Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Chris McWilliams, now Chief of Logistics for the Battle
Management Systems Wing at Hanscom Air Force Base (Boston) has completely
restored a model FB-111A to its original appearance.

McWilliams became acquainted with the model FB-111A while assigned as commander of the 509th Field Maintenance Squadron at Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, from 1985 to 1989. About six years ago, he heard that the original model FB-111A that had been at Pease had been relocated. He found that it was still intact. The model was viewed this past summer at the FB-111A Reunion; however, the model's condition had deteriorated and required extensive body work and repainting; he also found that it still bore his original signature from 1987.

The NH Civil Air Patrol, who owns the model, repaired the body and replaced its fiberglass and sheet metal. The FB-111A Association (founded by McWilliams and his friends about 12 years ago) offered to repaint the plane on the condition that its original FB-111A paint scheme be restored (it then appeared as a USAF Thunderbird). McWilliams did the repainting himself, in his home garage. Nose art emblems on both sides of the fuselage pay homage to the WWII bomb group predecessors whose descendent wings flew the FB-111A. The right side represents the 509th Bomb Wing; the left side represents the 380th Bomb Wing from Plattsburgh AFB, which is the direct descendent of our 380th Bombardment Group (H). Its nose art proudly bears "The King of the Heavies" emblem and our associated
bomb squadron patches just as they appeared on the actual FB-111A aircraft (S/N 68-0244).