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Which Aircraft is This?


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My apologies, I'm sure it is obvious to some of you but for the life of me I can't decide what this bird is. I've wanted to build a model of it for years!

 

If any of you could help me and see if we can identify this bad boy I'd be much obliged. Happy Holidays!

jet fighter carrier.jpg

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It is some flavor of Phantom, probably an early one, B or so. Aft canopy was shallow and form-fitting enough that it pretty much vanishes from this aspect. 

Reflection of window between canopies is visible by child's upper knee & different tone of rear canopy transparency is discernible at bottom of raised forward canopy.

Cross-section of aft fuselage is another clue as are anhedraled horizontal stabilizers.

Shape of windscreen is another clue.

Also not that raised wing panels have greater chord at hing than do fixed flat portion of wings.
 

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Playing in Google found this, I had long forgotten how many As there were, and nearly totally forgotten that they were at all!
https://airvictorymuseum.com/f4.html

Quote

The F-4 on display was not originally an F-4A. She started life as a pre-production F4H-1, and was upgraded to F-4A standard. Only 45 F-4As were built before production switched over to the F-4B. Most of the 45 F-4As built served in research and training roles, and very few ever reached squadron service as they were not considered fully operational. Aircraft from Block 3 onward served in the East Coat and West Coast Replacement Air Groups to train crews and to perfect operational techniques.

 

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While I agree it is some flavor of Phantom, there are unique features missing (or maybe indistinguishable).

 

While the low canopy/spine line implies an early F4H-1 I don't see evidence of a rear canopy or cockpit.  The distinct scallop of the upper intake lip is missing.  I also can't discern any antenna or protrusions on the spine or leading edge of the tail.  It just looks too "clean" like it's possibly a mockup.

 

Also curious is the apparent absence of any wing or tail markings. The buzz number appears to be 308 which is odd.  Fighters deployed to CVs usually have 1xx & 2xx numbers, and the number sequence is usually 100, 101....107, 110, 111... in a kind of "octal" format (xx0 thru xx7 repeating), the single digits 8 & 9 aren't used. Nose #s of 3xx (& 4xx) usually denotes the attack squadrons.

 

Background clues:

- looks like it is parked next to the island on a carrier deck

- banner on island says WELCOME FAMILY AND FRIENDS (can't make out second line)

- looks like an A-4 Skyhawk parked next to it

- anyone recognize the bridge and/or island in the background scenery?

- assuming the photo was taken in the morning and the shadows indicate the photographer is facing south-west

 

Google image search doesn't find any instances of this pic on the net, where did you find it?

 

.

Edited by habu2
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My guess, F-4A on the USS Lexington Museum. The ship is moored in Corpus Christi TX and the building in the background looks like the Texas State Aquarium.

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F-4_Static_Display_USS_Lexington_base_coat.JPG

 

The ship's wikipedia page notes that it has been used as a filming location for a number of tv shows and movies.

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Alternative 4 said:

My guess, F-4A on the USS Lexington Museum. The ship is moored in Corpus Christi TX and the building in the background looks like the Texas State Aquarium.

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F-4_Static_Display_USS_Lexington_base_coat.JPG

 

The ship's wikipedia page notes that it has been used as a filming location for a number of tv shows and movies.


I agree and stand corrected.  Here’s a pic of the Harbor Bridge at Corpus. 
 

image.jpeg.097f7c44468beedf452f10d291d0188c.jpeg

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18 minutes ago, Alternative 4 said:

Next mystery? I got time!


The current markings on that jet are a mystery...

 

VMFA-542 never flew the F-4A, never deployed on the Lex (they flew the F-4B and were based out of Da Nang), and I doubt Cunningham and Driscoll ever flew with Tigers. 

 

F-4A_145315__USS_Lexington__Jun_15___11.


Here’s an F-4B with 542 at Da Nang in 1966


F-4B_VMFA-542_DaNang_1966.jpg

 

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After 30 minutes googling, I have no idea. I can't find any link of the squadron to TX, or those two pilots to that squadron.

 

I did find a few people  comment that other aircraft on the ship have dodgy paint jobs too.

Edited by Alternative 4
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Is the black & white picture from a modern TV series like JAG? A flashback scene perhaps?

 

Quote:

The fighter jet, in which Rabb's dad sets him, during the flashback in the pilot, was an F-4 Phantom.

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112022/trivia

 

EDIT:

 

Yup.

From 0.21 onwards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hS7zOnVrP4

 

Edited by JackMan
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1 hour ago, bdt13 said:

Help me out here, guys. I'm only seeing one cockpit! Could this be some kind of mockup of the McDonnell F3H-G/H? The rest of the airframe look like an F4H, so maybe this is some strange hybrid?

 

Wiki Photo

 

 

Yes, mock up of the F3H-G/H.

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It's already been established in this thread that the aircraft is an F-4A displayed on the USS Lexington in Corpus Christie TX.  The second canopy can be seen in the youtube link to a JAG episode posted earlier by JackMan.

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6 minutes ago, habu2 said:

It's already been established in this thread that the aircraft is an F-4A displayed on the USS Lexington in Corpus Christie TX.  The second canopy can be seen in the youtube link to a JAG episode posted earlier by JackMan.

With all due respect and I may be missing reading your post but no one is disputing that, my post was in reference to the pic in the link bdt13 posted, which is a pic of the F3H-G/H mock up.

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My apologies, I thought bdt13 was referring to the OP's photo.

 

bdt13, in your link it clearly identifies the plane in the photo as "Mockup of the proposed U.S. Navy McDonnell F3H-G/H" exactly as GW described.

 

.

 

Edited by habu2
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Yes, there seems to have been some confusion here, sorry. I was aware that the link I posted was to the F3H-G/H. I was using it only as a comparison to the original post photograph, in which I was mentioning that the second cockpit canopy could not be seen, or at least was not clear. Because I did not see it I was really questioning if this was an early F4H.

 

I have since watched the linked video and see that it is indeed the F4H-1/F-4A mentioned. It is a testament to how low-profile the original second cockpit canopy was that it can so easily be overlooked from some perspectives. Did not mean to stir anything up!

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On 4/12/2020 at 11:44 PM, habu2 said:


The current markings on that jet are a mystery...

 

VMFA-542 never flew the F-4A, never deployed on the Lex (they flew the F-4B and were based out of Da Nang), and I doubt Cunningham and Driscoll ever flew with Tigers. 

 

F-4A_145315__USS_Lexington__Jun_15___11.


 


 

 

 

This is just down right horrible. How any museum director can allow this kind of crap is beyond me.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 4/28/2020 at 9:42 AM, 82Whitey51 said:

 

This is just down right horrible. How any museum director can allow this kind of crap is beyond me.

 

 

 

I would imagine there was a donor with deep pockets that flew in that squadron. With most museums on a shoestring budgets, it doesn't take much to end up with a paint scheme like that. Historical accuracy? That went out the door. There's a Navy park at the airport by me that has three aircraft, all in fictional markings. It kills me to see them, but the county is too cheap for repaints.

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54 minutes ago, Darren Roberts said:

 

I would imagine there was a donor with deep pockets that flew in that squadron. With most museums on a shoestring budgets, it doesn't take much to end up with a paint scheme like that. Historical accuracy? That went out the door. There's a Navy park at the airport by me that has three aircraft, all in fictional markings. It kills me to see them, but the county is too cheap for repaints.

Likely that is what happened....$$$$  Too bad. Looks like hammered dog 💩

 

Here at NAS Pax, upkeep of the museum birds used to be  by done various squadrons around the base...the corrosion control shop along with volunteers from around the squadron. We were going to repaint the F-4J they had, so I really geeked out, researching the BuNo and digging up pics of it in service here at Pax, etc. We were going to make it look kick a$$. Then along comes the maintenance Chief in charge of the show and rants about how "we're just going to get some gray on that thing, and use some vinyl numbers (WRONG FONT!!!) and get the thing out the door"...mind you, it's Shore Duty, we ain't all that busy...Well, I wasn't going to have any part of that. Suddenly my flight schedule got really busy that next week and I just didn't have time to volunteer...😁

Another bird over there, the S-2E has VXS-1 markings on it...VXS-1 didn't even exist when the aircraft operated here at Pax! How is that representing the flight test history here!

UNSAT

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