Can anyone tell me where I can by the cockpit and forward fuselage from a DECOMMISSIONED F-111 FIGHTER JET?

Question

My Dad retired from the USAF in 1983 where he worked on this aircraft for years & I'd like to buy these parts to make him something unique fo his B-day.

Answer 1

The F-111 had an escape module, and a lot of pyrotechnic lines to separate it from the rest of the fuselage.

As long as the Aussies are still flying the Vark, that where all of the spares are going.

And for gods sake, don't say "fighter jet."  Your dad ought to smack you for that.  It's bad grammar, like saying "rifle gun."  Fighters.  That's all you have to say.  And to be more accurate, the Vark is a strike aircraft.

Answer 2

We never sell anything that new. The reason is it may be obsolete to us but there are plenty of third world countries that would love to have enough to build even one. Museums get them. Just last week a local air Museum got one. This may not make a lot of sense to you but think of this example. Our navy just retired the F-14 Tomcats from the "Top Gun" movie era. In our service the F-14 had gotten so old and difficult to maintain that the hangars on our carriers where they were worked on were nick named "Jurassic Park", but Iran is the only other country besides us that ever operated the F-14. They consider it one of their best and are desperate for parts to keep them flying. The F-14 is well on its way to becoming one of the rarest american warbirds. The reason is we are not storing them or even using them as target drones. They are being chopped up and melted down to make sure Iran does not get spare parts. If we do fight Iran over this nuclear development deal it is probable we will dystroy their entire airforce in about a week. We sank their navy in that time frame the last time they ticked us off in the 1980's. But an airplane sitting grounded is an easy target. Why let them get up when we can blow them apart on the ground???? Hence no spares for F-14's. War is not romantic. It is supposed to be brutually practical. This is Texas however and all of you fans of "W" out there and yuppie values might as well know a local couple is being hunted by the FBI for making a fourtune selling spare parts to enemy countries, including Iran. Think about it. I love Texas. I don't have a high opinion of yuppies. And the F-111 was intended to be a fighter. It was just too big and heavy. then it became a a strike aircraft and the last in our service were used in electronic warfare.....If you think I was hard on that couple they were selling every americans safety out. And they were living better than drug lords.....The old jets "Waz" was talking about are 1950's era.

Answer 3

This is a great idea and I hope I can help out at least a little.

The only place to look will be AMARG (Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group) at Davis Monthan AFB. This unit handles the aircraft that have been retired or stored.

Here's the AMARG website:

http://www.dm.af.mil/units/amarc.asp

An unofficial site with a lot of information can be found here:

http://www.amarcexperience.com/

Getting the cockpit section of an F-111 will be very difficult and time consuming, but I suppose it is possible. Get in touch with public relations at AMARG or Davis Monthan first. They'll be able to point  you to the right people to see. Be prepared for a difficult process, as there is a LOT of red tape to deal with. It's unlikely that it'll happen very fast. These things can take months or more sometimes, but stick with it. If you can get it done it'll be a spectacular project. Best of luck! I hope to hear about this sometime in the future.

Answer 4

You may find a few parts on eBay, but you'll never find a large part of an F111 outside of the USAF boneyard. Good luck tho!

I used to watch those all the time at Mt Home AFB before I joined up.

Answer 5

Yeah, that would be unique.  Mostly because most people couldn't afford to try this.  It's a pretty large cockpit, and you will need a place to put it.  Do you have a large building?  Think about transporting it?  Are you planning to make it into a desk or something?  I think what you are talking about would cost thousands of dollars.  What is your plan?  I would call the desert boneyard in Tucson, Arizona.  If there is one available, they will have it.  If they still use it currently, they probably won't let you have any parts for it.  Good luck.

Answer 6

I saw a site on the net a while back which sold old jets (not sure about the F-111 specifically) however it could be of some use to search. I think old jets were about 20 thousand to 100 000. Although just the cockpit would probably considerably cheaper.