Category Archives: F-4 Phantom II

May 1973 First F-4 Combat Mission over Cambodia

Posted on May 17, 2023 by jenorv

This year is a significant anniversary for me; it was 50 years ago that I flew my first combat mission. In May 1973, I flew across Thailand and entered Cambodian airspace. At the time, there was a lot of pressure … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, American History, Cambodia bombing 1973, Combat, F-4 Phantom II, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Fighter Aircraft, Thailand, U Dorn RTAFB, Udorn RTAFB, Vietnam War | 4 Comments

Jungle Survival – A Piece of Cake

Posted on May 2, 2023 by jenorv

Clark AB, Philippines—May 1973 Fifty years ago I was en route to combat over Cambodia, but first stop was at Travis AFB. From there, I caught one of the DOD cattle-car contract transport flights to get to SEA. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, Air Force, American History, F-4 Phantom II, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Fighter Aircraft, Navigator, U Dorn RTAFB, Veterans, Vietnam War | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Leaving Luke For Southeast Asia 1973

Posted on March 28, 2023 by jenorv

An excerpt from my book Fighter ‘Gator Luke AFB Arizona In March 1973, my class completed its F-4 training at Luke. Our class photo taken outside the 310th TFTS showed a confident group. It had been a demanding eight months … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Force, American History, Arizona, F-4 Phantom II, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Luke AFB, Navigator, Veterans, Vietnam War | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Up in the Air So Blue

Posted on October 14, 2022 by jenorv

14 October 1972 Luke AFB Arizona Our bird, F-4C 662, taxied out of its parking space and slowly moved into position. While Hollywood has accustomed Americans to think that there is considerable banter between aircrew members, there is usually strict … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Force, Air Force lingo, American History, Arizona, F-4 Phantom II, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Fighter Aircraft, Luke AFB | 1 Comment

Silver Wings

Posted on July 25, 2022 by jenorv

Mather Air Force Base—UNT graduation 25 July 1972 It’s hard to believe that it has been 50– 50 years; I repeat this almost in unbelief. Why? Because I only became a navigator through an odd series of circumstances. I received … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960s Turmoil, Air Force, Air Force Academy, Air Force lingo, American History, Cambodia bombing 1973, F-4 Phantom II, Mather AFB, Navigator, Navigator Training, NY History, Udorn RTAFB, USAFA, Washington DC | 1 Comment

Checkride!

Posted on June 27, 2022 by jenorv

As flyers one thing we always had to deal with was a checkride. My first checks were in Nav School on the T-29. If all went well, it was straightforward. That was the operative phrase—all went well.   Sadly, for me … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Force, Air Force lingo, American History, F-4 Phantom II, Mather AFB, Navigator, Navigator Training | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Fighters and Targets

Posted on March 25, 2022 by jenorv

In the fall of 1972, I arrived at Luke AFB outside Phoenix, Arizona. I joined several others from my nav class, assigned to the 310th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, to transition to the back seat of the F-4. The F-4 … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, 43 TFS, Air Force, Air Force lingo, American History, Arizona, Cambodia bombing 1973, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, Fighter Aircraft, Fighter pilot lingo, Fighter pilot slang, Navigator, Veterans, Vietnam War | Leave a comment

Two types of flyers…

Posted on March 8, 2022 by jenorv

There was an old saying in the F-4 world: “There are two types of flyers, those who have been sick and those who will be.” As our training continued, we moved into a lot of turning and violent maneuvering in … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, 43 TFS, Air Force, Air Force lingo, American History, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Luke AFB, Thailand, U Dorn RTAFB, Udorn RTAFB, Veterans, Vietnam War | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Real Air Force

Posted on January 4, 2022 by jenorv

Way back in 1968, I was a very green second lieutenant with no real job assigned to a base in Washington, D.C. One day a crusty old chief warrant officer. who had served in WWII, said to me: “This is … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, Air Force, American History, F-4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, Luke AFB, Mather AFB, Thailand, Veterans, Vietnam War | Tagged | 2 Comments

Thoughts from the Pit Part Deux

Posted on December 7, 2021 by jenorv

More Thoughts from the Pit Flight Surgeons: The Docs were great, never met one that didn’t look out for the best interest of the jocks. Two things to remember though: you never told a Doc that you passed out. That … Continue reading →

Posted in 13 TFS, Air Force, Air Force lingo, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, American History, Anchorage, Anchorage Alaska, Arizona, Combat, F-4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, Fighter pilot lingo, Fighter pilot slang, Navigator, Navigator Training, Thailand, U Dorn RTAFB, Udorn RTAFB, Veterans, Vietnam War | Tagged , | Leave a comment