Category Archives: 43 TFS

The First Time I flew the F4 – 45 years ago this week

Posted on September 18, 2017 by

In the fall of 1972, I arrived at Luke AFB to upgrade to the backseat of the F4. I had come to this point late in life, 28 and a captain, having been a ground pounder (non-rated or non-flying officer) … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, 43 TFS, Air Force, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, American History, F-4 Phantom II, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Luke AFB, SEA | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Mach 2

Posted on August 4, 2017 by

Found this little pin in a box recently. Not much to look at from a distance. Small F4 on it, but its the caption that catches the eye: Mach 2 Club, Phantom II.  The first reaction might be: “Is this … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, 43 TFS, Air Force, Air Force lingo, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, American History, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Fighter Aircraft | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Air Force F4 Tech Supplement to High Flight

Posted on March 19, 2017 by

HIGH FLIGHT Air Force Supplement 1 OH, I HAVE SLIPPED THE SURLY BONDS OF EARTH (Surly bond slipping will be performed only by two ship IP-led flights) AND DANCED THE SKIES ON LAUGHTER-SILVERED WINGS; (Dancing the skies will be performed … Continue reading →

Posted in 43 TFS, American History, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 PhantomII | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

F4 Stuff

Posted on February 22, 2017 by

Recently I was looking at all the things I had collected that had to do with the F4. The Phantom II mascot was called the Spook.    He appeared on a lot of things from patches — to letter head … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, 43 TFS, American History, Cambodia bombing 1973, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Fighter Aircraft | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Long Ago, In a Galaxy far far away…

Posted on January 11, 2017 by

Over the last few months, since I visited the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio and sat in the cockpit of an F4 again, the Phantom II has been almost continually on my mind. And as I thought about all those … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, 43 TFS, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, American History, Anchorage, Arizona, Cambodia bombing 1973, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Fighter Aircraft, Fighter pilot lingo, Fighter pilot slang | Tagged , | Leave a comment

F4 Crash in Alaska

Posted on November 25, 2016 by

In Alaska, December is a bitter month. I have previously written about attending arctic survival school outside of Fairbanks when it was -50F and the techniques I learned to survive.  Still it gave me, and every fighter jock I flew with, … Continue reading →

Posted in 43 TFS, American History, Anchorage, Anchorage Alaska, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, Norvell Family History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You can go Home Again

Posted on October 3, 2016 by

Recently,  I spent a great day at the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio. It was amazing to see all those aircraft — every version of Air Force One from President Franklin Roosevelt’s plane to the 707 aircraft that took … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, 43 TFS, Air Force, American History, F-4 Phantom II, F4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, U Dorn RTAFB, Udorn RTAFB, Veterans | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment