Rhino53 Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Those two you got with the cloud camo but without tail codes - were they destined for the 924th TFS at Bergstrom? 841's camo doesn't quite look like the cloud scheme they used, but 631 definitely looks like one of theirs. They look like 2 of the experimental schemes that the Louisiana ANG had for a while. I know 841 was definitely one of theirs. They had Coonass Militia either in black or white on the tail. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sundowner Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Hi Scott , amazing shots , just love it , do you have more of those water paint scheme marine phantoms ??? TIA. Henk "OMAR" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 (edited) They look like 2 of the experimental schemes that the Louisiana ANG had for a while. I know 841 was definitely one of theirs. They had Coonass Militia either in black or white on the tail. They were indeed Louisiana ANG. But it wasn't experimental schemes; they were done up in a water based temporary paint scheme for a Red Flag at Nellis since they had an air-to-air role during that particular Red Flag. They kept the temp paint on for quite some time afterwards, I presume because it looked so cool. I saw them at the Red Flag and then a few months later I visited them at NAS Belle Chase just outside new Orleans. About half their jets were done up in the two tone gray temporary scheme, I'm thinking it was all of the jets they had that still were in SEA white-belly. The wrap-around jets they had weren't done up. They didn't paint the bellies of any of them in the temp paint from what I could tell. The water based temporary paint seemed to be used for a short time in 1982-1983; I saw VMFA-232 at Nellis with a variety of temporary colors including the one two-tone pink and brick red jet I posted above. VMFA-232's were done in wraparound. Norton AFB painted up a couple of C-141Bs with a tan color over parts of the Euro-1, but unfortunately I couldn't ever get a shot of either of the whole aircraft (I did get a telephoto shot of the tail of one of them). There may have been others from other units that I never saw. I got to Nellis as often as I could while I was stationed at George AFB, but being a lowly Airman First Class I didn't have the money to buy film sometimes so I missed a few Red Flags. Edited November 4, 2011 by Scott R Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
janman Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 ABSOLUTELY Very stunning view, and nicely shot Agreed! Awesome shots! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phasephantomphixer Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Again, Thanks Scott for posting! A couple of things, doesn't the old Micro/Superscale 1/48 decal sheet with Coonass Militia have one of these schemes? And with it being what was JRB New Orleans when I was there working A-10's with the Cajuns, we had to repaint the display bird with Sherwin-Williams water based paint (FS color matched of course). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sentry30 Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Thanks chaps! Thanks Scott too for posting those nice Phantom pics! Some times wonder if there is any US F-4 you haven't photographed!? Daniël Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sundowner Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Thanks Scott for those Phantastic Phantom photo's !!!! Henk "OMAR" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Again, Thanks Scott for posting! A couple of things, doesn't the old Micro/Superscale 1/48 decal sheet with Coonass Militia have one of these schemes? And with it being what was JRB New Orleans when I was there working A-10's with the Cajuns, we had to repaint the display bird with Sherwin-Williams water based paint (FS color matched of course). What display bird was that, an F-4C? Got any photos???? I sure regret not climbing up on the jets and getting photos of the tops of the wings and stabs. I have a Koku-Fan that has air-to-air of 64-0841 including a top view so that one is doable for a model. 63-7704 as near as I can tell from my photos had its wings done in roughly the same pattern as a Hill Gray Phantom. Yes, Superscale did two 1/48 sheets with Coonass birds on them, 63-7704 on one and I believe 64-0841 on the other. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Thanks chaps! Thanks Scott too for posting those nice Phantom pics! Some times wonder if there is any US F-4 you haven't photographed!? Daniël Actually after I got married in 1986 to a gal who I later found liked spending more money than we made, my photography pretty much dried up. I got to visit Ft Worth while the 301st was flying the Cloud scheme F-4Es but couldn't afford any film to photograph them. Needless to say, she's my ex-wife now. I missed some pretty nice photos during those years though I did get to shoot some. Here's one I shot at McChord AFB in 1989: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motty Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Always an absolute pleasure to see your Phantom photos Scott. Many thanks for, firstly, taking them, and kindly sharing them with us. Cheers, Motty. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 (edited) Dang it,I'm gonna call the Tyndall guys and ask,nay,demand my Phantom ride,I left enough blood,sweat,and tears on,in,around F-4's when I crewed them (as well as F-16's).I'm beginning to think I am the only crew chief in the USAF system that never recieved an incentive ride during thier 20+ year career(except for ol' Jay Weaver,he hated flying...lol) <_< Oh well,that'll never happen,I'd never pass the physical now due to my heart surgery,ok,I'd settle for launching one out again! :P Only a few guys at Ramstein got rides and even fewer at George AFB. I was one of the lucky ones, but I sure wish I could get a do-over. You see, we were TDY (temporary duty) to Zaragoza AB, Spain. Most of the specialists hid out in the hangar during flying ops, waiting to be called if their particular system broke. I got bored, so I went down to the flightline and started helping clean canopies, refuel, stuff drag bags, launch and whatever else the crew chiefs needed help with. I was having a ball. I did that every day for the next few weeks, until the last week of our 30 day TDY. Now you have to know that I rarely drink. One afternoon a bunch of the guys were going into town to bar hop and asked me if I wanted to come along. There wasn't anything else to do so I went along. And got quite drunk with them. Next morning I was so hung over that I skipped breakfast and dragged my miserable carcass down to the flightline. Just after the first launches taxied out, our OIC (officer in charge) drove his car up to me and asked me, "If we offered you an F-4 ride, would you take it?" "Heck yeah!" I replied, "Can I go tomorrow?" He told me no, I'd fly that afternoon or not at all. DANG!!! So I went up to the clinic to see the flight surgeon, and passed the physical, though I must have looked like crap. I didn't tell him I felt awful, I was afraid that he might cancel my ride. So I didn't ask for any Dramamine or other motion sickness drugs. Then I was supposed to go down to the ops building by the flightline for egress training. On the way I went by the tiny little Base Exchange. I figured I'd better try to eat something. All they had that looked even remotely like something I could eat and keep down was a can of cashews. I bought that and a coke. I ate as many cashews as I could, and drank down the coke. I got the egress brief, then was fitted for a G-suit, harness and oxygen mask. I had to borrow gear from a crewman who was my size. Unfortunately the man smoked, and the mask stank like an ashtray even though it had been thoroughly cleaned. This was NOT going well! I then went to meet the pilot I'd be riding with, Capt Thomas Twohig. Again I was afraid to 'fess up that I was feeling rather poorly. After he told me what we'd be doing on the ride, I asked to used the restroom. I stayed in there trying to get my composure, splashing cold water on my face. Then I heard them talking outside wondering what was taking me so long, so I had to face it. I brought several barf bags with me, I knew I was going to need them... So I got the ride, and just a few minutes into the flight Capt Twohig said, "See that river? Let's follow it!" and proceeded to do four and five G turns left and right. I told him right away maybe he'd better stop, I wasn't feeling so well. He let me fly the plane, but being in the back seat you can't tell if the plane is in a slight climb or dive. He told me we were climbing and I needed to push the stick a little and descend. Hokey smokes, that stick was sensitive! I barely nudged it and flew off my seat into the straps. That really didn't help my nausea, so I gave him back the plane. We flew straight and level for awhile until I started feeling better. Then we got cleared into a range, Capt Twohig plugged in the burners and stood the Phantom on its tail. That was absolutely cool, going almost straight up like that! Then he said the cloud clearances weren't good enough for acro, pushed the stick and we went minus one G over the top. I floated out of my seat again, and my stomach told me that was just about all it was going to take. I told him I was going "cold mic", flipped off the intercom switch and filled a bag. By then I was so nauseous I didn't care if I died, much less that I was flying in a Phantom. Just then we got a call from Zaragoza saying the weather was deteriorating faster than they had forecast and that we needed to return. I was actually thankful for that. So we landed, and I had 0.8 hour in an F-4E (68-0531). It could have been so wonderful, but it was instead mostly a miserable experience. On the otherhand my supervisor got a ride out of Ramstein a year later, and forgot to bring a barf bag. They were in instrument conditions for most of the flight. He ended up filling his flight glove, which of course isn't waterproof. Yuck, what a stench! I'm glad you guys are enjoying my photos, and I hope I didn't bore you with this story. Here's me, hung over, about to get in for my ride. A WSO from the 526 TFS is sitting in the rear seat aligning the INS for me: And here's my ride. I took this one at Decimommannu a few months before: Edited September 30, 2011 by Scott R Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BAM'n'IVM Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 They look like 2 of the experimental schemes that the Louisiana ANG had for a while. I know 841 was definitely one of theirs. They had Coonass Militia either in black or white on the tail. Ah, cool and yet sort of a pity. I love those 924th TFW Phantoms in their unique camo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
strikeeagle801 Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Here's one I shot at McChord AFB in 1989: Did they still have F-15's and A-10's there then, or were they an all-transport base by then? What were you guys doing there anyways? Aaron ps. My inlaws live in Tacoma and we're under one of the training routes here in Ellensburg, so I see McChord C-17's all of the time. My wife remembers the F-15's streaking over the house when she was younger. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 (edited) Did they still have F-15's and A-10's there then, or were they an all-transport base by then? What were you guys doing there anyways? Aaron ps. My inlaws live in Tacoma and we're under one of the training routes here in Ellensburg, so I see McChord C-17's all of the time. My wife remembers the F-15's streaking over the house when she was younger. After I left Ramstein in April 1986 I was reassigned to the 62 AMS (Avionics Maintenance Squadron) working on C-141Bs and C-130Es, until the Herks were reassigned to Little Rock and other bases. Later MAC went to their own version of POMO maintenance and I was assigned to the 62 AGS. I left McChord for civilian life in 1991, well before the C-17s arrived. I took the Portland F-4C photo at the end of the ceremony inactivating the 318 FIS. They were flying F-15s. The F-15s were all transferred to the Portland Oregon ANG unit shortly after that. When I first got to McChord in late June 1986 they had a whole bunch of T-33s as well as their F-15s. I never photographed any of the T-33s before they were retired, but I did get some of the 318th F-15s. That's another "do-over" I'd like to have! Edited September 30, 2011 by Scott R Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Always an absolute pleasure to see your Phantom photos Scott. Many thanks for, firstly, taking them, and kindly sharing them with us. Cheers, Motty. PLUS ONE .... Thank you... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phasephantomphixer Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 What display bird was that, an F-4C? Got any photos???? I sure regret not climbing up on the jets and getting photos of the tops of the wings and stabs. I have a Koku-Fan that has air-to-air of 64-0841 including a top view so that one is doable for a model. 63-7704 as near as I can tell from my photos had its wings done in roughly the same pattern as a Hill Gray Phantom. Yes, Superscale did two 1/48 sheets with Coonass birds on them, 63-7704 on one and I believe 64-0841 on the other. Nope, sorry I didn't clarify-it was the Cajuns A-10 "Camel Jockey" @ 2002 and the only way we could repaint it was with Latex house paint as no more A/C painting outside. I had to hand paint (restore) the nose art as the clearcoat they tried on the original had not only eaten into it, but was blistered and moldy. I sort of followed you around in my career-retired at McChord two years ago. The A-10 detachment there left @ 1998? and we stuffed one of their tired A-10's into a C-5 and rebuilt it at Beale. Back to F-4's, I was George Phase dock 1987-91 and then a bit of F-4C at McLellan. I have video of us cutting one up for scrap on Mandays once. Nice story on incentive flight (not much incentive that day!) and of course such an opportunity hits during a Hangover! Too bad they didn't have Bananas available instead...ever able to pull crew names along with tail #'s from your photos? Erik. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Keith Diamond Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I then went to meet the pilot I'd be riding with, Capt Thomas Twohig. Hey, I recognize that name! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Hey, I recognize that name! I think the pilot's middle initial was "P", but I could be wrong. I had a copy of the aircraft debrief form from my flight until my (then) 3rd grader son lost it for me (my son is 23 now), but I think that's the initial he used. Could it be the same guy you know? A year or so after my ride, he was taxiing in at Ramstein, and someone had left a staff car parked on the edge of the taxiway. Capt Twohig tried to taxi past the car, but the outer wing dragged across the roof of the car and creased the wing pretty badly on the bottom. Mashed the roof of the car too. We had to change the outer wing. I always wondered what happened to Capt Twohig after that. I hope he didn't get into too much trouble. Scott W. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Janissary Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Hey Scott, I too wanted to say that I love your Phantom pics. I just had one question, could you describe if there are any differences between how a conventional take off feels as a passenger in an airliner vs. the Phantom? I mean the body forces one experiences, noise, sight etc.? I think the sensation may be similar but I always wonder about this when I am traveling for work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KursadA Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Scott, do you have any more photos of this airframe? There is enough material here for two ANG Phantom sheets, but I am particularly interested in this one. Thanks for sharing these! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 (edited) Scott, do you have any more photos of this airframe? There is enough material here for two ANG Phantom sheets, but I am particularly interested in this one. Thanks for sharing these! 554 was AFRES, not ANG, and sorry, 554 was pushed way back in the hangar and the mule was in the way along with a lot of other clutter around the jet so that was the only and best photo I could get. I've never seen another photo of 554 in those markings; she was transferred to Dayton not long afterwards. I do have some others of the 704th jets in both the checkers and later red/white/blue fin flashes. I'll dig them out later. Scott W. Edited October 6, 2011 by Scott R Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 (edited) Hey Scott, I too wanted to say that I love your Phantom pics. I just had one question, could you describe if there are any differences between how a conventional take off feels as a passenger in an airliner vs. the Phantom? I mean the body forces one experiences, noise, sight etc.? I think the sensation may be similar but I always wonder about this when I am traveling for work. Some of the other guys who have more time in the Phantom might be better able to answer this, but from my recollections, here goes: The day I got my ride the winds were fairly strong so we taxied out with the canopies closed. I was surprised to note you could really feel pressure changes in your ears when the pilot moved the throttles while we taxied. It was also surprising to me how quiet it was in the cockpit, I think that the helmet and earphones really cut most of the noise. Takeoff was about like an airliner at first, then as the burners came on it just smoothly pushed you back in the seat even more. I could barely hear the engines, very faint, not at all what I'd expected. I unlocked my shoulder harness to lean into it to see how much force there was, and it was definitely quite a bit more than an airliner. I could see the AB flames a little in the rear view mirror on the top of the canopy, wish I'd had my camera. I didn't bring it because I knew trying to look through the viewfinder would make me sicker than I already felt, which I think was a very dumb decision now. When we got airborne it was perfectly smooth, I don't recall feeling a single bump of turbulence during the whole flight. Could be it was just a smooth day. Coming out of burner was rather violent, I don't know if it's how it's normally done but it felt as if Capt Twohig pulled the throttles back to idle then slammed them forward to mil. So we went from a steady firm push back in the seat, to a sudden deceleration like hitting the brakes so you're pressed up against the shoulder harness for a second, them slammed back in the seat again with acceleration, though not as strong as before. I don't recall any noises from the gear retraction, but on final approach when the gear went down there were some thumps and then very loud wind noise as the nose gear came down. Cruise was like sitting in your living room, no sensation of motion at all. Until he started the 4 and 5 G turns, that is. The G-forces felt like I was melting. I always read that it makes you feel like you weigh a ton, but it didn't seem that way to me. More of a "help me, I'm melting!" sensation. I got some pretty good tunnel vision, which was interesting. It wasn't like looking through a tube, which to me implies everything stays the same size but your field of vision is reduced. Rather, it was more like everything in my field of view simply got smaller and concentrated in the center with a black field around it, like a fish-eye lens effect with a black halo around the image. The negative Gs felt like sitting in a chair someone was holding up by the back legs, and then they suddenly tip you forward. You're strapped in but you feel like you're going right up through the canopy, it's very disconcerting. Capt Twohig told me the landing wouldn't be smooth, the airplane wasn't designed for that type of landing. When we touched down it felt like driving down the freeway and hitting a large pothole, BAM!!!!, very jarring. Some months later I made a few landings like that in Piper Tomahawks when I was learning to fly, it felt like the gear was coming through the wings and scared me a little, but that's a normal F-4 landing. Then he stood on the brakes and deployed the drag chute. Watching the jets land it always looked like they put out the chute and just coasted down, but he was really braking hard, pumping the brakes too so it was quite jerky. The chute had a lot of decelleration force too. Had I the chance to do it again, I'd want to try the speed brakes in flight to see what they feel like. Edited October 6, 2011 by Scott R Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BAM'n'IVM Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 I do have some others of the 704th jets in both the checkers and later red/white/blue fin flashes. I'll dig them out later. Scott W. You mean the Texas Flag tail flashes... Please do dig those photos out. I love those jets. Childhood memories of Phantoms from Bergstrom buzzing the house... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 You mean the Texas Flag tail flashes... Please do dig those photos out. I love those jets. Childhood memories of Phantoms from Bergstrom buzzing the house... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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