The only operational F-4 Phantom II in private hands flew again seven years later

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a formidable and legendary fighter jet that made its first flight on May 27, 1958.

Beautiful images of the last F-4 Phantom II fighters active in Europe
The restoration of 153879, the last F-4 Phantom II fighter to take off from a carrier

This aircraft entered service on December 30, 1960, with the United States Navy, and was later acquired by the United States Marine Corps and Air Force (USAF), as well as by the air and naval forces of other countries. The United States retired its last Phantom IIs in 1996, when its Air Force retired its F-4G Wild Weasels.

After its retirement from service in the United States, a href="https://www.collingsfoundation.org/" target="_blank">the Fundación Collings, which has a major museum in Stow, Massachusetts, became interested in acquiring an F-4 Phantom II to add to its fleet of historic aircraft in flying condition. The process was not easy, as the Phantom II was still considered a warplane (several countries still use it as a fighter jet today).

That entity points out that "it took an act of Congress by means of an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill of 1999 to allow the Collings Foundation to acquire its F-4 Phantom.". Finally, the foundation managed to acquire one of the now historic aircraft, an F-4D, serial number 65-0749, an aircraft built in 1965, operated by the USAF (according to Aerialvisuals.ca, its last assignment there was the 127th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron at McConnell AFB, Kansas) and sent to the Davis-Monthan AFB aircraft graveyard on January 12, 1990.

Once Congressional authorization was obtained, the problems didn't end there. The foundation notes the following: "Available Phantoms that were stored at Davis Monthan AFB had baked in the hot Arizona sun for over nine years. To make the situation worse, the F-4’s had been operated under highly demanding and stressful conditions for decades, such use had taken its toll."

The process of making the 65-0749 airworthy involved arduous work and a complete overhaul: "engines were replaced with zero-time units, avionics upgraded, hydraulic systems and components were overhauled, structural items tested and repaired, ejection seats located, and much more. After thousands of hours of labor, the Collings F-4 took to the sky in August of 1999."

During that restoration process, the F-4D 65-0749 received the civil registration N749CF and was initially decorated as the F-4D 66–7463, an aircraft flown by Richard Stephen Ritchie during the 1972 Operation Linebacker in Vietnam, and later as the F-4D 66-7680, one of the aircraft flown during the Vietnam War by USAF ace Robin Olds (the original 66-7680 was lost in the Gulf of Tonkin on July 5, 1972). The Collings Foundation F-4 was operated by the Vietnam War Flight Museum in Houston, Texas, participating for years in numerous air shows.

A few years ago, F-4D 66-7680 underwent a new restoration process, carried out by volunteers with the support of the Collings Foundation and the Vietnam War Museum of Flight. Finally, after seven years of work, 66-7680 flew again on June 8 at Ellington Airfield, Houston, piloted by veteran aviator Harry "D-Day" Daye, with Jet Jerod in the weapons systems officer position. Diesel Thunder Aviation has posted this video of this historic flight:

Jet Jerod has published this other video showing his experience as a crew member of the F-4D 66-7680 on his first flight in seven years:

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Main photo: Collings Foundation.