The fact that it existed is proof that it worked. It was certainly a unique design among any aircraft I've ever seen.
World’s largest airplane. It’s being built by a billionaire. It’s getting ready to fly.
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The fact that it existed is proof that it worked. It was certainly a unique design among any aircraft I've ever seen.
To save space on the aircraft carriers, the Phantom’s vertical stabilizer had to be shortened. This had a negative effect on the directional stability of the aircraft. To correct the problem the tailplane was bent down (anhedral). This exposed the tailplane into the air flow much like ventral fin, increasing the stability. You can see a similar design in the British Harrier.
Still yet that thing was a complete turd at low speeds. It's kinda mind boggling that the Navy picked it for a carrier aircraft, well I guess not, it was politics. At high speed it was pretty damn good for it's day.To save space on the aircraft carriers, the Phantom’s vertical stabilizer had to be shortened. This had a negative effect on the directional stability of the aircraft. To correct the problem the tailplane was bent down (anhedral). This exposed the tailplane into the air flow much like ventral fin, increasing the stability. You can see a similar design in the British Harrier.
Still used in a lot of foreign countries. Originally designed as a bomber. At its introduction to Vietnam, it wasn't even armed and was easy prey for the migs. Later versions were heavily armed with advanced pilot training and became fierce fighters with its amazing thrust. It was classified for many years about the altitude it could reach with speculation of 90,000'+.
Edit:
The F-4 Phantom (previously called the F-4 Phantom II) is a fighter bomber developed by McDonnell Douglas. The supersonic aircraft can travel at double the speed of sound (Mach 2.2). Originally built for the US Navy, the ‘Phabulous Phantom’ took off on its maiden flight on 27 May 1958 and entered into service in 1961.
The F-4 has set 16 records for speed, altitude and time-to-climb. It established the world altitude record at 98,556ft in 1959 and speed record at 1,604mph on a 15-mile circuit in 1961.
Though developed for the US Navy, the F-4 was used by both the US Air Force and the Marine Corps. The aircraft has been in service in 11 other countries including: Australia, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the UK.
The F-4s participated in the Vietnam War and the Operation Desert Storm. Production was stopped in 1985, after 5,195 Phantom IIs had been manufactured. As many as 4,138 aircraft were operational with US defence forces, while 919 were sold to various countries. Japan manufactured 138 aircraft.
The US retired the Phantom in 1996.
I used to show this video in my geound school classes when discussing stability/instability.
To save space on the aircraft carriers, the Phantom’s vertical stabilizer had to be shortened. This had a negative effect on the directional stability of the aircraft. To correct the problem the tailplane was bent down (anhedral). This exposed the tailplane into the air flow much like ventral fin, increasing the stability. You can see a similar design in the British Harrier.
Wonder if this also had to do with the fact the F4 was such a large airframe...anhedral would have decreased overall stability, making it more maneuverable (like a smaller fighter might be).
I'm not versed in flight dynamics, but control systems has been my forte for many years in industry and flight controls are no different. You have to have feedback to control. Lose feedback and you lose control. I've seen million dollar machine tools turned into junk because the control system lost feedback and proceeded at maximum velocity into the rotating part of the machine, or in power plants, where loss of feedback has caused major power outages affecting millions of folks. It all has to operate in a loop.
Up or down, same idea as the V-tail Bonanza: give it effect in two planes (no pun intended)To save space on the aircraft carriers, the Phantom’s vertical stabilizer had to be shortened. This had a negative effect on the directional stability of the aircraft. To correct the problem the tailplane was bent down (anhedral). This exposed the tailplane into the air flow much like ventral fin, increasing the stability. You can see a similar design in the British Harrier.
That makes a lot of sense. I'd still like to see something technical backing it up. Again, just curiosity.
I recommend reading Scream of Eagles, by Robert Wilcox. It's the story of how the F-4's inadequacies led to the creation of the Navy's Fighter Weapons School ("Top Gun"), and how we learned how to use the flying pig. I'd follow up with Robert Coram's Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. it tells how the F-4 led to the F-15, F-16, and significant changes in warfighting doctrine. Col. Boyd was utterly uncorruptible, and to this day, one does not speak his name on The Hill without noting who might be listening. He made a lot of enemies....
Downloaded into my que. $8 on Amazon, free on Kindle app
It's worth reading both. Boyd pioneered Energy-Maneuverability Theory, which is what showed how much the F-4 sucked (and the areas in which it shined, the FWS's raison d'être). Boyd was USAF, though, so his influence was chiefly there (though the F-18 was originally the YF-17, competitor to the YF-16 for a USAF contract, and the Navy picked it up after USAF declined it).
I think I've read Scream of Eagles in the past, but I'll have to sample it to make sure.
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