleteFrom History.net:
DeleteThe F4H-1 Phantom II was originally designed for the U.S. Navy, and when it first emerged from McDonnell’s St. Louis factory—a big, heavy two-seater with its wingtips bent upward and its elevators splayed downward—it seemed to fly in the face of every lesson learned about fighters. The Phantom was capable of carrying up to 16,000 pounds of missiles, bombs and other ordnance, but had no guns. It was borne along by two engines that, in the words of Vietnam veteran pilot Dick Anderegg, provided“proof that if you put enough thrust behind a brick you can make it fly.”
How many F-4 drivers does it take to change a light bulb?
ReplyDeleteFive. One to change the light bulb, four others to sit around and talk about how great the old light bulb was.
That can't be real, there is no black exhaust coming out the back end ;-)
ReplyDeleteA jet so ugly it's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThose bad boys help us out several times when out Huey gunships were forced down. Normally we covered our own troop carrying Hueys when they were on the ground from enemy fire or mechanical issues. Great times for a young Tennessee kid and they paid me to do that job. Hard to beat that deal for sure!
ReplyDeleteI always loved one of the German nicknames for the F4 - Luftverteidigungsdiesel ("Air Defense Diesel").
ReplyDeleteI Love the Phantom. I think it's scary looking. Fighter Aircraft should be scary looking. You want your enemies to think "what sort of people would create such a beast?"
ReplyDeleteWhat does it say on the tail (something about, "Happy . . ?. . ")?
ReplyDeleteHappy Hooligans, my old unit. 178FS out of Fargo. We flew alert out of Kalmath Falls Oregon for a number of years before switching to Langley on the east coast.
ReplyDelete