QF-4 Phantom II

[spitfirejd]

Took these pics of a QF-4 drone being demonstrated at the Langley AFB airshow Saturday. All were taken with a 40D and 300 f/4L IS.

http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v7/p665073017-4.jpg


http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v7/p1061698585-4.jpg


http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v8/p866806911-4.jpg


http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v7/p745475365-5.jpg


http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v7/p912204187-4.jpg


http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v7/p889380883-4.jpg


http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v8/p645380559-4.jpg


http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v7/p1043832565-5.jpg


C&C always welcome.

[By-tor]

Very nice shots....

[dashotgun]

beautiful but is that a drone they are usually have an orange tail. That looks to well loved to be expandable.

[spitfirejd]

It has been modified with the remote control equipment to be used as a drone, but they have "borrowed" it to use with the Heritage Flights. When it gets returned for use as a drone, they will add the orange tail and wing markings. It will then have a life expectancy of about a month.

[Southeastfirephoto]

All very nice shots but I like #1 for the heat waves behind it and #4 with the air over the wings.

[spitfirejd]

THanks for all the positive comments. I'll be posting some more QF-4 shots as part of the Heritage Flight later. Working on PP now...

[PhotosGuy]

Good series. We don't see them here anymore.

[spitfirejd]

Thanks. Here's a couple more for you to see.

http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v8/p365704868-4.jpg


http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v8/p331364572-4.jpg

[Scout7id]

Nice shots, JD! Can't ever get enough of the Phantom II.

[spitfirejd]

Thank you! When I first went into the Air Force I was sent to Osan AB, South Korea. While I was there, they were still flying F-4s. They switched to F-16s shortly after I left, but I bought my first 35mm camera while I was there and still have pictures of them. Much later, while stationed in England, I hitched a ride on a KC-135 and we refueled 8 German F-4s. That was a unique perspective! We also had hundreds of them at the bone yard at Davis-Monthan (which are now being turned into the QF-4 drones above). So I was quite pleased to be able to see, hear and photograph an F-4 again.

[sogafyrfytr]

Love the F-4! I especially love the first photo with the thermals behind those big and loud engines.

[spitfirejd]

Thanks, Harry. Glad you like them.

[Merlin Driver]

Thanks, Harry. Glad you like them.

Do you have some of the Hunters and the A4 at the airport there in Hampton? I looked at a C-206 there and spent more time watching the Hunters come and go. I do miss hearing the F-4 when the Tex ANG flew them.....

Lynn

[spitfirejd]

Unfortunately, they aren't easily photographed where they park them at the airport, and they usually have the canopies covered. They never seem to be flying when I'm there with my camera either. One of these days I'm going to ask them if they'll let me take some pics from the ramp. They brought an A-4 and F-21 Kfir to the airshow, but not a Hunter. I don't take very many static shots at airshows because of all the people and other obstructions, but here's a couple of quickly edited shots I took of the ATAC aircraft that were there.

http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v7/p83169858-4.jpg


http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v6/p400477655-4.jpg


http://spitfirejd.zenfolio.com/img/v5/p154792296-4.jpg

[Martien]

Cool shots, the Skyhawk and the KFIR (do not see these much in Europe), but these Phantom shots are awesome !!
I do (military) aircraftspotting now for about 30 years....never saw a greater fighter than the Phantom (..and I am still lucky to see them operational in northern Germany)
Again, great shots and more Phantom photos always welcome !!!

Phantoms phorever !

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/5209/spookd.png (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=spookd.png)

[spitfirejd]

Thanks, Martien. As I mentioned in your Phantom post, I have some pics of German F-4s I took from a KC-135 tanker. Unfortunately they are on slides and I don't have a slide scanner. All are in the grey drab paint scheme. Most of the pics are of the planes linking up or looking down into the cockpit. The only plane I have side views of has what appears to be a white sword with two other objects I can't make out on the tail and the numbers 37 and 98 on either side of the cross on the fuselage. I hope you can ID the squadron from this. They were taken in either late 1999 or early 2000.

[RAYJAY]

All are great shots. Love the f4's.

[spitfirejd]

Thank you. They do kinda stick with you.