“Being back on the flightline today brought back a lot of memories, not all are good. “A friend who got me home more times than I care to remember,” DeBellevue said. He’s not just saying farewell to an amazing machine, he’s saying goodbye to an old friend. Chuck DeBellevue, had the privilege of actually flying the fighter.ĭeBellevue flew the F-4 in Vietnam, where he had six confirmed kills – two against the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 and four against the MiG-21, the most of any U.S. Some used to work on the aircraft, some are just fans and others, like retired Col. Harkins isn’t the only one feeling nostalgic and emotional about the aircraft affectionately referred to as “Old Smokey.” Hundreds of “Phantom Phixers,” “Phantom Phliers” and “Phantom Phanatics” gathered on the flightline at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, to watch the final F-4 flight. “It’s not really sad, because in the military you get used to a lot of lasts, but it’s humbling,” Harkins said. For Harkins, it’s the last time he will fly for the Air Force and, for the Phantom, the last time it will take to the skies. “One last time,” Harkins says and the canopy closes around him.įor Harkins and the F-4, this is a day of lasts. While he walks around the aircraft, he greets each maintainer and says, “Thank you.” Harkins rubs and taps the bulging nose of the QF-4 Phantom II, like an aged cowboy saying hello to a trusty steed, and then climbs into the cockpit. His weathered features appear calm and determined, but they hide the tears he is fighting back. Eddins Jr.)Īs he slides his hands across the edges of the wings and walks from nose to tail, inspecting all aspects of the jet, a wave of emotion begins to hit Jim Harkins. The F-4 flew bombing, combat air patrol, fighter escort, reconnaissance and the famous Wild Weasel anti-aircraft missile suppression missions. Air Force inventory in 1963 and was the primary multi-role aircraft in the USAF throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The ceremonial flight was Harkins last in a cockpit for DoD he will now serve as a ground controller for the QF-4's replacement, the QF-16. The final variant of the Phantom II was the QF-4 unmanned aerial targets flown by the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron Detachment 1 at Holloman AFB. (Ret) Jim “WAM” Harkins and Eric 'Rock' Vold sign posters and shirts for F-4 fans, after exiting their McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs for last time on the final military flight of the storied aircraft at Holloman AFB, N.M., Dec. Photo By Joseph Eddins | Civilian QF-4E Pilot/Controller Lt.

F4 phantom cockpit tour