𝙼𝙰𝚂𝚂 𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

The F-4 couldn't climb like that. Its thrust-to-weight ratio was below one to one. 32,000 pounds empty, and in full burner 30,000 pounds of thrust. The most fun I ever had flying was performing Hot Pad duty in Key West. We were there to laughingly protect the SR-71 from the Cuban MiG-21's. So, every time the SR-71 was inbound over Cuba, we'd be placed on five-minute alert, which means you have to be airborne within five minutes of the call to launch going out. Once the SR-71 outchopped, they'd launch the Alert Five to see if you both (we stood it in section) could get airborne inside of five minutes. What made it really cool was that when they launched us, the airspace was all ours. Everyone else was vectored around that airspace and we had carte blanche to do whatever we wanted. So we'd position on the duty runway, having already received takeoff clearance. I'd plug it into full A/B and head off down the runway. Hit liftoff speed and hug the deck, gear up, then flaps up. Still in full burner. I'd hold it on the deck until I hit about 500 knots, and then pull into a 4-G climb. That was the type of flying we never got to do aboard the boat, and couldn't do anywhere else. Glory days.