Comments on: 14 April 1986

By: Douglas Hampleman

Douglas Hampleman — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 23:01:47 +0000

The article says , “There were very stringent rules of engagement in place, and for that reason, the majority of the Aardvarks did not release their bombs.” Really? That’s not how I remember it. I was an engine troop working the flight line on the 495th on nights. After my shift ended at 7 AM, I hung around for another couple hours to watch our jets return. As mentioned above. one dropped out in Spain and one was lost. I don’t recall any aircraft returning with their bomb loads or any scuttle butt about jets not dropping their bombs. Ieven recall going to a briefing for us maintenance troops put on by an officer from one of the squadrons in which they showed some airael footage with audio from the bomb drops. That was the first tome I’m sure most of us had ever seen that. Can anyone else comment on the authors statement? Thanks.

By: Kevin Balow

Kevin Balow — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 15:55:22 +0000

Great airplane. Highly recommend any aviation enthusiast the writing from Peter E. Davies on the F-111.

By: Irv

Irv — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 05:08:33 +0000

In reply to Greg. This is one of the main reasons I do not want to visit these countries. Especially France; despite the desires of my wife!

By: Bryan Swopes

Bryan Swopes — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 13:12:05 +0000

In reply to Rehoboth. Thank you!

By: Rehoboth

Rehoboth — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 06:04:39 +0000

Wonderful post

By: M Roth

M Roth — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 19:32:07 +0000

Disregard. I was looking at the caption.

By: M. Roth

M. Roth — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 15:47:35 +0000

I didn’t think F-18 was operational in 1981??

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 20:11:24 +0000

The mission was so long because our French, Spanish and Italian NATO partners refused use of their airspace for the transit adding over a thousand miles to the trip. Each way.
Amusingly an errant bomb almost hit the French Embassy in Tripoli. Guess the crew was overly tired from the detour.

In any case it changed Kadaffi’s behavior. Perhaps it was the video of the Paveway targeting cursor resting on the structure he was sleeping in before moving off to designate the actual target, an adjacent building. Have to love pilot humor.

By: Edward Mang

Edward Mang — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 23:55:24 +0000

I was the boom operator on that refueled Karma 52. I took the last pictures of them coming off my boom that night. Our crew flew a 19 hour mission that night because we only got one receiver back from the attack and had the most fuel left. We eventually picked up another F-111 that over boosted one of his engines and dropped him of in Spain, Rota I believe.
They’ve got my pictures in a book that my Aircraft Commander gave them. They did confiscate my camera when I landed.
Raid on Qaddafi: The Untold Story of History’s Longest Fighter Mission by the Pilot Who Directed It, by Robert Venkus

By: Thom Lustik

Thom Lustik — Wed, 17 Apr 2019 21:44:12 +0000

I was there that day! Most of us were used to the Baby Elephant Walk, but this time it wasn’t an exercise! All we could wish for was God Speed to our crews as they left for the attack.