That’s one Phast Phantom
On this day in 1961, McDonnell F4H-1F (F-4A) BuNo 145307, crewed by pilot LT Huntington Hardisty and radar intercept officer LT Earl H. DeEsch averaged 902.769 mph for a new low-altitude world speed record over a three-kilometer course at Holloman AFB, New Mexico.
The project and Phantom’s name: Sageburner.
Photos via National Naval Aviation Museum
The maximum altitude reached during this flight was only 125 feet, fully living up to the name of the project-Sageburner. BuNo 145307 was later turned over to the National Air and Space Museum and is preserved in storage at the Paul Garber Restoration Facility at Suitland, Maryland. Another Sageburner F-4, 145310, is undergoing restoration.