Thursday Thunder seems to be turning into Phantom Thursday lately. But with Japan’s final RF-4 squadron sunsetting at the end of the month, if the dude behind the 1-300 channels is going to keep putting up gorgeous videos of these old warriors, I’m going to keep linking them.
According to Wikipedia, the youngest of the JASDF’s F-4s was delivered on May 20th, 1981. By the time they fly off to the sunset for the last time, this airframe will be just about 39 years old. Most of the fleet will be over 40. The first production F-4 rolled off the line in 1958.
I’m (just barely) old enough to remember seeing the F-4 in the twilight of USAF service. Back when the Southern California Logistics Airport was George AFB, I can recall seeing a couple flights of F-4G Wild Weasels booming down the valley.
I wonder if any of my kids are going have similar feelings when the F-16s are eventually sunsetting in forty or fifty years, where they remember hearing the roar of that single massive engine blasting down the runway as members of our local ANG unit heads out for an exercise.