Final fitting of the oxygen mask and G-suit was complete, the time had come. Lt. Col. Yarolem and I walked out across the flight line together. What a beautiful sight! Eleven F-4's sat ready, all painted in the standard Southeast Asian camouflage scheme. Ours was No. 675. It is hard to appreciate the size and impact of the Phantom until you stand beside one. It is a big fighter by any standards and at low altitude is still one of the fastest in the world. We walked around the bird and did a visual inspection; the crew chief began to ready the aircraft at the same time.

A flurry of activity surrounded the aircraft as the ground crew readied her for flight. Staff photographers were shooting pictures. Finally Lt. Col. Yarolem said, "Let's go." I was up the ladder and into the rear cockpit. My equipment trainer was right behind me because I think he knew that I would forget just about everything we had talked about for three hours on the operation and buckling in of the seat. He was right. The cockpit is surprisingly small and you feel a part of the aircraft when strapped in. The rear cockpit or Radar Operator's seat has complete flight controls and instrumentation for flight, so I didn't feel like just a passenger. It took about five minutes to completely strap me in and ready myself for flight. At this time Lt. Col. Yarolem was standing on top of the Phantom curiously watching. I'm sure he was thinking, what a rookie." He slid into the front seat and was completely buckled in, in less than thirty seconds. He was right, I am a rookie.

As the external power cart started to howl I knew it wouldn't be long. Soon Lt. Col. Yarolem's voice broke through as the power came on. We conversed back and forth as he went through the lengthy pre-flight checklist. I scanned the instruments to see if there was any indication of the first start. The percent rpm gauge began to move. The first engine came up to speed and stabilized at 65%. The second engine then started. Now both were running --- what an unbelievable feeling of power even at idle. After a complete control surface check, we were ready to taxi. Clearance from ground control was granted and we began to taxi toward the active runway. The last item on the checklist was to arm the Martin-Baker ejection seat. It has the capability of getting the pilot out safely even at zero altitude. As we taxied into position on the runway, Lt. Cot. Yarolem went through the procedure of checking the aircraft before take-off. He asked, "Are you ready, Tom?" I said, 'Let's go." The throttles smoothly came up to military power at 100%. As acceleration started and at about 50 knots, he advanced into full afterburner. What a kick! The big torches came on and we rocketed down the runway. This feeling is impossible to describe. The nervousness, the anticipation, all disappeared with the thunder of the engines. The nose of the aircraft rotated at about 100 knots and we were airborne at 150 knots. The aircraft shuddered as the gear began to retract. Lt. Col. Yarolem pointed the Phantom's nose skyward and the "burner-climb" was on.

The runway moved away at an unbelievable rate. Things happen fast, we were climbing at 250 knots and the pilot must stay ahead of the aircraft. We climbed to 8000 feet and then applied for and were granted clearance to the Red Hills practice zone. This area is located about 50 miles from the end of the runway and is used for fighter pilot training. This section of air space is set aside from commercial traffic most of the time because of the high performance fighters.

Upon reaching the Red Hills practice zone, Lt. Col. Yarolem demonstrated a couple of lazy turns and banks with the Phantom. The control column barely moved. He then said something to me I will never forget. "We can't pull any more than 4 g's with full wing tanks, but after they are dry you can try to bend the Phantom in half if you want." At that point I felt pretty good and couldn't wait for some real flying.

The first demonstration was maximum acceleration. He slowed the Phantom down to about 150 knots. The speed brakes were out, the flaps and leading edge slats deployed. This is about as slow as the airplane can remain in level flight. The Phantom shuddered and vibrated; it didn't like the slow speed, obviously. Flaps up, speed brakes up, and full power and as he went into full afterburner I was slammed rearward in my seat. The airspeed indicator is flying 200 knots, 300 knots, 400 knots. Lt. Col. Yarolem broke in and said, "At 700 knots the instruments will oscillate slightly and I will reduce power before we go supersonic." This whole sequence didn't take 40 seconds. Unbelievable. The sound of the fighter at 700 knots is completely different than at 300 knots. It takes extreme power to maintain these speeds. The aircraft itself vibrates, pulsates, and shudders. It wants to go slower but the raw power in the rear demands the speed. After our acceleration run we slowed to about 400 knots. Lt. Col. Yarolem came on the intercom and asked if I would like to fly the aircraft. The stick control was smooth and precise. The big difference over the simulator is that you feel every attitude change in the seat of your pants. The bird goes wherever you point it, a slight rearward pressure on the stick and you gain 2000 feet. It was very difficult for me to keep from letting the Phantom climb, a couple of sheepish banks and a gentle climb was enough --- it was more fun for me to ride than fly.

Lt. Col. Yarolem took the controls back and we climbed up to 19,000 feet. A couple of hard turns and at this point I was beginning to turn green. I did become a little nauseous from the continual positive and negative g's. Later I was assured that I was not the first guy who had problems in the back seat. It's strange how these things come out after the flight! The front seat pilots will seldom, if ever, fly in the back seat and vice-versa. The back seat is considered the "pit."

We continued to fly in the Red Hills practice area at least another half-hour and then proceeded back to Hulman AFB. On approaching the runway Lt. Col. Yarolem executed the standard military approach. We pitched out hard to the left in a large 360-degree turn. Flaps were extended, then the gear. The Phantom again shuddered from the results of the extended gear and door drag. As expected, the approach was hot, the runway came up quickly and we contacted the ground. Not much flare, just increased angle of attack and touch down. Lt. Col. Yarolem deployed the drogue chute immediately and we began a definite slowing of ground speed. We taxied off the active runway and the chute was detached. Up came the canopies, the fresh air felt wonderful. At this point I realized that I was completely soaked with sweat. What an experience!

After parking the Phantom back in its slot on the flight line, the engines were shut down, a final checklist completed and it was over. As l climbed down the aircraft ladder my legs were like rubber, standing upright on the ground at this point was a major problem. Lt. Col. Yarolem skipped down the ladder and sort of hopped across the parking ramp to a waiting vehicle. He looked at me and I could tell that again he was probably thinking, What a rookie."

This was the experience of a lifetime. The flight in the Phantom was tremendous, but also important were the moments with the pilot and others associated with the flight - this is what l will long remember. I would like to personally thank Merv Crowder and the Terre Haute R/C Club for making this ride possible. Without their efforts it never could have happened.

Men like Lt. Col. Yarolem, Col. Swartz, and the other pilots of the Indiana Air National Guard are what this country should be proud of. Their courage and skill make them special individuals to us all. It was, indeed, a pleasure and an honor to fly with them. A special thanks to all of these men.

So there you have Tom's account and I think he is being a bit kind in describing his post flight condition, not wishing to upset his host.

Some observations --- this flight was less than one hour in duration, but had some drastic, though temporary, affects on Tom's physical and mental fitness. He stumbled down the ladder from the plane with what appeared to be a well-used barf bag in hand, looking as though he had taken a shower with his clothes on. His walk was slow and unsteady, his speech was low and lacked emotion, he seemed to resist quick eye or head movements. Some of the symptoms passed within a few hours, others were still somewhat apparent twenty-four hours later. I would say Lt. Col. Yarolem wrung him out fairly well.

Sorry Tom, I had to tell it like I saw it, but don't feel too bad, the men at the Guard say this would happen to anyone not trained to handle the physical and mental pressures of being a fighter pilot.

On behalf of the Terre Haute R/C Club, and the Indiana Air National Guard, I would like to thank Tom Cook for taking part in this project. We're looking forward to having him back with us as part of "Air Fair '86." This time he can perform for us along with the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Confederate Air Force. In the meantime I will try to finish that scratch built F-15 I've been working on for the past two years. Hum! Do you think --- Naw, no way?