F-4 Phantom II Spook Character Patch

The little ghost with a Roman numeral II on his chest was drawn by McDonnell technical artist Anthony "Tony" Wong, and he was drawn for shoulder patches. The name did half the work. A Phantom deserves a ghost, and the II is for Phantom II, the second McDonnell jet to carry the name after the FH Phantom. Wong gave the ghost a cloak, a scowl and a pair of boots, and the crews took him in. To anyone who flew, fixed or loaded an F-4, this cartoon is the airplane.

The McDonnell F-4 Phantom II first flew on 27 May 1958. The US Navy took it first, then the Marine Corps and the Air Force, and by the mid-1960s it was a major part of all three fleets. McDonnell and later McDonnell Douglas built 5,195 of them. Crews named it the way owners do: Rhino for the long nose, Double Ugly for the looks, and Luftwaffe crews called it the Eisenschwein, the iron pig. It flew from carrier decks and land bases through Vietnam and the Cold War, and the Spook went along on the patches of the people who flew and fixed it.

This patch is the Spook himself, cut to his outline at 3 inches wide by 5 inches tall. The cut edge follows the silhouette, so there is no border, just the character. He is stitched in gray, black and white: a tall gray pointed headpiece with a wide brim and a crooked tip, half-lidded white eyes in a black face, and a long gray cloak with his fists planted on his hips. The white Roman numeral II sits inside a black circle on his chest, and white laced boots poke out at the bottom. The backing is iron-on, and it can also be sewn on for a permanent hold.

Few airplanes have a following like the Phantom. It served with the Navy, Marines and Air Force for decades, and allied air forces were still flying it well into this century. Pilots and back-seaters, plane captains, ordnance crews and engine shop sailors all claim the Spook as theirs. He shows up at reunions and on the jackets of men who have not touched an F-4 in decades. Put him on and somebody will ask which squadron.

He fits on a flight jacket sleeve, a reunion vest or a range bag, or in a shadow box with your squadron and air wing patches. He also makes a good gift for a father or grandfather who crewed the Rhino, or for a kid who grew up hearing about it. A small patch, and a lot of airplane behind it.