The Brutal Reality of Flying the F-4 Phantom

why should a pilot play war thunder if he can actually fly or use a simulator or even DCS. it doesnt makes sense ^^

Read Robert Mason’s CHICKENHAWK; real life chopper action in Vietnam.

RIOs and WSOs talking about “flying fighter jets” or calling them “combat pilots” always feels a little disingenuous.

… so does hearing someone say War Thunder is a good game lol

He should fly DCS F4

Carl you are a top man! I would love to share a beer or to with you😊Thank you for your service and sharing your story😊Kind regards from the U.K❤😊❤

****Carl NEEDS to fly the F4 module in DCS. He’d be BLOWN AWAY with the realism and immersion and be put right back into that seat***

This was a great story. Carl Palatore is surely blessed. A true hero. God bless him.

Incredible story about the grunt on the flightline seeing the name on the F-4 that saved his skin in combat, that's 400kn and he's on high alert for many different threats, focuses on the F-4 for a split second and reads the nametags.
That's insane eyesight & multitasking, he would have made a great pilot!
You don't hear much about the backseaters in general, makes me wonder if a backseater ever flew a F4 in combat during emergency or something (not limited to just the U.S, other nations also flew F4 in combat)

Phantastic!.... salute and respect👍

Men like this ran the USAF I grew up around and in! Officers & NCO's with combat experience who cared about America, about the men and the mission more than their careers. Not the social climbing, bean counting, (my career is all) woke, liberals running it today!

Like you, I was flying before I was driving a car. These were Cessna 150s. A fantastic little plane. Flown some Cessna 172s also. Another great aircraft. Always wanted to get into a Stearman but have yet to the chance. In 2 fighter squadrons with F-4Bs during Nam. Big, smokey, loud, & very fast. They are a great asset. Any Phantom is. From this Navy vet, thank you Carl for your service. Glad you made it out.

I’m a PH veteran . Iraq 11 Nov 2004. Ramadi. I was an infantry grunt…. Way to go bro !!! You did awesome ! Glad some solid grunts were there to help you get out of a jam. You’re a real hero !!

Incredible story. Glad your’e alive to tell it

This is a pretty incredible story, but what happened to the other Huey pilot and the guys that got him down from the tree? Did they make it?

This isn't real to its another one of those stupid computer game simulators, fucking boring ai generated bullshit and clickbait

Carl, if you ever read this thanks for sharing your incredible story. I'm in the UK and was 6 years old when you were shot down. I can't imagine how brave you guys were being sent to fight in that war.
I remember watching a series on tv a couple of years ago about the Vietnam war and they were interviewing a North Vietnamese woman, who I assume was a civilian and helped repair the Ho Chi Minh trail. They asked her how they repaired it after it had been bombed and she simply replied, we filled the holes in. I think this kind of brought home the reality of how kind of futile the bombing of it was.
I of course don't mean any disrespect to you and all those who served in Vietnam and of course conflicts past and present.

Thank you for your service to our country, Carl. I am sorry for the way our Vietnam Vets were treated upon returning home. May God bless you & your loved ones!👍

These are the heroes that I served with and grew up with.

Wonderful interview

That's brutal

I wish my uncle was still alive so I could play with him on war thunder. He was F4 pilot in Vietnam.

All good, EXCEPT the 25LB counterweight on the forward stick during taxi

Why repeat what the man just told us from his own words at the end...hate when they do that

The F4 has always been one of my favorite jet aircraft. It's still one of the few aircraft that I get excited about at air shows and museums. It just looks mean and fast......even sitting still.

Could you do a episode on the USS Franklin WWII, the ship that would not sink? My grandfather was a communications officer on that carrier.

The F4…. The Flying Brick 🧱!

I was very fortunate to have dinner last night with my brother’s friend, Captain Wayne ** His description of ejecting from his F4 Phantom was almost exactly how Carl described it. Captain Wayne had just blown up a bridge when SAM6 hit his plane forcing him, and his copilot to eject. Captain Wayne spent 5 years as a POW in Hanoi. Much respect for Carl, Captain Wayne, and all who served in Vietnam !🇺🇸❤️✊🙏🏼

Damn, Carl is the man!

They just identified a F-4 pilot shot down on Sept 5th, 1967.

That little happy face on the tail of the F4 is just too hilarious...

what a gorgeous looking plane

Milk run no one says that anymore

amazing Stories you find on tj3

What happened to your pilot?

I'd like to see Carl Fly the f4 in dcs

We Americans are a great people.

Poignant Hero Story Here!

My Dad was there for a full year in 1968 flying out of Thailand. RF4-C reconnaissance. He was there a lot earlier as TDY and had 6 combat campaign tour awards. He was in the backseat and as he tells it lucky his choice was listened to when they decided to come in high instead of low and engaged a major ammunition convoy and called in air strikes all afternoon…after Vietnam we moved to Edward’s and he was a pilot for the U2…

That's quite the story-to-tell; upside, living to tell-the-tale .. !

It would be great to thank Carl! My Dad's Infantry Unit; Alpha Co, 1/28th Inf Rgt, 1st ID was saved by many F-4 & F-100 flights in the battle for Hill 222, near Loc Ninh, Virtnam (12-15 September, 1968)!

Those NVA rounds must of severed a hydraulic line or cut a control wire on the F4 to cause it to spin out of control.

Anyone else would like to grab a beer with Carl and listen to some more stories?

Navy corpsman attached to VMFP-3 back in 1980. I treasure the photo I have of me sitting in the Alpha seat. One of the marine pilots said he'd take me up, but it never happened. I would have pooped my pants for sure!

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Love these stories 🎉

I was an environmental mechanic on F4-E from May 1978 to October 1982. When I left Hahn Air Base in Germany the only systems that I did not work on were Communication and Navigation Aid. I loved my time there. On deployments I would also help reload weapons with the weapons loaders. Greatest experience in my life.

Salute to Carl & all that served in Vietnam. I lost a lot of friends there, guys in my neighborhood served. and some never returned. At that time, I was in Military Academy. Vietnam ended before I got out.

Thank you, Carl.

War thunder is shit. This man deserves DCS