F-4 flying with wings folded???

[setter]

I think you will find it is being craned and you can't see the cable and hook
Just my thoughts

Regards
John p

[RickH]

Setter it's real...no cables. Check the following link, another photo of a different jet obviosly flying wings up, whells and hook down with lots of black smoke out the back. Also several eyewitness accounts of similar incidents.

http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/003989.html

[Randy Haskin]

I have heard three independent F-4 crew (one pilot and two WSOs) who all said that they have personally seen F-4s fly with the wings accidentally folded.

I have no reason to believe that the three photos we've been presented with in this thread are photoshops...

[Warren_C]

A little off Topic

Has anyone seen the article and pics of the F-15 that lost a wing due to a mid air during a training exercise. This aircraft flew back to base with only one wing. If I haven't deleted the article off my work computer, I will post the link.

Warren

[RickH]

Randy, my understanding of the events as they have been told by me was that as far as the F-4 is concerned the wings were down on takeoff but as the aircraftgained flying speed and the wings began to load, the lift would overcome the hydraulics and without the locks engaged the outer panel would fold. One of our pilots lost a buddy that way.

[setter]

Fair enough - just a darn ballsy and tricky job to do that - well done - and then I bet he got sacked !!

By the way for those of you with collections of Aeroplane Monthly Mag - there was a great article on the A8 flights with folded wings. So I know that one happened as well - I once saw an F4 lose an outer wing in Vietnam - very sad and nasty conclusion I'm afraid

Regards
John p

[tom d. friedman]

i did some checking on the f-15 less wing pic. it's the real thing!!! checked with a retired career usaf pilot friend of mine, i thought the pic was doctored too, the laws of physics definetely threw a curve ball on that scenario

[DazDaMan]

A little off Topic

Has anyone seen the article and pics of the F-15 that lost a wing due to a mid air during a training exercise. This aircraft flew back to base with only one wing. If I haven't deleted the article off my work computer, I will post the link.

Warren

Reminds me of the story about the P-40 that flew under a bridge in England and took several feet off its port wing - it flew back to base, but I think turned over on landing.

[Originalboxcar]

Link to 1983 Israeli F-15 wing "incident". Amazing stuff!

http://www.f-16.net/varia_article8.html

regards,

[spookyboss]

I have a book on the DC-3 and it shows a Frontier Airlines DC-3 that collided with a mountain and lost a third of the left wing and safley landed. The DC-3 is one of the Best planes ever build!!!

[Flat 12x2]

..............All was well until the aircraft rotated for takeoff, whereupon the wings folded and the aircraft flopped back onto the runway with both crew ejecting.
.............

I believe a similar thing happened to a RAF F-4, took off , wings folded, crew ejected.

Martin

[Flat 12x2]

I'd heard of Seafire (47s, I think) being catapulted off the carriers, engines running, and one or two of them actually circling the ships!

Daz
I think you should mention that they were testing the catapults (no pilots !) & that the Seafires had had there outer wings taken off so they couldn't fly, & yes some did circle & head back towards the ship :shock:

[DazDaMan]

Always forget the minor details!