Phantom Phlyer, you are right about the A-12, YF-12A, and SR-71 actually breaking the F-4’s speed records. The F-4 E was the first to get the Gatling gun mounted in the nose of the aircraft rather than a pod slung underneath the fuselage. The one pictured is an Air Force F-4 E model. The other eyeball popping spec I remember is that the F-4 could do two centerline rolls in one second, 720 degrees per second! The magnetic compass sensor could withstand 8 G’s before it’s gimbaled mount broke, and the magnetic compass sensor was routinely replaced. Being an instrument tech it was our job to take care of the backup navigation system including the magnetic compass sensor located out on the left wing.
The F-4 airframe was stressed to take 9 G’s, and it could. I only remember two specs anymore, but boy, they were impressive. and my disdain quickly turned to awe, respect, and admiration. Then I got sent to my permanent station and lo and behold, F-4’s. When I was in tech school I saw pictures on the walls of F-4’s and thought, “What an ugly plane”. USAF enlisted, 1966 to 1970, instrument systems technician on F-4 C’s, D’s and E’s. It also holds the mark for flying at 98,556 feet. The speed record was just one of many that were set. Nicknamed the “Flying Brick” for its less than endearing appearance, the F-4 has almost 18,000 pounds of thrust, which enabled some units to fly at MACH 2.2, a record at the time that stayed in effect until the advent of the F-15. High-thrusting J79 twin engines power the fighter. The propulsion on the F-4 was top-notch, even from the beginning of its lifespan in 1961. Air forces in Iran, Greece, South Korea, and Turkey still fly it.
The F-4 Phantom started out as a naval interceptor, but early performance convinced the Department of Defense to slide it over to the Air Force and Marine Corps too. It was a record-setting fighter, even though it was manually controlled without the automation that 4 th and 5 th generation warplanes have.į-4 Phantom: It Seemed Like Everyone Wanted to Fly It The airplane won’t win any beauty contests, but it has been in service for 60 years thanks to a slew of different upgrades. The workhorse fighter is still in service today in several air forces around the world. Talk to pilots who flew during the Vietnam War, and they will tell you that the war effort would have been an even tougher slog without the F-4 Phantom.
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