Flying the F-111A/F Aardvark | Karl Gruner (Part 1)

Former F-111 pilot, Karl Gruner, shares what it was like to fly the beautiful F-111A/F Aardvark both in the US and Europe.
Karl shares what it was like to go through training, working with WSO's, flying at Red Flag, the cockpit and wing sweep, flying at RAF Lakenheath, getting bounced by RAF Phantoms, and much more!
Enjoy!
Purchase our Aviation Art Book, Volume One - amzn.to/3sehpaP
Visit our online shop: www.redbubble.com/people/acin...
Help keep the channel going:
/ aircrewinterview
or donate
www.aircrewinterview.tv/donate/
Follow us:
www.aircrewinterview.tv/
/ aircrew_interview
/ aircrewinterview
/ aircrewtv
Original thumbnail photo from nara.getarchive.net/search

[@pclayton5063]

I was TDY to Europe on a Staff Assistance Visit in 1986 and one of our stops was in the UK at Mildenhall. I was with an 06 Colonel, ex F4 Vietnam fighter pilot, and we were driving back to Ely, where we were billeted, late one night. The road to Ely went from Mildehall and past the end of the runway for Lakenheath. We heard what sounded like a mass launch with planes flying right over us and my colonel looked at me and said "those birds are loaded." He could tell just from the sound. We found out later that they were F-111's on the way to bomb Libya.

[@billtimmons7071]

Flying 100 to 250 feet above the deck, at high speeds .... that takes a sharp mind and heavy concentration. No wonder you had two crew for that aircraft. The photo of Karl standing next to the bird really reveals the size of that beast. Great interview gents.

[@TechnikMeister2]

Flew one with the RAAF. Outstanding ground attack bomber. Operational from 1970 to 2010, ending with the G model. Boeing upgraded ours to carry French as well as US Cruise missiles. Nothing came close to its versatility and mach 2.4 speed and 55,000ft ceiling.

[@gregalanharper]

What was the French missile? Were you left or right seat?

[@SimDeck]

A lot of people say the F-111 looks ugly. To me its a beautifully shaped aircraft. Reminds me a lot of the Tomcat. Mind you I also love the Buccaneer.

[@Aircrewinterview]

I totally agree.

[@hennies9509]

That sound of the Buccaneer at full throttle, wow!!!

[@williamstarklauf6085]

How did they convert to right hand drive for flying in the uk??

[@sd906238]

A FB-111A pilot from Plattsburgh AFB told me they would go to Nellis AFB for Red Flag. He said if F-15's tried to jump them all they had to do was hit the burners and go low. They could easily out run the F-15's.

[@briantabone2371]

Thanks!

[@richardbriscoe8563]

I was at 12th AF when it still had 111s at Mt Home and Cannon AFBs. Pilots said the first great leap of faith was their first night auto-TFR descent. The went from 10,000 ft to 200 ft AGL in about 60 seconds.

[@MrGutfeeling]

OMG

[@brett76544]

I knew a guy that had his favorite coffee cup from when he was in the airforce. The "F-111 replacement project" or the Night hawks. He even got recalled from retirement due to desert storm.

[@NosmoRex]

My dad was career USAF and was stationed at Mountain Home AFB while I was in high school. Three of my friends' dads were F-111F pilots.

[@hoilst]

The F-111Cs used to buzz my little town when I was a kid. Fucking ears ringing...

[@eatthisvr6]

loving the big cat behind him!

[@williamstarklauf6085]

Everyone looking for kitty 😺 ☺

[@no_regerts5176]

TOMCATS!

[@bobbyguns100]

I love this channel and the interviews. This guy is awesome, you could chill and listen to his story’s for hours and not get sick of it! He explains everything to were u can see it in your head and he keeps you interested. What a amazing career he had and what awesome experiences it must have been for guys like him living it ! These guys lived the life and have the most amazing memories they keep for life.

[@paladamashkin8981]

Amazing interview. Thank you both so much. The Vark was always my favorite bird. This meant a lot to me to hear the stories.

[@evanf111og]

yo, more F-111 interview's, thanks, i love learning about the Vark

[@robbyowen9107]

Good stuff!!

[@hongdongjji5361]

RAF Lakenheath YESSSSS man I enjoyed my time there, too sir!

[@MM-ci2cv]

My aunt married one of them colonial types (USAF, weapons section I think they ,called it the shop ) and I use to spend every school holiday in the vicinity of or on RAF Lakenheath both in the f111s time but also when they swapped to the f15s, I prefered the F111s sound, look and flying style.....

[@ilmegruner2505]

Bravo Karl! Même si je n'ai pas tout compris on sent bien la passion que tu as eue pour ton métier, c'est une grande chance de pouvoir accomplir ses rêves (en fournissant les efforts qu'il fallait bien sûr...).

[@KRGruner]

Ah, ben, merci ma chere soeur.

[@jondrew55]

Wonder if Karl ever crossed paths with Chris Bodgan, the only other F-111 pilot I've spoken with (well, mostly listened to since he was a 3-star at the time)? The F-111 was an amazing airplane and probably would have been even more spectacular if they had not wasted so much time and money trying to get it fly off boats. Great interview

[@KRGruner]

No, I don't remember that name, sorry.

[@oldftrpilot2593]

I had two WSOs who quit flying each after a really bad airborne emergency which I resolved after a massive command directed cluster f#$k.

[@ScrotusXL]

The dude broke his thumb skiing. Even on his down time it was still doing full on hard core activities! Didn’t hit 1000 hours not by sitting on his arse🤣👍

[@williamstarklauf6085]

If the frame were was moved over the pip window window would look like another frame on the wall.

[@ricklehurst]

LOL @ Mike looking like 'ckin Mario in the bottom left! :-D

[@Aircrewinterview]

😂 my partner hates it so now I keep it to wind her up!

[@ulisesvelez5846]

the general dynamics f-111e the fighter bomber aircraft was develoment for vietnam air war. the russian equivalent istheoleg-suknoi su-24_fencer. widely used inconficts. from afghanistan to ukrainie.

[@silvertongue3003]

Something funny about this plane, it’s actually got the same name as the A10 “Warthog” which is just the English name of the Aardvark.

[@danharding3549]

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aardvark en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warthog

[@coenraadkruger2498]

Warthog is in Afrikaans a vlakvark ,Aardvark is Kort gese Ertvark

[@silvertongue3003]

@@coenraadkruger2498 Dankie vir die regstel, weet nie hoe ek met die 2 deurmekaar geraak het nie.. As of ek die naam vlakvark vergeet het toe ek die naam Aardvark sien

[@coenraadkruger2498]

@@silvertongue3003 Nie foute Nie

[@brianford8493]

Fuck imagine me in that beast........the 111

[@abaa_sl]

♥️

[@clydecessna737]

"pre-strike recce" = let the enemy know your coming.?!

[@matthewmcgee]

I laugh every time I hear someone call the F-111 a "fighter". Karl even used air quotes when he called it a "fighter" in the interview. The Aardvark is an interdiction and strike bomber and should have been designated a B-111, or perhaps A-111 depending on how you define an "attack" aircraft. If a plane doesn't carry forward firing weapons that can shoot down an opposing fighter, then it isn't a fighter. Someone is bound to say, "But it could carry AIM-9s!" True, but hanging AIM-9s on a Nimrod does not make it a fighter either. I contend that a plane must also possess the maneuverability and performance to reasonably engage an adversary fighter to be called a "fighter". The ability to run away very fast or pull 7 Gs for a few seconds (while bleeding away all your energy leaving you a sitting duck) isn't enough performance to be a "fighter" IMHO. The reason the F-14 Tomcat was developed is because the F-111 could not function as a fighter. I don't mean to bash on the F-111. It was an effective all weather strike bomber aircraft. But just because the USAF put a "F" designation on it does not make it an actual fighter.

[@KRGruner]

Well, you had to be fighter qualified to fly it (in the tactical world anyway. the FB-111 was another story but you could NOT fly it straight out of pilot training). What can I tell you. All you wrote is correct, BUT it was a one-pilot aircraft (the other crewmember being a WSO), you DID wear G-suits (could pull 7.33Gs, although as I said, that rarely happened), and it had a gun (originally) and sometimes AIM-9s, it could go over Mach 2 easily. Maybe none of these characteristics by themselves would be enough to make it a "fighter-bomber," but as a whole, one can make the case. I know in the US Navy there used to be a pretty sharp distinction between the fighter community and the attack community, but that was never the case in the Air Force. Would you consider the Tornado GR-4 a fighter? Just curious.

[@matthewmcgee]

@@KRGruner I'm not a GR4 expert, but I think it always had it's cannon and air to air missiles as originally fielded on the IDS / GR1. I'd probably call it a "strike fighter" or "fighter bomber". I think a GR4 pilot could call him or herself a "fighter pilot" with a straight face! :)

[@KRGruner]

@@matthewmcgee Well, then, I rest my case. You can't have it both ways. At least the F-111B had the AWG-9 and Phoenix missiles, and sure, it did not enter service, but the intent was there from the start. You can say the F-111 was not good as a fighter, and I agree, but it's different from denying it was in many ways closer to a fighter (a "fighter-bomber) than a traditional bomber. And based on my later experience flying the F-16, I can tell you calling the F-111 a fighter-bomber is not silly by any stretch. Not any more than for the Tornado (which was also a pig as far as pure turning performance is concerned, especially when fully loaded).

[@matthewmcgee]

@@KRGruner For me, actually carrying air-to-air weapons operationally makes the GR4 different from the F-111. Had the F-111B been fielded, the AWG-9 and AIM-54 would make it a fighter for me, thought "Interceptor" might be a better description, given the maneuverability. But it wasn't fielded. I still contend that the F-111 should have been designated an "A-111" or "F/B-111". IMHO, terms like attack, strike, interdiction, and light bomber describe the jet and its operational use. Fighter just doesn't. You are more qualified than me to define it though! Really enjoyed the interview BTW. :)

[@brianford8493]

Did the pod eject downward at any stage chaps?

[@Aircrewinterview]

I don’t believe so.

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

Only while inverted ;)

[@KRGruner]

There was no provision for ejecting the pod. I assume you mean the Pave Tack pod.

[@brianford8493]

@@KRGruner yes im really not sure iwhere i got the referance?...maybe confused with some old testing footage.

[@brianford8493]

@@ABrit-bt6ce Followed by augering in.....then to the mess for tea and crumpets😂

[@guaporeturns9472]

"Only 4 or 5 g’s”

[@wiesenbefeuchter]

Is he a German ?

[@pendulum1997]

He says he grew up dual nationality French-American. You only had to watch the first few minutes to find that out

[@armadspengler2717]

Möglicherweise Elsässer? Deutscher Name, französische Staatsangehörigkeit.

[@KRGruner]

@@armadspengler2717 Nein, kein Elsaesser. Mein Vater kam aus Eestland.

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@pendulum1997 or ask you.

[@nigeh5326]

Non i’l est Francais et aussi Americain

[@TakeDeadAim]

He has a LOT of French accent to his speech...

[@2ZZGE100]

He is from France