The Elder: F-4C s/n 63-7407

[Old Viper Tester]

'407 was referred to as "The Elder", being the first F-4C built for the USAF. It spent it's whole life as a test and test support jet in USAF's Air Force Systems Command bouncing between the 3246th Test Wing at Eglin AFB and the 6510th Test Wing at Edwards AFB, finishing up at the latter. All of the air-to-air shots were taken on May 3, 1985.

 

 

 

'407 transferred to Edwards in Feb 1985. The Armament Division tail code, AD, had been modified to the 6510th Test Wing tail code, ED, by painting over the A and replacing it with an E.

 

The maintenance forms binder that follows the jet typically just has the serial number in large characters on the cover. '407's book had the serial number and the legend "THE ELDER" in large block letters.

 

Refueling from NKC-135E s/n 55-3135 of the 4950th Test Wing out of Wright-Patterson AFB. The 4950th was part of AFSC's Aeronautical Systems Division, hence the ASD tail band.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1990 and now an "Albino Rhino" as part of the Edwards test support fleet. Gave up the Euro 1 paint scheme in early 1988.

 

 

Name on the nose gear door...

 

1991 and retirement:

 

The Elder was saved and is now on display outside the Flight Test Museum at Edwards AFB.

 

Thanks for looking,

Sven

Edited March 11, 2018 by Old Viper Tester
corrected serial

[Patrick Martin]

Do you mean 63-7407?

Plus was not the first production F-4C/F-110 not 62-12199?

 

[Old Viper Tester]

58 minutes ago, Patrick Martin said:

Do you mean 63-7407?

Plus was not the first production F-4C/F-110 not 62-12199?

Corrected to 7407, as the image of the nose gear door clearly shows. Old timers disease creeping in?

 

As for 62-12199, I've always thought that this was a development airframe, even though it didn't carry the Y prefix, evidenced by it being a single airframe construction lot. The people I worked with at McAir (admittedly, mostly F-15 types) also referred to '407 as the first production C model.

 

Right or wrong, a fair segment of the F-4 maintenance and flight test community community acknowledged the title given to her, which I suppose alternatively could just indicate that, since 1967, it was the oldest F-4C in USAF service.

[Old Viper Tester]

17 hours ago, Patrick Martin said:

Plus was not the first production F-4C/F-110 not 62-12199?

My response above is an example of why I shouldn't post just before retiring and wondering if I had reset all of the clocks before Daylight Savings Time kicked in.

 

Seeing that '199 was eventually redesigned as a Block 15 airframe would certainly indicate that it was production representative (as we would say in the test world). None of the references I have give any detail of what this aircraft looked like when it came off the line. All of the references seem to agree that the USAF was anxious to get their own Phantoms, so why only one airframe when a contract opportunity presented itself?

 

The question now vexes me. The only quotes I can find that '407 was the first production F-4C all seem to originate with Baugher's statement in his on-line serial numbers listing. It would be disappointing if the whole "'407 was the first" opinion was instigated by an enthusiastic crew chief who assumed that a post-1967 Time Compliance Technical Order had an effectivity that began with '407 and assumed that this jet was the first. Searching the web for more info results in going around in circles - at least for me.

 

If anyone has more info on the subject, I would be anxious to hear it. Would also like more info on the loss of '199.

 

Thanks,

Sven

[modelling minion]

More great pics Sven, mind you Rhino pics are always welcome.

Nice to see her in the albino rhino scheme.

[Red Dot]

great stuff and thanks yet again for posting Sven

 

Andy

[F-32]