Hi everybody,
I’m still searching for pics of S. Ritchies Mig Killing F-4E back in 1972 (67-362 “ED”).
Does someone of you has pics of that aircraft at this time?
would be great
Thanks in advance
AIAS
Hey AIAS,
I’ve also have been doing some research on Ritchies a/c. His pix are kinda hard to find.
I would ask Berny13, I think he may know of a few sites that may have a photo or two of his Phantom.
I do though have a few pix of his restored Phantom that he himself flew a couple of years ago. He had stopped over at our local AB for some photo shoots over the Falls.
At the moment though the pix are not scanned onto my PC[:(]
Flaps up, Mike
I have a book at home call Mig Alley/Mig Killers or something to that effect. It has pics of the Korean/Vietnam aces and thier a/c I will check that book tonight and see what I can dig up.
Wroper
I don’t know if this will help but this guy built a pretty good model of an F-4 that he said has Ritchie’s markings. The tail number doesn’t match and the code is for Holloman AFB but it might help.
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Fea1/101-200/Fea125_F4E_Herron/Fea125.htm
Just went to the eagle strike page and found out Ritchie did fly the aircraft but is was as a General at Holloman. I’ll keep looking
There are very few pictures of F-4E 67-362. After the aircraft landed Ritchie left the area in a hurry before any pictures could be taken. The aircraft suffered a major over G during the engagement and was down for almost two weeks going through a major over G inspection. Ritchie flew two more aircraft of the 58th TFS during that time frame. One was F-4E 69-260 (my aircraft). We did not like for him to fly our aircraft as he tore them up so bad.
If you need some information on how the aircraft were marked, let me know and I will try to help you.
All I’ve got is pics of his F-4D 66-463. Sorry.
Wroper
Berny,
He was kinda hard on Migs too! rangerj
You would not think so if you had been there. For those of us that were there at the time, some know the full story. It is not all like the stories and books at all. A very sore subject for me.
berny
thanks a lot,
yes it would be great. I have almost finished that model and there’s time for the markings…Idon’t know if Lou Drendels paint is correct…
I tryed to conntact Gen. Ritchie but he didn’t answer to me…
Pics of that aircraft would be better, but I think there are no pics of that aircrft.
Thanks again
Berny,
Sorry, I did not mean to touch any sore spots. The only pilots I ever got close to were the Huey and Chinook pilots that “inserted” or “extracted” us. rangerj
rangerj. Sorry if I appeared up set at you. It is just every time I hear the “Fair Haired Super Pilot Wonder Ace” name mentioned, my blood starts to boil. It is a long story and this forum isn’t the place for it.
There were a lot of fine aircrews I did know. I am not taking any thing away from most that fly. I had the luck to talk with Randy Cunningham and he is one very nice person. [soapbox][soapbox][soapbox][soapbox]
Berny,
I finally got the picture. Sometimes my mind is like a steel trap, nothing gets in and nothing gets out. The worst part about those kind of “hot dogs” is that they usually get other people hurt. You are also right that this is not the forum for this conversation.
Maybe some day we will be able to let it go. rangerj
the story of the so called super heros is a never ending story.
Sure those guys had shoot down enemy planes and that’s not an easy story… but there are many other unknown heros in the air wars that nobody knows and cares about.
The fact to climb into a F-4 loaded with fuel and bombs and fly it into the Route Pak. 6 and bringt it back safely is an action of heroism…
So I’ll going to build this F-4E as Lou Drendel painted it and that’s all.
nice day/night to all of you guys
AIAS
The painting by Lou Drundel of the aircraft is very accurate. Some of our aircraft were modified with the strip lights and extended gun cowling. Some had all and some only one. The markings were as they appeared during the TDY. You can’t go wrong to model your aircraft after the painting as very few photographs were taken.
How are you going to load out the aircraft? Full missile load and tanks? Don’t forget the ECM pods to load on the inboard pylons. They were most always loaded for missions. SAM activity was always hot at that time.
Berny
I will show it with AIM-9s and 7s with the two ECMs pods in the forw. fuselage wells (typical MiGAP) and perh. a centerline Tank.
cheers
AIAS
The ECM pods were carried on the forward AIM-7 stations only on ground attack missions. The 58 th flew only MIG Cap, MIG sweep, Trap and Bait, long and short range escort, and Res Cap missions. The ECM pods were installed on the inboard pylons. There would be two installed, one ALQ-87 and one ALQ-101. If only one was carried, the wingman usually carried the other type. This way they could provide noise and deception coverage.
MIG Cap and long range escort the load out would be one 600 gal tank, two 370 gal tanks, four AIM-7E’s four AIM-9J and two ECM pods.
On MIG sweep, Trap and Bait, short range escort, the load out would be the same, except the 600 Gal tank would not be carried. Res Cap missions, same except only one ECM pod.
When flying BUFF escort, they carried four each of the missiles, three bags of gas, and only one ECM pod. The 600 Gal tank was jettisoned as soon as it became empty. With a full load like that, it was hard to keep up with the BUFF’s.
Alert aircraft carried the eight missile loadout, two 370’s and one ECM pod.
So now you have the decision on what type of mission you want to configure the aircraft for. Lots of luck.
Berny,
many thanks
I don’t know if that plane received two stars for the two MiGs (I think it had them) but what colors? Red-Yellow or only Red or Red -White…
regards
AIAS
The original stars were flat red with no outline. Prior to returning back to the States, all MIG killers were repainted with gloss red, with gloss yellow outlines. The type of aircraft destroyed was printed in the stars, in gloss white with the date below the stars in gloss white. If you want to show the aircraft as it appeared while still flying combat missions the stars will be flat red with no outline.
It is funny how I can still remember things like that, and not what my wife asked me to do yesterday.
berny,
yea that’s right the same thing happends always to me too!! 