Phantom Memories - In Search Of Thunderbird F4Es

The United States Air Force air demonstration squadron, better known as "The Thunderbirds", flew the McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II aircraft from 1969 through 1973. This venerable aircraft was arguably the best fighter aircraft of its time and was the principal air weapons system used in the Vietnam War.

The Thunderbirds used eleven of these awesome machines during their time on the team. Two of them were lost to crashes, but nine of them remain for posterity. All but two of the remaining nine are on display coast to coast throughout the country. The other two were stored in the desert near Tucson, Arizona, awaiting their chance for a return to some sort of glory.

This full color book chronicles an exciting motorcycle trip by the author, a past Thunderbird during the F-4E era, to visit all of the nine phantoms that were once assigned to the Thunderbirds. The author was fortunate to have flown in these aircraft during the period 1970 - 1972. His coast-to-coast journey covered nearly 8,000 miles on two wheels across this great land and provided an endless array of wonder and a bottomless well of memories. Filled with scores of color images of the journey, it details the vistas, events and thoughts that constantly bombard the author’s senses along the way.

The scope of the trip and the grandeur of the nation he served and loves is epic in nature and profound in substance. Join him on his quest to visit old friends from the past.