On July 10, 1991, Plattsburgh AFB in upper New York state said goodbye to the last of its FB-111As , or "FBs" as they were popularly called by the military personnel involved with them. After 20 years of FB-111A operations, this was going to be an historical last day for the Strategic Air Command's last medium bomber. I was present with a few local media on that historical day and the event went unnoticed for a lot of people. Today, the base is still empty and looking for a new role to play in the economy of the area. Some FB-111As were modified into F-111Gs after retirement and some were eventually sold later to the Royal Australian Air Force which still flies them today. Some FB-111As are preserved in the U.S now and they deserve their place in museums to remind the U.S. public about the role it played during the cold war years and after.

The departure:

It was a hot summer's morning at Plattsburgh AFB with a bright sun shining and only a few clouds far on the horizon. Four 380th BW FB-111As were lined up on the ramp. In less than two hours, these planes would be only memories for those lucky enough to be there. The last four operational FB-111As were: 68-0239 "Rough Night", 68-0249 "Little Joe", 68-0267 "Black Widow" and 68-0284 "Laggin'dragon'.

Each aircraft was about to make its final flight to different destinations for preservation in museums in the USA. FB-111A 68-0239, under the command of Maj. McElwee and Capt. Pyle was bound for K.I.Sawyer AFB, Michigan. Wing Commander Col. Malandrino and Capt. McCausland would fly 68-0249 to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. Capt. Sorensen and Maj. Stephensen were scheduled to take 68-0267 to Offut AFB, Nebraska while LtCol. Williamson and Maj. Marquart would leave in 68-0284 for Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.

There was a lot of activity around the FBs as maintenance personnel showed up on the ramp to say goodbye and have a last look at the jets they kept flying. A few members of the local press and privileged guests were present too. Ground crews began preparing the aircraft as auxiliary power units (APUs) were plugged in while pilots and navigators were completing their final preflight check lists. After a few more minutes, the eight Pratt & Whitney TF-30 engines were started. Following some more pictures for the local newspapers, the FBs taxied to the end of the ramp where a long row of military personnel were waiting to give them a farewell salute. At short intervals, three of the FB-111As took off and circled back to perform a fly-over, leaving the Wing commander in "Little Joe" to launch with his accompanying KC-135Q. Fully loaded with fuel for its escort flight to Davis-Monthan AFB, the tanker left a thick cloud of its telltale black smoke behind as it got into the air. Shortly thereafter, Col. Malandrino took off for the last FB-111A fly-by at Plattsburgh AFB, closing a chapter in the history of the base and SAC. Since that day, FB-111A 68-0286 "SAC Time" has been put on display at the entrance of Plattsburgh AFB.

Click on the thumbnail to view a larger image