April 21, 2008: F-111 vs Pelican

[xoxoxoBruce]

Beltnah sends you this picture of what his crazy Aussies have been up to.

AN F-111 was left "shredded" and incapacitated and was forced to make a spectacular emergency landing after hitting a pelican.

The jet was flying at 900m on a test bombing raid at Evans Head, northern NSW, when a pelican struck the fibreglass nose and was sucked into an engine.

He described the circumstances of the incident, which happened between 10am and noon, as near freakish. "It's a surprise thing at 3000ft to have a bird strike," he said. "It's certainly not the way we want to operate all the time. The boys did a great job in getting it home."

Repairs to the F-111- one of 21 active jets - are expected to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Initially the pelican bounced off the nose before being sucked into an engine. Its impact completely smashed the fighter's radome before causing an immediate engine failure.

The damaged aircraft is expected to be flying again within a month.

The F-111 fleet, built in 1974, will be retired in 2010 when an expanded fleet of new Super Hornets is introduced.

At the time of the incident the F-111 was cruising at more than 550km/h.

from here & here.

[zippyt]

Oh THAT would just SUCK !!!!



Pelican stew any body ???

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by zippyt

Pelican stew any body ???

I would think it would be more like Pelican Puree.

[Buckrogers47]

I just read on Reuters that Iraqi insurgents were just captured with a cache of 50 pelican launchers.

[BeltNah]

Apparently it did suck, straight through one of the engines.

Thanks Bruce

[Elspode]

You know, if they didn't build those radomes out of corn husks, they'd probably be a lot tougher.

[Scriveyn]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

... The damaged aircraft is expected to be flying again within a month. ...

The pelican isn't.

Recipe:

Pelican Fricassee

1 flying pelican, shreddered into pieces, 24tablespoons olive oil
24 medium onions, sliced in rings
4 clove garlic, minced
8 tomatoes, peeled, or 4 (16-ounce) cans stewing tomatoes with liquid
6 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons allspice
Dash of mace
2 cups water

Simmer the onions in a large pan very slowly, covered, for about 15 minutes or until soft, then add the garlic, and saute until the onions are golden.
Add the tomatoes and simmer a few minutes.

Meanwhile put the pelican whole through an F111 engine at 550km/h. It should now be nicely fried.

Now add the pelican pieces, the thyme, salt, pepper, allspice, mace, and water to the pan. Cover and cook for a half hour or until the pelican is tender, adding water if sauce is too thick.

Serve with rice.

Bon appetit!

[BeltNah]

A few people said the same thing in one of those links Elspode. I think you guys might be on to something.

[Scriveyn]

... Damage bill is hundreds of thousands of dollars ...

While a pelican bill comes much cheaper ....

Ahemmmm, corn husks for 100M$?

[dar512]

Are you guys subversives or what? Now all the terrorists are going to be raising pelicans and training them to fly at jets.

[Shawnee123]

Weopbirds of Mass Destruction?

[WillieO]

That bird had alot of Gull to think that it could...

[BeltNah]

I wonder who is going to foot the BILL

[tw]

Originally Posted by BeltNah

I wonder who is going to foot the BILL

Why would so much money be spent? The F-111 is historically one of the worst operational aircraft in the world. A product of micromanagement by top generals, admirals, and Secretary of Defense to make the plane they thought engineers would design. It was designed during John Kennedy's administration. So unreliable that an Admiral named Thomas "Tom Cat" Connolly all but lost his job by telling the truth about that crappy F-111.

There isn't enough power in all Christendom to make that airplane what we want!

Fortunately, smart Senators loved his honesty. In his honor, the F-14 is named the TomCat - because he told the truth - was politically incorrect and therefore patriotic - about that 'should be scrapped and buried deeply' F-111.

The F-111 that was designed as a fighter was so bad as to be reduced to only a bomber. Best thing done to that plane - scrap it for parts.

[xoxoxoBruce]

From the second link.

The F-111 fleet, built in 1974, will be retired in 2010 when an expanded fleet of new Super Hornets is introduced.