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One for @LT COL JOHN Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
Was the Navy’s F-111 Really That Bad?
Posted from airspacemag.comPosted in these groups: 
Flying
Aircraft Carriers
Flying Aircraft Carriers
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
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Good article that points out what I've posted many times about an aircraft filling multi service rolls.......it can't! I spent 10 years with what the Navy F-111B became, the Air Force FB-111, we had the beefed up landing gear, tail hook and greater fuel capacity that the Navy wanted, but never considered the aircraft a fighter, as in air to air ability. Essentially all F-111s were an air to ground platform and the Naval environment really needs air to air way more than air to ground in order to defend the fleet. This is where the concept of one platform fits all missions falls flat on its face. No the Navy's F-111 wasn't really that bad, it just wasn't the type of aircraft the Navy needed.
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Maj Robert Thornton
In talking with 111 pilots at Upper Heyford, they loved the aircraft for the mission they had, bombing, but the side by side cockpit configuration was less than optimal for a fighter aircraft, since the pilots view to the right was obscured.
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Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
Maj Robert Thornton Funny, the side by side seating was something the Navy demanded when it was being designed and still called the TFX. As the aircraft evolved that seating sort of dictated an air to ground mission, not the air to air mission the Navy really needed.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel, Ray Spalding, my high school classmate, was killed in an F-111E. Capt Raymond Charles Spaulding's death occurred on December 19, 1979. At the time of the accident, Capt Spaulding was flying as Weapon Systems Officer in the variable-sweep wing, Mach 2 capable F-111E "Aardvark" [tail number 68-0003 shown above (although some records incorrectly show 68-0803)]. Assigned to the 55th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 20th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), USAF, and operating out of RAF Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England, Capt Spaulding and pilot, Capt Richard A. Hetzner had been conducting practice bombing missions at Jurby, Isle of Man. They proceeded thereafter to practice low level flying when the aircraft crashed in the Galloway Hills at Craignaw, Scotland. As this aircraft employed a dual seat ejection capsule, neither Capt Raymond Charles Spaulding, USAF nor Capt Richard A. Hetzner, USAF was able to eject and both died in this tragic accident.
Some pieces of wrecked aircraft are still on display at the Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum in Dumfries, Scotland.
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Maj Marty Hogan LTC (Join to see) LTC Stephen F. COL Mikel J. Burroughs
Some pieces of wrecked aircraft are still on display at the Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum in Dumfries, Scotland.
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Maj Marty Hogan LTC (Join to see) LTC Stephen F. COL Mikel J. Burroughs
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Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Think we've had this discussion before. My best friend from flight training went straight into F-111s and got assigned to Upper Heyford in 1971. Pretty sure he was part of F-111 IOC there.
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LTC Stephen C.
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen, as best I recollect, it was nighttime and they flew right smack into the side of the mountain. The capsule did not fail. They simply had no time to activate it.
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Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
LTC Stephen C. Sounds like the same scenario as crew from our wing. Hard to believe that TFR issues that 111s experienced in Vietnam were still driving how crews could operate in late 70s. I know that following our accident and the Board report SAC finally allowed us to use fully automatic TFR at night, not sure when TAC did the same. Crews had been clamoring for it for years.
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Maj Robert Thornton
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen while at Upper Heyford one of my Masters classmates and husband of one of our hospital personnel died when he disengaged the TRF coming into the bombing range, due to another couple of 111's late exiting, his 2 aircraft flight climbed out an started back again coming in over what they called "the wash", the other crew engaged the TRF, he did not. It was right at dusk and he flew it into the water. Neither crew member made it. This was late 80's early 90's.
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I believe anytime the services try to combine a single aircraft for two very distinct missions it compromises both.
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