Operational Phantoms in the late eighties?

[Dafixer]

I'm asking the great hive mind of ARC the following...I remember as a youth, living near Barstow CA area in the late eighties/very early nineties that we would get some very low Phantoms flying over the house (as well as OV-10s!). This traffic peaked around the annual Red Flag exercises. I have a distinct memory of being on a 4-wheeler and getting buzzed by a Phantom and being able to see the pilot in the cockpit. I also remember Dad getting pissed at the sonic booms rattling the house (I loved 'um). Anyway, does anybody have any idea what model Phantom those were as well as who might have been flying them at the time? 

[Charlie D.]

Calif. ANG out of Fresno was flying D models as late as ‘89.

[Whiskey]

There were RF-4C's flying out of Nevada all the way into the 90's.

 

https://www.avgeekery.com/that-time-that-the-high-rollers-rf-4-phantoms-roared-just-feet-over-nevadas-pyramid-lake/

[afoxbat]

Marine RF-4B’s and F-4S’s. Most of the USN Phantoms had been retired in lieu of F-14’s/18’s by then.

[Whiskey]

4 minutes ago, afoxbat said:

Marine RF-4B’s and F-4S’s. Most of the USN Phantoms had been retired in lieu of F-14’s/18’s by then.

 

Yep VMFP-3 out of MCAS El Toro until 1990 (?)

 

[Dafixer]

Nice! Thanks guys, I knew I came to the right place!

[achterkirch]

George AFB was not far from you at that time.  They flew F-4E’s and F-4G’s. 

[ChesshireCat]

ah! But our memories tend to shorten as we all grow old! Have all of you forgotten the F4g Phantom Wild Weasels that struck Iraq before the F117's even warmed their engines up? To be exact they were landing as the F117's were just starting to head to the arming pit. I believe that would be 1990 or maybe even 1991

gary

[pollie]

12 hours ago, achterkirch said:

George AFB was not far from you at that time.  They flew F-4E’s and F-4G’s. 

 

George AFB is known nowadays as Victorville logistics airport and just a stone throw away from Barstow. I think they were an F-4G only wing early nineties (3 squadrons) but not sure.

 

I wish I could go back in time and visit the place!

 

It might also have been RF-4s from El Toro on their way to the low flying routes in the national parks further north.

 

On top of that: Mojave was the place were (R)F-4s were converted to drones so also a hive of F-4 activity and a mere 5 minutes flying from Barstow....

 

Bottom line: you'll probably never find out the exact subtype / unit etc without pictures....

[GreyGhost]

VMFA-134 Smoke was still flying F-4s up till 1989 out of El Toro ...

 

-Gregg

[Dafixer]

I appreciate the replies guys. I thought the F-4 was on the way out back then and there would have been few flying, so it's a nice surprise to know the Phantom was still going strong back then. I guess it makes it easier to pick one to model (and not be wrong) since so many were still flying (accumulated from the replies above): F-4G, F-4E, RF-4B/C , F-4S, F-4D.