Just a quick one. Does any body no why there are faint silloets of F4 Phantoms on the hard standings at RAF Leeming. If you look on Google Earth (oh no not more google earth). Find the parked black BAE Hawks. The Phantom silloets are just to the right. There may be a pin on them with the title ghost Phantoms. But maybe not. I was on some body elses computer and did not realy know what I was doing. Could some body please put a picture on here for me.
Cheers.
Ben.
By: TEEJ - 5th March 2008 at 18:13
There is an F-4 Phantom like outline at Koksan airfield, North Korea. Copy and paste the coords into GE.
38°41’14.44″N 126°36’3.82″E
The outline targets at the nearby range also remind me of F-4s. Would tie in with them being in the South Korean inventory.
38°40’23.11″N 126°36’34.59″E
By: mike currill - 5th March 2008 at 15:15
As soon as I saw the third of those shots my immediate thought was that Mount Pleasant Airport, F.I. It was not until I zoomed out that I confirmed it. Once seen the shape of East and West Falkland are never forgotten.
By: Creaking Door - 5th March 2008 at 13:29
Well spotted!
By: Arabella-Cox - 5th March 2008 at 13:18
i think a couple more can be found in the fire dump at Manston, along with some friends.
By: Creaking Door - 5th March 2008 at 12:31
A little more Phantom phun (sorry :o) with Google Maps:
Does anybody else prefer Google Maps to Google Earth?
By: Jon H - 5th March 2008 at 11:18
Or is it merely an aide memoire of where to park them?! On a par with drawing round tools on a board so you know what goes where……
Jon
By: Creaking Door - 5th March 2008 at 10:26
I remeber seeing a program once (awhile back) about using decoys. At that time, with the weapon systems available, an attacking pilot was just as likely to fire at the mere shadow of an aircraft.
I remember seeing a similar program ‘a while back’ and I’m talking fifteen or twenty years back! 😀
It got me very interested in the art of the decoy and in their history too. I’m not convinced these are decoys (although that was my first thought) as the RAF did apparently have Phantoms and Lightnings ‘on its books’ for decoy use (and ground training).
Microsoft VE shows a few real Phantoms parked on top of these ‘ghost’ ones! Those images must go back a few years…
Javelin XA634 is there too…..thanks for posting.
If they are painted decoys it is very interesting to compare the real Phantoms with the painted-on Phantoms and to see how the lack of shadow gives the game away. Maybe that was the point; to try it out?
By: Arabella-Cox - 5th March 2008 at 08:18
Interestingly, looking at the same spot using Microsoft VE shows a few real Phantoms parked on top of these ‘ghost’ ones! Those images must go back a few years…
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=54.297882&lon=-1.524945&z=19.2&r=0&src=msa
By: Mondariz - 5th March 2008 at 07:08
I remember seeing them a while back…..and assumed they were some form of decoy…..or decoy trial?
Wasn’t Phantom XV499 there for decoy use also?
I remeber seeing a program once (awhile back) about using decoys. At that time, with the weapon systems available, an attacking pilot was just as likely to fire at the mere shadow of an aircraft. The combination of speed and decision-time made the target selection hard.
I’m not sure how much this decoy type was used, but they sure looked into it.
Thats my guess anyway – Decoys.
By: Robert Hilton - 5th March 2008 at 06:47
The lightning is XI(F) sqn’s gate guard, now with them at conningsby – the long running gag on the squadron was for new guys to be sent to ‘BF the lightning’. Bloody hilarious….
(BF – Before Flight servicing)
The phantoms were apparently painted on after the real ones were chopped. The remaining one is alledgedly inside a hangar now…. and may not have to be killed i.a.w. salt II…. 😉
We used to send the new boys to check the tyre pressures on the gate guard at Honington. Always garanteed to get them a bollocking from the SWO.
By: Mondariz - 5th March 2008 at 06:06
The Phantoms never came under SALT. SALT in relation to aircraft was heavy strategic bombers. RAF Phantoms came under CFE (Conventional Armed Forces in Europe). The Russians withdrew from CFE last year.
I don’t want to hijack the thread, but in connection with the above post, its only fair to mention, that Russia withdrew from CFE due to the new NATO structures failure to adapt the treaty fully.
In particular the baltic states, who originally signed the threaty as part of the Soviet Union. The Baltic states have not signed the treaty as NATO members.
Russia simply wanted all NATO states to sign the treaty and gave them 150 day period to do so.
By: TEEJ - 5th March 2008 at 01:12
The lightning is XI(F) sqn’s gate guard, now with them at conningsby – the long running gag on the squadron was for new guys to be sent to ‘BF the lightning’. Bloody hilarious….
(BF – Before Flight servicing)
The phantoms were apparently painted on after the real ones were chopped. The remaining one is alledgedly inside a hangar now…. and may not have to be killed i.a.w. salt II…. 😉
The Phantoms never came under SALT. SALT in relation to aircraft was heavy strategic bombers. RAF Phantoms came under CFE (Conventional Armed Forces in Europe). The Russians withdrew from CFE last year.
By: Lindy's Lad - 4th March 2008 at 23:52
The lightning is XI(F) sqn’s gate guard, now with them at conningsby – the long running gag on the squadron was for new guys to be sent to ‘BF the lightning’. Bloody hilarious….
(BF – Before Flight servicing)
The phantoms were apparently painted on after the real ones were chopped. The remaining one is alledgedly inside a hangar now…. and may not have to be killed i.a.w. salt II…. 😉
By: Creaking Door - 4th March 2008 at 23:49
Yes, just been looking it up…..funny how the distinctive lightning wing shape doesn’t show up well…or is it just me?
Apparently it is (was) Lightning F6 XR753, the 11 Squadron mascot, which went with them to RAF Coningsby on 17th November 2005 (dating the GE image nicely).
The gate guardian is Javelin FAW4 XA634, which is somewhat easier to recognise I think, here:
By: zoot horn rollo - 4th March 2008 at 23:34
The first one is a Lightning
By: Creaking Door - 4th March 2008 at 22:43
What is (was) the preserved aircraft mascot in the HAS farm directly north of the ‘painted-on’ Phake Phantoms…is it a Lightning?
Phantom XV499 is here:
By: benyboy - 4th March 2008 at 22:38
Hi Nashio. Can you put a picture of them up here. Never Noticed the real Phantom. Good job I dont work in recon. It must be the one that Elvington and North East Air Museum have been after. It has to be scrapped under a Disarmament treaty.
I have been thinking, maybe they were painted silloets to fool satelites that have been removed.
By: Creaking Door - 4th March 2008 at 22:37
I remember seeing them a while back…..and assumed they were some form of decoy…..or decoy trial?
Wasn’t Phantom XV499 there for decoy use also?
By: Nashio966 - 4th March 2008 at 22:26
haha I had never noticed that on my other base prowl, could they be where two were left in place and the sun made an impression on teh concrete around them? likely not to be the case, could be a cunning Raf plot to trick us anoraks ;):cool: if you look to the bottom left of the main runway, between two “mini” blister hangars, you can see XV499 “waiting to be scrapped” according to Thunder And Lightnings!
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March 4, 2008 at 10:08 pm