Razorback Rhinos

[Old Viper Tester]

F-4Cs from the 184th Tac Fighter Squadron, Arkansas Air National Guard, at Nellis AFB in 1981 and 1983.

 

At Green Flag 81-3, April 1981:

64-0919

 

64-0784

 

63-7629

 

64-0725

 

63-7455

 

At Gunsmoke air-to-ground competition, October 1983, chromed noses on the external fuel tanks:

64-0761

 

64-0748

 

63-7629

 

Thanks for looking,

Sven

Edited July 14, 2018 by Old Viper Tester
Corrected Gunsmoke number, added date

[giemme]

Magnificent set of Rhinos, Sven! Thanks for posting them

 

Ciao

[Gene K]

46 minutes ago, giemme said:

Magnificent set of Rhinos, Sven!

 

Anything familiar there, Giorgio??????

 

Gene K

[Old Viper Tester]

20 minutes ago, Gene K said:

Anything familiar there, Giorgio?

Hey, look at that! Didn't think to check that. Quite the coincidence!

 

Sven

[giemme]

5 hours ago, Gene K said:

 

Anything familiar there, Giorgio??????

 

Gene K

 

4 hours ago, Old Viper Tester said:

Hey, look at that! Didn't think to check that. Quite the coincidence!

 

Sven

Cor, I didn't notice too! Sorry Gene   

 

Ciao

[stevehnz]

A lovely set of photos Keith, thanks (again) for sharing them, they're gold. If these were models, I can imagine them being criticised for being too clean, not enough weathering/ fading, by some, so its nice to see some of the real deals looking just as I'd want to model them.

Steve.

[Gene K]

3 hours ago, giemme said:

I didn't notice too! [Aircraft 725 that Giorgio modeled here]

 

After serving honorably, lastly with the 188th Tactical Fighter Group (Arkansas Air National Guard, Ft .Smith, Arkansas), the  tired airframe retired to a  peaceful life in the sun in the Bone Yard at Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona. Unfortunately and shamefully, it was dragged weeping  (hydraulic fluid, as usual) by a scrap dealer from Michigan in October 1996 ...  to be mercilessly dismembered.   

 

It is said that "Old Soldiers never die", but this one did ... unceremoniously.

 

 

Gene K

Edited July 15, 2018 by Gene K

[stevehnz]

That is quite a thread, its going o take a bit of wading through, I confess to being in the dark above but seeing it was more than 3 days ago (nearly three years) I don't feel so bad.

Steve.

[Old Viper Tester]

16 hours ago, stevehnz said:

I confess to being in the dark above

Steve,

 

Apologies for being cryptic, but wanted to give Giorgio a chance to see that '725 was the same airframe he modeled back then. I hadn't caught it either until Gene K pointed at it. Yes, it is a long build thread, but it goes to all the detail he put into it. I can only hope to emulate some of what he did when I get back to my Phantoms.

 

Sven

[Gene K]

18 hours ago, Old Viper Tester said:

 ... wanted to give Giorgio a chance to see that '725 was the same airframe he modeled back then.

 

Giorgio's marvelous build was/is a treasure for me.

 

I also appreciate the picture you took of 725, Sven, as I have a rather strange fondness for that  expired hunk of metal. 

 

Gene K

[Red Dot]

hi Sven,

 

great photos as ever. What does the unit badge look like? I can't make it out in the pictures

 

Andy

[PhoenixII]

Andy, the badge is the 'Arkansas Traveller' a.k.a. a 'Ridgeback Hog'

 

 

Old Viper Test said:-

Note the emblem is 'handed' on the jets, so the hog is always charging forward.

 

Therefore, the above is Port side!

[Old Viper Tester]

20 hours ago, PhoenixII said:

the 'Arkansas Traveller' a.k.a. a 'Ridgeback Hog'

Note the emblem is 'handed' on the jets, so the hog is always charging forward.