Home » Aircraft Models » VMFA-321 F-4S 1991 Model, 1/42 (18″) Scale, Mahogany, Marines, Fighter, McDonnell Douglas

VMFA-321 F-4S 1991 Model, 1/42 (18″) Scale, Mahogany, Marines, Fighter, McDonnell Douglas

$319.00

  • Length – 18 inches
  • Made from Mahogany
  • US Veteran Owned Business
  • The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger.

2 in stock (can be backordered)

Description

VMFA-321 F-4S 1991 Model

Fly with VMFA-321 in this handcrafted F-4s model.  Each piece is carved from wood and handpainted to provide a piece you’ll love.

  • Length – 18 inches
  • Made from Mahogany
  • US Veteran Owned Business
  • The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger.

The new model Phantom presented two challenges: keeping the older F-4Ns in a
mission-ready status throughout the transition, and
ensuring a smooth transition to the F-4S. The squa-
dron decided to emphasize air-to-air training because
the pilots and RIOs would learn the F-4S’ systems more
quickly in that environment. An aggressive training
program was established with two DACT detachments,
one going to Oceana in September with four aircraft,
and the second visiting Miramar in November with
six aircraft. Coincidentally, the last F-4N in 321 retired
on 30 November.

Lieutenant Colonel Gould, who had flown Phan-
toms in Vietnam with VMFA-314 and VMFA-122,
remembered the first time he saw the F-4S in action:

Our crews were scheduled for a 1 v 1 [F-4N vs F-4S] ACM
sortie as part of the transition syllabus. The improved per-
formance of the F-4S was immediately apparent. I flew
against Major Tom Nicholson, who had prior F-4S time. I
was impressed as I watched him convert his position from
defensive to offensive, with my aircraft at his 6 o’clock in-
side one-half mile. He took his F-4S through a loop begin-
ning at 300 knots. I’d seen this maneuver before by
low-wingloaded aircraft like the A-4, but not with such a
high-wingloaded type as the F-4. 21

As VMFA-321 completed its transition to the F-4S
in 1985, it also flew the impressive number of 3,109
flight hours for that year, 110 percent of the original-
ly scheduled program, and a 28 percent increase over
1984’s total. One reason for the increased flight time
was the large number of exercises and training mis-
sions with other squadrons, reflecting their commitment to ACM training.

VMFA-321 maintained the high operational tem-
po in 1986 and 1987 by flying 2,917 hours and 2,944
hours, respectively. The squadron also participated in
the regular series of exercises and visits with neigh-
boring Navy, Marine, and Air Force squadrons across
the country. Detachments visited NAS New Orleans
in February, Nellis in March (where the F-4Ss flew
against a wide variety of Navy and Air Force aircraft,
as well as Royal Air Force Tornados), Oceana in May,
and NAS Point Mugu, in addition to the regular train-
ing at Yuma.

On 15 January 1988, six squadron aircraft partici-
pated in a ”Missing Man” formation flyover during the
funeral at Arlington National Cemetery for Colonel
Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, who died on 11 January.
Boyington was one of the highest-scoring Marine aces
of World War II.

Additional information

Dimensions 18 × 11 in

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “VMFA-321 F-4S 1991 Model, 1/42 (18″) Scale, Mahogany, Marines, Fighter, McDonnell Douglas”

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *