A couple of recently 'digitised' negatives in my collection - this is XV 501 painted as 'B' of 23.Sq at the Greenham Common Air Tattoo on 23 July 1983. XV 501 was a 56 Sqn machine painted up for the "25th anniversary of the Phantom" celebration at the airshow. However, despite the Falklands Island crest, (close up below) it appears that the a/c never served in the Falklands if I've read Patrick Martin's individual a/c histories correctly. XV 501 was lost in France on 2 August 1988 while on detachment in Reims, crashing after going out of control in a dive. The crew ejected safely. Click to view large
XV 501 was the last F-4 M Phantom FGR.2 to be delivered to the RAF, arriving on 29 October 1969.."
via Matt Bantoft