 On 25 July 1955 , the Navy ordered two XF4H @-@ 1 test aircraft and five <unk> @-@ 1 pre @-@ production examples . The Phantom made its maiden flight on 27 May 1958 with Robert C. Little at the controls . A hydraulic problem precluded retraction of the landing gear but subsequent flights went more smoothly . Early testing resulted in redesign of the air intakes , including the distinctive addition of 12 @,@ 500 holes to " bleed off " the slow @-@ moving boundary layer air from the surface of each intake ramp . Series production aircraft also featured splitter plates to divert the boundary layer away from the engine intakes . The aircraft soon squared off against the <unk> @-@ 3 Crusader III . Due to operator workload , the Navy wanted a two @-@ seat aircraft and on 17 December 1958 the F4H was declared a winner . Delays with the J79 @-@ GE @-@ 8 engines meant that the first production aircraft were fitted with J79 @-@ GE @-@ 2 and − 2A engines , each having 16 @,@ 100 lbf ( 71 @.@ 8 kN ) of afterburning thrust . In 1959 , the Phantom began carrier suitability trials with the first complete launch @-@ recovery cycle performed on 15 February 1960 from Independence . 
