For everyone who can recall low-and-fast close air support maneuvers overhead, here's a collection of F-4 and RF-4 Phantoms doing their thing, including a couple of supersonic passes. 'Noisy' just about describes it!
That brings back lots of memories . . . not of Phantoms, but of South African Mirages and Impalas (friendly) and Soviet-era MiG-21's, MiG-23's, MiG-27's and Sukhoi Su-22's (not so friendly) low overhead in African skies. Modern jets make a lot less smoke, but they're no less noisy - sometimes more so.
Peter
You always knew it was a F-4 coming in to land because they always made a certain high pitched noise.
ReplyDeleteThat video was great.
did not know, until this video, that I missed them so much.
Heltau
Driving over Snowdonia mountain range to Anglesey in North Wales we would be surprised from time to time by RAF Tornados practising low level flying.
ReplyDeleteThose tactics didn't seem to work out so well in the Iraq war, though.
Ah! The sound of freedom!
ReplyDeleteBrings back memories-I was at a bicentennial event in Detroit. We were doing some kind of hands across the ambassador bridge to celebrate Boxing day and the 4th of July. I was right next to the Canadian and US flags in the center of the bridge when a red, white and blue f-4(not a thunderbird-I think it said "spirit of America" on the side.
ReplyDeleteAnyway it flew soundlessly over our heads, and before I could even think how cool it was, the soundwave hit and just about knocked me over.
Ah- Good times!
F-4: "A triumph of thrust over aerodynamics"
ReplyDeleteWay back when (in the middle '60's) I was at my first USAF assignment in Key West Fl. After I got settled, I brought the wife down. I forgot to tell her that the apartment I rented was directly in the landing approach for the Boca Chica Naval Air Station.
ReplyDeleteAnd it actually was dead center of the go/no-go point. First night she was there at about 0300 an F-4 got a waive of and had to do a go-around.
Which meant he hit his afterburner and off he went. Wife went off also - straight up in the air and off the side of the bed...