Lekkas Ioannis - The Epitome 50 Years Hellenic Phantoms (2024) (Original Edition)
The Epitome – 50 Years Hellenic Phantoms
"The Epitome – 50 Years Hellenic Phantoms", by Ioannis (John) Lekkas and published by Eagle Aviation, is a reference work released in 2024, produced in cooperation with the Hellenic Air Force. It celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the legendary F-4 Phantom II fighter's active service within the Greek air forces, from its arrival in 1974 to the present day.
An exceptional book, worthy of an exceptional aircraft
The book is published in a generous format (A4+, 23.5 × 32.5 cm) and comprises 152 pages; it is a hardback edition with the full text in English.
Complete and well-documented content
The book covers the Phantom's entire operational life in Greek service and details every variant used: the original F-4E, the F-4E SRA (ex-USAF), the F-4E AUP still in service today after its upgrade, and the RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft, including examples transferred by the Luftwaffe.
One of the book's great attractions is its iconographic richness: more than 170 photographs, most previously unpublished, including spectacular air-to-air shots taken by J. Lekkas himself, K. Tokunaga and other photographers, complemented by dramatic ground views. Colour profiles and technical details of the aircraft are also included.
Beyond the images, Lekkas gives a voice to the players themselves: historical accounts and testimonies from Phantom pilots, flying stories and mission anecdotes make the book vivid and embody half a century of operations.
Who is it for?
Published by Eagle Aviation, a recognised specialist in military aviation publications, this "golden anniversary book" appeals to military aviation enthusiasts, historians, modellers (who will find valuable profiles and details for their kits) and collectors alike. The website The48ers describes it as "the ultimate publication devoted to the Hellenic Phantoms".
A photographer at the heart of the Greek armed forces
Ioannis "John" Lekkas is not merely an aviation book author: he is a professional aviation photographer and publisher, founder of Eagle Aviation, which he describes as "the incarnation of a man's passion for military aviation". Accredited by the Greek Ministry of National Defence, he works closely with the Hellenic armed forces — Air Force, Navy and Army — of which he is a "frequent flyer", covering Greek military aviation and that of the eastern Mediterranean.
This institutional proximity is the key to his work: he notably produces the official anniversary books of the Hellenic Air Force squadrons (such as 40 Years Fighter Weapons School, 2015), collaborates with the Greek magazine "Ptisi & Diastima" and represents in Greece the reference publication Combat Aircraft Monthly.
Photography at the closest to air power
Lekkas's visual signature, as Eagle Aviation presents it, is one of immersion: "thundering burners streaming bluish rings of fire into the crimson sky", "fearless metal beasts engaging in aerial choreographies" exerting tremendous forces and vast speeds. His stated ambition: to let the reader "explore every bit of the most advanced fighter jets, feel their power and experience the thrill of modern aerial combat" through Eagle Aviation's lens.
It is this style that runs through The Epitome: spectacular air-to-air shots sit alongside dramatic ground views, most of the 170+ photographs being previously unpublished.
A dialogue with the world master of air-to-air photography: Katsuhiko Tokunaga
The book juxtaposes Lekkas's eye with that of Katsuhiko "Katsu" Tokunaga, a Japanese photographer considered for nearly 40 years as the master of air-to-air photography — one of the few photographers able to choreograph in-flight shoots with fighter jets speeding at hundreds of km/h. Starting from a T-33A as his first shooting platform in 1978, Tokunaga has photographed the jets of more than 26 nations, logged nearly 2,000 flight hours in jet aircraft, and works for Dassault, Lockheed Martin, Saab, Sukhoi and Embraer.
His presence alongside Lekkas in The Epitome therefore places the book at the pinnacle of what military aerial photography can produce today.
In summary
Lekkas's photographic work is characterised by three things: privileged, quasi-institutional access to Greek aircraft and crews; an aesthetic of movement and power (afterburners, tight formations, dramatic light); and a heritage dimension — he documents for Greece the visual memory of an aircraft, the F-4 Phantom, before the last Hellenic airframes cease to fly.