Visitors to the
Palm Springs Air Museum might see this fighter aircraft located inside one of two hangers, the Asian-Pacific Aircraft Hanger. Near this static aircraft is a placard that reads:
F-4B "PHANTOM II" FIGHTER/BOMBER
*On loan to the Museum from the U.S. Navy*
Serial number 61-0108, this aircraft served with the 562nd Tactical Fighter Wing at McConnell Air Force Base. After retirement from active combat duty in 1970, it was one of five aircraft used for ground instruction at Lackland AFB.
PRIME MANUFACTURER:
McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft Corporation. First official flight: 27 May 1958. From 1958 to 10 October 1978 a total of 5,057 F-4 Phantom aircraft were built - 2,874 for the USAF; 1,264 for the Navy & Marines; 919 for international customers.
OPERATIONAL HISTORY
The F-4 Phantom is a two-seat, multi-use fighter/bomber built for the U.S. Navy as an interceptor. This aircraft flew every traditional military mission including ground-support for the U.S. Marine Corps. Escorted the first Navy strike in Vietnam on 5 August 1965. Used not ionly in Vietnam but also in the Middle East by Israel, and used as the F-4G "Wild Weasel" varient in Desert Storm. The Phantom was the first multi-service aircraft, flying concurrently with the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. It is the first and only aircraft ever to be flown concurrently by both the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. It has been flown by the defense forces of 11 other nations: Australia, Egypt, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Turkey.
During the Vietnam War the F-4 was used extensively; it served as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, and became important in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles late in the war. The Phantom has the distinction of being the last U.S. fighter flown to attain ace status in the 20th century. Unlike the Navy, which flew the Phantom with a Naval Aviator (pilot) in the front seat and a Naval Flight Officer as a radar interceptor (RIO) in the back seat, the Air Force initially flew its Phantoms with a rated pilot in the back seat. While the rear pilot (GIB, or "guy in back") could fly and land the aircraft, he had fewer instruments and a very restricted forward view. The Air Force later assigned a navigator qualified as a weapon/targeting systems officer (later designed as a weapons systems officer or WSO) in the rear seat instead of another pilot. However, all USAF Phantoms retained dual flight controls throughout their service life.
Clicking this link will open a text document that lists all F-4 Phantoms produced by serial number and their current status. The document lists this F-4's fate as 'unknown' as of 1991. This fighter is currently undergoing a restoration by museum volunteers with no projected finish date.
*NOTE* I was told by volunteer staff that many planes and historical items (like this display) often move around inside the hangers and outside on the tarmac, BUT they always stay within the museum, unless they are part of a visiting exhibition. Waymarkers should keep this in mind when searching for a particular waymark that I or someone else has posted on Waymarking.com. If, by chance, you cannot locate a particular waymark within the museum, please let me know and I'll contact the staff and inquire to its whereabouts. Thanks.