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Post by LBer1568 on Dec 21, 2016 0:53:42 GMT 9
www.military.com/daily-news/2016/12/19/versatile-f-4-phantoms-making-final-flight-us-military.html?ESRC=eb_161220.nl
After 65 years the F-4 is making final flights before being destroyed as Ground Targets.
I ran F-4 Simulator at Spangdahlem from 1978-1980. At that time Spang had every type F-4 in AF Operations F-4 C Wild Weasel, F-4D,F-4D LORAN, F-4E and F-4G Wild Weasel. And thanks to old MA-1 Mock Up George "Polly" Parrott I also worked Avionics Super on weekends. He was then the ORI Avionics Chief for USAFE. The Avionics Sq at Spang was short of 9-levels and since I was a previous MA-1 7-level who had a 9-level in Simulators he declared me a 9-level Avionics Super to help the Sq work through manpower shortages. First time I was working weekend an F-4 came back with UHF issues. Maintenance Control asked for ETIC and I said give me power cart and an hour. Everyone in MC and the Avionics truck with me laughed. Who ever thought you had to pull the seat in F-4 to change UHF? Well after that I coordinated with the Avionics troops on weekend duty with me before answering. And as a side note I never got comp time for working weekends. So guess what. After I got assigned to McChord AFB WA in 1980-1983 guess who came by Inspecting Avionics and Simulators..Yup Chief Polly Parrott. And yes he helped solve Avionics 9-level manpower problem there also. That was my first time around C-130/C-141 Avionics as well, but I didn't repeat my Weekend Super mistakes.
Lorin
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Post by Gene on Dec 21, 2016 1:37:26 GMT 9
i think i mentioned that i flew the 141 simulator as part of an article for the base paper back in the '70's... well maybe not flew... i crashed twice on takeoff... seeing all the stick figures out the window made me think of computer games of the time...remembering this was the '70's...
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Post by Jim on Dec 21, 2016 3:06:27 GMT 9
www.military.com/daily-news/2016/12/19/versatile-f-4-phantoms-making-final-flight-us-military.html?ESRC=eb_161220.nl
After 65 years the F-4 is making final flights before being destroyed as Ground Targets.
I ran F-4 Simulator at Spangdahlem from 1978-1980. At that time Spang had every type F-4 in AF Operations F-4 C Wild Weasel, F-4D,F-4D LORAN, F-4E and F-4G Wild Weasel. And thanks to old MA-1 Mock Up George "Polly" Parrott I also worked Avionics Super on weekends. He was then the ORI Avionics Chief for USAFE. The Avionics Sq at Spang was short of 9-levels and since I was a previous MA-1 7-level who had a 9-level in Simulators he declared me a 9-level Avionics Super to help the Sq work through manpower shortages. First time I was working weekend an F-4 came back with UHF issues. Maintenance Control asked for ETIC and I said give me power cart and an hour. Everyone in MC and the Avionics truck with me laughed. Who ever thought you had to pull the seat in F-4 to change UHF? Well after that I coordinated with the Avionics troops on weekend duty with me before answering. And as a side note I never got comp time for working weekends. So guess what. After I got assigned to McChord AFB WA in 1980-1983 guess who came by Inspecting Avionics and Simulators..Yup Chief Polly Parrott. And yes he helped solve Avionics 9-level manpower problem there also. That was my first time around C-130/C-141 Avionics as well, but I didn't repeat my Weekend Super mistakes.
Lorin Even the F-102, and the 106 weren't in the AF 65 years ago, and it is only 64 years ago that I enlisted..... Nice story..... Comp Time?? What in hell was that??? Most of my career, comp time was something the people on the other side of the fence got...... Considered our selves lucky if we were off duty when retreat sounded.... Swing shift, most of the time, was made up of the guys on day shift whose job or aircraft wasn't done. Swing shift, if we had one, didn't end at midnight, unless everything that could be accomplished, had been accomplished. I never heard of Comp Time until I got assigned to the Pilot Training part of Air Training Command- before it got its important sounding title it has today. It was in the 70s when the AF really began to resemble the civilian world: 8AM-5PM (yes even the 24 hour clock was disappearing), weekends off, Federal Holidays off, hair down over the collar, sideburns. Comp Time and Pro Pay, 2 things that burned my arse way back then and still does today.... Comp Time was something that a good supervisor gave you for putting forth that extra effort- even if he had to do your job for the next couple of days. Comp Time- Bah, Humbug.......
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Post by Jim on Dec 21, 2016 3:08:41 GMT 9
www.military.com/daily-news/2016/12/19/versatile-f-4-phantoms-making-final-flight-us-military.html?ESRC=eb_161220.nl
After 65 years the F-4 is making final flights before being destroyed as Ground Targets.
I ran F-4 Simulator at Spangdahlem from 1978-1980. At that time Spang had every type F-4 in AF Operations F-4 C Wild Weasel, F-4D,F-4D LORAN, F-4E and F-4G Wild Weasel. And thanks to old MA-1 Mock Up George "Polly" Parrott I also worked Avionics Super on weekends. He was then the ORI Avionics Chief for USAFE. The Avionics Sq at Spang was short of 9-levels and since I was a previous MA-1 7-level who had a 9-level in Simulators he declared me a 9-level Avionics Super to help the Sq work through manpower shortages. First time I was working weekend an F-4 came back with UHF issues. Maintenance Control asked for ETIC and I said give me power cart and an hour. Everyone in MC and the Avionics truck with me laughed. Who ever thought you had to pull the seat in F-4 to change UHF? Well after that I coordinated with the Avionics troops on weekend duty with me before answering. And as a side note I never got comp time for working weekends. So guess what. After I got assigned to McChord AFB WA in 1980-1983 guess who came by Inspecting Avionics and Simulators..Yup Chief Polly Parrott. And yes he helped solve Avionics 9-level manpower problem there also. That was my first time around C-130/C-141 Avionics as well, but I didn't repeat my Weekend Super mistakes.
Lorin Even the F-102, and the 106 weren't in the AF 65 years ago, and it is only 64 years ago that I enlisted..... Nice story..... Comp Time?? What in hell was that??? Most of my career, comp time was something the people on the other side of the fence got...... Considered our selves lucky if we were off duty when retreat sounded.... Swing shift, most of the time, was made up of the guys on day shift whose job or aircraft wasn't done. Swing shift, if we had one, didn't end at midnight, unless everything that could be accomplished, had been accomplished. I never heard of Comp Time until I got assigned to the Pilot Training part of Air Training Command- before it got its important sounding title it has today. It was in the 70s when the AF really began to resemble the civilian world: 8AM-5PM (yes even the 24 hour clock was disappearing), weekends off, Federal Holidays off, hair down over the collar, sideburns. Comp Time and Pro Pay, 2 things that burned my arse way back then and still does today.... Comp Time was something that a good supervisor gave you for putting forth that extra effort- even if he had to do your job for the next couple of days. Comp Time- Bah, Humbug....... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II
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Post by pat perry on Dec 21, 2016 7:22:30 GMT 9
www.military.com/daily-news/2016/12/19/versatile-f-4-phantoms-making-final-flight-us-military.html?ESRC=eb_161220.nl
After 65 years the F-4 is making final flights before being destroyed as Ground Targets.
I ran F-4 Simulator at Spangdahlem from 1978-1980. At that time Spang had every type F-4 in AF Operations F-4 C Wild Weasel, F-4D,F-4D LORAN, F-4E and F-4G Wild Weasel. And thanks to old MA-1 Mock Up George "Polly" Parrott I also worked Avionics Super on weekends. He was then the ORI Avionics Chief for USAFE. The Avionics Sq at Spang was short of 9-levels and since I was a previous MA-1 7-level who had a 9-level in Simulators he declared me a 9-level Avionics Super to help the Sq work through manpower shortages. First time I was working weekend an F-4 came back with UHF issues. Maintenance Control asked for ETIC and I said give me power cart and an hour. Everyone in MC and the Avionics truck with me laughed. Who ever thought you had to pull the seat in F-4 to change UHF? Well after that I coordinated with the Avionics troops on weekend duty with me before answering. And as a side note I never got comp time for working weekends. So guess what. After I got assigned to McChord AFB WA in 1980-1983 guess who came by Inspecting Avionics and Simulators..Yup Chief Polly Parrott. And yes he helped solve Avionics 9-level manpower problem there also. That was my first time around C-130/C-141 Avionics as well, but I didn't repeat my Weekend Super mistakes.
Lorin
Here is another article that appeared on This Day In Aviation History today:
www.thisdayinaviation.com/20-december-2004/
I don't know how many of them were left at DM AFB boneyard but many of them may have become Range Ducks already at Luke AFB and the Holloman QFs may be joining them soon. If there are other countries still flying them, they may have saved a few at DM for parts backups. Wow, 5000 of them were built!
I suppose DM has got to make room to store all the F-16s coming out of service. And F-35s and F-22s will replace them in fewer numbers as Drones and cyber warfare become the tip of the spear.
Man, it sure is a different AF than we served in.
Pat P.
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