Some old USAFE F-4s...and a cuckoo in the nest!

[Mad Dan]

A small selection of USAFE Phantoms for those with long memories...

Bentwaters/Woodbridge 81st TFW...









Despite the WR tailcode, this never came within 3,000 miles of the twin-base complex at Bentwaters/Woodbridge.



Lakenheath 48th TFW...







Hahn 50th TFW...



Torrejon 401st TFW - but displaying an 81st TFW badge while awaiting transfer from Bentwaters to Spain.



Ramstein 26th TRW...



Bitburg 36th TFW...





Spangdahlem 52nd TFW...



Hahn 50th TFW...





Zweibrucken 86th TFW...



Torrejon 401st TFW...



Ramstein 26th TRW...



Torrejon 401st TFW...



Soesterberg 32nd TFS...



Hahn 50th TFW...

[nigelblake]

Superb and superb again!
Just wish I'd seen them around the Mach loop; what a sight that would have been!

[st24]

Very nice Captain P. Presume that the F15 code is the first use of WR for Warner Robins??

[Mad Dan]

The F-15A was indeed from Warner Robins Air Logistics Center - I encountered it at Eglin, which was probably about as close as it ever got to Bentwaters!!!

[dazzagreenwood]

Lovely!

You can never see enough American F-4's

[Manonthefence]

Blooming marvellous young Eccles

Its good to see some of the old style fuel tanks. Any idea when the USAF (and other operators) began using the F15 style centreline tanks? I believe they changed because of the greater G-limits with the F15 type. I assume they were only used on the F-4E/G and the RF-4s.

[brewerybod]

Thank you very much for posting these...especially the 81st TFW ones,as i spent many hours watching the F-4's at Bentwaters during the seventies.

Cheers - Graham,
Bentwaters Cold War Museum.

[lambo17841]

Brings back memories of a thrash round the bases each weekend to catch the visitors,those days before the net when you mostly did not know what was at the bases until you got there.

John

[F-86]

Superb.

[3Greens]

Cracking post and a great selection. Just love them.. a great memory
It was a fair old trot down to Bentwaters for us but we would do Coningsby, and Lakenheath as a top up on the way down. Struck lucky on 27/7/76 at Bentwaters. At the end of the day the large notice board adjacent to the engineering ops building declared
"86 Missions Scheduled/Flown" ...it was non stop with most aircraft getting 3 or 4 trips in during the day.


Hope you don't my me posting but these little gems were on stopover for delivery I believe into 32TFS Soesterburg, all TISEO equiipped straight out of the factory.
(01056,01057,01058)

there were six more over at Woodbridge.
Still don't know quite how it happened but followed a queue of traffic at their gate and found ourselves driving around a pan of F-4s
Thanks again
Keith

[brewerybod]

Thanks for posting those two shots Keith,the 91st TFS 'Blue Streaks' F-4D 66-539 shot is taken at 'commie corner' as the yanks called it which was a favourite place for spotters to gather as the Phantoms taxied-by close to the fence.And in those days the fence was low and the pre-flight checkout groundcrews used to sit in their cars waiting for the aircraft to come out,but they did build them a small hut eventually to sit inside.
When the A-10's arrived they built a new checkout area and taxy-way which was a little bit further away (not by much though)

Cheers - Graham,
Bentwaters Cold War Museum

[Westy]

What a stonking thread - MORE!!!!!!!

[awacs]

Still one of my favorite posts on this forum!:-)

Reinier

[Roellodder]

Don't remember seeing F-4E's with that serials at Soesterberg.
Cheers,
Roel

[Roellodder]

I agree with Westy
I want to see more USAF F-4's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The more the better!!!!!
Cheers,
Roel

[Graf Zeppelin]

Nice one Eccles, Reminds me of my trips to Bentwaters, Woodbridge, Alconbury and Lakenheath in 1971-72 Phantom bashing! Always a delight to see USAF F-4s in SEA Camo.

[Phantom 892]

Cracking post