Issue 279: Bye Pig

F-111 in RAAF service

When F-111C A8-125 callsign ‘Sabre Two’, crewed by FLTLT Andrew ‘Klo’ Kloeden and 6SQN commanding officer WGCDR Michael ‘Micka’ Gray, touched down on Amberley’s Runway 33 at 1.22pm on December 3, it brought to a close more than 37 years of RAAF F-111 operations.

The event was witnessed by current and former RAAF executives and personnel, industry supporters, political figures and media, and was a poignant moment for the 370 RAAF aircrew and thousands of maintenance crews who had flown in and worked on the ‘Pig’ in RAAF service, and the families and friends of those lost in accidents.

But loved as the F-111 was by its operators and enthusiasts alike, especially in its latter years, this wasn’t always the case.