Attached Link: F-111 fleet grounded after emergency landing

Awesome job by the pilot

Someone is still flying those. I remember in the 80's when I was in the USAF we had a couple and they were old and tired then. Even more than out F-4 fleet which was used a lot more.

I think they were used in Vietnam...if I wait long enough for the Military Channel (actually the 'Warplanes or things with wings channel..;), they'll do a story on it.

The F111's were used in the 80's to bomb Qaddafi..that little I remember..

The F-111's are old, but they have the heaviest weapons payload of any supersonic aircraft. There is nothing available, and nothing on the drawing board to replace them. So they just keep flying.

The australian airforce is in the process of deciding between the F-22 RAPTOR and the JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER. Neither of these has the payload of the F-111, or the range. And neither is designed for low, and I mean LOW level bombing. A friend of mine is a mechanic in the RAAF and he says they call them 'snakes bellies.'

The F-111 is due to be retired in the next 3-4 years.

Kudos to the pilot for keeping things squared away ! Wheels falling off !?!? Bad design flaw to have on an aircraft.

The Aardvark (or pig as it is know in Australia) is a remarkable plane, but it is getting old and hidiously expensive.

The F-111 only made one confirmed kill of an enemy plane ever, on 17th of january 1991 it was credited with the kill of a Iraqi Mirage F1, and all they did was fold the wings, put the pedal to the metal and hit the deck and stay low, nothing could or can keep up with an F-111 at treetop height and neither could this Iraqi pilot who flew himself into the ground

Wow - that takes me back a few years. I was stationed at one of the bases that the 111's were sent from in April '86. And pakled, you're right - the 111 was used in Vietnam.

Cyba you might be right. A replacement I would probably go to the closest thing a Tornado. Likes it low  and big payload maybe not the same specs but close a bi tnewer an 80's plane instead of a 60's.  The newer planes I am a bit dubious about myself.

What I found interesting (apart from the landing) was that there have only been 7 crashes in F-111s in the last 30 years in Australia.  That's a damn good record.

Attached Link: http://www.defence.gov.au/RAAF/organisation/technology/aircraft/f111.htm

Nice landing, it appears that the pilot just finished is his training learning to fly F-111 some two weeks ago.

Edit: Hot off the press, the Dutch Airforce lost an F-16 about an hour ago, it chrashed into the Waddenzee (the north of our country), the pilot ejected and landed safely.

     I know it is a terrible thing to lose a plane when you are working on them. I spent some years working planes. We lost one of our F-4E's to a lightning strike over the gulf of Mexico.  One of the things about the F-111 is that the ejection system is a bit squirrely. Instead of the usual firing the pilot and nav out on a rocket seat there is a pod with the entire cockpit. There are problems with that system. (allthough in theory it sounds better) so I imagine the pilot thought about the chances of surviving an ejection and went with the belly landing. F-111's got a relativly flat belly.

Apparently they do train for this sort of landing (in simulators, mind you).  Probably better to scrape a bit of paint off the bottom than wreck a multi-multi-million dollar piece of equipment.  (Plus better pictures for the news)

If I remember correctly, the F-111's had a lot of problems in the 80's and that's why they weren't used anymore... In the states... So I guess your country got a deal?

BTW, there's a lot of F-14's the U.S. needs to unload now. Those can carry a fair share of ordinance, and with the GE engines are likely to have a much better performance envelope than the F-111. Anyhow, the F-14 is still a good fighter/bomber compared to others in use. The only thing wrong with 'em is that they're just too much of a maintenance hog (more parts to wear out with that swing-wing), which is why the Super-Hornet is replacing it. Getting Tomcats would probably be a better deal than what they got with Aardvarks though if Australia ever considers it.

Australia has rebuilt the F-111s so much that they're effectively a new and better aircraft.  The reason that the wheel fell off was simply that someone put the pin in the wrong way around :)