Warbird Information Exchange

Gents

We are looking to move an F-4E. Any ideas given that we can't fly it [yet!]....

A few more bits of info might help. How far? a block, across the country? Freeways or back roads?

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Across the sea...

your going to need the crew chief T.O. to move it by any sort of crane

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-recovering Viper crew chief
-AWACS driver/soon-to-be A-26 driver
-displaced Philadelphian

Give Ben a call at World Wide Aircraft Recovery,

http://www.worldwideaircraft.com/

Across what sea ? Are you trying to bring it back to the U.S. ?

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"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass..."
Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto

Could you be a bit more vague please?

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

Looking at moving the aircraft from Europe to Australia...

As the deal isn't finalised I won't be giving anymore details. A big issue is being able to move it without cutting it up.

I'm not sure if it can be broken down to fit on shipping pallets or containers..

You can pull the stab, separate the vertical ( not simple ) or at least remove the fin cap. Pull the outer wings at the wing fold, drop the radome off. That will reduce it to a smaller footprint without any MAJOR disassembly. The fuselage is one piece. You can break it down further by separating the wing from the fuselage, but I wouldn't want to go there if you didn't have to. Of course you pull the engines. Don't move the aircraft without all of the doors and panels closed, and missile launchers installed. If you don't, you tweak the airframe as they are stress panels.

By separating the outer wing panels you reduce the wingspan to about 26 ft, with the radome off, your length will be down to about 50 ft from about 65. Leaving the wing and fuselage together allows you to leave it on its gear. The F-4 is 15.5 ft tall at the tail, removing the fin cap and deflating the struts will reduce that dimension by maybe 1.5 ft.

You say it's an E and you want to make a flier out of it ? How does the NMUSAF feel about that ?

Good luck !

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"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass..."
Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto

Thanks for the words guys. How wide would the fuselage be wingless?

This aircraft is owned by a foreign government so we'll see what happens..

To dissasemble and relocate a Phantom without cutting it is certainly possible, but it makes the cost rise exponentially. I have moved several (with Ben), and it is quite possibly one of the single most complex aircraft to disassemble and move. I seriously recommend that you contact Ben at World Wide Aircraft Recovery. I am pretty sure that he has moved more Phantoms than anyone except the U.S. Gov't.

Ben will be able to give you accurate componant sizes in the disassembled condition, probably off the top of his head.

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Expert:
Ex: Former.
Spurt: A drip under pressure.

Invader,

I would make sure that this F-4 can even be transferred since I'm guessing the plane is either a Greek or Turkish F-4. Since the German fly a F-4F and Spain only operated the C/D models and have retired all of theirs to the gunner range(s). Also all of the German E models that were retired were either return to the USA or passed on to Turkey.

As I posted above you should really speak with Ben his company is the one that the USAF/USN and DoD use to move aircraft. They have moved quite a few F-4s including some of the Ex-German E models.

I wonder how the RAAF moved their example.

A chat with the museum guys may help

Regards

Col

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Vietnam Vet and proud of it.

I'm pretty sure their's come over on a slow boat.

Give All Coast Aircraft Recovery a call they have moved F-4's too. And are in the process of moving one right now.