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Mid-70's Navy F-4J: Are gear doors red trimmed?


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Just making sure the gear doors need red trim like most navy jets, but I'm having difficulty getting pics of this squadron. Also, it would appear that the air brake flaps on the bottom of the rear wings are totally red inside and also the area between the rear flaps.

Anybody know for sure?

TIA

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Just making sure the gear doors need red trim like most navy jets, but I'm having difficulty getting pics of this squadron. Also, it would appear that the air brake flaps on the bottom of the rear wings are totally red inside and also the area between the rear flaps.

The few walkaround pics I have do not show the red trim on 70s USN Phantom gear doors. The inside of the speed brake itself is normally red, with the speed brake well white.

HTH!

Cheers,

Andre

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Tough question, that...I'm looking in the C&M book on the Navy Phantoms, and the section for VF-74 is a nice one...the gorgeous one with the big red lightning on the upper fuselage (one of my favs) definitely DOES have the red trim on the doors, and is dated 1973. Then another taken two years later in 1975 when they had yellow tail tips does NOT seem to have the white trim. A couple of grainy b/w photos from 1977 are unclear, but may be redless as well.

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Tough question, that...I'm looking in the C&M book on the Navy Phantoms, and the section for VF-74 is a nice one...the gorgeous one with the big red lightning on the upper fuselage (one of my favs) definitely DOES have the red trim on the doors, and is dated 1973. Then another taken two years later in 1975 when they had yellow tail tips does NOT seem to have the white trim. A couple of grainy b/w photos from 1977 are unclear, but may be redless as well.

Thanks guys- I guess the jury is still out. This was probably a time when the red trim was just becoming standard on navy fighters, but it's hit and miss depending on squadron and time period. I think I'll put it on anyway, since you do have a pic that shows it WAS there, at least for awhile.

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I was in VF-194 (F-4J's) from 1976 to 1978. Along with our usual gull grey over white, we also had 3 Ferris paint scheme aircraft. All gear door edges were white. (Just looked up the pictures today)

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I spent quite a bit of time underneath Phantoms up until the mid 70's. As I recall it was a safety issue to those who were under during launches. All the pics I have and looking through cruise books the edges of most movable surfaces were red. It could have changed later on. I know most all early birds had the red edges. Can't say where it changed.

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I spent quite a bit of time underneath Phantoms up until the mid 70's. As I recall it was a safety issue to those who were under during launches. All the pics I have and looking through cruise books the edges of most movable surfaces were red. It could have changed later on. I know most all early birds had the red edges. Can't say where it changed.

Thanks again guys- and this proves why I'm having trouble with what is "correct" for the squadron and time period. I've seen many pics with the red trim and quite a few without, so maybe there is no "wrong" way to paint them. Even if I paint them white, I'll bet 80% of those who look at it will think it's wrong, so to be safe I think I'll still go with the standard red trim.

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I spent quite a bit of time underneath Phantoms up until the mid 70's. As I recall it was a safety issue to those who were under during launches. All the pics I have and looking through cruise books the edges of most movable surfaces were red. It could have changed later on. I know most all early birds had the red edges. Can't say where it changed.

Hang on - he says, spotting yet another problem on the way, or another excuse to say "sod it, it'll do" - does that mean the edges of the flaps as well, or just the undercarriage doors?

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I was in VF-194 (F-4J's) from 1976 to 1978. Along with our usual gull grey over white, we also had 3 Ferris paint scheme aircraft. All gear door edges were white. (Just looked up the pictures today)
Grrreeeaaattt! I'm replying to myself. Knew I was losing it! Anywho. While the gear doors did not have red trim, the commpression doors and flaps were still red.
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for VF-74 is a nice one...the gorgeous one with the big red lightning on the upper fuselage (one of my favs)

Was this scheme worn during Vietnam Wartime (Linebacker I & II)?

Edited by Teeradej
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  • 13 years later...

We had 15 new F-4Js arrive at Miramar in  the summer of 1967, and the   gear door   rims  were painted  with a red stripe on the  edge. After  a  few years  with  banged up older F-4B's, the  factory freshness of a  brand new  aircraft  was highly appreciated.    The moving surface  safety protocol was red  edge or even full red as with deployed  trailing edge  flaps, or folding  outer wing roots. Other  areas as well, but the  gear doors are the topic here so I'll  go to the  answer:  While the  factory doors   were  rimmed in Red,  when new replacement  doors  were installed,  they were delivered  aboard ship  in zinc  chromate (yellow  green) primer. In late   60's   and early 70's  'nam  deployments, when a big F-4J main  tire   blew, it usually  destroyed the compound curved   gear  door,  which then had to be  replaced. Each  replacement door had to be custom fitted to properly close  the gear well,  a  very time consuming  task  with the  aircraft up on jacks  in the hangar deck. Although Phantoms were   line assembled, they were still largely hand built, especially the  doors and other  skin  panels.  A down gripe F-4J waiting on a  gear  door fit up  was a mission delay,  but there were no short cuts  to getting  a  big Phantom off its jacks and  back up to the   flight deck. Because of the  time constraints, a  replaced  door  was not finished in  white until  there was a breather  for painting the door,  or if the  crud  crew had a  full repaint  scheduled. But  replacement  doors almost never had  red   edges painted,  that would  be   a time waster.  Very often,  replacement gear doors,  and other  replaced or repaired  panels flew in zinc  chromate  until    line maintenance  could    get  around to painting  or when the  aircraft  went to PAR. I imagine the  lack of  red   stripes was a common condition in combat veteran  aircraft, and it is entirely likely  every F4-J built, that   had   carrier traps  eventually needed at least  one blown gear  door  replaced,  except  with the Blue Angels.

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Regarding the ailerons and flaps, even USAF aircraft came out of the factory with red end caps. I can’t recall a single F-4 not so finished. The same applies to the inner surfaces of speed brakes, their actuators bodies, aux air door, their actuators and the RAT its doors and well. I cant recall one single exception.

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