I was at Pease AFB in Portsmouth, NH 1974-1978 worked in the admin office for the pilots and navigators for the FB-111. It was pretty cool to learn about this aircraft up close. Found out later on in life that my first CO made 4 star general before he retired. Super great guy.
I was a WSO in the Hounds and was on this deployment, CENTRAL ENTERPRISE in 1994. Hell, I might even be in this footage! I heard the Hound 01 call sign so this 4-ship was likely led by my squadron commander, the late Colonel Mike Ehrlich. It looks like we had two SUU-20’s with 6 BDU-33 practice bombs a piece and were coming from or going to Vleehors (sp?) bombing range in Holland or one in northern Germany (can’t remember the name). There was a cock up in getting UK low fly clearance so we couldn’t fly any UK low levels or use their bombing ranges for entire deployment. A real disappointment for aircrew like me who had had no previous UK flying time. We still had great time in and out of the jet! Thanks for posting!
I remember this deployment as well. Although I was one of the crew left back at Cannon. Well I was at SOS actually. I still remember the Boomer and Siesmo story.
I had two tours at RAF Lakenheath and worked on three of the four aircraft shown at one time or another. Assigned as crew chief on 369 and 370 then ended up QA/FCF/Weight & Balance.
I worked as an instrument \ autopilot tech on the F111D at Cannon AFB around 71 to 74. I still have my hearing. It is hard to describe the noise coming from this airplane at idle, full bore is outrageous. Hope you enjoy your job as much as I did. I liked having a good crew chief work with me more than a fellow from my own shop.
I was stationed at Cannon AFB from 1978-1982 and remember it fondly. Didn't know much about the F-111D when I got there but I soon learned a lot. Amazing aircraft. While there I also got to see and refuel almost every other aircraft in the U.S. inventory including the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels. It was pretty amazing to get up close to all those planes. Got to see quite a few airshows and a lot of weekend transient aircraft doing special takeoffs for us. F-111's were incredible machines. So impressive with the wings back at high speed. Loved to watch them at the bombing range on days off. Glad I got to see and know them.
I was lucky enough, in 1977, to be at what was called a 'firepower demonstration' put on for military personnel only in Australia. Three RAAF F-111s did live bombing runs right in front of us and I realised that if you were in the target area of one of these things then survival would have been a matter of luck!
Lucky Duck !! That must have been awesome !! In 1977 an Air Force F-111 cockpit demonstrator came to my High School (Putnam High) in Connecticut, U.S.A....I was thrilled to get to sit in the pilots seat and marvel at all the gauges...I became an aerospace machinist some years later. I'm still thrilled to watch that beauty.
Man, this video brings back a lot of good memories. When I was a kid living in Colorado, we used to see F-111's all the time. It's a very impressive plane and a lot of fun to watch. One of the coolest memories I have is on a Friday before an open house and airshow at Peterson AFB there was an F-111 that was practicing approaches to runway 17 Right (Closest to the roads). They would make it look they were going to land and circle back around again. I remember looking at the F-111 on one of their passes and the wings were swept forward, landing gear down and landing lights on. We all thought this was their landing pass. Lol wrong. They were maybe 200 feet off the deck when they retracted the landing gear, swept the wings back on and throttled way up. It seemed like out of nowhere because they hit 300-400 knots in seconds and took off like a shot. That plane could turn on the power when they wanted to and it was insane to watch. I miss those days.
33 years ago on the 29th of August my 16th birthday I was an Air Cadet with the RAF on Summer Camp with Air Training Cadets (ATC) I was Fortunate enough to see two Lightening F-111’s taking off. I still can’t recall how or why I was on the grass on the edge of the runway, but I was. While there were a hundred or more cadets based at camp I stood alone to witness a private show of 2 x F-111’ electric lightnings taking off side by side while I simultaneously was listening to Life in The Fast Lane th-cam.com/video/q3aJxxGmtk8/w-d-xo.html on my Sony Walkman. I remember pressing the headphones to my ears when they took off. That was indisputably one of THE most memorable moment of my life! There were no cars no spectators just me on my own on the grass and my birthday 🥳 Now that is what you call being in the right place at the right time! Tiny slap on the wrist by the RAF but didn’t stop me from making Best Cadet. Boooyaaa🦅 English Electric Lightning rules! th-cam.com/video/MESGYEjeXYE/w-d-xo.html
I was at cannon with the 27th Fms 74 thru 79 A G E. I saw the cc on the tail . F111D s scared the feathers off the soviet union. The advanced avionics lead the way. Grear planes.
I use to watch them growing up. I lived a mile or so outside the back gate of Pease AFB. We would stand in the flight path on the golf course as they took off and landed (real close)...The night take off was the best with full burners. We never slept when they would have a scramble. Such a shame the air force retired them.
The FB111 were retired long ago. Once in a while the reserve squadrons fly in with F16, F15, and A10s to Pease. The road to the Pease golf course runs through the aproach on the east end of the runway. The incoming aircraft fly right over you. I'm not sure if they even allow you to stand there anymore. We use to wave to the pilots, you could see their eyes they were so close. I think they changed the road going to the Pease golf course. I haven't been there in years.
They use to fly daily. I don't remember when but they use to have scramble alerts when I was in elementary school. The sound would rumble your house. I had lived a few miles outside the back gate.
The F111 was feared by the USSR because the US Airforce had some stationed In Britain It can carry a Nuke and the F111 can travel 2 times the speed of sound so it can fly in drop a nuke then fly out at top speed (BTW and free-falling Nuke is worse kind it is hard to detect when dropped)
correct, I was wrong on it being the first to use elevons but the aircraft is unique in that it doesn't use ailerons but the combination of spoilers and alternately moving elevators in combination with the wings out but swept back the elevons provide both pitch and roll.
It looks like the German Horton H.II flying wing was the first manned aircraft to use elevons, in 1935. Also, the Northrop N-1M flying wing in 1941. Then the German DM-1 delta-wing glider in 1944. After that, the Convair XF-92 delta-wing jet used elevons in 1948. The Mirage I prototype didn’t fly until 1953 or 54. The YF-102A flew in 1953. The F-111 might be the first aircraft with differential stabilators, like the F-14, F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22 and F-35 have. I believe the British Victor B.2 bomber was the first military aircraft powered by turbofans, the Rolls Royce Conway engines in 1959. Then the B-52H in 1960. The F-111A first flew in 1964 with TF-30 turbofans. The A-7A Corsair II first flew in 1965 with the TF-30.
@@grumpyoldgraymetalhead2441 I was a B shop guy at Cannon from 71 to 74 and then an instructor at Chanute from 74 to 77. I was an FTD instructor at Mt Home from 77 to 80. We may have crossed paths.
@@grumpyoldgraymetalhead2441 I worked with both of those guys. I'm surprised that you remembered their names. I and several other people at Cannon were directed to become instructors in 1974. We didn't volunteer. I had six months left on my enlistment. I was told if I didn't extend or re enlist that I would have to get out for at least 6 months and lose one rank and time in grade. I was sent to Mt Home AFB in 1977 and was an FTD instructor there until I got out in 1980. I loved the instrument/autopilot repair job. Instructor not so much. I got a job with Sikorsky helicopters as an instructor in 1980. I requested a transfer to a modification team and from there became an avionics tech rep in 1984 until I retired in 2012 . That was a great job.
@@grumpyoldgraymetalhead2441 I realized that I didn't explain the extension or re enlistment. This was required to accept the instructor assignment. If you didn't accept the assignment you had to get out. 1974 was a bad time to look for a job. Not a good position to be in with a wife and two kids.
This plane didnt have a speedometer it had a mach meter and it was open ended. What limited its speed was a fuselage temperature guage told them to back out of it . Many of them came home with paint burned off leading edges.
It used to amaze me how it all fit in the main gear well. Some nice back sratchers tried to get you as you ducked in and out of there though. My ROVIC golf buggy reminds me of the 111 gear every time I fold it or unfold it.
not wild about these Cannon interlopers being caught on camera, the LN is all I can see in my mind's eye when I think of F111s. We absolutely loved the run-up to El Dorado Canyon with the runway being adjacent to the school. It became almost impossible to conduct class with the sound of freedom rattling the mind. body and Earth
Could not remember seeing USAF F-111F’s in grey and only remember them being camouflaged like in operation El Dorado Canyon! Other than the light grey EF-111A and the RAAF F-111’s in dark grey. Wonder what ECM pod these have at the bottom between the engines? Looks like a AN/ALQ-131
I worked on these from 71 to 74. I lived in the city of Clovis for awhile too. I have always wondered what the CC stood for. I was under the impression that one C was for Cannon and the other C was for the last name of the first Commander of the first wing of F111s.
The F111 was a sight to behold - noisy(actually really noisy), smelly and slow at low alts. I watched these at the height of the Cold War in UK doing practise tactical nuke strikes in Scotland! One race of many tribes - No war! Keep safe and well :)
Thanks, If you that, then join us on Monday for the LIVE edit room show, playing a video from Yeovilton 50th anniversary of D Day with classic Jets Like Tomcats
@@jecos1966 Those are no replacement for an F111. Unlike the F18 A, the Super hornet at least has a fighting chance against the flanker. Unfortunately they are outnumbered 55 to 24. The F111 has 5 x the range on internal fuel, Mach 2.5 vs 1.6 speed, Pave Tack precision guidance, and more than double the payload. Most importantly, An F111 could take off from Amberley and fly unrefuelled to any point off the Australian coast with a full weapons load. The super hornet would have to be refuelled 3 times to get to the WA coast. Getting tankers where they would be needed is virtually impossible at short notice and would leave some of them vulnerable to interception by one of the 55 flankers that they would be facing. On what planet is an F18 super hornet a replacement for what was the best strike aircraft in the southern hemisphere? If we ever needed these warplanes, it would be to stop 55 heavy lift ships sailing across the Timor sea escorted by a navy three times bigger than ours with a CAP of 55 SU24-35 flankers.
I was at Pease AFB in Portsmouth, NH 1974-1978 worked in the admin office for the pilots and navigators for the FB-111. It was pretty cool to learn about this aircraft up close. Found out later on in life that my first CO made 4 star general before he retired. Super great guy.
I was a WSO in the Hounds and was on this deployment, CENTRAL ENTERPRISE in 1994. Hell, I might even be in this footage! I heard the Hound 01 call sign so this 4-ship was likely led by my squadron commander, the late Colonel Mike Ehrlich. It looks like we had two SUU-20’s with 6 BDU-33 practice bombs a piece and were coming from or going to Vleehors (sp?) bombing range in Holland or one in northern Germany (can’t remember the name). There was a cock up in getting UK low fly clearance so we couldn’t fly any UK low levels or use their bombing ranges for entire deployment. A real disappointment for aircrew like me who had had no previous UK flying time. We still had great time in and out of the jet! Thanks for posting!
I remember this deployment as well. Although I was one of the crew left back at Cannon. Well I was at SOS actually. I still remember the Boomer and Siesmo story.
I used to love watching F-111 flight ops at Lakenheath in the 80's & early 90's,that must of been won of the last deployments by the 27th
I had two tours at RAF Lakenheath and worked on three of the four aircraft shown at one time or another. Assigned as crew chief on 369 and 370 then ended up QA/FCF/Weight & Balance.
I never got tired of seeing the D model from 80 to 83 perform near vertical takeoffs at Cannon. Probably the reason for my hearing aids today.
I was at Cannon 1977-1980 524 AMU
I worked as an instrument \ autopilot tech on the F111D at Cannon AFB around 71 to 74. I still have my hearing. It is hard to describe the noise coming from this airplane at idle, full bore is outrageous. Hope you enjoy your job as much as I did. I liked having a good crew chief work with me more than a fellow from my own shop.
I worked on every D model in Clovis in the early 80s
Love the smell of hot engines and J P 4 . IF YOU WERE THERE YOU KNOW THE RUSH THAT CAME OVER YOU.JUST BEING THERE . ADIOS AMIGOS!!!
I was stationed at Cannon AFB from 1978-1982 and remember it fondly. Didn't know much about the F-111D when I got there but I soon learned a lot. Amazing aircraft. While there I also got to see and refuel almost every other aircraft in the U.S. inventory including the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels. It was pretty amazing to get up close to all those planes. Got to see quite a few airshows and a lot of weekend transient aircraft doing special takeoffs for us. F-111's were incredible machines. So impressive with the wings back at high speed. Loved to watch them at the bombing range on days off. Glad I got to see and know them.
Great! Awesome to see some 524th Cannon birds on here, some real Tac Trained Killers here!....481st 77-79
I was at Cannon from 93 to 96 worked on EF'S and F's. This is the jet the air force should never have boneyarded
I was lucky enough, in 1977, to be at what was called a 'firepower demonstration' put on for military personnel only in Australia. Three RAAF F-111s did live bombing runs right in front of us and I realised that if you were in the target area of one of these things then survival would have been a matter of luck!
Lucky Duck !! That must have been awesome !! In 1977 an Air Force F-111 cockpit demonstrator came to my High School (Putnam High) in Connecticut, U.S.A....I was thrilled to get to sit in the pilots seat and marvel at all the gauges...I became an aerospace machinist some years later. I'm still thrilled to watch that beauty.
Man, this video brings back a lot of good memories.
When I was a kid living in Colorado, we used to see F-111's all the time. It's a very impressive plane and a lot of fun to watch.
One of the coolest memories I have is on a Friday before an open house and airshow at Peterson AFB there was an F-111 that was practicing approaches to runway 17 Right (Closest to the roads). They would make it look they were going to land and circle back around again. I remember looking at the F-111 on one of their passes and the wings were swept forward, landing gear down and landing lights on. We all thought this was their landing pass. Lol wrong. They were maybe 200 feet off the deck when they retracted the landing gear, swept the wings back on and throttled way up. It seemed like out of nowhere because they hit 300-400 knots in seconds and took off like a shot. That plane could turn on the power when they wanted to and it was insane to watch. I miss those days.
i was stationed at lakenheath in the late 80's. love the 111
33 years ago on the 29th of August my 16th birthday I was an Air Cadet with the RAF on Summer Camp with Air Training Cadets (ATC)
I was Fortunate enough to see two Lightening F-111’s taking off. I still can’t recall how or why I was on the grass on the edge of the runway, but I was.
While there were a hundred or more cadets based at camp I stood alone to witness a private show of 2 x F-111’ electric lightnings taking off side by side while I simultaneously was listening to Life in The Fast Lane th-cam.com/video/q3aJxxGmtk8/w-d-xo.html on my Sony Walkman. I remember pressing the headphones to my ears when they took off.
That was indisputably one of THE most memorable moment of my life!
There were no cars no spectators just me on my own on the grass and my birthday 🥳 Now that is what you call being in the right place at the right time!
Tiny slap on the wrist by the RAF but didn’t stop me from making Best Cadet.
Boooyaaa🦅 English Electric Lightning rules!
th-cam.com/video/MESGYEjeXYE/w-d-xo.html
Used to get f1-111s at manston regularly mainly ones from lakenheath occasionally saw ones from upper heyford including the ef1-11a miss those days
I was at cannon with the 27th Fms 74 thru 79 A G E. I saw the cc on the tail . F111D s scared the feathers off the soviet union. The advanced avionics lead the way. Grear planes.
Amazing F-111
Used to get f1-111s at manston regularly mainly ones from lakenheath occasionally saw ones from upper heyford including the ef1-11a
I use to watch them growing up. I lived a mile or so outside the back gate of Pease AFB. We would stand in the flight path on the golf course as they took off and landed (real close)...The night take off was the best with full burners. We never slept when they would have a scramble. Such a shame the air force retired them.
How often did they fly
I take rides to Westfield MA sometimes
They have the 104th F-15 eagles their
The FB111 were retired long ago. Once in a while the reserve squadrons fly in with F16, F15, and A10s to Pease. The road to the Pease golf course runs through the aproach on the east end of the runway. The incoming aircraft fly right over you. I'm not sure if they even allow you to stand there anymore. We use to wave to the pilots, you could see their eyes they were so close. I think they changed the road going to the Pease golf course. I haven't been there in years.
They use to fly daily. I don't remember when but they use to have scramble alerts when I was in elementary school. The sound would rumble your house. I had lived a few miles outside the back gate.
@@deanmiles3505 That's cool
great memories
Great video of this legendary aircraft. Thanks for sharing! :)
Awesome 👍
Still, apparently, one of the fastest military aircraft ever made. Not bad for a bomber!
The fastest after mig-25
The F111 was feared by the USSR because the US Airforce had some stationed In Britain It can carry a Nuke and the F111 can travel 2 times the speed of sound so it can fly in drop a nuke then fly out at top speed (BTW and free-falling Nuke is worse kind it is hard to detect when dropped)
It was supposed to be a fighter though... And it's only a bit faster than an f14 and slower than an f15.
@@jecos1966 - they leave a big hole that is hard to miss.
0:21 ...amazing, which specific sound the TF30 engine makes. For me this is the original sound of top gun :D (this engine is also in the F-14 Tomcat)
This was filmed in June of 1994. The 524FS was deployed for Crested Cap and were operating out of the 495th's Tab vees.
Nice to see some "Hounds" working the pattern at the "Heath"
A walk down memory lane.....Jet Mech 86-90 at Cannon, before digressing to Crew Chief.
last saw them fly at Lakenheath prior to Desert Storm practicing touch & goes,what a beast
The F111D at Cannon AFB was the most advanced aircraft in the air force at the time it's avionics were 20 years ahead of it's time
Good stuff from the past. Such a beautiful design and I believe the first aircraft to use elevons.
dan kuettel The Mirage III would be the first to use elevons. This aircraft has a tailplane.
correct, I was wrong on it being the first to use elevons but the aircraft is unique in that it doesn't use ailerons but the combination of spoilers and alternately moving elevators in combination with the wings out but swept back the elevons provide both pitch and roll.
And the first fighter/ fighter bomber to use a turbofan eng. tf30p-100 in the f model
It looks like the German Horton H.II flying wing was the first manned aircraft to use elevons, in 1935. Also, the Northrop N-1M flying wing in 1941. Then the German DM-1 delta-wing glider in 1944. After that, the Convair XF-92 delta-wing jet used elevons in 1948. The Mirage I prototype didn’t fly until 1953 or 54. The YF-102A flew in 1953.
The F-111 might be the first aircraft with differential stabilators, like the F-14, F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22 and F-35 have.
I believe the British Victor B.2 bomber was the first military aircraft powered by turbofans, the Rolls Royce Conway engines in 1959. Then the B-52H in 1960. The F-111A first flew in 1964 with TF-30 turbofans. The A-7A Corsair II first flew in 1965 with the TF-30.
The speed brake really did work.
I remember working these jets at Cannon.
Me too. BShop 1979-82.
@@grumpyoldgraymetalhead2441 I was a B shop guy at Cannon from 71 to 74 and then an instructor at Chanute from 74 to 77. I was an FTD instructor at Mt Home from 77 to 80. We may have crossed paths.
@@jnbfrancisco I didn’t get to Chanute until Oct 78. Two of my instructors were SSgt Aday and SSgt Fancher. At Cannon I was in Blue Section 523rd
@@grumpyoldgraymetalhead2441 I worked with both of those guys. I'm surprised that you remembered their names. I and several other people at Cannon were directed to become instructors in 1974. We didn't volunteer. I had six months left on my enlistment. I was told if I didn't extend or re enlist that I would have to get out for at least 6 months and lose one rank and time in grade. I was sent to Mt Home AFB in 1977 and was an FTD instructor there until I got out in 1980. I loved the instrument/autopilot repair job. Instructor not so much. I got a job with Sikorsky helicopters as an instructor in 1980. I requested a transfer to a modification team and from there became an avionics tech rep in 1984 until I retired in 2012 . That was a great job.
@@grumpyoldgraymetalhead2441 I realized that I didn't explain the extension or re enlistment. This was required to accept the instructor assignment. If you didn't accept the assignment you had to get out. 1974 was a bad time to look for a job. Not a good position to be in with a wife and two kids.
F-111 😍😎😍
This plane didnt have a speedometer it had a mach meter and it was open ended. What limited its speed was a fuselage temperature guage told them to back out of it . Many of them came home with paint burned off leading edges.
Listen to those TF30s!
I swear, every time I see a 111 touch down, just for a second it looks like the main landing gear has collapsed.
It used to amaze me how it all fit in the main gear well. Some nice back sratchers tried to get you as you ducked in and out of there though. My ROVIC golf buggy reminds me of the 111 gear every time I fold it or unfold it.
Looks about 1992-1995. In 1995 Hounds retired their F-111F's for F-16s.
not wild about these Cannon interlopers being caught on camera, the LN is all I can see in my mind's eye when I think of F111s. We absolutely loved the run-up to El Dorado Canyon with the runway being adjacent to the school. It became almost impossible to conduct class with the sound of freedom rattling the mind. body and Earth
Is it true the aardvark and Or Raven had TF-30s like the F-14A Tomcat ?
Could not remember seeing USAF F-111F’s in grey and only remember them being camouflaged like in operation El Dorado Canyon! Other than the light grey EF-111A and the RAAF F-111’s in dark grey. Wonder what ECM pod these have at the bottom between the engines? Looks like a AN/ALQ-131
In the early 90s we had our 111s repainted, we didn’t like it
The C C on the tail is City of Clovis
I worked on these from 71 to 74. I lived in the city of Clovis for awhile too. I have always wondered what the CC stood for. I was under the impression that one C was for Cannon and the other C was for the last name of the first Commander of the first wing of F111s.
The F111 was a sight to behold - noisy(actually really noisy), smelly and slow at low alts. I watched these at the height of the Cold War in UK doing practise tactical nuke strikes in Scotland! One race of many tribes - No war! Keep safe and well :)
Thanks, If you that, then join us on Monday for the LIVE edit room show, playing a video from Yeovilton 50th anniversary of D Day with classic Jets Like Tomcats
Slow at low altitudes???? What are you talking about!
Cannon had Pave Tack ? 0:34
Yes.
Is that the actual pilots taking over the radio
💚
'
come on america...
america can make it many more F-111 / F-117 jetplanes with better fast speeding up, more mile ranges, great update systems
Hi there, how do I contact you to source footage from you for potential use in a television documentary?
@@AirshowWorld Thank you so much I'll email. you now
Date ?
dieter schmidt I think it was 92
Was it an airshow ?
No, It's Lakenheath, they now have F-15's based there.
I know. Were you on base there ?
dieter schmidt No not on Base
27th mms
Australia is an order of magnitude easier to invade since we decomissioned them without a replacement.
The F18 Superhonets were the replacement
@@jecos1966 Those are no replacement for an F111. Unlike the F18 A, the Super hornet at least has a fighting chance against the flanker. Unfortunately they are outnumbered 55 to 24.
The F111 has 5 x the range on internal fuel, Mach 2.5 vs 1.6 speed, Pave Tack precision guidance, and more than double the payload.
Most importantly, An F111 could take off from Amberley and fly unrefuelled to any point off the Australian coast with a full weapons load. The super hornet would have to be refuelled 3 times to get to the WA coast. Getting tankers where they would be needed is virtually impossible at short notice and would leave some of them vulnerable to interception by one of the 55 flankers that they would be facing. On what planet is an F18 super hornet a replacement for what was the best strike aircraft in the southern hemisphere?
If we ever needed these warplanes, it would be to stop 55 heavy lift ships sailing across the Timor sea escorted by a navy three times bigger than ours with a CAP of 55 SU24-35 flankers.
One last point, During the gulf war, The vast majority of Iraqui tank kills were done by the F111
And did that for not a single loss
Looks like Lakenheath ?
Yes Lakenheath