Fate of a QF-4N drone?

[DaveG]

Can anyone help me find out what happened to this F4-B, BuNo 150993? It was flown in the XB-70 crash formation on June 8, 1966 and then eventually made it's way to Point Mugu and then ultimately to China Lake, where it wa apparently converted to a drone in the mid-70's. I'm sure it did what drones did, but I'm interested in knowing when, where, how, etc.

150993 off the port wing of the Valkyrie. Joe Walker's F-104 is seen just off the starboard wing.

XB-70A-AV-2-Crash-Featured-Image.jpg (199.04 KiB) Viewed 2245 times

I found some pics of -993 from the 1970's

at Point Mugu

at China Lake after conversion to a drone

RN-880416-20.jpg (44.88 KiB) Viewed 2245 times

The other two surviving formation aircraft are on display. The YF-5A (59-4989) hangs from the ceiling of the NMUSAF in Dayton.

The T-38 (59-1601) is at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL

Photo by Steve Richards

Thanks for any help!

Dave G

[JohnB]

Anyone know the I'D and fate of the camera plane?
I believe it was a Lear Jet...If so, Clay Lacy's?

It, like the others in the formation had GE engines, which was the point of the photo shoot.

Pretty impressive that two out of the five survive.

[DaveG]

Anyone know the I'D and fate of the camera plane?
I believe it was a Lear Jet...If so, Clay Lacy's?

It, like the others in the formation had GE engines, which was the point of the photo shoot.

Pretty impressive that two out of the five survive.

Here's the Lear that Clay Lacy was flying that day...it was Frank Sinatra's!

434428-1140263519.jpg (21.08 KiB) Viewed 2223 times

according to this rather sketchy-looking article, it is now owned by a Belgian but kept in Florida: http://d2ybq9unw89ve4.cloudfront.net/mu ... er-n175fs/

[Cubs2jets]

The FAA shows a valid registration for N175FS to Artemis Aviation Group LLC of Wilmington, DE (likely a shell corp).

Even if the Lear is airworthy, it is not flyable in the US (or most of the rest of the world) due to noise regulations.

C2j

[Dan K]

Calm down...there´s a case of Jack in the back...







https://robbreport.com/motors/aviation/ ... ts-228600/

[JohnB]

My gosh, those shots remind one that the 23 is a pretty airplane!
We tend to take it for granted.

Next time you visit Pima, spend some time with their 23 and look through the open door into the cabin, a real time capsule.

My flight in a 36 (a C-21) was fun, especially with a former fighter/ test pilot at the controls.

[sandiego89]

That would be neat to find this QF-4. From google maps I do count about 16 Navy F-4 airframes at the China Lake weapons effects testing lab yard, another at the museum annex and few scattered about the ranges. Maybe she did survive.

https://goo.gl/maps/VnCF2XgmeqQ2

[ALOHADAVE]

XB-70 Valkyrie & F-104N Starfighter Artifacts recently Recovered
The largest quantity of artifacts from the XB-70 Valkyrie and F-104N Starfighter mid-air crash on June 8th, 1966 were discovered and recovered since the accident more than 50 years ago. This story is about how they were found.
follow this link:
https://d28lcup14p4e72.cloudfront.net/20562/4394883/XB-70%20Valkyrie%20%26%20F-104N%20Starfighter%20Artifacts%20Recovered.pdf
or

https://pacaeropress.websitetoolbox.com/post/xb70-valkyrie-f104n-starfighter-artifacts-recovered-10034481?pid=1307608391

[JohnB]

Nice that they have the articles recovered to the Edwards museum.
I can think of either places where they would have been sold in ebay.

[DaveG]

This was shared on the XB-70 Facebook page in response to this thread...

AF 407?

From this video about Phantom drones from July, 2015. Is this -993?

https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/this- ... OM2wSmWYY4

[quemerford]

This was shared on the XB-70 Facebook page in response to this thread...

52546661_10155793158571599_8245438009671942144_n.jpg

From this video about Phantom drones from July, 2015. Is this -993?

https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/this- ... OM2wSmWYY4

Nope; that's a QRF-4C (ex-Air Force).

Last edited by quemerford on Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

[DaveG]

I've been told through the F4 Phantom II page on FB that this plane was "expended as a target drone on 28 Sept 1989." So that's that.

[Tom Moungovan]

I just checked my slides taken in 1967 and that T-38 with the last three numbers 601 is one that I worked on while at Edwards AFB.
She was one of a series from around 595 to 601 that we had. While I don't remember all tail numbers, another one was 808.

Small world, glad she got saved. Those machines flew 5 days a week and more sometimes.