Cold War Phantom: Nuclear Alert, Weapons School & Soviet Intercepts

Pinbag Shaw | 10 Percent True | EP83 Part 3In the final instalment of my conversation with Thomas “Pinbag” Shaw, we close out his Phantom career.From Cold War nuclear strike planning in Europe to flying large-force exercises at Nellis and combat-ready deployments in the Pacific, Pinbag walks us through the evolution of the F-4E and the realities of fighter operations in the late Cold War.We talk about weapons school culture, the arrival of systems like Pave Tack and ARN-101, Sparrow missile performance, Soviet encounters in the Pacific, and what it was really like operating the Phantom at the edge of the Cold War.And he finishes with one of the most striking stories in this entire interview series.0:00 Intro Story – Cultural Differences

3:23 Welcome Back, Pinbag

4:24 Follow-on Assignment from Korea – Hahn (Germany)

9:59 TISEO “Qualification”

11:26 AGM-65 – In-Theatre Limitations

12:46 European Theatre – Differences from PACAF & Culture

16:10 B-61 & B-57, SIOP, Hard Crewing

19:52 Certification – Related Stories

27:15 Victor Alert Targeting & “The French View” on West Germany

28:38 Local Traditions & Low Flying

31:00 TISEO in Operation

33:50 To Nellis (Not Moody?!)

38:03 The Place to Be – Red Flag, RDJTF, F-15 Integration & “The Box”

45:58 Radar – Follow-Up

47:30 The Eagles

49:40 Personal Development Journey

54:45 Back to PACAF – Clark (F-4 Fleet, Weapons, Equipment & 3rd TFS History)

1:06:00 PAVE TACK

1:08:10 WESEP / Combat Sage – ORU-1 Radar Upgrade & AIM-7 Developments

1:17:00 Weapons School Experience – Culture Shift, Academics vs Flying, Staying Out of “The Box”

1:28:10 The Aggressor Problem

1:31:00 Fisher vs Glosson – Culture of the Time

1:34:10 Focus on North Korea & Shadowing the Russian Navy

1:38:15 Changes After KAL 007 Shootdown

1:41:58 Post-Weapons School – Taegu as Weapons Officer (PAVE TACK & Range Betting)

1:51:06 ROK Maintenance & Marshall Enforcement – Intro Story

1:55:55 Evolution of the Rear Cockpit

2:09:00 Battle Damage & Oddities

2:11:05 Thank You, Pinbag