For you F-111 Aardvark/Pig fans out there

[BOBO]

I Saw this short documentary on it and learned a few things that the other documentaries like Discovery Wings & Great Planes left out.

I plan to try out their BIF (Bomb In Face) tactic eventually in Aces High

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojCBKc7wv-M

[Mongoose]

   The computer narration sort of ruins the effect. It made it hard to understand sometimes.

[Brooke]

I liked watching it.

I didn't know they worked out so well.

[Shuffler]

I never watch computer narrated videos. What makes people think narrating like that enhances anything.

[Meatwad]

I never watch computer narrated videos. What makes people think narrating like that enhances anything.

The persons voice might be a mix of bobcat goldthwait  and chewbaccaese

[BOBO]

I almost dismissed it to watch something else when I heard the annoying computer voice but I'm glad I didn't.

It seems that whoever wrote the narration was an Air Force T-38 pilot instructor.

[Shuffler]

The persons voice might be a mix of bobcat goldthwait  and chewbaccaese

 

 

[Shuffler]

I almost dismissed it to watch something else when I heard the annoying computer voice but I'm glad I didn't.

It seems that whoever wrote the narration was an Air Force T-38 pilot instructor.

That is the bad thing about poorly narrated... at least voice wise, videos. Many times the video may be excellent but not be seen because of the computer narration.

I will probably end up watching it some evening and grit my teeth at the narration.... LOL

[Vraciu]

One of my buddies used to fly the F-111.  He said you got one hard turn and were out of smash.   “We carried Sidewinders for a little while.  I think that had more to do with our morale and making us feel better than any actual capability.”

[BOBO]

That is the bad thing about poorly narrated... at least voice wise, videos. Many times the video may be excellent but not be seen because of the computer narration.

I will probably end up watching it some evening and grit my teeth at the narration.... LOL

hit the mute button and turn on captions
 

[Oldman731]

One of my buddies used to fly the F-111.  He said you got one hard turn and were out of smash.   “We carried Sidewinders for a little while.  I think that had more to do with our morale and making us feel better than any actual capability.”

Summer of 1972 I was at Plattsburgh AFB, NY, for my AFROTC summer program.  At the time they had a wing of KC-135s and a wing of FB-111s.  Most of the 111 pilots had been flying B-58s before, with a smattering of B-52 people.  Uniformly, the B-58 people would tell you something like, "Well, there's no question that the avionics on the 111 are much better."  And then they would look somewhere over your head and say, "but they just don't move like the B-58 did."  Seemed to me, as a clearly-uninformed youngster, that the 111 avionics were always malfunctioning, and the planes unairworthy.  And none of the pilots I spoke to fully trusted the TFR.

- oldman

[Vraciu]

hit the mute button and turn on captions
 

But he can’t read...

 

[Vraciu]

Summer of 1972 I was at Plattsburgh AFB, NY, for my AFROTC summer program.  At the time they had a wing of KC-135s and a wing of FB-111s.  Most of the 111 pilots had been flying B-58s before, with a smattering of B-52 people.  Uniformly, the B-58 people would tell you something like, "Well, there's no question that the avionics on the 111 are much better."  And then they would look somewhere over your head and say, "but they just don't move like the B-58 did."  Seemed to me, as a clearly-uninformed youngster, that the 111 avionics were always malfunctioning, and the planes unairworthy.  And none of the pilots I spoke to fully trusted the TFR.

- oldman

Sounds about right. 

[Shifty]

Summer of 1972 I was at Plattsburgh AFB, NY, for my AFROTC summer program.  At the time they had a wing of KC-135s and a wing of FB-111s.  Most of the 111 pilots had been flying B-58s before, with a smattering of B-52 people.  Uniformly, the B-58 people would tell you something like, "Well, there's no question that the avionics on the 111 are much better."  And then they would look somewhere over your head and say, "but they just don't move like the B-58 did."  Seemed to me, as a clearly-uninformed youngster, that the 111 avionics were always malfunctioning, and the planes unairworthy.  And none of the pilots I spoke to fully trusted the TFR.

- oldman

I was an F-111 Crew Chief for thee years while stationed in the UK at RAF Upper Heyford in the early 80s. I crewed an F-111E tail number 68-005. Not to be confused with the EF-111 or Spark Vark as the Electronic Countermeasures version was known. We had our share of avionics issues, but I don't recall any fear of using the TFR by the aircrew. In fact they were constantly training through the highlands of Scotland.

I never saw a sidewinder loaded on an aardvark, the only unit I could think of that would possibly used the AIM-9 may have been the guys at RAF Lakenheath who flew the F-111F, which had the best performance of the F-111 series. I saw a lot of F models come into RAF Upper Heyford, even launched a couple. I never saw anything loaded on them for air to air use except possibly the ECM pods.

The primary mission of both wings was low level penetration of Warsaw Pact defenses and if need be the delivery of weapons we all hoped would never have to be used. Luckily that scenario never happened. There was no use or reason for arming air to air for these type missions. I remember the patches both wings had of an F-111 flying away from a mushroom cloud over a map of central Europe. The logo said "F-111E or F-111F Warsaw Pact Central Heating. Installed in Three Hours or Less." I don't think I ever saw the patch on an actual Pilot's flight suit, but they were floating around the base. In fact I still have one somewhere packed away in a box.

I loved the F-111, but I have to admit as crew chief my life got a lot easier when I was transferred to A-10s.

[Nypsy]

The computer called it the F one hundred eleven.