Was the Navy’s F111 really that bad?
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Re: Was the Navy’s F111 really that bad?
Interesting article.
There is an F111 in the American Air Museum here at Duxford in the UK and I always marvel at the seating arrangement and pod/capsule style ejection system.
I hadn't realised that the aircraft had such a gory record with respect to test pilots.
Here is a more "upbeat" take on the F111!
Caco
There is an F111 in the American Air Museum here at Duxford in the UK and I always marvel at the seating arrangement and pod/capsule style ejection system.
I hadn't realised that the aircraft had such a gory record with respect to test pilots.
Here is a more "upbeat" take on the F111!
Caco
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Re: Was the Navy’s F111 really that bad?
Whenever I intercepted a Target-Of-Opportunity aircraft in the UK that didn't appear to see me, it was almost always an F-111. I cannot recall an F-111 I attacked rear of the beam who saw me, on many exercises. Awful rearward visibility, and I fear the same for the F-35B.
http://pogoarchives.org/straus/ote-info ... 130215.pdf
http://pogoarchives.org/straus/ote-info ... 130215.pdf
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Re: Was the Navy’s F111 really that bad?
The Navy never got the F111. The F111B was to be a navalised version
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Re: Was the Navy’s F111 really that bad?
The pentagon had a history of bad decisions. Which brilliantly successful fighter was designed without canon as "all combat will be carried out with missiles in future wars," and was retro-fitted with cannon in a "home-made" belly pod when it arrived in a war zone ? Powered, if I remember correctly, by an air turbine/generator with a cable up to a strap-on push button on the stick.
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Re: Was the Navy’s F111 really that bad?
OFSO, not a feature restricted to the Pentagon. Remember a fighter fitted for but not with a gun? It had to be fitted with ballast in place of the gun. The best ballast being a gun.
Re: Was the Navy’s F111 really that bad?
Here are a couple of photos of the F111B:
It was only flown to the deck after the Navy order had been cancelled - to see what 'might have been' perhaps. It might be that the people who would have to operate the aircraft had a say in the cancellation, as it certainly wasn't what the Navy wanted.
It was only flown to the deck after the Navy order had been cancelled - to see what 'might have been' perhaps. It might be that the people who would have to operate the aircraft had a say in the cancellation, as it certainly wasn't what the Navy wanted.