British Phantom Aviation Group (Official Topic)

Head over to BPAG YouTube page for UK F-4 Phantom related videos.

https://www.youtube.com/@britishphantomaviationgrou2920/videos

Absolute top job, well done. what an achievement. Hats off

The weekend of June 3rd and 4th saw another hurdle jumped for Phantom F-4J(UK) ZE360 and the BPAG Team.

The first J79 engine has now been removed from the aircraft for the first time since at least February 1991 with the weekend providing some steep learning curves for the team. 

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If you want to know more or get yourself involved with any of the various British Phantom projects the group are involved with, please click either of the following links below.

Become a member here – https://www.facebook.com/groups/bf4pag

Public page here – https://www.facebook.com/BPAGofficial
 

What an achievement, a huge leap forward.

well done one and all

Incredible , well done 

Ok, so a long overdue update on all things BPAG. 

April really has been a blur. Not to put too finer point on the matter, we had to complete a number of things all within the space of a few very short weeks.

1. Lay a large concrete slab – check
2. Relocate the aircraft and other stores from the taxiway onto the slab – check
3. Build an LVRE shelter so that the airframes can be stored undercover after a fair number of years out in the open – check

The following photos can help tell the story and if you want to know more, come follow or join the group for regular updates and general British F-4 Phantom chat on our Facebook pages

https://www.facebook.com/BPAGofficial

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bf4pag

Once everything is settled at `base camp`, the group will once again turn it`s attention back to ZE360 and start working on relocating her to join her sister ships at Cotswolds.

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All Photos copyright of BPAG 

Well done and Thank you for the updates 🙂 

Well done, great update and just shows how much has to go on in the background. Thank you

TA out

The month of November saw the ZE360 BPAG restoration team finally expel most of the gremlins that had held up the work over the last 6 months and culminated in a number of important objectives achieved over the weekend of the 26th and 27th. It`s certainly been some time since the last update, however this kind of work isn`t all glamour and glory working on the aircraft itself. As we approach the end of the year it`s safe to say that the team have spent more than enough time, and some, to make sure all the support hardware is in place and works and operates safely. The last point more so.

So, what`s been going on?

In order for ZE360 to be relocated from Manston to Cotswold Airport, two things need to be completed as mentioned in previous updates. In very simple terms, (1) the J79 engines require removal before we can proceed with, (2), splitting the aircraft for transportation. The team were lucky enough to obtain a Universal trolley which would assist in completing the first task. However, as with most things that involve equipment that has been left out in the open for a number of years, it was soon discovered that we would also need to strip down the trolley and in effect, restore that as well. To ensure it was fit for purpose and safe to use, a number of parts needed to be inspected and replaced and/or fabricated as required. This included removing and replacing the tyres while inspecting and servicing the hubs and bearings, inspecting and replacing the hydraulic hoses and connectors as required, removing and welding the cracked and leaking hydraulic tank and last but not least, replacing the seals for the hydraulic RAMS. The latter was by far the biggest issue the team faced and it took a number of weeks to complete after much difficulty. Finally, by mid-November a small team were able to attend site and rebuild the trolley making sure the hydraulic components worked as designed and the inbuilt safety features functioned as they should.

We used a local engineering firm to carry out the fabrication of the  the engine stands that will be used to transport the J79`s to Cotswold Airport. These were assembled and painted over the final weekend of the month and then fixed the completed frames to the two small trolleys for mobility. The J79 adaptors were also test fitted to the Universal   trolley which highlighted some areas that required further attention and these will be inspected and serviced at some point in December prior to Christmas.

A massive thanks for all their continuing assistance go to Steve Pope, Paul West, Peter Partridge, Ryan Luscombe, Nathan Garrard, Damien Hughes, Pete Moore and Sean Kemsley. 
  
With luck, we are now fast approaching another major milestone relocating ZE360 to Cotswolds where it will join her sisterships, XT905 and XT597 and we look forward to updating you further in the New Year.

(All photos via BPAG)

Thank you for the great updates

Here’s an interesting and unusual contribution to the BPAG collection. This Turn Around Guide and newspaper article have been generously donated by John Waterhouse, whose late father Lt. Cdr Paul Waterhouse was ex-F4 aircrew, and who provided the following background information-

“My father was one of the Miramar Eight who were instructors on exchange with VF-121 Squadron (Pacemaker) from 1966-1968 and was also a respected observer on the F-4B.  He was extremely proficient in air combat intercepts and conventional weapons delivery and he was an exceptionally valuable instructor at a time when the USN was struggling in Vietnam.  Top Gun was formed in 1969, but I’m pretty sure Dad and his colleagues played an integral part in the success of the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program”.

John`s father was also part of the 1969 Transatlantic Air Race from New York to London and the photo on the newspaper shows him leaping from the helicopter beside the Post Office Tower in the final moments of the race. They beat the existing record set by the Americans 11 years prior by 26 mins, the new time being 5 hours, 3 minutes and 18.8 seconds.

Our thanks go out to John for this kind donation.

A selection of instruments and panels kindly donated by one of our supporters, Bob Daniels. Bob has spent many years collecting a wide variety of Phantom parts and equipment and earlier this year made the incredibly selfless decision to donate the majority of his collection to the group. We’ll be sharing pictures of some more of them over the coming months (although possibly not the ones the Chairman gets most excited about, such as main leg filling or tyre inflation adaptors). Cockpit parts and components are high on our priority list, so this contribution is particularly welcome and we’d like to thank Bob for his amazing generosity.

These will be handed over to our quartermaster Paul West for cleaning and refurbishment before being logged, tagged and stored ready to return to a cockpit at the earliest opportunity.

We are a couple of days late with this one, so apologies for the delay…

July 1st 1987 saw the successful London to Edinburgh speed record undertaken by F-4J(UK)s of 74 Squadron, with Ian Gale and Ned Kelly aboard ZE360 and Cliff Spink and Steve Smyth in ZE361.

ZE361 pipped the BPAG’s ZE360 to the post by a couple of seconds (at 27mins 3 secs) but with that aircraft being scrapped in 2001, it is appropriate to suggest that the record should be passed to ZE360, being the survivor of the pair.

According to the 74 Sqn Association, this is the only known photographic record of the event, taken by Peter Foster who was aboard the VC-10 tanker just prior to the attempt. Note the clean configuration on both aircraft and it was reported that after the constant use of reheat in the second half of the run, both aircraft recovered to Wattisham with the paint from the rear of the aircraft burnt off. We are currently trying to get confirmation of that.

Congratulations to 74 Squadron for retaining this record for 35 years and enjoy the anniversary of a great feat.

For an in-depth article on the career of RAF Phantoms, including insights from aircrew, check out this free article for Key.Aero forum users:

https://www.key.aero/article/phantoms-raf-service

The British Phantom Aviation Group return to Cosford this Sunday, 12th June. You will be able to find us between hangars 15 & 16, next to the F-35. XV490 will be onsite, the cockpits will be open, the BPAG crew are ready to chat and our stall will be alongside, with exclusive Phantom merchandise available.

After a two year break due to the pandemic, the RAF Cosford Air Show is back with a flying display that includes modern military aircraft from the RAF and international military partners, iconic vintage aircraft and precision aerobatic teams. On the ground, a comprehensive static display features aircraft old, new and rare and the STEM hangars and world class RAF Museum will also be open for visitors. With over a kilometre of trade stands, the Air Show hosts a huge variety of traders and exhibitors, from aviation artists, charitable organisations, military merchandise, toy and book stalls and much more.

No rain forecast for the weekend, so should be a great day out. Hope to see you there.

Not actually anything to do with us. We are just sharing the info.

First we heard about the repaint was when one of our supporters sent us the above pic.

Superb , well done 🙂  

To mark the recent allocation of the 19 Sqn designation to the CRC facility at Boulmer, XV415 has received a partial repaint. Although the aircraft itself never served with 19 Sqn, the unit operated the FGR.2 as part of RAFG between 1977-92 and deployed to Cyprus during Desert Storm in 1990.

Further to the recent post (above) we are now able to confirm more events that XV490 will be attending during 2022, with opportunities for cockpit visits as well as chances to meet and chat with ex-F4 aircrew and groundcrew members. Exclusive Phantom merchandise will also be available at some events.

Dates so far are-

30th April/1st May, Cold War Call Up/Falklands 40th Anniversary at Newark Air Museum.
A new event at NAM, the inaugral Cold War Call Up was unfortunately postponed in 2021 due to the Covid 19 pandemic. However, we are pleased to be able to confirm that it will be part of a twin themed weekend on 30th April/1st May. The BPAG will be on site, XV490’s cockpits will be open for visits and the event will also feature a range of other presentations, displays and artifacts relevant to the two themes. An aeroboot sale will also take place on the Saturday (30th).

12th June, RAF Cosford Airshow.
Following on from its appearance in 2018, XV490 will be making a return to Cosford this year. With a large crowd of around 60,000 expected, previous experience tells us that demand for cockpit visits will be high. The BPAG team will be on hand to assist as many of those as possible to experience a taste of F-4 magic.

22nd/23rd June, Lincolnshire County Show.
This hugely popular show is now a regular venue for XV490 and once again Mike Davey (490’s owner, long time BPAG committee member and one of the world’s greatest Phantom collectors) will be leading a crew that also includes former F4 Navigator and successful author and journalist Dave Gledhill and various ex-Phantom groundcrew. A great chance to meet and chat with Mike and some of the persons who actually operated the F-4 in service.

25th/26th June, Cockpit Fest at Newark Air Museum
Now in its 22nd year, this two day charitable event provides a focal point for cockpit owners from across the UK and always features an impressive line up of cockpit sections, panel displays and numerous other guest contributions. Once again the BPAG will be on site, conducting cockpit tours of XV490. This event is always a great day out and is a highlight of our calendar.

10th September, Abingdon Air & Country Show.
This show has something for everybody- aerobatic displays from warbirds, biplanes and jets as well as ground attractions including static aircraft displays, cockpits and a great mix of re-enactment stalls, classic cars and country fayre traditions and craftsmanship. XV490 will be making its first ever appearance at the event in 2022 and we are looking forward to welcoming a whole new crowd of Phantom fans.

Hope to see you all at some point over the summer.

We are pleased to be able to confirm our first event of the 2022 season. The British Phantom Aviation Group will be attending the Falklands 40th Anniversary/Cold War Call Up at Newark Air Museum on the weekend of 30th April/1st May. XV490’s cockpits will be open for visits, our merch/display stall will be on site and the event will also feature a range of other presentations, displays and artifacts relevant to the two themes. An aeroboot sale will also take place on the Saturday (30th). Full details here- http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/Falklands-40_Cold-War_Event