F4 Phantom Stabilator

Yeah so for 6Al-4V Titanium you’re going to want to check out the specifications that are called out on the drawing

For Plate / Sheet you’d want:

AMS 4911

MIL-T-9046

For Round Bar / Flat Bar you’d want: 

AMS 4928

AMS 4963

AMS 4965

AMS 4967

MIL-T-9047

As a thought the G stamp might be the stamp of Goodyear who made F4 sub assemblies unfortunatly i cant find my F4 book with this stuff in it at the minute.

curlyboy

You would need to see the ID/Mod plate to confirm the manufacture code letter, most of the non UK stabilators I’ve seen are coded MM which would make them Republic Aviation, Farmingdale, New York.

Most of the UK Phantoms are coded AK which is BAC manufacture. Hope that helps:confused:

Possibly this one

9th August 1979 F‑4D 66‑7665
SP 52nd TFW, Saarbrucken, West Germany Thalexweiler, nr Saarbrucken, West Germany
Capt. A. R. Poulin Capt. J. M. Sciacca

Thanks Pagen

If it is from an F4

It is F-4 Phantom without a doubt.
Those stamps are handy, AMS 4911 is aerospace grade titanium sheeting, the TI also backs up the Titanium content.
It looks like the leading edge is possibly made from a higher TI content metal?

As a thought the G stamp might be the stamp of Goodyear who made F4 sub assemblies unfortunatly i cant find my F4 book with this stuff in it at the minute.

curlyboy

Curlyboy, Philip et al. Thank you

I took this picture of the F4 at Solway.

It looks like part of an F4 to me.

Just heard that the part was found in the Saarland near Thalexweiler/Lebach – if this helps…

Touch it with a grinding wheel on say a Dremel, if the sparks are bright white then it’s Ti. Any other colour and its not. If its designed to operate in an area which is really hot, then it could be a Ni-Co-Cr alloy which is also non magnetic, and won’t cut.

Whilst we are at it – can anyone help to trace the aircraft it came from ?

I bought it from a chap in Germany. He was investigating a WW2 crash site with his metal detector and found multiple hits. When dug – he found this stabilator and other parts – so obviously from an F4 crash in Germany.

Inside the end of the stabilator is a manufacture stencil.

Pagen – the small issue is that it weights >24 kg – it would be a very heavy lump of shiny metal (and if Ti – quite valuable).

If it is from an F4 it would possibly be a German based USAF F4C going by the date stamp as the Germans did not order theirs until 1971 and the F4F did not fly until 1973, but i cant find a record of any F4C crashing in Germany, or maybe it is a part from a F4D that had a lot of commonality with the C model?

As for the stabilator itself if i remember it was made of a titanium based alloy as it had to withstand the exhaust from the engines but only part of it (the unpainted part) the rest was a composite but i think some later phantoms had a stabilator of slightly differant construction.

curlyboy

Titanium

Whilst we are at it – can anyone help to trace the aircraft it came from ?

I bought it from a chap in Germany. He was investigating a WW2 crash site with his metal detector and found multiple hits. When dug – he found this stabilator and other parts – so obviously from an F4 crash in Germany.

Inside the end of the stabilator is a manufacture stencil.

Pagen – the small issue is that it weights >24 kg – it would be a very heavy lump of shiny metal (and if Ti – quite valuable).

I always assumed those inboard tailpane panels to be titanium, they sit very close to the engine efflux (possibly in it at full deflection at take off?) which I guess has some bearing on the metal used.
PhantomPhil etc will know better.

Be nice to see it all polished up!:)