By Gary Rice
Public Affairs Specialist

A disassembled F-4S Phantom jet departed the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Depot Cherry Point June 25 on the flatbed of a truck.

As part of the depot’s F-4 Disposal Project, the wingless aircraft was lifted onto the truck in Hangar 188 and taken to Camp Atterbury near Edinburgh, Ind., a military base run primarily by the Indiana National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve. There, it will be re-assembled and placed on static display in front of a headquarters building.

“We still have about 20 F-4s that we’re going to disassemble,” Airframe Mechanic Myron “Bucky” Buckhalter said. “We’ll take the engines out, remove the gear boxes, drain the fuel and hydraulic fluid, and remove the canopies so the seats can be pulled. Disassembly is required due to HAZMAT and safety issues with some of the materials involved. It’s about a three-day process for each plane.”

NAVAIR Depot Cherry Point provides maintenance, engineering, and logistics support on a variety of aircraft, engines, and components for all branches of the U.S. armed forces. Employing almost 4,000 people, the depot is the only source of repair within the continental United States for many jet and rotary wing engines. It is the Navy’s center of excellence for rotary wing aircraft, providing engineering and logistics support for all Navy helicopters.

Buckhalter is part of a crew assigned to the depot’s F-4 Disposal Project, which also includes Airframe Mechanic Rick Bequette, Airframe Worker Gary Beard, and a number of contractor personnel. The crew will stay with the project until they disassemble and dispose of all the remaining F-4s.

“The last Phantoms that were flight capable flew out of Cherry Point a few months ago,” Buckhalter said. “They had been ground checked and systems checked, so we were allowed to complete them as drones. All of the planes were originally intended to be used as drones, but after the F-4 Program was terminated, the money that remained in the program was set aside for the disassembly effort.”

Once they are disassembled, many of the planes – including the engines and most of the parts – will be disposed of as scrap metal. Others may be sent to museums or used as targets on bombing ranges.

NAVAIR provides advanced warfare technologies through the efforts of a seamless, integrated, worldwide network of aviation technology experts.

Photo Caption: At the NAVAIR Depot Cherry Point on June 25, truck driver Les Chapman signals to hold as Airframes Worker Gary Beard (right) and depot Crane Operator Mitch Guthrie work to position the F-4S Phantom on the flatbed of Chapman’s truck. (Photo by Gary Rice)