Just what base did the two F4Ds start from? Shiraz, on my atlas, is
about 590 statute miles from Al-Ramadi, which is by coincidence about
120 kilometers west of Baghdad. And that 590 mile RTB makes Shiraz a
long ways away for a post-strike recovery base. No wonder he got short
on fuel; he was short when he took off. I'm not saying it couldn't be
done, but it'd take tanking on both legs and both ARIPs would be
dangerously close to Iraq. Pretty shaky, I'd say. But what do I know -
I've only got 2k hours in the F4.
Walt BJ