Phantom Boys

True Tales from Aircrew of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Fighter-Bomber

By: Richard Pike

Narrated by: Roger Davis

From Richard Pike, best-selling author of Hunter Boys and The Lightning Boys, comes the newest addition to Grub Street's popular Boys series: Phantom Boys. Originally developed for the US Navy, this twin-engined supersonic long-range fighter-bomber first flew in the spring of 1958. It then entered service for the US Navy in 1961, and in 1969 with the Fleet Air Arm and RAF in the UK.

Regarded as one of the most versatile fighters ever built, the Phantom F-4 was the US Navy's fastest and highest-flying aircraft. It was flown by both US military demonstration teams (Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force Thundercats) from 1969 to 1973. It ended its service in 1991 with the RAF. But it continued to serve a variety of air forces across the world, with some still in service 50 years after its first flight.

Throughout the 20 chapters of this book, 13 contributors will take listeners across the world with adventures in the Falkland Islands, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Far East and Germany. There are anecdotes of reconnaissance missions, encounters with the Russian Tupolevs, record-breaking flights and life on HMS Ark Royal. The scope, flair, and pace of the writing in this book will appeal to the general listener as well as to the enthusiast.

©2015 Grub Street (P)2016 Grub Street

Hope You Like Crashes and Fly-Bys

It's not the authors' fault. As far as I can glean, the Phantom was just not deployed by the UK to anywhere particularly interesting. So the stories seem to break down into two overall categories: in-air emergencies (mechanical issues, bird strike, etc.) and relatively banal squadron life. Coming off Harrier 809, it was just a slog.