Kooky Kuuki Hikouki

[kurohinge1]

Throw back the roof and enjoy the fresh air of the friendly skies with the ASDF's new
convertible jet plane - the kooky kuuki hikouki

NAHA -- An Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing early Monday after the canopy above the rear seat flew off ...

... The canopy, which was 1.4 meters long and weighed 50 kilograms, possibly fell in the sea near the airport ...

I've never been a fan of open aircraft, since Aloha Airlines tried this in 1988 ...

[Taro Toporific]

Throw back the roof and enjoy the fresh air of the friendly skies with the ASDF's new
convertible jet plane - the kooky kuuki hikouki

[/quote]

Those Mitsubishi Phantoms have a grrrreat history. Only 350 or so Mitsubishi Phantoms were manufactured here and now fewer than 100 are in service.

Serials of {some of the crashed} JASDF Phantoms:
http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f4_47.html
McDonnell F-4EJ-45-MC Phantom 27-8303/8306
last two assembled by Mitsubishi in kit form
8304 crashed 5/1/1973
McDonnell F-4EJ-45-MC Phantom 37-8307/8310
all assembled by Mitsubishi in kit form
8307 crashed 7/6/1979
8309 crashed 7/16/1986
8310 crashed 12/7/1978
McDonnell F-4EJ-47-MC Phantom 37-8311/8313
all assembled by Mitsubishi in kit form
Mitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom 37-8314/8323
Mitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom 47-8324/8352
(8324 to 8331 later renumbered with prefix 37)
8325 crashed. Date ???
8337 crashed 8/15/1999
8339 crashed 10/11/1997
8343 crashed 10/13/1982
8346 crashed 5/11/1998
McDonnell RF-4EJ-56-MC Phantom 47-6901/6905
McDonnell RF-4EJ-57-MC Phantom 57-6906/6914
6910 crashed. Date ???
6911 crashed. Date ???
Mitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom 57-8353/8376
8358 crashed. Date ???
8363 crashed. Date ???
8364 crashed. Date ???
8370 crashed. Date ???
Mitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom 67-8377/8391
8379 crashed 10/9/1998
8382 crashed. Date ???
8385 crashed. Date ???
Mitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom 77-8392/8403
8396 crashed. date ???
Mitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom 87-8404/8415
8405 crashed. Date ???
8410 crashed. Date ???
Mitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom 97-8416/8427
Mitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom 07-8428/8436
8430 crashed. Date ???
8432 crashed. Date ???
Mitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom 17-8437/8440