How to Identify the F-4 Phantom II

Only 48 of more than 5,000 of the legendary F-4 Phantom IIs currently serve in the United States' defense, all as "Wild Weasels," doing dangerous duty in air-defense suppression.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Film
• Cameras
• Cameras
• Binoculars
• Binoculars
• Camcorders
• Videocassettes
• Digital Cameras
• Camera Lenses
• SLR Camera
• Camera Accessories
• Camera Tripod
• Aircraft Band Scanner
• Air & Space Subscriptions
• Aviation Illustrated Magazine
• Flying Magazines
• Telescopes
• Aviation History Subscription
• Pioneers Of Aviation Videos
• Polaroid Cameras
• Polaroid Film
• Desert Storm: Original Air Footage Videos

1. Look for an airplane about half the size of a small jet airliner. The Phantom is just over 58 feet long with a wingspan of less than 39 feet.

2. Check the nose. It seems somewhat larger than the fuselage around the cockpit. Note also that the nose slopes downward from the cockpit area.

3. Note the cockpit is long enough to accommodate a pilot and an electronic warfare officer seated in tandem.

4. Remember, the F-4's wings are unique. Note the triangular shape and that a significant portion of the outer wing angles slightly upward.

5. Note the horizontal stabilizer elements angle sharply downward. Seen from the front or rear, the horizontal stabilizer and the wingtips seem to reach toward one another.

6. Remember, the Phantom II is powered by two jet engines mounted within the fuselage. Check for the engine air intake on each side of the fuselage just below the cockpit.

7. Look at the rear of the F-4 from the side. The main portion of the fuselage ends at the jet exhausts, but a narrower extension mounts the large vertical stabilizer and the horizontal elements.

Tips & Warnings

• McDonnell-Douglas delivered the first Phantom II to the U.S. Navy in 1962 and ceased production of the aircraft in 1979.
• By the early 1960s, U.S. Air Force officials recognized the F-4 Phantom II's superiority and ordered copies from McDonnell-Douglas.
• Among airplane aficionados, the F-4 Phantom II ranks with the P-51 Mustang and the F-86 Sabre as a classic fighter.
• The Phantom II was the only aircraft used simultaneously by the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force's Thunderbird aerobatic demonstration teams.
• McDonnell-Douglas built Phantom IIs for Britain, Germany, Japan, Israel, Greece, Australia, Iran and South Korea.
• A F-4 Phantom II can fly at Mach 2 and reach heights of 60,000 feet.
• Only 24 F-4G Phantom IIs are on active duty with the U.S. Air Force. The other 24 are assigned to the Air National Guard.
• While you can see many early Phantom II's in static museum displays, the durable F-4 will be flying well into the 21st century.

on 12/30/2005 F-4 Phantoms were used by rge Spanish Air Force (EdA) F-4C and RF-4C
and the Turkish Air Force (F-4E,RF-4E)
ex Luftwaffe RF-4s went to both Greece and Turkey.