# Lakenheath and Upper Heyford F-111's



## Lucky13 (Nov 12, 2011)

Well, as self ordered prescription to better health , I'm keeping and eye on a couple of Italeri F-111E/F's.
Also keeping an eye on a set of 1/48 Afterburner Decals for Upper Heyford F-111's, already have their Lakenheath set, SUPERB!
Also found that Flightpath have the correct Pave Tack pod plus a few bits and bobs in 1/48...


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## Wayne Little (Nov 12, 2011)

get 'em, and do it Jan!


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## Lucky13 (Nov 12, 2011)

Aye, Aye Sir!

Do the Karma 51, AF 70-413 and the Upper Heyford AF 68-013......13's, you know! 8)


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## evangilder (Nov 12, 2011)

Being a veteran of Lakenheath and El Dorado Canyon, I really look forward to seeing these.


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## Lucky13 (Nov 12, 2011)

Cool! 8)
Post the decals for the 70-2413.
Which are the appropiate ones at the time of El Dorado Canyon, is it the correct crew, the camouflage the same, what's the meaning of the blue animal thingys? Thinking of '413' just around the operation, a day or so before or maybe just before takeoff....


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## Lucky13 (Nov 12, 2011)

The Upper Heyford ones.....


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Nov 12, 2011)

I'd like to see this when it's done Jan!


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## vikingBerserker (Nov 12, 2011)

Sweet!


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## evangilder (Nov 12, 2011)

I think the blue camels were put on after the raid, but cannot be sure. I do know the campaign ribbon on the tail was put on after the raid, since that was the ribbon for the raid itself. I have more info on Karma 51 and the targets it was to hit somewhere in my stuff. Let me see what I can dig out. I know Dwight posted some stuff on the El Dorado Canyon F-111s a while back.


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## Lucky13 (Nov 12, 2011)

Anything and everything is most welcome and, of course, most appreciated E! 

Found that Verlinden does this F-111F update set......


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## evangilder (Nov 12, 2011)

That cockpit detail is phenomenal!


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## razor1uk (Nov 12, 2011)

It takes me back to the airshow they had in 91'or 92' to celebrate them being pulled out of there - the XB-556 or 558? even did a farewaell flyover and some runway burnups before it was grounded at the end of that seasons of shows. I myself with about 13 other members of my schools flight club was there. I might still ave a autographed book from some of the pilots somewhere in storage...


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## Airframes (Nov 12, 2011)

Great stuff Jan. I fancy doing a F-111 as it might have looked in RAF service, when we were supposed to get them in the late 1960s.


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## vikingBerserker (Nov 12, 2011)

WOW!


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## Lucky13 (Nov 12, 2011)

Airframes said:


> Great stuff Jan. I fancy doing a F-111 as it might have looked in RAF service, when we were supposed to get them in the late 1960s.


 
I say old boy, fancy getting a crack on what! One would very much like to see that one don't you know!


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## Airframes (Nov 12, 2011)

When the 'hole in the wall' says yes, maybe. At the moment, there is too much month left at the end of the money !


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## Lucky13 (Nov 13, 2011)

Found this: General Dynamics F-111E/F and EF-111A

.....and a pic of 'my' Lakenheath '13'. Unfortunately, there were no pic of the Upper Heyford '13'...


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## Lucky13 (Nov 13, 2011)

Found this on Flickr, posted by ian-scc, 'my' Upper Heyford '13', 68-013....


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## Vic Balshaw (Nov 13, 2011)

Great kit to build Jan, did one a few years ago for a dear (now departed) friend who worked on them in the RAAF.


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## Lucky13 (Nov 13, 2011)

Cheers Vic! That's good to know....


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## Lucky13 (Nov 13, 2011)

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmBIfxsg6Lg_

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCEa6LuJo9U_


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## Wurger (Nov 13, 2011)




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## Lucky13 (Nov 13, 2011)

See if this is a better pic of 68-013......


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## Lucky13 (Nov 13, 2011)

48th Fighter Wing hosts Swedish Airmen
....and they're there to the 18th this month! 8)



70-413 taken at Prestwick, 8th of June 1985....


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## stona (Nov 13, 2011)

I must have seen the Upper Heyford jets way back when. My mum and dad lived in a village called Souldern,not far from the Heyfords,and I do remember the F 111s flying overhead when I visited. I'm not a jet guy but I'll be keeping an eye on this one.
Cheers
Steve


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## Lucky13 (Nov 13, 2011)

Have to admit, the more I find out about the F-111, the more I like the bird, even though it killed the TSR-2!


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## evangilder (Nov 13, 2011)

They grow on you. I wasn't much of a fan either until I was stationed at Lakenheath and heard and saw them day in and day out. I had trouble sleeping on TDYs because it was so quiet. You develop a liking to them over time.


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## pbfoot (Nov 13, 2011)

We used to get them a lot out of Pease AFB IIRC


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## Lucky13 (Nov 13, 2011)

A ground crew prepares a 48th Tactical Fighter Wing F-111F aircraft for a retaliatory air strike on Libya. An arming supervisor gives hand signals to the pilot of the aircraft as the crewman underthe wing pulls armingpins out ofthe GBU-10 modular glide bombs. The crewman by the landing gear is checking for foreign objects on the runway that might be sucked into an engine before takeoff. Location: Royal Air Force, Lakenheath...


From: Wikipedia


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## evangilder (Nov 13, 2011)

I am not sure that is what the crewmen by the wheels is doing. Anything that could get sucked into the jet engine would have before it got to where he was at. He may have been check the PAVE-TACK pod or some of the other electronics items in back.


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## Lucky13 (Nov 14, 2011)

Agree with you Eric. He's behind the wheels, looking outwards, more likely he's having a last check on the Pave Tack pod, or any other equipment back there, while also keeping an eye on what his colleagues are doing.....

Also, is this, as it says, a F-111F panel?


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## Lucky13 (Nov 15, 2011)

RAF Lakenheath map....


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## evangilder (Nov 15, 2011)

That definitely is a 111 cockpit, but I don't have the knowledge to tell you if it's an E or an F model, or one of the others. I'd love to see a larger version of that map to see what they identify.


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## Lucky13 (Nov 15, 2011)

Try this Eric.... PB-Photos.com - Maps


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## evangilder (Nov 15, 2011)

Thanks! That is interesting. Some things have either changed or aren't quite correct on the non-flightline side of the base. Some interesting changes from my day. The "Old ATC Tower" was the shop I worked in for the last year and a half. We had a radio shop in the base of the tower. The area labelled "North HAS" was where the 495th TFS was originally. The 495th had a green ECM pod on the top of the tail. Each squadron had their own color (red, blue, yellow and green). I guess the 495th TFS was decommissioned after the F-111s left. I can still make out the area that used to be the Victor Alert area (just below and left of the Control Tower label). The Memorial Park is new. They used to have an F-100 near Gate 2 on a post. I would love to see the old base again.


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## Lucky13 (Nov 15, 2011)

Interesting Eric! Do tell more, please..... 8)


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## evangilder (Nov 15, 2011)

Wow, I just looked at the base on Google maps. Things have changed quite a bit. The old dorm where I was is gone and that are has changed quite a bit. It looks like the old Officer's Club building is where it used to be, across from where my old barracks was. It looks like the old Airmen's club building is gone too. The old tower appears to be abandoned and the weapons storage areas have changed dramatically as well. It's a far cry from the cold war days.


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## razor1uk (Nov 15, 2011)

Nice info and vids there guys 8)
 Regarding the 1st vid at 4mins 49 sec, to 5.28 is very good for showing engine throttle changes and spool up time for the engines - say 4.58 to 5.19 = stable idle > mil > afterburnurner stage 2 (or 3), roughly around 21 seconds; and until brake release make further estimations inaccurate as the Aardvark accelerates down the runway.


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## Lucky13 (Nov 15, 2011)

Aye, good videos indeed mate!


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## evangilder (Jan 22, 2012)

Here are some patches from 1986ish time frame.


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## Wayne Little (Jan 23, 2012)

Nice Eric, thanks for the selection...


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## Lucky13 (May 25, 2013)

Just bought the 1/48 decals for the Upper Heyford F-111's! Need a couple of Aardvarks next!


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## Airframes (May 25, 2013)

What's the difference between an Ardvark and an ordinary vark? Has one got tatoos and ear rings, and a scarred face ?


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