[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 31, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H9380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        COMMEMORATING THE F-111

  (Mr. PETE GEREN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PETE GEREN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the end 
of an era in U.S. aviation history. This past weekend at a ceremony in 
Fort Worth, TX, the F-111 was retired and officially named the 
``Aardvark,'' the nickname given it by the pilots that flew it. This 
ceremony commemorated the accomplishments of this great aircraft from 
its first flight in 1964 to its honorable service in the gulf war and 
its revolutionary impact on military aviation technology around the 
world.
  The F-111 served this Nation in the war in Vietnam, the bombing of 
terrorist targets in Libya, and during Operation Desert Storm. In 
November 1966, the F-111 set a record for the longest low-level 
supersonic flight, and it was the first tactical aircraft to fly across 
the Atlantic Ocean without refueling.
  Additionally, the F-111 was the first plane equipped with swing wing 
technology that allowed it to take off and land on a short 2,000-foot 
runway while still being able to reach supersonic speeds at a variety 
of altitudes with wings swept back.
  Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, join me in celebrating the men and 
women who built this great aircraft, a bird that served our Nation and 
the free world for over 30 years and now takes its place among other 
great Texas built military aircraft like the B-24 Liberator and the B-
58 Hustler.

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