F-111F Aardvark

[Wildr1]

Some shots while I was in the service, some I took a couple with me in them. The first few were from slides.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Gnomey]

Good shots!

 

[Wildr1]

 

[nuuumannn]

Awesome. Extraordinarily capable machine.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Wildr1]

 

[Mungo60]

Excellent pics Wildr1 the F111 is a brilliant aircraft , our RAAF had the "C" - the "Pig", Australia was very well served by its strategic value, range, ordinance capacity etc which made uppity neighbors very nervous if they wanted to flex some muscle occasionally.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Donivanp]

Love this puppy, for all the early history and bad hip it turned out to be a Mud Mover par excellence. and not much but a Bone can yell it down. Had an FB-come in to Grissom back in 84 for open house, She ROCKED THE HOUSE down when she left. I figured that even without bombs the enemy was gonna mess their pants from the sound. I was damn near right as when we went down to Darwin back in 82 or 83 for Pitch Black, we took our D model Buffs down to participate. Working out on the second day there was the loudest window shaking roar and I hit the deck, as it seems did we all, and there screaming away in full sweep was a C mud pig, Came over the radio that the BRA (Bomber Recovery Area) had just been taken out.

 

[Wildr1]

I had a friend who had to clean out the flight suits after missions at night with TFR, like riding a roller-coaster at night with the lights out. They we not to eat so many hours before a flight.

 

[Wurger]

 

[XBe02Drvr]

I used to fly out of KPLB, which was right next to Plattsburgh AFB, where half the entire FB fleet was based. If we were holding short of Rwy 32 for takeoff and a 'Vark hit his burners for takeoff next door, we could hear it over our PT6s and through our Dave Clarks from a mile and a half away.
They had NOE navigation routes all through the Adirondacks that they would fly TFR coupled at all hours of the day or night, rain, snow or shine. It was a tad disconcerting to be on the ILS to Saranac Lake in the soup with the weather reported at minimums and through a momentary break in the clouds see a camouflaged 'Vark go by underneath you. Of course, Center would warn you they were there, and that you had a thousand feet separation, but that never quite prepared you for the visual impact. A thousand feet doesn't seem like much separation from an object that size moving at that speed and maneuvering violently to hug the roller-coaster terrain. In the murky visibility, and with their camo, they were hard to get a clear view of, and just gave a shocking sensation of size and speed and proximity. And we knew Center couldn't actually see them or read their mode C, so they were going on time/speed/distance reckoning as to their position.
Cheers,
Wes

 

[mikewint]

Did you ever catch one dumping its fuel and then igniting it?

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Did you ever catch one dumping its fuel and then igniting it?

Nope. Did see a Vigilante do it once, just briefly when in a traffic conflict situation (over water) and the Delta Sierra civilian who'd wandered into the MOA wouldn't report him in sight. I was 5 or 6 miles away outside the MOA, but on the frequency, and I heard the exchange between ATC, the flustered private pilot, and the ATC side of the Vigilante conversation. Then the night sky lit up for about ten seconds, and there were no more mysteries. Impressive show.
Cheers,
Wes

 

[mikewint]

The Aussie pilots were very well known for that little trick while the US guys would have lost a couple of pounds of hamburger from their butts doing so

View: https://youtu.be/WpPEdOMSIgQ

 

[MIflyer]

Mountain Home AFB! I went TDY there for a month during one week.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

US guys would have lost a couple of pounds of hamburger from their butts doing so

For sure that airshow wasn't in CONUS! Slow, tight, climbing turn OVER THE CROWD would get you grounded for life here.
Cheers,
Wes

 

[Wurger]

 

[Jeff Hunt]

Excellent stuff, both photos and recollections!

Cheers,

Jeff