Comments on: Right Now, Back Then

By: Hey, Virgil Xenephon, have I got a treat for you. « Bring the heat, Bring the Stupid

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:41:01 +0000

[...] Virgil Xenephon, have I got a treat for you. Swiped from the good folks at Threedonia, a nice clip of the [...]

By: Tracy, txmom2many

Tracy, txmom2many — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:21:06 +0000

Ahhh, I see. Thanks for the clarification.

By: Outlaw13

Outlaw13 — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:18:32 +0000

Thanks for your service woodstock! Where I went to school, RF-4Cs shot approaches all day long on a near-by runway. General Dynamics also practiced their Paris Air show routine with the then new F-16. Pretty cool stuff for a teenager.

By: 67Cougar

67Cougar — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:15:32 +0000

Actually, the RF-4 could carry Sidewinders for self defense, but this was rarely ever seen. I have heard rumors that those flying near North Korea used to carry them, but I have not seen pictures.

I visited the Reno Guard Unit about the time this video was shot – in 1995 shortly before the unti retired the birds and converted to C-130s. They went out in style – several time to climb and speed records were set with ‘clean’ birds in the year before their retirement, records I believe still stand.

A few of Reno’s birds went to Spain after retirement, most went to AMARC. Their Phantoms were all FY64- and FY-65 birds.

By: -fritz-

-fritz- — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:24:58 +0000

Tracy…these were manned, but “unarmed.”

There were some remanufactured about 4 years ago for missile target practice by, I believe, the Navy, and those were the only un-manned remote control drones.

By: JohnFN

JohnFN — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:16:59 +0000

The F-4 was the plane of my youth. My dad had 20 pictures of himself in the cockpit of one at Wright-Patt from when they let the Civil Air Patrol come play at the base. It felt like Wright-Patt had 1000s of them. We lived right under the outside ring and they flew over nonstop.

My dad loved the plane. We rented “Iron Eagle 2″ one night. Dad turned it on and saw they were using F-4s for Migs and he immediately took it back to the rental store and complained.

By: -fritz-

-fritz- — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:45:22 +0000

I crewed RF4Cs like these for 3 years during the Viet Nam thing, 1967-1970. Great Airplane! Correct on the lack of armament. The RF4C had a load of cameras and odd radars, etc, but not even a peashooter for help.

By: Tracy, txmom2many

Tracy, txmom2many — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:00:19 +0000

So am I understanding that these were remote controlled? The boys loved this (princess was less than impressed).

By: Kenn Christenson

Kenn Christenson — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:35:34 +0000

Somewhere, someone is saying, “Damn! I wish I’d brought my water skis!”

By: woodstock

woodstock — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:48:43 +0000

Thanks for posting this. I flew C models in Turkey in the 70′s and it brings back good memories.