oicur12

Hey all,

I was browsing some info about F-4's and found a pic of an F-4E with a tailcode HO flying at an airshow in 2009. I thought the Collings f-4 was the only one still flying but its tailcode is FP

I also found a pic of an Air Force Heritage flight F-4(E?) with the tailcode TD. Is this privately owned? Who gets to fly it?

Who owns the F-4 with tailcode HO?

The HO bird was referred to as a QF-4 which was a drone. Obviously it would not be flow remotely in front of a crowd so I assume it can still be manned?

So many questions. Sorry

oicur12

I think it is actually tailcode HD, not HO.

Slice

HO is the tail code for Holloman AFB. The Germans still actively fly F-4's there. I went there for the 'fuge' years ago and the O-club was full of them speaking German with only a few Americans around...I had a vision of what it would have been like if we had lost the war.

Nortonious

German F-4's left Holloman a few years ago. Luftwaffe still has a Tornado RTU there. And the O-Club can still be fun come Oktoberfest, but I still never figured out where to get some decent German food in Alamo-doo-doo.

HO is Holloman tailcode for F-22's

HD is for the QF-4's (Full-Scale Drones)

There is a nicely painted HD tail QF-4 making the rounds for airshows & Heritage Flights.

FWIW: I think there is only one squadron of F-4's left in Germany as they transition to the Eurofighter. Still not a bad legacy for the old Rhino...consider that the Luftwaffe MiG-29's were built well after the F-4 and the German's still chose to get rid of them first (sold them to Poland). In the final iteration, Luftwaffe F-4's had a Hornet Radar (APG-65) and AMRAAM.

Slice

Thanks for the correct. I guess it means I'm getting old...

UAL T38 Phlyer

The Collings jet (F-4D; the fin-flash is either FP or OY) is the only short-nose Phantom I know of flying the airshow circuit. I saw it a month ago and can't remember. F-4 air to air

The Tydall heritage jets number about 8-10. All F-4E by my last visit there, about early 2009. (I counted the pretty jets as I taxied by; I was surprised at how many there were). They have them painted in various camouflage schemes from the jet's past including: brown with green, green on green, dark grey with green, dark grey only (I think this was called "European 1), and finally, the light grey with dark grey (called "Air Superiority Grey, and supposedly inspired by Keith Ferris, noted aviation painter).

An active-duty guy at Tyndall is the Heritage pilot. I can't think of his real name, but his call sign is Shamu. Google "QF-4 Demo Team" and see a self-deprecating spoof by Shamu and Tuna (Tuna is now supposedly flying for Southwest).

ALL of the Heritage jets are drones. You can tell by the "hump" on top of the fuselage, about mid-spine. There are also some small antennas on the wingtips and vertical fin (supposedly the detonation antennas if they lose control of it). I think there is an antenna on the belly in front of the intakes, and a hump on the side of the left intake.

Drones come in three flavors: Manned capable, manned-capable for limited hours and "g," and those that are never to fly with a human again ("NOLO," or No Live Operator Onboard). Some of the Heritage jets have no Rear Cockpit ejection seats.

I have never paid attention to the tailcodes before, but it may be that they have used codes from Phantom-bases past in the commemoration.
(I just checked some on-line pics; I found TD, HD, and yes, HO on the primary Heritage Jet (the brown & green bird)).

It is my understanding that all the Tyndall jobs are going to be Civil-Service in the next year. Don't get your hopes up; you'd need prior Phantom time to get hired.

The Germans pulled out of Holloman in Dec 2008.

Worldwide, still about 700-800 Phantoms still flying.

Nortonious

You and me both, still looking for 60-16 and wondering if my 'stache is 35-10...

Was sad to see the German Phantoms leave HMN, they were a fun bunch to fight.

zondaracer

I work at Davis Monthan and I see F-4's flying all the time. I actually think there was more than one at the Heritage Flight Conference, and i occassionally see multiple F-4's flying in/out.

Hacker15e

There were 4 of them painted up for Heritage Flight this year:

Hacker15e