Where Have All the Phantoms Gone?

The F-4 Phantom II lives. But the life it leads today is an odd one. It still flies in other countries; in northern Iraq, for example, the Turks use it in combat with the Kurds. But in the United States, it leads a twilight existence. It’s a warplane, but it no longer fights. Its mission is weapons testing, but no pilot flies it. Mostly, you’ll find these F-4s either sitting in the desert or lying at the bottom of the sea. The F-4 entered service in 1960, flying for the U.S. Navy. After studying… (www.airspacemag.com) More...