USAF F-4C/D Phantoms
31st TFW
Homestead AFB, Florida
(ZF and later HS tail codes)
USAF F-4C/D Phantoms
31st TFW
Homestead AFB, Florida
(ZF and later HS tail codes)
The 31st Tactical Fighter Wing came into being
as the 31st Fighter Wing in 1947. The designation was
changed to the 31st Fighter Bomber Wing in 1950, the 31st
Fighter Escort Wing also in 1950, the 31st Stategic
Fighter Wing in 1953, back to the 31st FBW in 1957 and
then the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing in 1958. The
mission was changed again in 1981 and so was the
designation: 31st Tactical Training Wing. In 1985 it
was back to the 31st TFW and in 1991 the 31st Fighter
Wing. Prior to gaining F-4Es in 1970 the unit had
flown F-51s, F-84s and F-100s. In a retrograde motion,
the F-4Es were replaced with F-4Ds in 1979/80. The
F-4D gave way to the F-16 in 1987 and the unit reverted to
the 31st TFW, becoming simply the 31st Fighter Wing in
1991. From 1970 until 1994 the 31st was stationed at
Homestead AFB, Florida. In 1994 the unit moved to
Aviano AB, Italy.
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F-4D 65-0648 on the ramp at Homestead AFB during
the annual open house Nov, 1980. (CB)
65-0658 in storage at AMARC during Sep, 89.
(CB)
65-0661 prior to preservation for long term
storage at AMARC in Jan, 89 and in storage during
Sep, 89. (CB)
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65-0671, 0683 and 0719 all in
storage at AMARC Sep, 89. (CB)
65-0720 at Homestead Nov, 80. (CB)
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65-0720 in storage nine years
later than the above photo. (CB)
65-0729, 0731 and 0743 all stored at AMARC Sep,
1989. (CB)
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65-0746
and 66-7490 on display at an open
house at Homestead AFB in November,
1980.
65-0758
among other F-4Ds at Homestead Nov,
80. (CB)
65-0773 in storage at AMARC
Apr, 87. (CB)
65-0795
(the last in the row) Homestead Nov,
80. (CB)
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65-0801 Homestead Nov, 80. As
of August, 2022 this airplane is on display at the
Museum of
the Kansas National Guard. (CB)
66-7458 at AMARC Sep, 89. F-4N 151398 sitting
alongside shows what is in store for 7458, a slow
removal of usable parts eventually followed by
scrapping. (CB)
66-7460 and 66-7467 at Homestead Nov, 80. (CB)
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The following photos were all
taken at the Homestead AFB open house during
November, 1980. With the exception of the
overcast it was a fun place to be that day.
66-7468, 66-7490 (left and right) and 66-0625 and
66-7647 staged in an alert hangar. (CB)
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66-7635 with a 42nd BW B-52G
58-0216 in the
background. (CB)
49th TFW
Holloman AFB, New Mexico
(HA, HB, HC, HD and later HO tail codes)
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F-4D 66-7701 at a Holloman open house in 1978. The
quality of this photo is poor (sorry) but it shows a 49th
F-4D at the time of transition to the F-15A/B Eagle.
The F-84F (51-9396) had been at many Holloman open houses.
It is quite possibly "left over" from when the 366th TFW
transitioned from F-84Fs to F-4Cs at Holloman in 1965. The
366th was the last active USAF unit to fly the F-84F.
(CB).
66-8753 carrying HB tail codes (John Paul Jones). This
denoted the 7th TFS and was prior to the assignment of wing
codes dating this photo to the early 1970s.
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67th TRW
Bergstrom AFB, Texas
(BA tail codes)
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Wait! What? F-4Cs in a reconnaissance
unit? Well, sort of. While not mission aircraft F-$c 63-7422
and 64-0902 were used as bot maintenance airframes and later
for Battle Damage Repair (BDR) airplanes. Photographed at
Bergstrom AFB in September, 1987 they are still maintenance
airframes.
474th TFW
Nellis AFB, Nevada
(NA tail codes)
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3246 Test Wing
ADTC
Holloman AFB, New Mexico
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AFFTC
Edwards AFB, California
(ED tail codes)
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6514th Test Squadron
Hill AFB, Utah
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Tracor Flight Systems
Mojave, California
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Though these two F-4Ds
are not active duty Air Force they did fly in various Air
Force test programs. 66-7483 (N430FS) and 66-7505
(N427FS) at ELP in the summer of 1993. (CB)
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65-0696 (N402AV) at Mojave, CA during August, 1995. A friend
of mine from junior high was stationed at Edwards, AFB
flying with the Test Pilots School (TPS) at the time and I
was on the way home from visiting him and stopped by Mojave
to see what was there. Several years before my wife and two
small daughters had been by and the ramp was occupied by
F-100s awaiting conversion to drones. In 1995 they were all
gone and this F-4D was the only thing on the ramp. (CB)
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Page created 11-22-02
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