Air Force bomber begins final journey to South Australia
A retired Royal Australian Air Force F-111 aircraft began a four-day road trip from Queensland to South Australia today.A Defence Media spokeswoman said the journey provided a special opportunity for regional towns along the route to give the aircraft a ‘send off’, as the F-111C – serial number A8-132 – travels by road from RAAF Base Amberley to RAAF Base Edinburgh.
The convoy departed Amberley at 3:00am on Monday, August 8 and was expected to arrive at Edinburgh at 10:30am on Friday.
The convoy will pass through Toowoomba, Moree, Dubbo, West Wyalong, Hay and Mildura.
Local communities can expect to see the aircraft being towed on the back of a trailer by a large prime mover. The F-111 will have its wings and tail fin removed.
The F-111 fleet was retired by the Royal Australian Air Force in December 2010, after 37 years’ service.
A8-132 is one of eight F-111 aircraft currently identified for preservation. This aircraft is being relocated to RAAF Edinburgh, South Australia, where it will be placed on public display later this year.
A8-132 holds special significance for RAAF Edinburgh, due to its extensive use as a flight trials aircraft by the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) between 1979 and 1988. During that period, A8-132 was arguably the most important aircraft within the RAAF F-111 fleet, due to its role in clearing new weapons for use.
Over 30 major trials were conducted by ARDU using the aircraft. Following completion of the last trial in 1988, it was returned to the main fleet and resumed duties as a strike aircraft. Arriving in Australia in 1973, A8-132 logged a total of 4991 flying hours during its career.
F 111 Aircraft - News
A retired Royal Australian Air Force F-111 aircraft began a four-day road trip from Queensland to South Australia today. A Defence Media spokeswoman said the journey provided a special opportunity for regional towns along the route to give the aircraft
Former F-111 navigator Flight Lieutenant Jake Romanowski grew up in Adelaide and has been travelling with the plane this week. "I was in the right place in the right time and it has been really fun," he said. The 37 tonne aircraft flew in Australia
CLOSE BOND: An F-111 aircraft, one of only eight left in the country, is being retired at Edinburgh RAAF base. Squadron Leader and pilot Cam Morris with the plane. Picture: Roy Van Der Vegt. FLYING through valleys at 1000km/h, Flight Lieutenant Jake
Picture: Kym Smith Source: News Limited FEARING orders for the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft would be cut, Senior Royal Australian Air Force officers assured the Howard government the ageing fleet of F-111 bombers could fly until mid 2013.
The Government has placed a tentative order for 100 of the stealth aircraft to replace its ageing fleet of less-capable F/A-18 Hornets and the now-retired F-111 fighter-bomber. Speaking in the United States before a meeting with defence secretary Leon
Last trip for a proud war-plane | Milduraweekly
THE last time a Royal Australian Air Force F-111 strike aircraft came through Mildura, it was on a low-level night-time navigation exercise following the Murray River, flying about half the speed of sound.
The one that passed through yesterday was travelling at a more sedate pace…just on 80 kph, on the back of a truck on its way from Amberley in Queensland to the RAAF base at Edinburgh, near Adelaide.
The aircraft, A8-132, is one of 24 F-111’s that were finally grounded last year after serving the Air Force for 37 years. It was aircraft number eight off the assembly line at Forth Worth, Texas, in 1968, but because of exhaustive problems and rigorous testing the planes weren’t put into service in Australia until 1973.
The F-111 was also used by the United States and other defence forces around the world, and at one stage, the General Dynamics factory at Fort Worth, with 28,000 employees working in shifts around the clock, were turning out one F-111 a day.
Even on the back of a Bell Heavy Haulage transport, the 23-metre long F111 is an impressive sight. Missing are the revolutionary swing wings and tail fin, but these will be reinstated once the aircraft reaches Edinburgh after its four-day trip across four States.
A8-132, one of eight F-111 aircraft identified for preservation, will be placed on permanent display at the Air Force base.
This particular aircraft is historically significant to the Edinburgh RAAF base due to its extensive use as a flight trials aircraft by the Aircraft Research and Development Unit at Edinburgh between 1979 and 1988.
The Air Force says that during that period, A8-132 was arguably the most important aircraft within the RAAF F-111 fleet due to its role in clearing new weapons for use.
More than 30 major trials were conducted by ARDU using the aircraft. Following completion of the last trial in 1988, A8-132 was returned to the main F-111 fleet and resumed duties as a strike aircraft.
In retirement, A8-132 was painted in a low-visibility ‘gunship grey’ scheme that many people instantly associate with the F-111. During the preparation of the aircraft for placement at RAAF Base Edinburgh, A8-132 has been repainted into the visually striking combination paint scheme of camouflage upper surface and white lower surface that it wore while assigned to ARDU.
The Air Force says the white lower surface was necessary during trials as it enabled excellent contrast for images taken while testing the release of weapons from the aircraft.
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