Yup, F4H. Spent the first cruise on the flight deck as a Plane Captain (grunt) on the Kitty Hawk. The second cruise was back in the fantail working on the J79. Nice engine, but the absolute worst part was replacing the fuel nozzle located in the six o'clock position of the engine. It was amazing to operate the engine on the test stand at maximum thrust plus afterburner with you standing right at it looking for any signs of leaks or problems and yet it was cool to the touch, at least in front of the afterburner.
I also remember replacing a CSD (constant speed generator) on the flight deck in the middle of the night by myself. That big sucker had to weigh at least 60 pounds or more.
One of the best experiences was taking the plane out to the test ramp for a post maintenance power check. All the routine work was done, but the final step was a live test. You towed the plane out to the test site and tied down the plane to the deck with this large cable, hooked up the starter tractor, climbed into and closed the cockpit canopy then started each engine. I was required to run both engines through a series of performance tests from idle to maximum thrust and then into afterburner. First, one at a time from idle to full afterburner. Even though the throttle was pushed full forward, it took a bit of time (a few seconds) for the fuel control to bring the engine up to the throttle setting to avoid flameout. Then both engines together. The test required this to be done several times while recording any anomalies. Quite the feeling of all that power. I always wondered what would have happened if I were to just disconnect that tie down cable and take off for home.
