Final Flight

Description

Last F4-E in the United States Air Force, active duty inventory in 1991. Co-signed by Major Howard Hendricks.

History of the F-4E

The F-4E was flown by the U.S. Air Force Demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, from 1969 through 1974. The large and noisy Phantom was an excellent aircraft that performed and thrilled crowds all over the world. Due to the fuel shortage in the 70s, the Thunderbirds traded the fabulous Phantom for the smaller T-38 Talon.

The F-4 was a two-seat, twin engine tactical fighter. It was designed to cover the entire tactical mission. Originally developed in 1953 by McDonnell Aircraft Corp. for the U.S. Navy, the aircraft was delivered modified to Air Force requirements in 1963. The first F-4E was delivered to the Air Force in October 1967. This model has an additional fuselage fuel tank, leading-edge slats for increased maneuverability, and an improved engine. The F-4E was equipped with leading-edge maneuvering slats. It was also equipped with weapons and radar controls that were optimized for dogfighting. These improvements vastly improved the Phantom’s air-to-air capabilities. The F-4E had changes in avionics. The new wings were more forgiving in stalls and spins caused by harsh maneuvers with heavy bomb loads. The addition of the M61 20mm cannon remained the basic airframe for the follow-on version in the Phantom production.

The 16.5″ x 21″ prints are available in Limited Edition sizes of 300 Signed & Numbered and 30 Artist Proofs.