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It has taken me a while to get around to sorting these out but here are a few from the final F4 Phantom show that took place on November 30th/December 1st at the J.A.S.D.F. base at Hyakuri. The RF4Es and RF4EJs of 501 Squadron will be retired in March while the F4EJs of 301 Squadron will go at some point in the next year or so. The exact date seems a little unclear. I spent seven days at Hyakuri before the show with the aim of capturing as much flying as possible but unfortunately the weather was awful and of the four rehearsal days planned I don't recall a single one being completed. There was also very little operational flying taking place. However, like last year the locals' show on the 30th was blessed with glorious weather while the show day itself saw reasonable conditions which made up somewhat for the disappointment of the previous week. The fact that this was the last Phantom show and the presence of the Blue Impulse made for a bumper crowd. For anybody planning to go Hyakuri it is worth noting that the spotters' area on the west side of the base just south of the control tower and which offered great lift off shots was fenced off in mid-November. This is a huge shame as it could accommodate 150 people on ladders without a problem. The result is a tiny sliver of land a little distance away that is full once you have 5-6 people in place. Apparently the locals had complained about traffic and mess. Secondly, the gravel track that runs parallel to the runways at the southern end of the base opposite the Q sheds was badly rutted (to the extent that vehicles were grounding) and became more so during the week preceding the show owing to the wet weather and volume of traffic. The towers remain fully operational. The base itself had a real sense of winding down. There were no T4s in evidence, fewer airframes on the ramp - the most I counted was 14 from both squadrons combined - and the Q sheds were empty while I was there. Subsequent to the show somebody who was there on an organised trip saw six airframes being broken up 😢. More positively, there was evidence of construction work taking place and it seems that the F2s will be moving in from Misawa so it is far from over for Hyakuri. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12, 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. Taken from the naughty field by the QRA. It took security three minutes to arrive but they let me stay to take a few shots. 22. 23.. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. These two have been retained but are without engines. 37. 38. That's it! Thanks for looking.