F-4E
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic interceptor and fighter-bomber first designed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It entered service with the Navy in 1960, and, because of its versatility, it was later adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force, becoming a key part of their air arms by the mid-1960s.
In 1972, the F-4E received leading-edge wing slats, which greatly improved maneuverability at high angles of attack but reduced top speed.
Essentially an F-4D, the F-4E featured upgraded J79-GE-17 engines, each producing 900 pounds more static sea-level thrust, along with an M61A1 Vulcan 20mm cannon. Combat lessons from Vietnam directly influenced the decision to add the cannon.
To reduce weight, the hydraulically powered wing-folding system and emergency ram-air turbine were removed, and a seventh fuel cell was installed. Beginning with Block 41 aircraft, self-sealing fuel tanks reduced fuel capacity by 139 gallons but offered significantly improved combat survivability.
USAF Phantom II WSO 13-hour flight from Hickam AFB to Osan AB
David Weinberg, a former USAF F-4E Phantom II Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), shared his recollections on Quora:
“When I was flying the F-4E Phantom as a WSO, I did a 13-hour flight from Hickam AFB in Hawaii to Osan AB in South Korea. It was very difficult because the F-4E had to be refueled often and was difficult to fly at the gross weight and speeds necessary to maintain enough fuel to divert in case of an emergency when we could not refuel. The F-4 was an older Vietnam generation fighter and did not have a lot of places for extra things so we had to invent locations to store stuff.”
“The main things I brought were snacks, water, and piddle packs to pee into. I filled up 5 of them during the 13 hours. One person would fly [USAF F-4s had full flight controls in the back], while the other did whatever. We took turns flying, listened to music, talked to pass the time. Staying hydrated was not a problem. I was also not motivated to eat much, as if I had to do more than pee, it would have been a nightmare. We all did have breakfast super early in the morning before we took off.”
Flying over the Pacific Ocean in February
“The one difficult thing was when flying over the Pacific [Ocean] in February, it is very cold, so we wore thermal underwear and anti-exposure suits under our flight suits along with a survival vest and an inflatable horse collar life vest around our necks, plus the g-suit pants. When it came time to pee, it was a real challenge to get through all the layers regardless of how “well endowed” you were. I had to release my lap belt and kind of sit-up to do it.”
Weinberg concludes;
“Most of my water and food was in my g-suit pockets, but we also had some inflight lunches we called ‘box nasties,’ which I put on the side consoles. It was packed pretty tight in my little space in the back of the F-4E. I loved that plane and still miss those days, despite when finally landing I swore I would never do that again.”
Photo by U.S. Air Force
