@ San Diego, CA
July 2025
The Phantom on display is the aircraft flown by Duke Cunningham and William Driscoll in the Vietnam War from the USS Constellation (CV-64). Cunningham was the first ace to get all of his kills with missiles. On the flight where they became Aces (May 10, 1972), Cunningham and Driscoll shot down three enemy aircraft in a single mission, a feat that earned them the Navy Cross. Designed by McDonnell Aircraft and first flown in 1958, this classic fighter served with all three US services and air forces around the world. December 21, 2016 would mark the phinal retirement of the Phantom from US service. F-4 production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft. McDonnell Aircraft would later merge with Douglas Aircraft in 1967. Of the 5,195 Phantoms built, 2,600 went to the USAF, and approximately 1,200 for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
