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Post by chbessexboy on Jun 21, 2022 17:39:18 GMT 12
When I was living in Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, I watched an aircraft fly slowly overhead one morning that I swear was an F-4 Phantom. I recognised its distinctive shape having made a model of one (as a kid) and become a big fan of the aircraft as a result.
At the time I remember reading that the Phantom was from Australia. Now, the problem I have is that Wiki tells me the RAAF only operated them from 1970-73, long before I owned that house in Havelock North. Was the Phantom a USAF one, and why was it here?
I lived in that house from 1979 until 1996, but can't remember when it was that I saw it.
Was I dreaming? Was it really a Phantom, or just a phantom?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 21, 2022 17:51:13 GMT 12
USAF F-4 Phantoms visited NZ several times for exercises, like Operation Queen Bee in 1966, and Exercise Triad 76.
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Post by saratoga on Jun 21, 2022 17:58:30 GMT 12
USAF Okinawa based Phantoms also definitely here for the 1981 Air Force day at Ohakea.
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Post by davidd on Jun 21, 2022 18:18:24 GMT 12
And some arrived from God knows where, aboard the mighty nuclear-powered carrier ENTERPRISE in about 65 or 66 (so possibly already alluded to above), some of these F-4s overflew Christchurch at the time. Plenty of other visits of course, most to Ohakea, also intimated above.
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Post by mcmaster on Jun 21, 2022 18:27:52 GMT 12
Phantoms always left an impression on young lads looking skyward. I recall the then Clark based F-4Es (shark mouths and PN tail) beating up the coast around Newcastle must have been pre 1991. Smokey, loud and huge..
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Post by markrogers on Jun 21, 2022 21:04:42 GMT 12
Most American jet fighters of that era were huge!
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Post by Antonio on Jun 22, 2022 0:41:53 GMT 12
And some arrived from God knows where, aboard the mighty nuclear-powered carrier ENTERPRISE in about 65 or 66 (so possibly already alluded to above), some of these F-4s overflew Christchurch at the time. Plenty of other visits of course, most to Ohakea, also intimated above. ENTERPRISE was in NZ during 1964 |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 22, 2022 15:52:51 GMT 12
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Post by planewriting on Jun 22, 2022 16:17:19 GMT 12
Not to mention the official opening of Mangere in January 1966.
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Post by nuuumannn on Jun 25, 2022 12:15:31 GMT 12
Not NZ I know, but I have fond memories of F-4s at airshows. We had these guys (Luftwaffe Rhinos) at our airshow in Scotland once, they were up at Leuchars in Fife (where this photo was taken). The Monday after the airshow they came by and gave us a low altitude beat-up of the airfield. Needless to say I could read the stencils on their undersides pretty clearly...  F-4F The night of the airshow we played host to the crews, so I cracked open the cockpit of the museum's Me 163, which went down a treat. The German pilots were quite overwhelmed to see the thing. I got my knuckles rapped as the museum had adopted a no access to cockpits policy (health & safety) but I couldn't resist. The German guys had never seen one let alone had the opportunity to sit in one before...  MoF 128 |
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