F-4 Phantoms Phabulous 40th -- 1978 Commemorative Book
World Record Holder
On 6 December 1959, the prototype F4H-1 took off from Edwards AFB on Project Top Flight. By the time it landed, a new absolute altitude record of 98,557 ft. had been set.
During pre-service preparation, the Phantom demonstrated its superior performance and mission versatility when it established numerous official National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and Federal Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) world and class records.
During Project High Jump, conducted in 1962 from Brunswick and Pt. Mugu Naval Air Stations, several F4H-1s captured eight time-to-climb records.
Project LANA, a 50th Anniversary of Naval Aviation transcontinental race for the Bendix Trophy, was won by a VF-121 crew.
| 1. Altitude - Top Flight | 98,557 ft | 6 December 1959 |
| 2. 500 km closed course | 1216.76 mph | 5 September 1960 |
| 3. 100 km closed course | 1,390.24 mph | 25 September 1960 |
| 4. Los Angeles to New York - LANA | 2 hr 49 min 9.9 sec | 24 May 1961 |
| 5. 3 km Sageburner | 902,769 mph | 28 August 1961 |
| 6. 15/25 km Skyburner | 1,606.324 mph | 22 November 1961 |
| 7. Sustained Altitude | 66,443.8 ft. | 5 December 1961 |
| 8. Time-to-Climb - High Jump |
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| 9,842.5 ft/3,000 m 19,685 ft/6,000 m 29,527.5 ft/9,000 m 39,370 ft/12,000 m 49,212.5 ft/15,000 m 65,617 ft/20,000 m 82,021 ft/25,000 m 98,425 ft/30,000 m |
34.52 sec 48.78 sec 61.62 sec 77.15 sec 115.54 sec 178.5 sec 230.44 sec 371.43 sec |
21 February 1962 21 February 1962 1 March 1962 1 March 1962 1 March 1962 31 March 1962 3 April 1962 4 April 1962 |
| New York to London - Royal Blue 3 | 4 hr 3 min 57 sec | 11 May 1969 |