Text, illustrations & Photography by Max Zammit
With an unforgettable celebration featuring close-range fly-bys and an “elephant walk” at the type’s last main operational station in the country, Turkey has commemorated 50 years of operations of the legendary F-4E Phantom.
The Legacy goes on
Eskizehir is a city that embodies Turkish aviation in its purest form. The airfield, which is situated in the northwest of the nation, is closely associated with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the country’s aviation godfather. Established in 1954, 111 Filo ‘Panterler’ has been equipped with the F-4E-2020 since January 2000.
The “Terminator 2020” designation, meant that the Turkish F-4E was supposed to be in service until about 2020, but destiny has decided that it should last a little while longer. It was formerly anticipated that the F-35A would have replaced the F-4E, but Ankara was expelled from the Joint Strike Fighter program in 2019, when it chose to purchase Russian-made S-400 air defense systems. Plans to expand the massive F-16 fleet have long been on hold and therefore Ankara looked elsewhere as a result, maybe purchasing Eurofighter Typhoons. Lately there have even been hints that Turkey might be reintroduced to the F-35 program, but only if it agrees to permanently abandon its S-400s.
No official agreement has been reached, so for the joy of aviation enthusiasts, the sound of F-4s will continue to echo through Turkish skies for some time to come. Currently, Turkey is one of the only three remaining operators of the type, along with Greece and Iran.
Low Flying Display
On November 16th 2024, a few hundred photographers and spotters were invited by the Turkish Air Force at a specific location in the mountains, two hours’ drive north of Eskişehir Air Base to observe some low-level activities. The valley’s depth and width turned out to be a spectacular sport for both photography and flying.
F-4 Phantom 77-0303 commenced the show revealing its special livery for the event, with the iconic “Phantom Phorever” Spooky on the belly and the Turkish flag on the topside.
The tail featured the iconic 111 Filo panther insignia on one side of the tail and a picture of Kemal Atatürk with the words “İstikbal Göklerdedir” (The future is in the sky) on the other side. A second F-4E, 73-1052, painted in the classic grey scheme made its first pass a few seconds later.
Photographers were given a unique opportunity to photograph a variety of angles of one of the most cherished designs in aviation history as each aircraft performed twelve passes in different maneuvers, some of which were thrillingly near to the hills.
The Ceremony
The following day, the hundreds of visitors at Eskisehir Air Base could get up close to the runway to see four Phantoms take-off and do a series of flypasts. Lunch time offered the opportunity to see a static line-up of five aircraft and some of the Terminator’s armory and weapons, including the Mark 84 2,000-pound bombs, the KGK-82 Wing-Assisted Mark-82 500-pound bomb, GBU-12 Paveway II and SOM stand-off cruise missile.
In the afternoon, a second display of four aircraft did several passes over the runway and once landed, they joined six additional F-4s in preparation of the announced elephant walk, which was undoubtedly the highlight of the day.
The Elephant Walk
Eight 111 Filo jets and two 401 Filo jets from the based test squadron gently taxied down the runway and halted their position for almost 10 minutes.
In addition to showcasing a force’s readiness, this exercise not only paid homage to the Phantom’s extraordinary service record with the Turkish Air Force but gave an unforgettable sight that will live on in aviation history.
The highest compliments go to the Turkish Air Force for their remarkable hospitality and for showcasing an outstanding pride to their aviation heritage.
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