RAAF farewell's the F-111

TarJak · 12-03-10, 05:13 AM

http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/fin...201-18g9t.html

37 years of service.

Sailor Steve · 12-03-10, 11:38 AM

Dang. I remember building Revell's model of the Aardvark, in RAAF Vietnam-era camoflage, back in 1968.

Jimbuna · 12-03-10, 12:09 PM

Not to dissimilar to the Harrier situation over here you could say....end of an era.

TLAM Strike · 12-03-10, 12:44 PM

Truly a great Aircraft. Some don't know but their was a carrier based variant of the F-111 that was passed over in favor of the F-14 Tomcat by the Navy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Not to dissimilar to the Harrier situation over here you could say....end of an era.

Not really... the 'Vark was actually useful, unlike the Harrier...

Harrier = Air Cover over your own carrier.
Aadvark = Bombing people on the next continent.

12-03-10, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

Truly a great Aircraft. Some don't know but their was a carrier based variant of the F-111 that was passed over in favor of the F-14 Tomcat by the Navy.

Not really... the 'Vark was actually useful, unlike the Harrier...

Harrier = Air Cover over your own carrier.
Aadvark = Bombing people on the next continent.

The F-111 here had the tail hooks for carrier landings ,there was a couple of times where they set up the arrester cables on the main runway at Amberly to stop them when there was a problem.

TLAM Strike · 12-03-10, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darius359au

The F-111 here had the tail hooks for carrier landings ,there was a couple of times where they set up the arrester cables on the main runway at Amberly to stop them when there was a problem.

Taking off would be a problem (unless they fitted it with a JATO- its been done with planes bigger than the 'Vark), gear isn't configured for it and its not been painted with special paint that resists salt water.

Probably the hook was for landing if the wings jammed in the delta configuration.

heartc · 12-05-10, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darius359au

The F-111 here had the tail hooks for carrier landings ,there was a couple of times where they set up the arrester cables on the main runway at Amberly to stop them when there was a problem.

Plenty of military jets have tailhooks, even though they're not Navy, like for example the F-104, F-15, F-16, F-22 etc.
What you described above is a standard emergency procedure and not limited to the 'Vark.

The tail hook is used with all these jets when something goes wrong during take off or landing, like, engine failure (take off), hydraulics failure (brakes), gear configuration errors, icy runways, or the drag chute cannot be used because of the crosswind component exceeding the drag chute limit etc.

There will be a barrier / cables of some sort being set up or activated on the runway which the airplane is supposed to run into or get "hooked" by.

Like this F-16:

Jimbuna · 12-04-10, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

Not really... the 'Vark was actually useful, unlike the Harrier...

Harrier = Air Cover over your own carrier.
Aadvark = Bombing people on the next continent.

Nope...I was talking in the context of what each aircraft meant to both respective countries as well as the stirling service they gave

In fact the Harrier gave a lot more in terms of usage during times of conflict....Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan.

TLAM Strike · 12-04-10, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Nope...I was talking in the context of what each aircraft meant to both respective countries as well as the stirling service they gave

I know, I just like busting the balls of all our resident Harrier lovers.

Quote:

In fact the Harrier gave a lot more in terms of usage during times of conflict....Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now that's debatable. Just in number of conflicts the both are fairly equal; Vietnam and SE Asia, Operation El Dorado Canyon, Desert Storm, and Bosnia (EF-111). However Vietnam's air war was on a scale only duplicated in Desert Storm.

If you compare their first combat operations the F-111 flew 4,000 missions with only six losses. I know the FAA lost 6 Sea Harriers in the Falklands but I doubt they flew anything close to 4,000 missions, it would probably be a couple wars before they reached that.

In the Gulf war 84 F-111s dropped 80% of the LGBs employed and had the highest success rate of any Coalition aircraft (3.2 to 1).

12-03-10, 05:13 AM	#1
TarJak Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 17,052 Downloads: 150 Uploads: 8	RAAF farewell's the F-111 http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/fin...201-18g9t.html 37 years of service.

12-03-10, 11:38 AM	#2
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Dang. I remember building Revell's model of the Aardvark, in RAAF Vietnam-era camoflage, back in 1968. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

12-03-10, 12:09 PM	#3
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,525 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Not to dissimilar to the Harrier situation over here you could say....end of an era. __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!