So the F-111s flying days have now closed with the final fly-pasts in Australia earlier today. On this page I've gather all my personal F-111 photos over the years.
The oldest photo I have is from RAF Mildenhall in 1978, and you can tell it was a long time ago due to the clothes the people are wearing. Parked next to the F-111E is an F-4 from Woodbridge, which incidentally I didn't photograph. The other photos from Mildenhall are from 1985 and show a three-ship formation from RAF Lakenheath behind a white KC-135 in a refueling formation, and one is very close to being plugged in.
We had two F-111 bases in the UK. RAF Lakenheath with F-111Fs and RAF Upper Heyford using F-111Es. Both these bases were difficult to get good shots from with our then inferior equipment, and as most things in those days, they were common at all airshows so we hardly ever took photos as film and processing was expensive.
At the RAF Lakenheath At Home Day in July 1983 we actually had some sun and one F-111F was parked loaded up with bombs and missiles.
At the International Air Tattoo in 1980, then held at RAF Greenham Common, we had the exciting opportunity to view a pair of F-111Ds from Canon AFB, NM. I think this may have been the first time that Canon machines appeared in public in the UK and due to deployments they would appear in later years at Boscombe Down in the early 90s.
At RAF Brawdy we could get nice and close to the action but you will see that the sky is overcast. Brawdy is in Wales and it's always raining. 'Nuff said.
RAF Alconbury in 1986 saw an interesting F-111E from Upper Heyford on display in the form of 68-0077 named "June Nite". This aircraft also carried the 77th TFS titles on the tail, although true to form, I never took a photo of the whole aircraft. This was painted to honor Ernest "Feeb" Fiebelkorn who flew with the 77th FS during WWII. He was a fighter ace with 11 kills to his name, making him the top scorer with the 20th Fighter Group, with the last four being in P-51D 44-11161 which was named "June Nite". His last victory was to shoot down Walter Nowotny in a Me262 who at that time was the top scoring ace in the world.
RAF Bentwaters is a strange place to shoot an F-111 but in the Rendlesham Forest that separates Bentwaters and Woodbridge we found F-111E 68-0060 - well its escape pod anyway. This was in the late 1970s when we traveled to airfields via train and bicycle and we used to have massive pine-cone fights in that famous forest. The 67ARRS from RAF Woodbridge used to dump the pod outside the fence for rescue training. I guess we happened to find it between being dumped and recovered. Anyway in true kids style we had to sit in it.
That wraps it up for the old scans with the rest being from the digital age with a few preserved aircraft and the Australian Air Force in action.
First up shots from Red Flag 07-02 were I shot very few flying unfortunately but did get a lot of nice ramp shots thanks to Karl's persuasion with the lovely Australian PAOs.
Another year and another flag, this time RF10-3, and I spent a lot of time hunting on the outskirts for the ranges with mixed success. I nearly came a cropper trying to find a new spot and that escapade can be found here. I did manage one shot showing the Pave Tack hanging down so all was not lost I guess.
A second foray with good friend Richard took us to the better know spot at Coyote Summit where we scored some success. Long shots over the plains, again with Pave Tacks clearly hanging and the chatter over the radio made for an interesting day out. On their way back we had one so close that I filled the frame with less than half the aircraft and then one suddenly appeared on the good sunny side. What a rush that was! It also snowed later while we scouted out new locations.
For that Flag I also shot from all over airfield including some night launches from Cheyenne with dubious company passing us from time to time. I'm glad I had the time to make the most of their final deployment to the USA.
So a say day all around but some great memories all the same.
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