F4 Phantom XV582 'Black Mike' Project Thread – The British F4 Phantom Aviation Group

Announcement imminent.

Anon.

Plans changed then i see no longer coming to brunty

Hi All,
BF4PAG,
Please pass on my congratulations to all the team from low to upon high rank you are all just as important no matter what role you play in my book. You all deserve a massive pat on the back for all your hard work in saving this most iconic of all the UK Phantoms. Not only that but as so many gave donations to the 1st attempt that had a troubled beginning you have restored all faith in Black Mike restoration having come along and basically stop the death sentence WELL DONE!!:applause:

It only leaves me to say that I will donate when I can as like others having donated to the 1st attempt will not be put off by that debacle and wish to see this aircraft rolling down the runway at some point, although like you imply many hurdles to jump first with ITAR. I am sure what happens in the US will only serve as evidence that sophisticated aircraft can be operated to a safe and professional level just the same way vintage aircraft do at the moment flown by civilians, along with the correct regulations governing all areas of these aircraft and pilots being adhered to.

What a great start to I imagine what will be an historic journey for all those involved in Black Mikes future….:eagerness:

Geoff.

Great to see the progress on here and BM’s Facebook page guys.

CADman –

Thank you for your support.

They were dismantled once or twice but was mostly a rare occurrence. This was mainly done on a full nut and bolt overhaul.

As for the Everett aircraft, they were taken apart very much the same way we are doing so with Black Mike. They did have the benefit of no engines with most of theirs. While one already had bolts loosely fitted from its previous move.

That being said they did take care of the F4’s as all of us do considering their rarity these days.

As for donations to Black Mike and The British F4 Phantom Aviation Group. The best, easiest and most secure way is via PayPal.

Our address is [email]phantomaviation@outlook.com[/email]

Alternatively if you click this button it will take you direct to the paypal page. All you will have to do is enter your details.

I hope this has been of some help.

BF4PAG Admin

Excellent work !!!!

When in service how often would aircraft be dismantled like this. Just for road transport or major servicing ?
Also how were the Phantoms currently in museums or stored at Everret’s dismantled.
Assume less care was required as airframes were consider to be static display only ?

Have looked at the websites listed above but can somebody explain more clearly how donations can be made ?
I guess we all know the past history of donations 😡

XV582 – Phase 2 Progress

They have begun…… again.

The guys have opened up the HAS and have begun the lengthy task that awaits Phase 2.

The engine doors have been dropped to allow access for the removal of connecting pipework, cables and for the assessment of the various attachment bolts.

Here you can see a nice little view of the engines. Their overall condition is quite good, especially considering the aircraft has been outside for most of its retired life.

The jack above has been in place ever since the stress panels along the fuselage sides were removed. This prevents the airframe from bending or becoming misshaped in some way due to the lack of these panels and their structural strength.

One of the many bays that the guys have to work through.

Here in one of the bays, you can see the pipework that has been removed. But what may be less obvious is the panels in the background that have to be de-riveted and removed. In some cases this will allow access to other areas or the main wing attachment bolts. In others they may just be small strengthening panels that would either prevent the separation of the wing and fuselage or would rip and tare itself or other parts upon wing separation.

At the end of day one the guys have managed to clear 99.9% of Door 22, disconnect the engine connections and get to work on various panel work throughout the aircraft. All in all a good days work.

Finally before we end this post, here is a little picture for the ex-111 Sqn Guys and Girls of the F3 era, showing the HAS door art still intact many years after the disbandment of the squadron.

BF4PAG Admin

Excellent. I’m sure many on here will continue to wish you all well and look forward to further updates!

Rob

Ditto, good luck with the Teams endeavours and I also look forward to your updates…

Excellent. I’m sure many on here will continue to wish you all well and look forward to further updates!

Rob

XV582 – Phase 2 Begins

As many of you may well be aware Phase 2 was looming and has been eagerly awaited.

Well you will be glad to hear that as of midday on the 15th November it has begun. Members of The British F4 Phantom Aviation Group (BF4PAG) embarked on the journey north from various corners of the UK.

The team this time consists of members from Phase 1, albeit on a smaller scale due to a number of individuals not being able to attend due to work and/or family commitments.

The phase began with an assessment of the aircraft to ensure the jobs list was complete and accurate. This ensures our team are able to prioritise jobs according to their importance.

Work has taken place to continue the removal of items in Door 22, this will enable a realtive ‘clean break’ on wing removal of the various hydraulic, pneumatic and electricla connections. It also allows access to a number of the wing bolts.

Further to this work has begun on the engines, disconnecting pipework and linkages required in order to remove the engines. this will make that task a little quicker in the near future.

As ever, when more progress has been made and is in a publishable condition, notice will be given on here. Likewise for any and all relevant photos as and when they are made available.

Until next time…..

BF4PAG Admin

XV582 – Latest Progress

As some of you may have noticed there has been a little gap in the updates of ‘582 especially our Phase 2 of the Disassembly stages of the project.

Since our last visit the new occupants, The British Army, of Leuchars Station (Former RAF Leuchars) have had a spell of exercises. This has prevented access to the aircraft for our volunteers and as a result delayed the progress by a couple of months.

But not to worry as things are changing.

As we speak Phase 2 is in the final planning stages and the guys are preparing to travel north in the next couple of weeks.

The plan for this stage is to further assess the location of all wing bolts and decide the best course of action for removing them. Engines have always been an issue ever since we first started the project. The question of whether it was possible to remove the wing with engines fitted or not has always been a massively discussed topic.

However after the completion of Phase 1, which gave us access to the inner workings of Black Mike, we are now able to make more educated decisions on the next step.

All this being said, if by any chance anyone has a Spey engine fit/removal stand sat in their shed, please get in touch.

May i add one thing to the above comment, the stands that many of you will have seen at RAF Museum Hendon and various other museums are removal stands as well as normal storage stands. What we really require is the lifting gear that attaches to the frame as you can see in the image below.

Here shows the bogeys that allows a precise level of movement of the entire frame.

Below you can see the front column and steering box assembly.

So if anyone has any of the above or knows of its location (But not the stands at Hendon and the likes) then please drop the group an email at

[EMAIL=”phantomaviation@outlook.com“]phantomaviation@outlook.com[/EMAIL]

Many thanks for reading and we will update you all as soon as progress moves on.

BF4PAG Admin