ABC Interview with Dave Hall

On February 15, 1960, an F4H-1F Phantom arrived aboard USS Independence with a fundamental question to answer: Could the Navy’s powerful new fighter truly operate at sea?

Every legendary aircraft has a beginning.

Long before the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II became one of the world's most recognizable military aircraft, it was simply an ambitious new design with something to prove. The U.S. Navy envisioned a supersonic, twin-engine fighter capable of defending carrier battle groups in the rapidly changing Cold War environment. On paper, it was impressive. The question was whether it could successfully operate from an aircraft carrier. One aircraft would help answer that question.

BuNo 143391, built as F4H-1F and later redesignated the F-4A Phantom II, became the sixth production Phantom ever built. While later Phantoms would earn their reputation in combat around the world, BuNo 143391 helped establish that reputation before the aircraft ever entered fleet service.

Every successful aircraft begins with a series of questions. Can it fly safely? Can it meet performance goals? Can it satisfy regulators around the world? Before passengers ever board a new aircraft, someone has to prove the answers.

For the Embraer E190, that responsibility fell to one remarkable airplane: PP-XMA, the very first E190 ever built.

Today, the Embraer E190 is a familiar sight at airports across the globe. Praised for its comfortable cabin, fuel efficiency, and versatility, it has become one of the world's most successful regional airliners. But before airlines embraced the E190, PP-XMA spent years serving as Embraer's flying laboratory, helping transform a promising design into a certified commercial aircraft.

Every PlaneTags project has its own story.

Sometimes Dave Hall and the MotoArt team spend months searching aircraft boneyards for a forgotten piece of aviation history. Other times, we're invited to help preserve an aircraft before it begins a new chapter. No two projects are ever quite the same.

Our Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster project began with a Boeing 747.