YOU TAKE AN F-4 on the road - let me tell you, you're a rock star'. So says Lt Col Ronald 'Elvis' King, the last ever US Air Force F-4 Phantom II unit commander. King, commander of Det 1, 82nd ATRS, was referring to his days spent displaying the F-4 at airshows in 2016 to mark the last year of the QF-4E on the books of his squadron. The USAF's F-4 formal retirement event at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, on December 21, saw veterans, retirees, community members and Phantom fans from all over the world crowding out onto the apron at Holloman. The final four F-4 pilots - Lt Col King, Jim 'WAM' Harkins, Erik 'Rock' Void and Jim 'Boomer' Shreiner - were at the controls for the last four-ship. 'Elvis' and 'Boomer' were first to get airborne, pairing up for a nice section take-off. 'WAM' followed close behind, banking sharply past the end of the crowdline. 'Rock' stayed low and zoom-climbed high into the cloudy sky. King was the last to land in aircraft 74-1638.
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