F-4 Phantom Shootdown

To go around the world and to fly by any means possible. I was shot down in a blaze of glory and would like to continue on by both flying and visiting Hot Spots. We'll leave the decision as to what is a Hot Spot up to the cacher. I also want to get to St. Louis at some point, the city of my construction.

This is the F-4 Phantom Shootdown Travelbug. One fine day in St Louis Missouri, a shiny jet fighter built by hardworking Americans rolled out of the McDonnell Douglas aircraft factory. This jet, powered by two GE J-79 turbojet engines, was capable of speeds of mach 2.5, a max altitude of nearly 90,000 feet, an unlimited range with air refueling, and a possible bomb load approaching 20,000 lbs. This jet the F-4 Phantom II, defended the United States in 3 armed services, the USAF, the USN and the USMC as well as serving in the air forces and navies of allies around the world. Still in front line service in 6 countries, this legendary aircraft has been flying for over 50 years, a service record that may never be equaled by any other fighter plane. In the US it still performs a final duty serving as an aerial target and weapons development platform. In this role it is flown by pilots to test new weapons and it is also flown unmanned where these same new weapons are turned on the F-4 and shoot it out of the sky to test their lethality. Such destructive missions are flown from Florida over the Gulf of Mexico and over the White Sands Missile range of New Mexico. That is where this bug's story picks up. The piece of jagged, torn ,and heat scorched metal you hold is titanium skin from the engine bay of a venerable F-4. This metal flew for 30 years, fought in multiple conflicts, was retired to the Arizona desert for a decade and then was refurbished and flown as a target until it was blasted out of the sky in a ball of fire high over the White Sands. Falling thousands of feet to the desert floor, it lay for further years before being collected and set loose on it new mission, not to fight, not to die, but to travel the world by the hands of Geocachers. Thanks for your help in accomplishing F-4 Phantom Shootdown's new mission, whether you take it 5 or 5,000 miles.

Helodriver