Pipe Creek Township in Grissom Air Force Base in Miami County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
McDonnell Aviation F-4C
64-0783
| — | Grissom Air Museum | — |
Photographed by Craig Doda, September 5, 2026
1. McDonnell Aviation F-4C Marker
Manufacture: McDonnell Aviation
Designation: F-4C (Initially designated the F-110 Specter.)
Serial Number: 64-0783
Official Name: Phantom II
Nickname(s): "Snoopy", "Rhino", "Double Ugly", "Old Smokey" the "Flying Anvil", "Flying Footlocker", "Flying Brick", "Lead Sled", the "Big Iron Sled", "St. Louis Slugger", "World's Leading Distributor of MiG Parts".
Function: The F-4 Phantom is a tandem-seat fighter-bomber, and air superiority fighter.
Crew: 2
Wingspan: 38 ft 5 in (11.7 m)
Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.2 m)
Height: 16 ft 5 in (5 m)
Power plant: 2 x General Electric J79-GE-17A after-burning turbojet engines, 11,905 lb thrust each dry,17,845 lb with afterburner
Empty weight: 30,328 lb (13,757 kg)
Max T/O weight: 61,795 lb (28,030 kg)
Cruising speed: 584 mph
Max Speed: Mach 2.23
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft
Range: Combat range: 367 nmi; 423 mi
Ferry range: 1,457 nmi; 1,677 mi
Number Built: There were 635 "C" models built. Over 5000 F-4s were produced over two decades.
Armament: Up to 18,650 lb (8,480 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, in- cluding general purpose bombs, cluster bombs,
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Year built: Our F-4C, 1964
Year retired: Our F-4C, 1987.
Mission:
The F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War. It served as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, and became important in the ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance roles late in the war. The Phantom has the distinction of being the last U.S.fighter flown by pilots who attained ace status in the 20th century. During the Vietnam War, one U.S. Air Force pilot and two weapon systems officers (WSOs), and one U.S. Navy pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO) became aces by achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft. The F-4 continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Our aircraft:
Our F-4C was first assigned to the 4453rd Combat Crew Training Group (CCTW),
Photographed by Craig Doda, September 5, 2026
2. McDonnell Aviation F-4C and marker
This exhibit is the property of the US Air Force and maintained through your participation in the Grissom Air Museum donor program.
Erected by Grissom Air Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Military • War, Vietnam.
Location. 40° 40.117′ N, 86° 7.822′ W. Marker is in Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana, in Miami County. It is in Pipe Creek Township. It is at the intersection of West Hoosier Boulevard and U.S. 31, on the right when traveling west on West Hoosier Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1000 W Hoosier Boulevard, Peru IN 46970, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Indiana. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: McDonnell Aircraft F-101B (a few steps from this marker); Republic Aviation Corporation F-105D (within shouting distance of this marker); Cessna T-37B (within shouting distance of this marker); Lockheed T-33A (within shouting distance of this marker); North American/Rockwell T-2C (within shouting distance of this marker); Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (within shouting distance of this marker); Grumman Aircraft F-11A (within shouting distance of this marker); Cessna O-2A (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grissom Air Force Base.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 16, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
