REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Wednesday, July 19, 2006

AUSTRALIA’S fleet of F-111s was temporarily grounded after a rookie pilot was forced to make an emergency belly landing in one of the ageing strike-fighters that lost a wheel during takeoff.

The jet landed safely at the RAAF’s Amberley base west of Brisbane, creating a plume of sparks as it slid along the tarmac.

As it came down, a hook on the fighter picked up a cable that helped bring it to a halt – almost three hours after the pilot reported losing a left-wing wheel during take-off.

Fire trucks at the scene showered the jet with a blanket of foam to make sure it did not catch fire.

Top air force brass had nothing but high praise for the 29-year-old pilot, who just two weeks earlier graduated from the training course as a fighter pilot.

He and his 32-year-old navigator leapt from the jet moments after it came to a halt, after earlier circling the air base near Ipswich to burn off excess fuel.

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said the grounding of the 26-strong fleet was necessary to ensure there was nothing structurally wrong with the planes.

”I understand the Chief of Air Force will be ensuring our F-111 fleet is properly examined to ensure that all of them are safe to continue flying,’’ Dr Nelson said.

Air Marshall Geoff Shepherd said it was the first time a wheel had fallen off an F-111 in the 30year flying history of the planes in Australia.

The F-111 fleet was retired by the RAAF from 2007, with the last flying in 2010.