Posted 10 years ago
aghcollect
(2304 items)
- 20" wide by 15" high color photo poster from the 1960's - (cropped)
- The photograph is of the General Dynamics F-111 A noted "First Flight"
- Photo taken by official USAF photographer TSgt. Guy R. Dyke **
* The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark was a supersonic, medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft that also filled the roles of strategic bomber, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare in its various versions. Developed in the 1960's by General Dynamics, it first entered service in 1967 with the United States Air Force. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also ordered the type and began operating F-111C's in 1973. The USAF's F-111A first flew in December 1964, and the first production models were delivered to the USAF in 1967. In all, 566 F-111's of all series were built; 159 of them were F-111A's. Although the F-111 was unofficially referred to as the Aardvark, it did not receive the name officially until it was retired in 1996. The RAAF was the last operator of the F-111, with its aircraft serving until December 2010. - There is a General Dynamics F-111A, (marked as it appeared in 1972-1973 when assigned to the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing), on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
** Photographer TSgt. Guy R. Dyke - retired as a master sergeant from the U.S. Air Force after 28 years of service. He also served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was a veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, the Asiatic Pacific Theater Victory Medal, the American Theater Victory Medal, the American Theater of Operation Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Purple Heart. - He passed away in 2010 at the age of 86.
