Stunning RAAF F-111 Flight In The Southern Alps | Amazing Air-to-Air Footage

Watch an RAAF F-111C swing its wings and roar past New Zealand’s Southern Alps in incredible air-to-air footage, as the aircraft flies around the helicopter camera platform. There's no AI footage here! Flown by Sqn Ldr Craig Whiting, and Navigator Flt Lt Susan Youngman, this aircraft and its crew put on a superb display at the Warbirds Over Wanaka 2006 airshow. The experience of having this iconic General Dynamics F‑111 aircraft slicing across the skies over the Southern Alps is one that both the crew, and the airshow attendees will not forget in a very long time. Filmed from a helicopter with a gimbal-stabilised camera, this footage captures the swing-wing strike aircraft in soaring flight around Wanaka, offering stunning visuals of this significant military jet aircraft, and the wider Wanaka area. The RAAF acquired twenty-four F-111C aircraft in the early 1970s, becoming the only non-US operator of the type. The aircraft featured long-range strike capability, variable-geometry wings, after-burning turbofan engines and terrain-following radar for low-level penetration missions. Over its 37-year service life, the type retained a unique place in Australian aviation. This air-to-air footage shows the F-111C against the dramatic mountainous backdrop of the Wanaka region, offering aviation enthusiasts rare dynamic imagery of the aircraft in flight. The vantage from the helicopter gives sweeping views of the terrain and the aircraft’s distinctive profile and wing sweep transitions in motion. For those interested in warbirds, military aviation history or aerobatic displays, this piece delivers both technical interest and visual spectacle. The RAAFs fleet of F-111's was retired on 3 December 2010 after decades of service, so this is historica footage, of an aircraft display never to be seen again. There's no narration in this video; it's purely visual and includes just the ambient sound, so it can be fully appreciated by all aviation enthusiasts regardless of language. See what's coming up at the next Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow, here: http://www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com ********* Access Our Exclusive Video Content ********* For even MORE F-111 Footage hit the Join button to become a Member of this channel and get access to our exclusive Members-Only video content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6odimYAtqsr0_7m8p2Dhiw/join ********* Historical Aviation Film Unit : Our Mission Statement ********* Our on-going mission is to discover, record and preserve the audiovisual history of the machines and owner/operators that we come across, for the benefit of future generations. We hunt out and film all manner of aircraft, military vehicles, vintage cars, trains, boats, big machinery, and basically anything and anyone that interests us, and we hope it interests you too, and that you'll be able to support us in our mission. Military History Channel: http://www.youtube.com/@SteelSteamDiesel Classic Autos Channel: http://www.youtube.com/@AutoClassicsRacing Our Streaming Channel: https://www.historicalmachines.tv Website: https://www.aviationfilm.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoricalAviationFilmUnit/ Merch: https://merch.aviationfilm.com -------------------------------------------------- This footage shot/produced by Blue Bicycle Flicks, and used here with permission. Full video is Copyright © 2025 Historical Aviation Film Unit All Rights Reserved Worldwide. This video material may not be reproduced in any form (except on other websites as an unedited embedded video which links back to to this YouTube master), without the written permission of the Historical Aviation Film Unit. This particularly applies to television broadcasters and other media outlets. #WarbirdsOverWanaka #RAAFF111 #WarbirdAviation #VintageMilitaryJet #SouthernAlpsFlight #AircraftEnthusiast #MilitaryAviation #AustralianAirForce