Tag Archives: f-4

F-4 Phantom Continues Air Force Service

Most people don’t realize the US Air Force still flies F-4s.  The Phantoms were well known for their anti-SAM role in Desert Storm, though they made their mark in history during Vietnam.

The 82nd Aerial Target Squadron is now using the F-4 to tow target banners for aerial gunnery practice.  Unmanned QF-4s continue to fly in a variety of other full-scale target applications.

Lacking the sleek and aerodynamic look of many other aircraft, the F-4 used to be cited as proof that with enough thrust, you can get a brick to fly.

Book Review: Highest Duty – My Search for What Really Matters

HarperCollins, 2009.

Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters is the autobiography of the now-celebrity pilot who landed American Airlines Flight 1549 in the Hudson River on 15 January 2009.  Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is both an Air Force Academy graduate and a former Air Force fighter pilot.

From the perspective of a pilot, Highest Duty is a fascinating read.  The book is well written, managing to string the 3 minute ordeal through 330 pages of Sullenberger’s life without becoming slow or overly tedious.  While his celebrity status was cemented by the ordeal, the book covers not only the emergency landing but also his life story.

One of the more intriguing parts of that “life story” has been the element of faith, but not for the reason most might expect.  Read more

Book Review: Refiner’s Fire, A Fighter Pilot’s Journey

CreateSpace Online Publishers, 2009.
Douglas Haig Jenkins, Jr.

The title of Refiner’s Fire makes it sound as if it is the perfect book for examining the integration of faith and the fighter pilot profession.  While it has potential, it regrettably falls short.

Refiner’s Fire is Jenkins’ autobiography.  It is literally written chronologically, with the first chapter talking about childhood dreams of flying and Read more

F-15C Ends Training, End of an Era

The F-15C Eagle, the US Air Force’s only dedicated air superiority fighter, has just seen its last class of students graduate, at least on the active duty side.  The five-man B-course graduated May 14th.  The Oregon National Guard will continue to train Guard pilots, at least until the Air Force finally retires the Eagle.

Their graduation speaker was retired Brigadier General Steve Ritchie, the only Air Force officer to become an ace in Vietnam.

The Tyndall B-course was also the scene for American Fighter Pilot (reviewed here), a short-lived “reality” series following a trio of students through training.

Navy Advised to Abandon F-35

A recent article at the Military Times suggests its “time to bail” on the Navy version of the JSF (the F-35C).  (The online article is a lead-in to a longer story in the print version of the Military Times.)  The proposal instead is that the Navy purchase more F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.

This would not be the first time the Navy “bailed” on a joint program.  The F-111 was also supposed to be a joint program; the Navy bailed on the F-111 “B” and later acquired the F-14 instead.  In the 1970s, the YF-16 and YF-17 had a “fly-off” won by the YF-16.  The Navy, which was part of the program, didn’t like the single engine F-16 and instead Read more

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