Phantom Showtime

[Ratch]

Randy “Duke” Cunningham was born on December 8th, 1941, in Los Angeles, California. Cunningham became one of the most highly decorated U.S. Navy pilots in the Vietnam War. The first fighter ace of the war, he received the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, fifteen Air Medals, and the Purple Heart.

In 1967, he earned a commission and pilot wings in the Navy, soon flying the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. He flew a combat tour over Vietnam from USS America, and then completed the Navy’s “Top Gun” Fighter Weapons School.

Cunningham returned to combat with USS Constellation’s Fighter Squadron 96 (VF-96, the “Fighting Falcons”) in 1971. On 19th January 1972, he and radar intercept officer, Willie Driscoll, flying north of the DMZ in F-4J 157267 “Showtime 112” he spotted a pair of MiG-21s “Fishbeds,”. He was directly behind them and a few miles away, theoretically in range of his Sparrow missiles. But the Sparrows had proven unreliable, so Duke ignored Willie’s call to fire. He switched to the shorter range heat-seeking AIM-9 Sidewinder. When his headphones growled on acquisition, he called “Fox Two,” and fired the missile. The Fishbed broke and evaded the Sidewinder, but Cunningham stayed with him and launched a second Sidewinder. This one caught the MiG about 1200 yards in front of the Phantom. In the explosion, the MiG’s tail blew off and the broken fuselage fell to the ground. Their first victory, it ended a two-year lull in the air war.

Cunningham’s Phantom carried two AIM-7E Sparrow long-range missiles, four AIM-9J Sidewinder short-range missiles, and six “Rockeye” cluster bombs. After dropping their bombs on some warehouses, Showtime 100 loitered to cover the A-7 fighter-bombers still engaged. Responding to a call for help, Cunningham took his F-4J into a group of MiG-17s “Frescoes”, two of which promptly jumped them. Heeding a “break” warning from Grant in Showtime 113, Cunningham broke sharply and the lead pursuing MiG-17 overshot him. He instantly reversed his turn, putting the MiG dead ahead; he fired a Sidewinder and it destroyed the MiG.

Showtime 100 and his wingman Grant climbed to 15,000. Looking below, Cunningham saw a scene “straight out of The Patrol.” One flaming MiG was plunging down, eight more circled defensively, while three Phantoms went after the MiGs within the wheel. These were at an extreme disadvantage, due to their low energy state. VF-96 Exec, Cdr Dwight Timm had three MiGs on his tail, one being very close, in Timm’s blind spot. Seeing the danger to the XO, in Showtime 112, Duke called for him to “break,” to clear the Phantom’s hotter J-79 engines from the Sidewinder’s heat seeker, thus permitting a clear lock on the bandit. But Timm thought the warning was about the other two, distant MiGs, and didn’t heed Duke’s first call.

 

I know some folks object to this guy's political career, but let's keep politics separate from modelling.

 

 

 

[noelh]

That's a great model of a famous F4. It's a pity it ended up on the bottom of the South China Sea. 

 

As for Randall Harold "Duke" Cunningham he was a great fighter pilot but a bit of a rogue. I think 'Pappy' Boyington, himself a rogue, put it best. 'Show me a hero and I'll show you a bum'. 

 

Incidentally 'Duke' wasn't his original nickname in the USN. He managed to change it. 

[Space Ranger]

A "rogue"???? The man is a convicted felon! He accepted bribes from defense contractors (at least US$2.4 million) while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. That's not "political," that's a fact. His abuse of his office and violation of public trust more than negates anything he might have done as a fighter pilot. He disgraced his uniform. He deserves to be remembered in infamy if at all.

Edited September 8, 2021 by Space Ranger

[Ratch]

Well guys, I asked for no comment on his political career, what a shame you couldn't hold back 

[Tokyo Raider]

Really nice model of a phavorite phantom!  I love the story of Showtime 100, and it was also featured in the TV show Dogfights. 

 

I say keep politics out of it.