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Phantom Phixer Stories
These are stories and antidotes submitted
by Phormer Phixers. If you have
any stories related to the Phantom we'll be glad to post them here.
Rudder Flutter
I arrived at DM in Nov of 64 fresh out of tech school and was assigned to Charley Parker's flight (A section B flt). Charley Funderburg was a Captain then and our maintenance officer. Willies Daw was my first trainer, then I was assigned a SSgt McDonald (Robert I think) which brings up my first story. Mc was on the tail with one foot on top of the vent mast with the rudder pushed off to one side. Avionics showed up to work the radar with their -6 cart. They hooked everything up and applied elec and hyd power without checking with us. When power was applied the rudder kicked straight knocking Mc off the tail, but he landed on his feet. He made it to the ladder in two jumps and had the avionics guy by the throat, fortunately both survived. I know of two other instances where Marion Stucker got his forearm broken in one of the speed brakes and another kid (can't remember his name) got his neck broken in the aux air doors, all form a -6 cart.
As to the original jets, I crewed 63-7451 for about two years at DM in 65 and 66. It crashed at DM in 69 or 70 from fuel starvation while being flown by a general officer. Some of the original jets ended up at Kingsley Fld with the Guard until we sent them to the bone yard in 1988 and 89. 412, 420, and 482 were at Kinsgley as well as 549 (not sure if it was one of the original jets). I sent 549 to the bone yard after a student with an IP in the pit spun the jet pulling 10+ positive and 3+ negative G's. It would never fly straight after that so we sent it to the bone yard.
Submitted by:
Ed Fenner
F-4 Crew Chief
4453rd CCTW / OMS
Davis Monthan AFB '65 - '67
Phantom Phixer Phouls-Up
I served in the 4453rd between 1963 and 1967; both at MacDill and Davis-Monthan. As we all remember, we worked many long hours to keep the F-4's flying and the pilots flew many sorties due to our efforts.
Well, one midnight shift in the summer of 1966 at DM, we had just completed all the work orders from the Flight Line and returned back to the A&E shop. We all had agreed that we would take a short siesta at about 0400 hours in the shop. a couple of guys took up horizonal positions on the test benches. I put together some of those wonderful gray chairs in the office and laid down myself. JUST THEN, I heard someone walk into the office; I opened my eyes and saw EAGLES! on someone's 1505 uniform. I stood right up and greeted him with all the crispness I could muster. He was quite calm; and said, "Airman, what are you doing?" I thought it was obvious and fibbing wouldn't have gotten us anywhere - so I told him the truth. He didn't say anything. Didn't even ask our names. On the way out of the shop door in the hallway, he stopped to read a sign fastened to the door: "Do to the nature of our work, this shop will not be called to attention." He glanced over at us, chuckled a little bit and went on his way. We sure thought the First Shirt would have had us in the his office but we didn't hear a word.....
Submitted by:
Bill Boushelle
Avionics - Instruments
4453rd CCTW / AEMS
MacDill & Davis-Monthan AFB '63-'67
First Day at Davis-Monthan
I remember my first day at DM. Put in 16 hours because the CO was po'd about tool boxes not being locked down. Not a favorable first impression. CO was a Lt Col Funderberg or something like that. Also remember having to work overtime to help engine shop redo some work they screwed up. I had to re-lower all the engine bay doors. I still have a 7/8" wrench that I pulled from it's spot wedged in the exhaust nozzles. At the time, I knew that this was left behind by an engine shop guy after some routine maint. It wasn't my plane but I happened to be walking by when the pilot, doing a pre-flight walk-around, spotted it. I agreed that it didn't belong there and was able to get my hand in and yank it out.
Submitted by:
Alan Cooper
F-4 Crew Chief
4453 CCTW / OMS
Davis-Monthan AFB '69-'70
Hot Pre-Flights
We used to pull "Hot Pre-Flights" on the F-4s to check out all the equipment before the pilots showed up. This was suppose to help reduce the abort rates and I think it did. When we pulled a hot pre-flight the crew chief would get in the front seat and one of us electronic types would be in the back seat. We would start the engines and run through all the check outs. I would check all the electronic gear in the back except for the transponder. The control box was in the front so the crew chief would call our shop for a "parrot" check. There was one crew chief I pulled more hot pre-flights with than the others. Can't remember his name after all these years, sorry. On one check out he had the airman on the ground to pull the chocks and told me we were going for a ride. I opened the rear canopy and said he was on his own. All I heard on the intercom was laughing. The MOI said the engines couldn't be run up to more than 80% on the flight line. He always exceeded by 5% or so. Both of us had our feet on the brakes as the F-4 would nose over a little more in the chocks. One day when we got done a Captain was there chewing us out for doing so. Of course the crew chief said he hadn't and I said I was busy checking out the electronic gear and hadn't looked at the engine speed indicators. :-)
Submitted by:
Tom Pirtle
Avionics - Nav.
4453 CCTW / AEMS
Davis-Monthan AFB '67-'72
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