F-111 Disposal

[boocs]

F111 Disposal from Thiess Pty Ltd on Vimeo (http://player.vimeo.com/video/86663113?title=0)

b.

[TOWTEAMBASE]

That's a shame, sad way to end up. I remember them in and out of lakenheath, and the Empty HAS after they lost a crew member shortly before airshow day. Someone will dig them up and try to restore in years to come like an old spitfire :)

[Capn Bloggs]

Chop 'em up, they were only bombers... :}

[Alchemy101]

Surely museums wanted them?

[The Green Goblin]

We all wept.

[sms777]

Why bury them? My local scrappy would have paid good money for them.

[fujii]

The local scrappy wouldn't have the facilities to handle toxic substances and heavy metals. A lot went to museums.

[Andy_RR]

We all wept.

What did we weep for?

All the tax dollars and wasted resources they represent?

Or that we spent all that money and they didn't destroy anything or the lives of anyone else?

Still, at least we didn't have to cowtow to any foreign powers whilst we had them on the ground...

[Fliegenmong]

"local scrappy wouldn't have the facilities to handle toxic substances and heavy metals"

True....but then again.....what about all the bits and pieces that aren't toxic etc...Nose wheel, landing light, skin panels cut into 1 inch pieces, seats, instruments etc etc........those beautiful old girls cost Aussie tax payers and absolute fortune!, it would be lovely to have been able to own a small part of that history...in the bar...in a frame......ah well......an awful shame to have seen that.....but at least a few around in Museums....

It's only fitting that A8-126 & A8-138 remain at Amberley, and open for public viewing...once a month? and A8-129 up at Caloundra.....

[Old Fella]

I can't vouch for the truth of it, however I have been told it was a condition of sale that they would be disposed of this way.

[gerry111]

And possibly the same for AP-3C Orions, Old Fella? I notice three were very recently chopped up for scrap in an Adelaide scrapyard. Their airframes being out of hours. (I worked on them when new in 1977 and later in the eighties at 2AD, RIC.)


And yes, there is a tube video of the sad event. That would leave only, at most, 16 left airworthy.


I have heard that C17A tyres have to be returned to USA for disposal.

[Old Fella]

Hi Gerry

Sort of harks back to a lot of the "Lend Lease" equipment. At WWII's end brand new aircraft and sundry vehicles, I believe, were pushed over the side of ships on the high seas before even making it to their intended destination. See you in Windsor in 2016 if not sooner.

[601]

condition of sale

They were part of the SALT agreement.

[Duck Pilot]

Sad way to see these aircraft ended their lives, however as indicated it would have been a contractual requirement when we bought them.

Doubt that there would be much toxic material left on the airframes that could present long term negative environmental problems, even if they were sold of to private buyers or scrap merchants.

[Squawk7700]

Just imagine it, WE will be the ones telling stories in 50 years about these mythical Spitfires, oops I mean F111's that were buried in the hills of Queensland when the war with Iraq ended and they were no longer required :ok:

[Fris B. Fairing]

Although the disposal video may be confronting, the reality is that 29% of the F-111s were preserved and that is a remarkable achievement by any standard.

Where did they go? (http://www.qam.com.au/aircraft/f-111/porcine-perambulations.htm)

[Traffic_Is_Er_Was]

Why did we give one to the yanks for display in Hawaii (repainted as an American aircraft) when the link above suggests that they still have some in storage in the desert that were actually used by the USAF, and will now probably be disposed of?

[Fris B. Fairing]

Traffic,

A8-130 is actually painted in RAAF markings. Presumably it went to the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor because they submitted an offer and met all the conditions. Furthermore, there were no ITAR complications that applied to Australian museums.

[Squawk7700]

Several years ago the Tuczon Arizona boneyard had plenty of these presumably awaiting the scrap yard. I presume they still do. Google maps clearly showed them not long ago also.

[Traffic_Is_Er_Was]

Thanks Fris, I thought I'd read somewhere it was to carry US markings.

[Hercfix]

I saw a F111 at the Pacific Aviation Museum in Hawaii last November. Its kept in a hangar and is in amazing condition in RAAF colours and Markings. Was very surprised to see it there.

Ken

[Andy_RR]

reading between the lines here (http://www.pacificaviationmuseum.org/pearl-harbor-blog/general-dynamics-f-111-aardvark-pig), it was a fresh Australian taxpayer funded paint job, as might also have been the transport.

They seem pleased to have it there with the kangaroo on the side of it, as well they should. Free **** is always good, isn't it?

[Fris B. Fairing]

Compared with the cost of acquiring the F-111 and operating it for 37 years, the cost of restoring 13 aircraft for display is insignificant. Even having to destroy the remaining 23 was at the taxpayers' expense so at least the taxpayer has something to show for the additional expenditure on preserving 13 aeroplanes.

So what if we have given one back to our American friends. They have contributed several aircraft to Australian museums so it's good to be able to repay their generosity.

We've got people complaining when we destroy them and people complaining when we save them. Some of you guys need to get it into your heads that this has been a good result.

[Andy_RR]

Whether it was a good result depends entirely on ones perspective.

Sure, there are 13 more museum pieces in the world that might otherwise have been toxic landfill. This indeed looks good.

That we have turned 40-odd expensively acquired pieces of useful technology into museum pieces and replaced them with a series of less capable and more expensive aircraft so we can continue to "project power" in the region is perhaps less good.

It's a shame we can't project power with our own technology rather than by just waving the national credit card around.

[Fris B. Fairing]

Andy

I think we all agree that the F-111 was a very capable aircraft and probably the RAAF might have been perfectly happy to replace them with some new-build F-111s if such were available but the reality is that nobody could afford to maintain the existing fleet. Whether or not the chosen replacement is a worthy successor is an entirely different matter as is the possibility of Australia producing its own combat aircraft.

[superG3]

Yeah shame really, I would have happily paid a few grand to have a cockpit section in my garden shed.

[Andy_RR]

Fris B.

I don't wish to labour the point, but Sweden, with a population of less than 10 million supports its own defense industry and has an indigenous strike aircraft.

Taiwan at 23 million population also has its own aircraft and associated industry (and technological spin-offs)

Meanwhile, Australia had access to 40-odd "prototypes" for 40 years and could only sit passively and wait for some US defense giant to sell it some outrageously priced, new-fangled aircraft that may or may not be better.

So, the nation "couldn't afford to maintain the existing fleet", but it could apparently afford to spunk gazillions (insert blank cheque here) on an unknown quantity.

Meanwhile, our trade balance is a disaster (despite a "mining boom" - check out how little impact this boom has had on our trade and current account!) and the nation is in terminal decline in terms of education standards, employment and industrialization.

A complete failure of government of all stripes.

PS: buying expensive future landfill on the credit card isn't just a defense problem - it's a national disease!

[Fris B. Fairing]

Andy

I don't wish to labour the point

Preaching to the converted more likely. I don't expect you'll get many arguments here.

Rgds

[Andy_RR]

OK, I'll get off my soap box now Fris B. and throw it in the garbage!