Almost 46 years to the day since US Air Force F-111A prototype '39766' took off from Carswell AFB, Texas, on its maiden flight, six F-111Cs were preparing to launch for what would be the type's historical final flight.
On December 3, 2010, the familiar whine of multiple TF30 engines drifted across RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. However, only five pairs of engines were running – a minor technical issue had delayed one of the F-111s from starting in concert.
The now five F-111s began to taxi as briefed at exactly 11.30am from 6 Squadron's flight line for a Runway 33 departure. Idling past, the aircrafts' crews waved to Air Force cadets, industry staff, defence personnel and media who had assembled adjacent to the taxiway to farewell the 'Pig'.
F-111s A8-126, -125, -135, -129 and -109 departed from the holding point in turn, and were immediately followed by two F/A-18F Super Hornets – the aircraft procured to replace them.
Rendezvousing to the west, the quintet of F-111s and pair of Super Hornets returned to overfly Amberley and the nearby City of Ipswich in formation before departing the area for a final flight over the Gold Coast, central Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
Forty minutes after the F-111s had departed, A8-138 – the delayed jet – taxied to and took off from Amberley's Runway 15 and joined up with the formation ahead.
For a while, noise levels at Amberley returned to 'normal', but this soon changed with the arrival overhead of RF-111C A8-126 for the commencement of a solo handling display. Flight Lieutenant Mathew Michell and Flight Lieutenant Leon Izatt began the display with a high speed pass, backing up immediately with a slow speed run down the display line with wings fully swept back at 72 degrees. This slow flypast evolved into the first of two 'dump and burns' for the day.
The crew put -126 through its paces demonstrating inverted flight, afterburner turns and rolls. Flying a left circuit of Runway 04, the F-111 was configured for landing. On very short final, -126 executed a missed approach to commence the last ever 'dump and burn' manoeuvre.
Fuel flowed from the dump valve between the engine tailpipes as the afterburner ignited the JP-8+100 into a fireball trailing the jet, illuminating the underside of the dark grey-coloured F-111 for just over half a minute. The Pig made a climbing right 360 degree turn before Flight Lieutenant Michell disengaged the afterburner and closed the fuel valve to end a manoeuvre famous around the world and now no longer capable of being performed by any other aircraft.
Solo display completed, a single-pass mock airfield attack by three pairs of F-111s, running in fast and low, showed just how swift and angry the Pig could be. Of note was A8-125 flying with its AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack electro-optical targeting pod extended.
Regrouping, the half-dozen F-111s, with varying wing sweep, flew in a sword formation over the airbase before separating to prepare for the final 'initial and pitch' to land.
The clouded mountain range to the south was the backdrop for the F-111s as they sequentially pitched out into a right-hand circuit of Runway 33. Leading the six-ship in the circuit, A8-126 was the first to be given clearance to land, with -135, -138, -129 and -109 following behind in approximately 20 second trails.
Being the first F-111 to land on Australian soil on 1 June 1973, A8-125 was fittingly the last to land. Crewed by Flight Lieutenant Andrew Kloeden and 6 Squadron Commanding Officer, Wing Commander Michael Gray, A8-125 touched down at 1.22pm to officially end the F-111's 37-year service with the RAAF and mark the global retirement of the type.
See photos of the F-111 final flight here
On December 3, 2010, the familiar whine of multiple TF30 engines drifted across RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. However, only five pairs of engines were running – a minor technical issue had delayed one of the F-111s from starting in concert.
The now five F-111s began to taxi as briefed at exactly 11.30am from 6 Squadron's flight line for a Runway 33 departure. Idling past, the aircrafts' crews waved to Air Force cadets, industry staff, defence personnel and media who had assembled adjacent to the taxiway to farewell the 'Pig'.
F-111s A8-126, -125, -135, -129 and -109 departed from the holding point in turn, and were immediately followed by two F/A-18F Super Hornets – the aircraft procured to replace them.
Rendezvousing to the west, the quintet of F-111s and pair of Super Hornets returned to overfly Amberley and the nearby City of Ipswich in formation before departing the area for a final flight over the Gold Coast, central Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
Forty minutes after the F-111s had departed, A8-138 – the delayed jet – taxied to and took off from Amberley's Runway 15 and joined up with the formation ahead.
For a while, noise levels at Amberley returned to 'normal', but this soon changed with the arrival overhead of RF-111C A8-126 for the commencement of a solo handling display. Flight Lieutenant Mathew Michell and Flight Lieutenant Leon Izatt began the display with a high speed pass, backing up immediately with a slow speed run down the display line with wings fully swept back at 72 degrees. This slow flypast evolved into the first of two 'dump and burns' for the day.
The crew put -126 through its paces demonstrating inverted flight, afterburner turns and rolls. Flying a left circuit of Runway 04, the F-111 was configured for landing. On very short final, -126 executed a missed approach to commence the last ever 'dump and burn' manoeuvre.
Fuel flowed from the dump valve between the engine tailpipes as the afterburner ignited the JP-8+100 into a fireball trailing the jet, illuminating the underside of the dark grey-coloured F-111 for just over half a minute. The Pig made a climbing right 360 degree turn before Flight Lieutenant Michell disengaged the afterburner and closed the fuel valve to end a manoeuvre famous around the world and now no longer capable of being performed by any other aircraft.
Solo display completed, a single-pass mock airfield attack by three pairs of F-111s, running in fast and low, showed just how swift and angry the Pig could be. Of note was A8-125 flying with its AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack electro-optical targeting pod extended.
Regrouping, the half-dozen F-111s, with varying wing sweep, flew in a sword formation over the airbase before separating to prepare for the final 'initial and pitch' to land.
The clouded mountain range to the south was the backdrop for the F-111s as they sequentially pitched out into a right-hand circuit of Runway 33. Leading the six-ship in the circuit, A8-126 was the first to be given clearance to land, with -135, -138, -129 and -109 following behind in approximately 20 second trails.
Being the first F-111 to land on Australian soil on 1 June 1973, A8-125 was fittingly the last to land. Crewed by Flight Lieutenant Andrew Kloeden and 6 Squadron Commanding Officer, Wing Commander Michael Gray, A8-125 touched down at 1.22pm to officially end the F-111's 37-year service with the RAAF and mark the global retirement of the type.
See photos of the F-111 final flight here
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