Printed from: F-16.net - The Ultimate F-16 Reference [http://www.f-16.net] Document title: F-16.net - The Ultimate F-16 Reference Original URL: http://www.f-16.net/f-16_fighting_falcon_airframe-1951.html Printed on: 13 October 2008
In 1988, a contract was awarded to General Dynamics, Fort Worth Division to develop the VISTA (Variable stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft). Calspan, a subcontractor to GD, installed a center stick and integrated the computers needed to perform variable stability flights. Wright Labs bought the aircraft in 1988 and from 1988 until 1992, the VISTA/F-16 program was being accomplished. There was no connection between thrust vectoring and VISTA/F-16.
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Aircraft History
Date
Status
Local S/N
Airforce/Unit
Version
Name
Info
23 Jul 1992
[act]
86048
NF-16D Block 30F
Comments: Modified to F-16/MATV - only flew 5 times with vector thrust engine.
Dec 1992
[sto]
86048
NF-16D Block 30F
Comments: In late 1992 the aircraft was put into flyable storage. Exact date and location still unknown.
Unknown
[act]
86048
NF-16D Block 30F
Comments: Modified to F-16/VISTA and re-equiped with a P&W F100-229 engine.
Oct 1993
[act]
86048
416 TS
NF-16D Block 30F
Feb 1996
[act]
86048
NF-16D Block 30F
Comments: Located in Buffalo, New York for testing F-22 flight controls. Testing was complete in May 1996 but the aircraft stayed in the region till atleast late 1997.
There was an article in AFM which stated that the NF-16D was retired along with the F-18 HARV and the X-31. Perhaps this ship is either in retirement or in storage? Likely museum location for this ship?
Jon
Mar 31, 2008 - 09:28 PM
still active
Although retired/stored for a short period of time, the aircraft was noted still active in January 2008 at Edwards AFB with the 416th. This is still a very valuable (not in dollar sense) test aircraft.
Sep 08, 2008 - 08:22 PM
VISTA/F-16
This aircraft has been active since 1992, VISTA has been assigned to the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB since Oct 2000. VISTA's primary mission is to train the next generation of Test Pilots the flight test techniques to test advanced, fly by wire flight control and avionics systems. The aircraft also still serves as a reseach platform for outside agencies such as the Air Force Research Lab and the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB.
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USAF 86048
