General Dynamics F-111 Ideas and Inspiration

[Kerick]

I know what you mean. Still it seems to be a waste to just bury them. You don't want to know what they do to the old B-52s at  the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group.

[Rickshaw]

Poor ol' girl! Give a lifetime of service & look what it gets you!

In a hundred years time the aviation archaeologists will be happy exhuming them, someone will have a plan to restore at least one to flying service and the others will provide valuable artefacts for souvenir hunters...

[GTX_Admin]

People, get over it.  Talk about digging them up etc is ridiculous.  Also remember that there are copies still around.  In Australia:

11 F-111Cs were retained as heritage assets. Five will be placed on display at RAAF bases.

A8-125, RAAF Museum
A8-126, Aviation Heritage Centre, RAAF Base Amberley
A8-132, RAAF Base Edinburgh
A8-138, RAAF Base Amberley, to become a gate guard
A8-142, RAAF Base Wagga

On 4 October 2012, six more cosmetically restored and repainted aircraft were unveiled at RAAF Base Amberley for display at private aviation museums. Ownership is retained by the Australian government and aircraft undergo continual maintenance and non-destructive testing. They were loaned to:

Aviation Historical Society Northern Territory Darwin, Northern Territory
Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome Heritage Aviation Association, Evans Head, New South Wales
A8-148 – Fighter World, RAAF Base Williamtown.
Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, Illawarra Regional Airport
Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra Airport
South Australian Aviation Museum
The Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association would also receive a crew module of A8-131. The crew modules of A8-135, A8-136 and A8-137 are also held at the Aviation Heritage Centre, RAAF Base Amberley.

A8-130 was put on display at the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor in September 2013

There are also the US ones still on display around the place.

[Volkodav]

People get all emotional about the F-111 but I prefer to look at the opportunity cost of the type verses what we actually really needed or would have been perfectly good enough and wonder if the ADF would actually have been better off without them.

[kitnut617]

People get all emotional about the F-111 but I prefer to look at the opportunity cost of the type verses what we actually really needed or would have been perfectly good enough and wonder if the ADF would actually have been better off without them.

People get all emotional over ""old"" airplanes period.  They seem to think they will do in a more advanced world ---

[GTX_Admin]

After posting the video above, look what someone on another forum posted:

The model was built by a volunteer at the RAAF AAHC and it is currently on display there.

[Kerick]

What did they do with the wings?

[elmayerle]

Looking at my selection of TSR.2 detailing and mod sets, how about a F-111K with Blue Water IRBMs on the inboard pylons?  Or a FB-111K with the long-span wings and carrying Blue Waters on the two most inboard pylons on each side?

[GTX_Admin]

Looking at my selection of TSR.2 detailing and mod sets, how about a F-111K with Blue Water IRBMs on the inboard pylons?  Or a FB-111K with the long-span wings and carrying Blue Waters on the two most inboard pylons on each side?

I like your thinking…and one can get Blue Waters.

[elmayerle]

I need to do a comparison of Blue Water with SRAM to see if I can fit two or four on a FB-111K.  For a tactical application with the F-111K, how about a modernized AGM-78 (ground attack variant of the AIM-47) based on an AIM-54 instead (or the proposed AIM-47B which looks very much like an AIM-54).

[GTX_Admin]

An interesting video:

https://youtu.be/IKv6yv0q9hU

[GTX_Admin]

Formation "Dump & Burn":

[Artoor_K]

I have no possibility to make a drawing but what if F-111 had a forward swept variable wings and canard like a Switchblade?

[Old Wombat]

Formation "Dump & Burn":

Or formation farting, you can never be too sure with Defence Force food.

[Artoor_K]

F-111 FSVGW

[taiidantomcat]

F-111 FSVGW

Very cool. Could be twin tail finned too (like mig -31)

[ChernayaAkula]

<...> what if F-111 had a forward swept variable wings and canard like a Switchblade?

That sounded way too awesome to pass up, so I threw something together. Quickly. Which is why some things don't line up quite as they should and why the moving surfaces of the wings are still as per the original model. No clue whether it would actually work (probably not!). I've added some small (too small?) control surfaces next to the nozzles (S-37 Berkut-style)

I imagine the wings and canards are on the same level. If you moved the wings down while keeping the canards on the LEX, you could possibly have Viggen-style canards are even all-moving canards.

[Artoor_K]

<...> what if F-111 had a forward swept variable wings and canard like a Switchblade?

That sounded way too awesome to pass up, so I threw something together. Quickly. Which is why some things don't line up quite as they should and why the moving surfaces of the wings are still as per the original model. No clue whether it would actually work (probably not!). I've added some small (too small?) control surfaces next to the nozzles (S-37 Berkut-style)

I imagine the wings and canards are on the same level. If you moved the wings down while keeping the canards on the LEX, you could possibly have Viggen-style canards are even all-moving canards.

Can I built it? Please, please 😀

[Old Wombat]

Is it just me, or does a little work need to be done on the flight controls on the wings, etc?

[ChernayaAkula]

Can I built it? Please, please 😀

 Why, yes, of course!  :) I don't know whether the concept makes any sense, but it sure looks spectacular.

Is it just me, or does a little work need to be done on the flight controls on the wings, etc?

Yeah. Which is why I wrote...

<...> I threw something together. Quickly. Which is <...> why the moving surfaces of the wings are still as per the original model.  <...>

  I was just too lazy to change the slats, flaps, etc. The wings are actually even from a top view drawing and adapted to fit a botton view drawing, as that made it easier to copy the wing sweep details (which are hidden in the normal bottom view).

[Old Wombat]

Sorry! I noticed. I should have used this little fella to show I wasn't serious.

[Artoor_K]

Sooo...I have to dig out my Zhengdefu 1/48 F-111E, built wings with internal mechanisms, join top and bottom fuselage parts together and then cut it and glue it differently. Piece of cake

[Artoor_K]

I'm thinking...how to make verticals like in yf-23 but movable. In other words  how to make them one with wings when wings are in retracted position. Like in F/A- 37 Talon from "Stealth" movie  :)

[The Big Gimper]

Updated - Stealthy F-111

Source: Facebook - AIRCRAFT THAT NEVER WERE AND WHAT IFs GROUP

[Volkodav]

Updated - Stealthy F-111

Source: Facebook - AIRCRAFT THAT NEVER WERE AND WHAT IFs GROUP

If I recall correctly that is the artists impression of the naval ATX/F-22 prior to the projects cancellation !!!!!!!!! damn the combinations of typos and auto correct!