Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military From: unocss!mlewis@uunet.UU.NET (Marcus S. Lewis) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: F-4, etc. Message-ID: <7954@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 5 Jul 89 12:37:37 GMT References: <7885@cbnews.ATT.COM> Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: U. of Nebraska at Omaha Lines: 41 Approved: military@att.att.com From: unocss!mlewis@uunet.UU.NET (Marcus S. Lewis) >From article <7885@cbnews.ATT.COM>, by mjt@super.org (Michael J. Tighe): > > From: Michael J. Tighe >>> The F-4 a fighter? I respectfully disagree. The F-4 was an air defense >> ^^^ fleet? I am going to try to add my two cents worth to this one. My dad was a fighter pilot back when (his favorite I think was the F-86) and flew F-104D's out of George AFB just before and during the transition to F-4's. Some of the few war stories he will tell are about competition between the "zipper" pilots and the white elephant pilots. He said that the dogfight setups favored the F-4 all the time: The 104's were the aggressors and the fight began when the F-4 got a lock. Sure, a fair fight. But the -104's nearly EVERY TIME were able to blow the F-4's away, strictly because of maneuverability. And radar cross-section, and smoke. If the 104's could break the lock, they had the bigger aircraft at a severe disadvantage. It's beyond me how such a little bitty wing could lift that airplane. But then there wasn't much to it but a cockpit mounted on an engine.Very little in the way of avionics. My dad may also have some distinction - he managed to lose one each F-104D and F-4C at the same base, two years apart. The punishment? He was a Safety Officer for the rest of his career. BTW, somebody mentioned a recce version of the F-4 with a question. Yes, hte 26th TRW at Ramstein flew them in the late 60's (I lived there then). I remember seeing a Canberra recce (looooong wings) bird on the flight line and being told not to talk about it. Also can't rememer markings on it. Hope this makes it out of here. Marc -- Na khuya mne podpis'? | Internet: cs057@zeus.unl.edu | UUCP: uunet!btni!unocss!mlewis Go for it! | Bitnet: CS057@UNOMA1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------