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By: - 8th February 2010 at 16:44 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks for that Simon.. glad i got the year right. Looking through that list it looks like the F-111 had a real poor safety record.
By: - 8th February 2010 at 19:34 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks for that Simon.. glad i got the year right. Looking through that list it looks like the F-111 had a real poor safety record.
The F-111 had the best safety record of any of the century series of fighters, 77 lost in over one million flight hours. With around 150 F-111E's/F's based here in the uk they were bound to lose a few.
By: - 8th February 2010 at 20:01 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
They lost one on the Wainfleet ranges, around 1990ish, I remember the bang very well, I was some five miles away!! unfortunately the crew were killed:(
By: - 9th February 2010 at 11:52 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Interesting thread this. I remember another incident back in the early 1970's when an F1-11 had a control surface problem and had to be 'steered' by another F1-11 next to it. I think it was an Upper Heyford based plane.
The reason I remember it was that the two planes flew over the junior school I attended. If I'm correct this happened nearly 40 years ago now so my memory isnt as good as it was, but I do recall the news programmes of the time making a fuss about it.
I think the crew safely ejected in the end after avoiding built-up areas.
Can anyone comfirm this or is it my memory playing tricks?
By: - 9th February 2010 at 13:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
This one perhaps? Depends where your school was of course! :)68-0024 crashed Jan 11, 1973 near North Crawley, Bucks, UK shortly after
takeoff from Upper Heyford due to inoperative rudder.Taken from http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/1968.html
Also listed on the ejection-history site too.
That would be the one as I'm in Bedfordshire, about 8 miles from North Crawley, thanks for your speedy answer! I remember being in the school playground as the two F1-11s flew over and thought they were a bit close together. Low flying military planes were fairly common in the skies above the school with RAF Thurleigh close by but we all knew that this was a bit different from the norm. Of course news coverage then wasnt as in your face and sensationalist as it is these days but I think it made the national news. it certainly featured on the Look East part of Nationwide! (showing my age!)
By: - 9th February 2010 at 13:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The F-111 had the best safety record of any of the century series of fighters
Fighters?
We are talking F111 here
Moggy
By: - 9th February 2010 at 13:12 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
It is an oddity, but the F-111 is firmly designated as a fighter! The FB designation seems to have been bandied around at some stage but not taken up.
I would say it isn't part of the 'Century series' though, both numerically and timewise.
By: - 9th February 2010 at 13:38 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I thought the Century Series has always included the 100,101,102,104,105 and 106. The exclusions were 103, 107, 108, 109 andn 110, which was the F4. The 111 was surely never considered as a part of the original sequence.
By: - 9th February 2010 at 16:17 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
What about the FB-111A used by SAC?
The RAAF used some of them as F-111G's
By: - 9th February 2010 at 16:46 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There was the FB-111A strategic nuclear bomber variant, but fairly minor in production numbers and front-line service.
The 'Century' series is generally accepted as covering the F-100 to F-109, production types, prototypes, and unflown submissions.
They were all of a certain period and design philosophy, of which the F-111 (and F-110 Spectre - aka Phantom II) were well seperate from.
By: - 24th May 2016 at 20:21 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Apologies for digging up an old thread, but I've just noticed on the Aviation Safety Network website https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=137885 that apparently the escape capsule from this F-111 came down in Great Shelford, the village I was living in at the time with my parents. I've never heard of this before.
Can anyone confirm this and possibly say where exactly in Shelford it came down?
Rob
By: - 24th May 2016 at 22:19 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
As another former Shelford resident, I too would be interested to know!
By: - 25th May 2016 at 22:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
No doubt there, then!
Thanks Mark!!
By: - 25th May 2016 at 22:43 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Indeed - thanks Mark. I thought Great Shelford was a bit wide of the mark. Some of those details are bringing back memories, and I'm guessing the helicopters I saw were those around Barton.
Rob
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By: Wyvernfan - 8th February 2010 at 15:39
It was i believe 1979 when i was playing in our back garden in the village of Gt Shelford. There was suddenly a loud bang in the sky (ejection capsule) followed by a deep thud as the plane hit the ground. It came down on the edge of a small wood in the vllage of Harlton, to the west of Cambridge, and buried itself in the ground nose first. I still remember the lights of one or two helicopters in the distance as they searched for the crew (who unbeknown to them were i believe being looked after in a local house following their successful ejection).
Does anyone know what caused the plane to crash or have any pics of the plane or crash site.? I believe it was a Lakenheath based machine.