F-4 flies for final time [Image 13 of 32]

ALAMOGORDO, NM, UNITED STATES

12.21.2016

Photo by Joseph Eddins    

Airman Magazine   

Civilian QF-4E Pilot/Controller Lt. Col. (Ret) Jim “WAM” Harkins, hugs his wife Annette, after being showered with champagne upon exiting the cockpit of his McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II for last time following the final military flight of the storied aircraft at Holloman AFB, N.M., Dec. 21, 2016. The final variant of the Phantom II was the QF-4 unmanned aerial targets flown by the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron Detachment 1 at Holloman AFB. The ceremonial flight was Harkins last in a cockpit for the Air Force; he will now serve as a ground controller for the QF-4's replacement, the QF-16. The F-4 Phantom II entered the U.S. Air Force inventory in 1963 and was the primary multi-role aircraft in the USAF throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The F-4 flew bombing, combat air patrol, fighter escort, reconnaissance and the famous Wild Weasel anti-aircraft missile suppression missions. (U.S. Air Force photo by J.M. Eddins Jr.)

• Date Taken: 12.21.2016
• Date Posted: 02.21.2017 08:38
• Photo ID: 3177873
• VIRIN: 161221-F-LW859-014
• Resolution: 4642x3280
• Size: 6.79 MB
• Location: ALAMOGORDO, NM, US