Phantoms can't be forgotten

A recent aviation historic milestone stirred a few old, fond memories.

On this day in aviation history: May 27, 1958; A legend was born. 

She earned several “nicknames” over her years of service.

The Double Ugly, Lead Sled, Flying Anvil, St. Louis Slugger, Flying Brick, Snoopy, Rhino, Old Smokey, the triumph of thrust over aerodynamics and “World’s Leading Distributor of MiG Parts.” 

More simply known as the Phantom, she made her maiden flight on May 27, 1958, with Robert C. Little at the controls. 

There were proposals to name the F4H “Satan” and “Mithras,” the Persian God Of Light. 

In the end, with Depart of Defense buyers being the post-war stodgy group they were at the time, the aircraft was given the less controversial name “Phantom II.”

Soon afterward, the Double Ugly squared off against the XF8U-3 Crusader III, and on Dec. 17, 1958, the F4H was declared a winner.

During her service, the Phantom served many countries, including Australia, Egypt, Germany, the United Kingdom, Greece, Iran, Israel, Japan, Spain, South Korea and Turkey.

One unique distinction is the F-4 Phantom was the only aircraft to have flown the colors of both the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds as well as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels precision flying squadrons.

On Dec. 6, 1959, the second XF4H-1 performed a zoom climb to a world record 98,557 feet. 

Navy Cmdr. Lawrence E. Flint Jr. accelerated his aircraft to Mach 2.5, 1,650 mph, at 47,000 feet and climbed to 90,000 feet at a 45 degree angle. He then shut down the engines and glided to the peak altitude. As the aircraft fell through 70,000 feet, Flint restarted the engines and resumed normal flight.

As I began my years of Pacific Fleet U.S. Navy service, we had phased out the old Phantoms and were carrying F-14 Tomcats aboard for our deployed Air Wing fighter jet airframe.

However, once in a while a Marine squadron would fly out when we were operating in the SOCAL Op Area (Southern California Operating Area) and they would catch up on their carrier landings for training purposes.

Seeing, and more impressively, hearing an F-4 Phantom on an aircraft carrier steam catapult at full throttle with full afterburners is a sight and sound you’ll never forget. 

Yes, all of carrier aviation is a loud business when working on that busy flight deck, however being around an F-4 Phantom was an entirely different level of sound that you could literally feel more than hear.

As a radar air traffic controller, we had a running joke about the old Phantoms: Take a Volkswagen Beetle up in a cargo plane, drop it out and cut the engines on a Phantom flying alongside at the same time, and the Phantom would beat that Beetle to the ground. 

Without power, a Phantom had the glide capability of a brick.

Most of us who served around Phantoms will never forget them. 

I can still hear them in the constant tinnitus and ringing in my ears to this day.