Look what appeared in Fort Worth...part 2

[Ztex]

WOOT!

She's home!

68-0009 - Balls 9

Last edited by Ztex on Tue May 06, 2008 3:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Fouga23]

What's the story?

[Connery]

Here's the story from the Ft. Worth Star Telegram

Aging war bird returns to birthplace
By CHRIS VAUGHN
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH -- Arriving in pieces on two flatbed tractor-trailers, it did not look like much of a museum piece.

But the homecoming of an F-111 Aardvark, built in Fort Worth a generation ago at General Dynamics, now Lockheed Martin, was cause for celebration at the Veterans Memorial Air Park.

"There is no example of the F-111 in the Metroplex," said Jim Hodgson, president of the OV-10 Bronco Association, which has spearheaded the creation of the air park. "This airplane to a lot of the retired guys from the plant is the most important project they worked on."

The F-111, an E model delivered to the Air Force in 1969, is nicknamed "Balls 9," from its manufacturing number of 68-0009. The Aardvark was a controversial, and costly, airplane in the 1960s and eventually became known as "McNamara's folly," a nod to the defense secretary at the time.

BY THE NUMBERS

Here's some more to know about the F-111's return to Fort Worth:

566 The number of F-111s produced at the General Dynamics plant in Fort Worth. It was retired by the Air Force in 1996.

2 The number of F-111s on display in Texas. One is in Tyler at the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum. The other is at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls.

5,430 The number of flight hours "Balls 9" recorded, all of them with the 77th Tactical Fighter Squadron based in England. Some of those flights were over Kuwait and Iraq during the first Persian Gulf War.

$12,000 The amount of money it took to bring the plane to Fort Worth. The OV-10 Bronco Association raised half the money from F-111 supporters, and the other half came from the B-36 Peacemaker Museum group.

$3,000 The amount needed to restore the plane. "There is a lot of talent with the retirees from the B-36 group, and when they get done, I guarantee you that you will not be able to tell the difference," said Jim Bloomberg, a leader in the OV-10 group.

13 The air park now has a "baker's dozen" aircraft next door to its hangar at Meacham Airport, including an F-4 Phantom, F-14 Tomcat, OV-10 Bronco and A-4 Skyhawk. The organization parked a TF-102 Delta Dagger, produced in Fort Worth in 1958, at the site just a week ago.

Source: Star-Telegram research, OV-10 Bronco Association

[viking73]

Nice!

[Elwyn]

I think the paper missed one plane. There used to be one on "display" in some guy's front yard. I think he owned some sort of salvage yard. I forget exactly where it was located but I used to see it going to a model airplane contest in either Dallas or Texarkana.

[Cripes A Mighty]

Im going to have to go take a look this weekend.

[Bill Kistler]

Elwyn,

Your referring to this one in Hooks TX,

http://www.f-111.net/t_no_K.htm

Bill.

[steve dickey]

There's also one on display at the Brownwood Municipal Airport (Tx).

[flyingsailor]

Another one with the CAF in Midland

[KRM_Bear]

Glad to see one come home to Ft. Worth.

Tyler, TX has one at the airport museum.

I saw an F-4 on a trailer headed East on I-20 somewhere near Abiline last Friday evening... Couldn't get to my camera...

[Elwyn]

Elwyn,

Your referring to this one in Hooks TX,

http://www.f-111.net/t_no_K.htm

Bill.

Yep. That's it. It's nice to learn a bit of it's history. I think the plane seen on the trip to Dallas was a pole mounted F-86 somewhere north of Dallas.

[airnutz]

Elwyn,

Your referring to this one in Hooks TX,

http://www.f-111.net/t_no_K.htm

Bill.

Thanks for the link Bill. I wouldn't trust those dates the Barksdale museum quoted by
my experience. I was in that area from about 1995 to 1999 or 2000 and the F-111 was at that
surplus store the whole period. I drove by it often. There is also a fella who has a surplus stock
business nearby with a old tracked vehicle and some other neat stuff.

Hooks is where they were upgrading Bradleys at the time..there also was a DRMO there, but
I seem to remember that had closed down in that period..part of the budget trimbacks.

Take the exit past New Boston..heading toward Dallas..for the Barry Telford prison, and just before the prison
was a cropduster strip on the right with several nice engineless Beech D-18's undercover.

T-33 in the city park in Texarkana, Tx. as well.

Ztex! Glad you guys got you a "new" bird..have fun!!