Join me on a VFR jolly from Coningsby to Warton in a Phantom II (sorry Chock!) with a slight detour over the nearest city to me (Preston, Lancashire) and a couple of it's "landmarks". Not a Pound for Air To Ground, unless you count the gun pod which of course can also be used to deal with squashies, transport columns and light armour. Apparently an AIM-7 Sparrow can also be used for ground attack.. WHAT??

https://hushkit.net/2017/07/31/flying-the-f-4-phantom-ii-british-style/

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How often did you fire live weapons?

“Missiles? I fired Sidewinder once, and Sparrows twice.......And I a hit fast patrol boat target in the Caribbean using a Sparrow missile as an air to-surface weapon. It worked out quite well. There’s a range just off Puerto Rico called the Vieques.

In the Vietnam War they discovered – I think with a Phantom with an early Sparrow, hit the New Zealand (HK note: it was actually HMAS Hobart, so Australian) frigate Hobart which came as a big surprise to everyone. It didn’t explode the warhead- it just punched straight through, which proved it could work.”

A brilliant article, and Chris Bolton, the man with the story, is I feel a kindred spirit with his views on the Royal Navy F-35 

Here we are in one of RAF Coningsby's HAS (hardened aircraft shelter) getting the beast ready to go. Note the American (US Navy issue) ground power cart. The Phantom is an American plane and so she needs American volts, not good old British volts, hence the green power cart is tucked to one side 

 

I do prefer the radome with stripes on it rather than just having the dome in one overall colour cut off at the hinge line. More work for the spray shop sure, but I do like it!

 

Lined up: Bring me that horizon!

 

Most definitely POSITIVE RATE!!

 

DIESEL Power!

 

Aye, Lad. 'Ave crossed over t' Pennines! Rhodeswood Reservoir on the port wingtip..

 

..and Hadfield below.

 

Passing by EGCC. Any of you Freight Dogs down there getting jealous??

 

On a flyby of Warton. Burners lit, I'm off to Preston to break some windows! 

 

I guess Preston North End are all training from home... (PNE's football (soccer) ground on Deepdale Road underneath the fuselage). The teal coloured rectangle above the tip of the tail fin is Preston Docks. Just a marina these days..

 

A quick look at Deepdale Retail Park: The obvious autogen large block building is the empty Toys R Us shop. The photoreal building touching the canopy rail on the right of the picture is Maccy D's (yes!). The angled white roofed structure to the left of Maccy D's houses KFC, Subway, Costa Coffee and Nando's.

 

Back to Warton and slowing her down for a right downwind approach to RWY8.

 

OOPS! Too close to the airfield and didn't turn tight enough! Bless her though, she's telling me she's going to stop flying in a little bit, unless I firewall those throttles, and retract the speedbrakes. 

 

Sorted!

 

She has a brake 'chute too!

 

Get the kettle on, chaps! Now where's that telescoping ladder button?

FSX NOTAM. I've taken to using the pause button and trying to find the right external view at fast jet speeds is... difficult. Sometimes the screen captured when the red notice was off, sometimes not..

Cheers!

Entertaining story and narrative, Mark!!

Looks like you're (surely) having a bit of fun...and, yes, this thing is just too fast for Autogen...!!

[Mark: This works for me, in FSX. Hit Pause, as you're doing already, (the Red Pause Notice will blink on/off), Now, Rotate to desired view/angle, and initiate the snap (or snip!) of the image when the Red Notice is momentarily off the screen...(I'd used this on my F-4B post)...]

20 minutes ago, P_7878 said:

... and initiate the snap (or snip!) of the image when the Red Notice is momentarily off the screen...

I did try, honest! 

Yes,I am having fun feeling out the quirks in this fast beauty, thanks!

Schweet, F4ntastic!😆