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Just out of curiosity - Airplane Guys
- Thread starter Downeaster
- Start date
As a very young Airman, I worked the F-111A for a year or so at Nellis AFB.Then was sent to RAF Lakenheath to work the F-111F. What a pig. It was a love-hate thing. Almost had to work them again at RAF Upper Heyford but was saved with a amendment to Hahn AB. The home of the 50 TFW. First wing of F-16A/B in Europe. Best assignment ever.
On my first deployment aboard the USS Eisenhower, our Airwing was augmented with two USAF-R units. One was an F-4 Wild Weasel unit and the other was an F-111 unit. Us Rescue Swimmers went to visit the F-111 unit to learn how their ejection is different than other aircraft. If this crew punches out, it is actually their cockpit that goes. The aircraft falls away and the cockpit becomes somethin akin to a capsule with floats down under three parachutes. Once in the water, it has floatation that is deployed to keep it afloat. A swimmer then come up aside the floating mass and opens a door to arm a handle at the end of a 50" lanyard. The swimmer swims away from the capsule, submerges and tugs the lanyard that blows the canopy off. Cool system that fortunately I never had to activate.
That is very interesting, I never heard of that. Sounds like it would really help protect the crew. I wonder how hard the landing would be on dry land?
Yes, the long wing and splitter plates forward of the intakes makes it an Aussie 'C' model.
The ejectable crew module was an excellent idea... on paper. In practice.... not so much. When I was stationed in New Mexico, we had 5 crews eject, zero successfully. 10 dead pilots. Other outfits fared somewhat better, but overall it's success rate was pretty dismal.
The floatation bags deployed regardless of dry or wet landing. They'd rupture at a controlled rate when settling on land, cushioning the touchdown.
I guess you could call me an expert on the "one eleven." I worked all models... A thru F with the exception of the Aussie C model. 72 'till 94. At one time I knew 'er better than my wife.
Like Rudy sez... was love hate. Built of 50's technology, she weren't easy to work on. I managed quiet a few joy rides in 'er, so for me it was mostly love.
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Was just thinkin' back on some of the work on the One Elevens. All the cabling, wiring, tubing etc. going into the crew module was severed during the ejection sequence by guillotine's fired by explosive charges. Many was the time I had to reach my fingers up inside one of 'em to tighten or loosen something. It was a very uncomfortable feeling you never quiet got used to.
The best supersonic flyby I ever witnessed was out in the Mediterranean Sea from two F-111s. They were simulating the "Red" force with two of our F-14s in high CAP (combat air patrol) with an E-2C watching out for them. The two F-111s were in a combat spread about a quarter mile apart. They were low enough to be down in the radar washout area where the Hawkeye had trouble finding them. The Air Boss called us close aboard to hover next to the tower. The Hawkeye found them and sent the Tomcats down to intercept them. Too late, the F-111s were too fast and too close to the ship for the Tomcats to do a darn thing even in full burner coming down. We saw both F-111s just a second before they passed the ship, one ahead and one behind. The shockwave that hit us in the SH-3H was significant enough to pop one of our windows out. I watched the F-111 crossing the stern and the shock cone was almost behind the bird. We heard from the Hawkeye that they were at 1.6 mach. The Tomcats needed a much bigger head start than they got.
They've yet to make an airplane that could hang with a one eleven down in the weeds (or water in your case). I used to love taking 'em to Red Flag. My pilots would come back with an ear to ear grin and tales of everything else "eating their dust." The book rates 'em at 1.2 mach at sea level. Pilots would regularly say they held 1.55 - 1.59 m 200 ft off the deck.
One of my joy rides was in the late 70's in Gioia del Colle. We were "Red Forces" on a flight of 2 out over the Adriatic Sea. We came up on a carrier doing right at the speed of sound about 50 ft off the waves. Just before we got to it we pulled into 20-30° climb, rolled inverted and pulled about 3 G's as we arced across the top of it... rolled out level back at about 50ft, pressed out about 5 miles, weaving and dodging, pulled a 5 G turn back into it and did it again. Our RHAWS was squawkin' continuous radar paints... but never once called a lock. If it had been for real, we'd have got away clean. That's still high up on the list of the most thrilling things I've ever done.
20 odd yrs down the road and I still get that feeling when I think about it.
Here's another interesting tale... Part of the movie Octopussy was filmed at RAF Upper Heyford where the F-111-E was stationed. In the scene where Bond (Roger Moore) crashed the gate, you can see a few of 'em in the background. A handful of us GI's were used as extra's. Don't recall if we were paid or not, but we spent an hr or two walking back and forth in the scene to make it look realistic. Here's a screen grab where Bond drives up to the gate. You can see the One Elevens in the background and somewhere amongst that gaggle of olive drab fella's.... is yours truly. Never could figure out which one though.
Do you still get royalty checks?Here's another interesting tale... Part of the movie Octopussy was filmed at RAF Upper Heyford where the F-111-E was stationed. In the scene where Bond (Roger Moore) crashed the gate, you can see a few of 'em in the background. A handful of us GI's were used as extra's. Don't recall if we were paid or not, but we spent an hr or two walking back and forth in the scene to make it look realistic. Here's a screen grab where Bond drives up to the gate. You can see the One Elevens in the background and somewhere amongst that gaggle of olive drab fella's.... is yours truly. Never could figure out which one though.
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um... no.
F- 111. Thunder Lemons. They were cool to watch take off at night though. And when they ignited the fuel dump. Saw that just once. Plenty videos on U tube though. Noisey planes too. Them TF-30's scream!
Hey Fred, did you ever get to visit NGTE Pyestock?
And oh... The Widowmaker in all her glory
