The Air Force FB-111A Aardvark was designed to fly low and fast over enemy territory and drop nuclear or conventional bombs deep behind the lines. However, on Valentine’s Day in 1986 the bomber — also called the "Dark Vark" because of its dark paint scheme — was used for a much less destructive mission. Instead of raining down ordnance, an FB-111A ferried a heart from Oklahoma to Hartford, Connecticut, in order to save the life of 46-year-old Richard Reinhardt of Pine Plains, New York. A heart can only survive outside the body for 4 hours, and it would have taken 3½ hours for a private yet to fly the organ to Hartford for transplant. That's when hospital officials decided to contact Pease AFB in New Hampshire, which dispatched two FB-111As and a refueling tanker to Tinker AFB in Oklahoma. Because the two jets were already scheduled for a training flight to Virginia, the Oklahoma trip actually cost less and used less fuel. It’s not uncommon for military aircraft to be used to help civilians. Any time there are natural disasters, stranded hikers, or injured seafarers, military helicopters and transport planes are often dispatched to help find survivors, ferry them to hospitals and deliver supplies. As it turns out, Reinhardt had the transplant surgery and is doing well, all thanks to the Air Force.
