The Air Force Is Retiring Its Last F-4 Phantoms
Dario Leone
History, Americas
They served well.
Noteworthy the F-4 Phantom II, which flew for the first time in May 1958, originally was developed for U.S. Navy fleet defense and entered service in 1961.
Oct. 25, 2016 has been a bittersweet day for Hill Air Force Base (AFB).
On that day in fact as the QF-4 Aerial Target mission is winding down, two of the aircraft visited the airfield, to give supporters of the F-4 Phantom IIs the chance to see them one last time.
Hosted by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s F/QF-4 System Program Office, the visit was touted as the ‘Phinal Phantom Phlight.’
Lt. Col. Ron King and Jim Harkins, pilots from Holloman AFB, New Mexico, after having performed two flybys, landed at Hill AFB, where they were greeted by Airmen and civilians.
“I felt like we had an opportunity and an obligation to get this aircraft on the road one more time because so many people have this connection with it,” King explained. “It’s just been absolutely amazing for me to do this.”
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