Connolly flies the F-111B and reverses his verdict

Connolly initially wrote from the performance claims supplied to the Navy. After flying the aircraft himself, he found it struggled in relevant supersonic conditions and was dangerously difficult to land as a carrier aircraft. His willingness to contradict earlier testimony rested on direct test evidence, shifting anger toward the contractor and giving him exceptional authority over the replacement fighter's requirements. That authority was unusual: Connolly effectively served as program manager and wrote the specifications and criteria for the new aircraft. Operationally relevant testing had overturned a procurement case built on promised specifications and reshaped who controlled its replacement.