Aircraft Carrier Fighter/Supersonic Interceptor
Ground Attack/Strike.
Ground Attack/Strike.
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Tommy Thompson was a flight test engineer on the F-4K program at McDonnell from 1966 to 1968, (Tommy please contact phantom F4K 3rd Oct 2009).
The RN Phantom F4K's were manufactured at the McDonnell Douglas facility at St Louis, Missouri. Flight Testing was done at Edwards Air Force Base.
"The Rolls - Royce Spey proved to be less compatible with the F-4 than Rolls-Royce and McDonnell had expected. One of the problems discovered in flight test was that the F-4 throttle control system was incompatible with the Spey's fuel control, which was a cambox, not a hydraulically powered unit as on the J79. The throttle linkage, basically a stiff cable, had just enough stretch in it that a swift throttle movement (jam) to the idle cutoff or military power stops (which were in the throttle quadrant in the cockpit) would result in the inertia of the cams in the Spey fuel control back on the engine stretching the cable and going into cutoff (very bad) or afterburner (not too good at that point in the program either, due to afterburner lighting problems), respectively. The eventual fix was a control linkage, made by Controlex, which had no stretch".
"If you look closely at the attached picture, taken in the flight test hangar at Edwards AFB, you'll see the words "Controlex Lives!" on the spine of the fuselage. This was done in masking tape for the picture as a jibe at the program manager back in St. Louis, who had emphatically stated in a earlier meeting with Rolls-Royce that it was an engine problem, not an airframe problem, and that the Controlex option was dead. In the picture, some of the flight test mechanics are installing the new throttle control system, which was no easy task as you can image".
More articles to follow
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XT 586 in Flight
XT 856 Flying Avertising
XT 856 The First Taxi
Individual Mission Descriptions under construction.
The Phantom F4K below is an RAF aircraft. It is here to show the missile fit. Four Sparrow Missiles were semi embedded in the belly and four Sidewinder AIM9 Missiles were carried on the Pylons. The RN did not have the Gattling Gun on the Center Station. The RN preferred configuration was a Center Line Fuel Tank. Pylons were used for Ordinance.
When the Fleet Air Arm was disbanded in 1978, the Royal Naval Phantom F4K's were handed over to the RAF.
The race was initiated by the Daily Mail to commemorate the anniversary of Alcock and Brown's crossing of the Atlantic in a Vickers Vemy bomber in 1919. Contestants could enter the competition to achieve the crossing by any means in the shortest time, starting from the top of the Empire State Building in New York and finishing at the top of the Post Office Tower in London, or the reverse. The Prize was the sum of £10,000.
The rules stipulated that the laws of the countries and airspace over or through which contestants would travel had to be adhered to. This caused some interesting Air Traffic Control situations.
A West to East crossing was the obvious choice and Phantom F4k's of 892 Squadron which would fly supersonic as much of the time as possible, would need to refuel en route and fly a great circle course.
The airfield from which they would start was Floyd Bennet Field, situated to the south of New York J. F. Kennedy which lay directly on the intended flight path of the Phantom F4k's. The requirement would be for Air Traffic movements at JFK to be suspended for 2 minutes at 0815 on three mornings.
The Americans came up trumps and the project was given the go ahead after a lively meeting at the FAA headquarters. The Nova Scotia authorities prohibited over flight at Supersonic speed over their vast wilderness which can only be described as a "pity".
A rendezvous with Victor Tankers of the RAF in Mid Atlantic was essential but problems with Procedural Control requirements with Oceanic Control at Prestwick Procedural Control were eventually resolved. The Phantom F4k's would have to descend to below 30,000 feet for the refuelling and they would have to be under positive radar control. HMS Nubian was stationed in the Mid Atlantic for a week and the Fighter Direction Officer on board conducted the intercept and refuelling rendezvous.
The nearest airfield to London authorized for Helicopter traffic to and fro the City was at Wisley. CAA regulations required twin engine helicopters. Special permission was eventually granted to the RN Wessex helicopter in that it had two engines driving one rotor.
And so it was ...the Phantom F4k’s of 892 Squadron won the day!!!
First Day Cover. Archive Alan Sheppard.
The first British customer for the Phantom was the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy, who ordered it as a replacement for the Sea Vixen in 1964. This version was known as the FG.1 in British service (its US designation was F-4K).
The British Phantoms were quite a bit different in shape and unique in having Rolls-Royce Spey engines. Also the FG.1 version had a considerably longer extending nose wheel leg so that it could operate from British aircraft carriers.
It was originally intended that two operational Naval squadrons should be equipped, one each for HMS Ark Royal and HMS Eagle. However, for political reasons, the refitting of Eagle was cancelled so 892 Sqn was the only operational one formed, and operated these Phantom F4K's from March 1969 to December 1978.
On disbanding the Fleet Air Arm, which had of a long history of Catapult and Arrester gear deck operations since the days of the Royal Naval Flying Service, these RN Phantoms were handed over to the RAF along with one of the FAA air stations the Royal Naval Air Station Lossiemouth.
The Royal Navy colour scheme was Extra Dark Sea Grey on the upper surfaces with white undersides. 892 Squadron's badge is prominent on the fin in red, white and black; the black letter "Omega" was chosen for the marking as it is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, and at the time it was thought that 892 would be the last fixed-wing Naval Squadron. The white letter "R" is the code for HMS Ark Royal and the white "007" on the nose is the individual aircraft ident. The Squadron's Phantoms carried codes between 001 and 017.
Check your log book and View all airframe numbers ever operated by RN.
Seen here with the Double Nose Gear Extention. On the Catapult. HMS Ark Royal 1975.
Off the catapult. The nose gear would have to shrink before the gear could be raised.
