Forum: F-16 News

Regarding the recent news story posted here at [Link pending approval]

[url=[Link pending approval]]World's coolest party toy: an F-16 flight simulator[/url]

High-End Military F-16 Simulator Delivered

FSRentals now offers a complete High-End F-16 Fighting Falcon simulator delivered to any location in the continental United Sates within 48 hours of booking the rental event. FSRentals specializes in trade shows, surprise birthday parties, and airline pilot retirement parties. Discrete services for celebrities and VIP clients are also available.

Rental rates start at $500 and go up to $5,[Link pending approval] a day depending on location, additional services purchased, and the total number of days the consumer wants the simulator at their location.

Please call 817-565-7826 for more information.

More information is available at FSRentals website: [url][Link pending approval][/url]

F-16.net Sponsor

The man that owns this sim lives in the same town I do. I saw it on a trailer yesterday while he was filling his pickup at a service station.

John, if you haven't been there yet, you should call and visit

http://www.clarksmachine.com/f16c1.html

Just down the road. They are an amazing operation where Miller once worked.
fisk

fisk,

I slightly know B J Clark, but have not visited his shop. Thanks for the suggestion.

I commend his work and goals.

However, there are other considerations besides cost and ease of use. OPSEC would demand that we (the USAF) use a simulator that COULD NOT be constructed using private , off the shelf parts or components .

If we used the above simulator, theres nothing besides money stopping a foreign intel organization from building their own F-16 simulator in the same fashon. While saving money on government printer ink or copiers hardly represents a security risk,what this entepreneur suggests would, IMO , create a security vulnerability.

silversmok3 does make a good point regarding official use by the USAF of something like this. As realistic as this thing may end up, it's still running F4 AF as the simulation software (at least one of the gallery shots says so). And as realistic as that is, it's still just a programmer's highly detailed approximation of how the Viper really behaves. I've seen YouTube vids of other sim builders that use F4 as this one does and in many cases it's not exactly a dead-nuts imitation of how the jet flies. Like zero to Mach Ludicrous in under 20 seconds from a standing start with a combat load for example. Plus, there are classified aspects of the Viper that you won't see in F4.

His intentions are well and good and it's a great party item. But as has been said previously, the cost of the hardware is not the only determining factor in a program such as USAF pilot training.

But on a positive note, the Center Pedestal Display does give it kind of a cool Block 60 vibe. Cool

Thank everyone for the valuable input. It is defiantly a very long and hard road before us. The main problem is that people and companies are set in their current ways of doing business.

All of the points raised here are workable. The COTS technology is already out there, and can be used by our adversaries right now. That should not stop our government from using similar systems, if anything, wake them up that it has value and should be continued to be developed.

Since the software we are currently using is not classified, or exact, we feel that it does not actually pose any risk to national security. If we where building Cessna or Boeing commercial airliner simulators, that would be a different case altogether.

But the beauty of running the non classified software is that the general public can fly the simulator. By using the proceeds from rentals, we are currently upgrading the simulator to the Mil-Spec level it needs to be, before it can be taken seriously by the military.

Once 100% of the upgrade is complete, the eventual purchaser will probably install the classified software anyway. But will the commercial software pre-installed, they can start flying the system right out of the crate.

As far as the procurement challenges ahead of us, I have spent the last 7 years dealing with all the big players in simulation, and now many of them have some sort of COTS clause in the requests for solicitations.

So please continue to comment on this grass roots effort to save pilots lives and tax dollars. There are many challenges ahead, but I feel confidant that these types of systems have a place in the future of military pilot training.

Paul Miller
FSRentals

Retired Col Jerry Singleton flew our F-16 simulator at a local flight simulator party in Benbrook TX. The event was a birthday party for retired Lockheed employee FD Kisor.

Mr. Kisor worked on the F-16 program from the beginning, and rented our simulator so that all his Lockheed friends could try their hand at piloting the aircraft they worked on.

To our surprise, one of the quests was the distinguished retired F-16 test pilot Col Jerry Singleton. He flew our simulator, and even helped others with personal flight instruction.

Our entire staff here at FSRentals is so proud to have a real F-16 test pilot fly our simulator.

Here are some pictures of the event.

Paul Miller
FSRentals
817-565-7826
[Link pending approval]
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Forum: F-16 News

F-16 Simulator Rental