F-4 Phantom II 60th Anniversary Celebrated at May Missouri Aviation Historical Society Meeting

By The Aero Experience Team

The Missouri Aviation Historical Society celebrated the upcoming 60^th Anniversary of the first flight of the F-4 Phantom II (May 27, 1958) at their bimonthly meeting last Thursday. Over 150 members and guests attended the event, which featured memorabilia displays, custom anniversary cake from McArthur’s Bakery and a panel discussion with expert testimonials from McDonnell Aircraft engineers and military pilots who flew the legendary Phantom II. Missouri Aviation Historical Society President, Dan O’Hara, welcomed everyone before turning the program over to emcee and panel member, Gary Chambers.

      

Members of the panel related their personal experiences with the production and operations of the F-4 Phantom II (video of the discussion will be available on the Missouri Aviation Historical Society website soon). The brief biographies below attest to the stature of the panel members:

Gary Chambers:

Gary Chambers flew as a Weapons Systems Officer for twelve years, accumulating over 1,600 hours in the F-4C, F-4D, F4E, and RF-4C models with Kentucky, Indiana, and Alabama Air National Guard units. He graduated from the USAF Fighter Weapons School in April 1986, three weeks before Top Gun hit the theaters. He was trained in PAVE SPIKE laser designation and did Follow On Test & Evaluation on the Navigation Weapons Delivery System (NWDS) ring laser gyro inertial navigation system.  Mr. Chambers is an executive board member of the F-4 Phantom II Society and curator of the group’s photo archives. 

Donald C. Nagel:

Donald Nagel worked at McDonnell Douglas in structural mechanical design. From September 1968 through 1970, Mr. Nagel was a member of various engineering groups supporting design changes and improvements to the F-4 and F-15 airframes.  Studies included cost/performance tradeoffs, composite material utilization, internal systems, drag and wind tunnel analysis, and external mold line definition. During 1969 and 1970, Mr. Nagel participated in the TISEO (Target Identification Electro-Optical) modification program on F-4E aircraft. TISEO was a long range camera that was incorporated on the left inboard leading-edge flap of a F-4E aircraft to identify friendly/unfriendly aircraft over the skies in Vietnam.  He participated in the Advance Wild Weasel modification program that added upgraded missile jamming capability to F-4C aircraft. Mr. Nagel designed major portions of the fatigue repair for the U.S. Government ECP that resolved cracks in the spar fasteners on F-4E aircraft and in 1971 he began working on the design for incorporating high speed maneuvering slats on the leading edge of the F-4E inner and outer wing. 

Bonnie Barkey Moore:

Bonnie Barkey Moore is the proud daughter of Nettie and Herman D. Barkey (Father of the F4 Phantom). She retired from McDonnell Douglas in 1996 after 34 years in Personnel/Human Resources.  She is married 30+ years to George Moore, a Navy veteran and MACAIR teammate. Her first-hand stories added a unique perspective about growing up with Herman Barkey and the birth and development of the F-4 Phantom II project.  

LCDR Bill Smith:

Commander Smith began his Naval Aviation career by becoming a Flight Engineer on the PBY-5A Catalina while finishing high school. He entered the Navy flight training program in September, 1955, receiving his wings of gold in March, 1957. He flew most of the Navy’s jet fighters: the F9F-2 Panther & F9F-8 Cougar in VT-24, FJ-4 Fury in VF-792, F-8 Crusader in VF-124, and the F-4B/J Phantom II in VF-142. Bill transitioned to the Phantom in 1968.  The majority of his flight hours were in the Phantom while attached to VF-121 and VF-142 Ghostriders, NAS Miramar, California. He made the first target tow with an F-4J and the 50,000th Phantom II carrier landing aboard the USS Constellation.  

Patrick Kesler: 

Patrick Kesler earned a BS degree in Aeronautical Engineering/Aerodynamics and a Masters degree in Business Management. He was a Structural Test Engineer at Cessna Aircraft, Military Division, prior to entering USAF in 1969. Mr. Kesler began his USAF active duty as a Project Officer/Test Engineer at the Air Force Missile Development Center, High Speed Test Track, Holloman AFB, NM, (firing rocket sleds). He later completed Undergraduate Pilot Training and began his flying career as a reconnaissance pilot in the RF-4C Phantom II in 1971. Mr. Kesler served tours of duty in Tactical Air Command (TAC), Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), and Air Force Systems Command (AFSC). He retired after 20+ years and flew as a commercial airline pilot with US Airways, flew as a corporate pilot for Stifel Nicolaus Investments, and currently flies the B-25J Mitchell Show Me with the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. Patrick Kesler's father, Peter Kesler, worked at McDonnell Aircraft for over 30 years as a photographer, and the family was based at Edwards AFB during F-4 flight tests from 1958 through 1959.  

Colonel Peter B. Field, USMC (Ret):   

Colonel Field is a graduate in Mathematics from The Citadel in 1962.  He entered the Marine Corps and completed flight training in 1964.  He served two tours in the A-4 Skyhawk, including shipboard cruises (300 carrier landings) and in Viet Nam, (225 missions).  He was a flight instructor in advanced jets and went to US Navy Test Pilot School in 1971.  Between assignments at the Test Center, he flew two tours in F-4 Phantom squadrons. After 27 years of Marine Corps service he became a Chief Research Program Engineer at McDonnell Douglas. He presently flies his experimental Lancair 320 which he completed in 2009 and serves as an Expert Witness consulting for legal firms.    

Robert M. (Bob) Dowgwillo:

Robert Dowgwillo is an Aerodynamics Engineer at Boeing Research and Technology - St. Louis. Mr. Dowgwillo lent his expertise to the discussion of the aerodynamic quirks of the F-4 Phantom II, especially the boundary layer control system, that made the aircraft stable on approach to landing on aircraft carriers.   

Major  Frederick A. Shaw, USAF:

From August 2003 to June 2005, Major Shaw was the QF-4 and Next-Generation Full Scale Aerial Target Program Manager at Eglin AFB, FL. He was responsible for all aspects of restoration and production of QF-4 drones for Air Combat Command. He was also responsible for initial program development of the Next-Generation Full Scale Aerial Target (QF-16). He currently serves as F-15SA New Production & Conversion Program Integrator– Defense Contract Management Agency at Boeing St. Louis.  

Following the panel discussion, the custom 60th Anniversary cake was cut by Bonnie Barkey Moore, and served, and the exhibits remained on display for a short time afterward.

The Aero Experience commends the Missouri Aviation Historical Society for another great aviation anniversary program!

Pekin Municipal Airport 2016 Wings and Wheels: Part 2 - A Great Midwest Airport

By Carmelo Turdo

The 2016 Pekin, IL Municipal Airport Wings and Wheels event last Saturday was a model fly-in that attracted local residents to experience aviation at their community airport.  The sixth annual event featured about a hundred classic cars and motorcycles along with unique aircraft on display and flying throughout the day.  World War II-era Stearman and T-6 trainers flew several circuits around the airport, and the aerial aerial crop spraying demonstration kept our eyes to the skies.  As always, aviation people were happy to talk to the visitors and encourage them to learn about flying and their aircraft.  

In Part 2 of this series, The Aero Experience will take a look at this Midwest airport and its impact on central Illinois.  The airport offers a 5000'x75' E/W runway, low self-service fuel prices, and a pilot's lounge.  There is ample apron space and hangars available for home-based and transient aircraft.  Airport services include aircraft maintenance by Keith Aero, agricultural application by Brian Agricultural Aviation and Holzwarth Flying Service, and aerial imagery and survey services by Cruce Aviation.  Established in 1964 to serve the Pekin and neighboring Peoria areas, Pekin Municipal Airport reported that it supports over 10,000 aircraft movements (takeoffs or landings) per year, hosts 55 aircraft and occupies 215 acres of land.  It is also reported that at least 16 businesses use the airport on a regular basis.  According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the airport supports 26 related jobs and a total annual economic output of $3.1 million.

The Aero Experience spoke with Pekin Municipal Airport Manager, Clayton Stambaugh, during a short break in the action on Saturday.  This was his 4th Wings and Wheels event of the six such events, and he gave some context to the day's activities.  "This event was an open house to get people accustomed to the airport and to understand it," he said.  "We slowly added more.  We invited South Pekin to come in and add venders.  The car show was added to attract more people." 

Even though the airport is owned and operated by the City of Pekin, IL, it was not always seen as a valuable resource.  The Airport was previously managed by Byerly Aviation as mainly a paint facility until 2008.  When they moved their operations, the city now had to be closer to the daily operations.  The Airport Commission realized that the community was not engaged with the airport, and it was time to make the case of its value.  Even with the annual Wings and Wheels event and the known economic impact of the airport, there are still some who need to be won over.  "I go to the Council meeting and I just state the facts:  $3.1 million every year to the local economy on aeronautical activities alone," Stambaugh continued.  "We have a federal prison, and many of the businesses in town that are only here because they can come in and out via aircraft.  We operationally only cost about a dollar per year per citizen ($30-35,000)."

As with any property asset, maintenance of the grounds and facilities is an on-going need.  The all-important pavement on the runway, taxiways and apron is in good condition.  The grass is mowed and healthy.  A full-service maintenance shop has moved into the main hangar and can support the aircraft based at the airport.   These are all positive developments.  A number of improvements will be necessary in the near future to make the airport an even better asset to the City of Pekin.  Topping that list are the outside of the main terminal and the maintenance hangar, which are beginning to show their age.  The new maintenance business and flight training services will begin to add to the economic impact of the airport, and possibly more events and business traffic will add to the airport's value to the community and to the state of Illinois.  The case for these capital improvements to the airport may well be self-evident in the not-so-distant future.

There are several unique aircraft based at Pekin Municipal Airport.  A rare 1943 Piper L-4B Grasshopper with the Brodie System retrieval hook attached to the top of the wing was on display along with a large radio-controlled aircraft in the same likeness.  The L-4 was used mainly for U.S. Army artillery spotting and liaison duties wherever the Army was deployed.  As the U.S. forces moved across two theaters of war, they had to wait until airfields were captured or constructed before making critical observation flights.  A way to get the aircraft flying sooner came in the form of a launch and recovery system using cables strung along an LST boat.  The concept was invented by U.S. Army Transportation Corps Captain James Brodie.  Eight LSTs were converted for "carrier" use and were deployed on a limited basis in Europe and in the Pacific.  Information panels next to the aircraft on display explained the system.  

 

Another interesting aircraft in residence at the airport is the McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II jet (s/n 64-0911) on display at the entrance to the road leading into the parking lot.  The F-4C model was a first generation USAF Phantom II interceptor that would soon become the standard jet fighter and tactical bomber of the 1960s and serve during the Vietnam War.  This aircraft flew with the 92nd TFS at RAF Brentwaters in the early 1970s and later in the Oregon Air National Guard.  It was flown in by a Skycrane helicopter in the late 1980s and is currently sporting the SI tail code of the 183rd TFW of the IL Air National Guard for display purposes.  It is owned by the National Museum of the USAF and is on loan to the airport.

The Aero Experience thanks the staff and volunteers that made the 2016 Pekin Municipal Airport Wings and Wheels an outstanding Midwest Aviation event.  We will continue with our coverage in Part 3, where we will focus on JAARS and the flights they gave on Saturday.