The Phantom - How Good was it Really?

[MB140]

Eric Mc said:

For those who like Buccs -

One of the best books I have read.

[swanny200]

There is a museum near Salisbury, if any of you guys have not been there, it is worth a look, all cockpits apart from a couple of complete shells, you can get in them too (apart from the lightning, a couple of the meteors and a jag) there are jag cockpits including one of the prototypes, meteors, JP's, a tonka, a couple of canberra's and a Harrier amongst others.

The guys are quite knowledgeable and I remember having a long conversation with one of the guys who is an ex Tonka pilot and we got onto the Jaguar's, the TSR and Phantoms to which he said that the Jags were nowhere near what they needed at the time and that he would have a Phantom anyday, I grew up with watching Phantoms, Tomcats, Falcons and Hornets on TV and thought that they were head over heels above anything we had at the time, soft spot was always for the Phantom.

[Eric Mc]

The museum you are referring to is this one -

http://www.boscombedownaviationcollection.co.uk/

I hope to be at the model show they host there this year. I was at last year's show and really enjoyed it -

http://www.boscombedownaviationcollection.co.uk/In...

[chunder27]

Weirdly the RAF bought some F4J units in the 80;s fitted with J79's. Can understand why the decisions was made for Speys but it was not as good an engine.

There are 4 Buccs at Brunters, but one chewed a motor yesterday sadly. No idea what went on but it looked nasty

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

15 F4J(UK) were bought to equip 74 Sqn after 29 Sqn (later 23 Sqn) were sent down south for the Falklands Air Defence. It was done because, at that time, the F4 was the mainstay of the UK Air Defence and removal of a Sqn to protect the Falklands was seen as a major loss of capability.

[RichGault]

When you could purchase an entire squadron of frontline fighters for £130 million aswell!!

The US Navy F4 at Duxford is a 'Jay' is it not?

[Tony1963]

RichGault said:

When you could purchase an entire squadron of frontline fighters for £130 million aswell!!

The US Navy F4 at Duxford is a 'Jay' is it not?

I think it is, and ex-Wattisham. I work with guys at Wattisham who worked on it back in the 80s.

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

Indeed. The F4 at Duxford is an ex 74 Sqn F4J(UK) .

[aeropilot]

Ginetta G15 Girl said:

Indeed. The F4 at Duxford is an ex 74 Sqn F4J(UK) .

Yep, ZE359 is the F-4J(UK) now in the American Air Museum, and one of only 2 F-4J(UK) that managed to survive the scrapmans torch thanks to Uncle Sam stipulating that they could not be disposed off to non-Govt organisations.

The other one (sister ship ZE360) went to the Defence Fire Development and Training Centre at Manston, so how long that will remain a 'survivor' is another matter.

[PAUL500]

Does anyone know what happened to the one outside the mess at RAF St Athan, my dad who worked there at the time said the army wanted it shifted pronto when they took over West Camp.

[lufbramatt]

PAUL500 said:

Does anyone know what happened to the one outside the mess at RAF St Athan, my dad who worked there at the time said the army wanted it shifted pronto when they took over West Camp.

Google suggests it was scrapped in 2007

[Kccv23highliftcam]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsBNPx-Aexw

@39 seconds in, the Finest Fighter Sqdn the world has seen....

Edited by Kccv23highliftcam on Wednesday 30th May 20:04

[lufbramatt]

dr_gn said:

lufbramatt said:

The Buccaneers had an avionics upgrade in the late 1980's and were expected to go on until the late 90's. The airframes had been overhauled in the early/mid 80s after cracks were found in the wing spars with some of them being re-sparred.

New Airfix Buccaneer on the way folks...

almost dropped a clanger there

[dr_gn]

lufbramatt said:

dr_gn said:

lufbramatt said:

The Buccaneers had an avionics upgrade in the late 1980's and were expected to go on until the late 90's. The airframes had been overhauled in the early/mid 80s after cracks were found in the wing spars with some of them being re-sparred.

New Airfix Buccaneer on the way folks...

almost dropped a clanger there

Got a Facebook post recently from a model Magazine saying it was going to be a new-tool model, but not seen much else.

[tight5]

Airfix Bucc

[FourWheelDrift]

Bigger Phantom Airfix kit for $3.95m - http://www.platinumfighters.com/phantom2

[Krikkit]

tight5 said:

Airfix Bucc

Does anyone know of a modelling website that lists preorders and will email you on stock? I don't want to just order it direct from airfix, but I'd like to buy it once it's finished.

[tight5]

Krikkit said:

tight5 said:

Airfix Bucc

Does anyone know of a modelling website that lists preorders and will email you on stock? I don't want to just order it direct from airfix, but I'd like to buy it once it's finished.

Try these -

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AX06021

[Krikkit]

Brilliant, thanks

[Eric Mc]

tight5 said:

Airfix Bucc

I've one of these in the stash -