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F4 Phantom - A Pilot's Story - Robert Prest

January 27, 2014

F4 Phantom - A Pilot's Story

Robert Prest

First Published: 1979

ISBN: 0-304-30311-9

Publisher: Cassell Ltd.

Pages: 209

Robert Prest's book, F4 Phantom - A Pilot's Story, is an autobiographical account of the author's experiences flying the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II during the 1970's whilst serving with the Royal Air Force.

Apart from a brief chapter at the beginning of the book that tells when, as a child, he first saw an F-4 Phantom and his training to become an RAF pilot, the entire book is a journey through some select experiences chosen from his years flying the F4 Phantom II.

The book is an excellent insight into life as an RAF pilot during the Cold War period of the 1970's. The stories Prest has chosen to recount, from what must be a huge log book, areincredibly varied and range from flying Combat Air Patrols over the North Sea close to Norway and the Arctic Circle, defending attacks on carrier forces in NATO exercises, switching to the ground attack, or "mud mover", role to simulate attacks on aerodromes in the UK, patrols in Germany along the Soviet border and protecting SEPECAT Jaguars from "enemy" Phantoms as they carry out bombing exercises show that the variety of situations in which Prest finds himself in are many and all are enthralling.

His vivid descriptions of life in an F4 Phantom cockpit actually put you in the star filled, moonless sky over the North Sea at 30,000 feet and 400 knots; A blip on the radar screen leads to a midnight vis-ident encounter with a 747 Jumbo '...stealing up from low in the stern..'; Coming in to land he takes you through the pilot's thought process "...On-Speed - 148 Knots... hook - checked up... harness - tight and locked...". His writing at times is eloquent and prosaic, not quite like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry but nearly. At other times his writing is the fast pace of the fighter pilot, screaming through valleys, defending ground attack aircraft or formation flying for an air show, "plugging in" for air-to-air refuelling and aerial combat exercises.

There is no combat in the book. There are no bombing runs into heavily defended, high priority targets. There are chance encounters with other NATO aircraft in Germany which quickly develop into "friendly" dog fights. There are instrumentation failures, navigation errors, weather problems, aerial gunnery exercises and, sadly but inevitably, tragic accidents involving his fellow pilots. F4-Phantom - A Pilot's Story is exciting and enthralling enough without the combat and Robert Prest has done an excellent job in keeping the reader firmly in the cockpit of his aircraft.

Aircraft, Squadrons and OCUs

A list of the aircraft mentioned in this book and corresponding page numbers. Many types are given only a passing mention, however the historical context in which they are referred to, their geographic location or just their action could be of interest to any researcher in aviation or AvGeek in general.

The page numbers referencing the F4 Phantom II model may seem strange given that "F4 Phantom- A Pilot's Story" is entirely based upon this aircraft type. They have been included to show when the author referrers to his own aircraft directly or other pilot's Phantoms.

Soviet aircraft have their NATO Reporting Names in speech marks.

There is a printing error on page 52 which incorrectly identifies the Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" as a Tu-16. The description Prest gives of the aircraft is unmistakably a Tu-95 with its "...four giant Kuznetsov turboprops.."; the Tu-16 has two turbojet engines.

AIRCRAFT TYPE (INC. VARIENT)	Page number
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde	135
Antonov An-12 “Cub”	49
Avro Lancaster	183, 184
Avro Type 696 Shackleton AEW	110, 111-113
Blackburn Buccaneer	24, 34, 45, 61, 75, 87, 109-113, 126, 142, 167, 195, 199, 205
Boeing 707	48
Boeing 737	130, 135
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress	67
Breguet Br. 1150 Atlantic	32
Convair F-106 Delta Dart	13, 125
Dassault MD. 452 Mystère	153
Dassault Mirage	68, 73, 127, 153, 166
Dassault Mirage 5	149
Dassault Mirage III Interceptor	151
de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk	80
de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito	185-186
English Electric Canberra T4	13, 60, 76-78, 151
English Electric Lightning (Link to an interesting E.E. Lightning promo film)	13, 47, 53, 57-58, 68, 70-72, 80-81, 93, 97-100, 127, 137, 167-168, 186, 170- 174, 189, 191, 194, 197, 199, 205
Fiat G91	149, 153
Fournier RF-4	153
Gloster Javelin	168
Handley Page Halifax	184
Handley Page Victor	21, 22, 24, 30, 34-35, 46, 54, 61, 74-76, 101, 110-111, 115-121, 187, 189, 199
Hawker Hunter	6, 13, 61, 68, 168
Hawker Siddeley (Folland) Fo. 141 Gnat	5, 47, 61, 165
Hawker Siddeley Harrier	25, 26, 61, 126, 149, 168, 175, 189, 199, 205
Hawker Siddeley Nimrod	32, 124, 126
Hunting P.84 Jet Provost	4, 205
Hunting P.84 Jet Provost Mk. 3	4
Ilyushin Il-38 “May”	53
Junkers Ju 87 Stuka	67
Junkers Ju-88	185
Lockheed C-130 Hercules	122, 124
Lockheed C-141 Starlifter	125
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter	15, 17-19, 49, 68, 125, 127, 147, 153, 161-165, 200, 204, 205
General Dynamics F-16A/B Fighting Falcon	147, 205
Lockheed P-2 Neptune	32
Lockheed P-3 Orion	32
LTV (Ling-Temco-Vought) A7 Corsair II	125, 152
LTV (Ling-Temco-Vought) A7D Corsair II	152
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle	147, 153, 205
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II	3, 7, 10, 21, 25, 28-29, 34, 38, 53-54, 68, 73, 77-78, 81, 85-92, 96-97, 101- 103, 107, 109-110, 113, 118, 120, 124- 125, 131-132, 135-137, 139, 141, 143- 145, 147, 149, 150, 153, 160-161, 164- 165, 167, 169-170, 173, 175, 183, 185, 186, 187, 188-195, 197-199, 200, 202, 204
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II XT893	10
McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II	103
McDonnell Douglas F-4D Wild Weasel	189-190, 199
McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II	101, 103, 125, 153
McDonnell Douglas F-4F Phantom II	167
McDonnell Douglas FG-1 Phantom II	102
McDonnell Douglas FG-1 Phantom II XV577	110
McDonnell F-101 Voodoo	13
Messerschmitt Bf 110	184
Mikoyan MiG	96, 130,141-142, 166
Mikoyan MiG-21 “Fishbed”	96, 130, 142
Mikoyan MiG-23 “Flogger”	130, 141
Myasishchev M-4, 3M “Bison”	53
Northrop F-5A/B Freedom Fighter	73, 125, 147, 149, 153
Pitts Special Bi-Plane	159-160
Republic F-105 Thunderchief	13, 125, 166
Saab 35 Draken	147
Scottish Aviation Bulldog	124
SEPECAT Jaguar	75, 124, 126, 139, 142, 167, 175, 189- 196, 199, 205
Short Stirling	184
Sopwith Camel	77
Supermarine Spitfire	13, 80
Tupolev Tu-126 “Moss”	53
Tupolev Tu-142 “Bear-F” ASW	53-54
Tupolev Tu-16 “Badger”	53
Tupolev TU-95 “Bear-A”	54
Tupolev TU-95/142 “Bear”	15, 20, 52-55, 127, 142
Tupolev TU-95Mr “Bear-E”	54
Tupolev TU-95RTz “Bear-D”	54
Vickers VC-10	80, 124
SQUADRONS AND OTHER AIR GROUPS	Page number
No. 2 Squadron RAF	175
No. 5 Squadron RAF	189
No. 14 Squadron RAF	189
No. 19 Squadron RAF “Dolphins”	137, 157
No. 23 Squadron RAF	81
No. 25 Squadron RAF	138
No. 29 Squadron RAF	191
No. 41 Squadron RAF	165
No. 43 Squadron RAF “fighting cocks”	26, 40, 81, 101-102, 115-116, 150, 175, 187, 189
No. 56 Squadron RAF	73
No. 92 (East India) Squadron RAF “The Cobras”	127, 137, 150, 153, 157, 161, 168
No. 617 Squadron RAF	183
892 Naval Air Squadron	81
The Path Finders	185
No. 228 Operational Conversion Unit RAF (Phantoms)	7
No. 349 Squadron (Belgian)	152
525th Fighter Squadron USAF “The Bulldogs”	101
Aggressor Squadron	125
Escadron de Chasse 3/2 Alsace ALA	151