Forum: F-16 Design & Construction

What is the F-16s ability to sustain 9Gs as compared to modern fighters. I read that the Eurofighter can pull 9Gs for an indefinite period of time. Is that also true for the F-16?

Thanks.

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Today thats depends on the pilots. I guess that in the future there will be more powerfull "G-Suits", so the pilots will be able to pull in even greatest G numbers.

Yeah I guess you are right. I think every modern airframe should be able to take care of 9gs. It'll all come down to the endurance of the pilot.

I'm not sure if this story is thru or not but maybe sombody knows more about this...

I have heard that in the early days, the Israeli's tested an F-16 they received from the US for evaluation purposes. They somehow disabled the G-force delimiter (is that a hard thing to do?) and the Israeli pilot subsequently pulled so many G's that the wings of the Viper were permanently bent.

When the aircraft was on the ground again, it appeared that the wingtips were a few inches closer to the ground than they were supposed to. The jet had to be scrapped (why didn't they replace the wings?).

OK, this sounds like total BS but in every story like this, there is usually some truth at the base of it. Anyone heard about this?

The G-limiter as such is coded into the FLCS, without OFP source code this would not be done. There is no "switch" hidden or otherwise.

An F-16 is rated for 9 Gs of Positive acceleration (eyeballs down) and 3 Gs of negative acceleration (eyeballs up) and then only in certain configurations. To pull enough positive Gs to permanently bend the wing upward would be difficult - to pull enough negative Gs to permanently bend the wings downward as you described would be damn near impossible. Without substantiation, the story you heard is most likely a bunch of bull.

Or maybe it was those Israeli Avionics I am always hearing about... Wink

Quote:

Or maybe it was those Israeli Avionics I am always hearing about...

ROFL

I have never heard about that story. Though, there is a pic in the photo gallery of an American F-16 bending it's wings (but as not as you described Wink

)

What about that Israeli F-15 <b>missing</b> its right wing? (after a mid-air) Talk about "Geez"...

This one? -> <a href="http://www.f-16.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=155">Mission Impossible</a>. Fantastic story!

Last edited by DeepSpace on Sep 28, 2003 - 09:00 PM; edited 1 time in total

Yeah, that story is really amazing. The guys at McDonnel Douglas were so amazed so they sent us a new wing for free! Cool

Okay, first off, the F-16 can pull 9G's EASILY, and it can do that for a very long time. The real limitation is the pilot, plain & simple. As for that story, HOW IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY DID HE LAND THAT PLANE? I mean, I know "how" he landed the plane, but that still doesn't demise my shock or surprise at it. However, after reading that article, I have 2 questions:

1) Is it because of the F-15's large wing that it could generate enough lift to stay in the air & not crash, if with only 1 wing?

2) If a Falcon were in a similar situation, would it crash because it has a smaller wing?

I guess, I'm basically asking about the importance of wing size when dealing with situations like this. Do you want a big wing, or a small wing?

Of course you want a big wing! and also two engines Wink

If it was a Falcon, it MIGHT be able to land. MIGHT

If he were flying an F-16 instead of an F-15 maybe he could have <b>AVOIDED</b> the other plane... Shocked

I'm not sure. It happened in a close-dogfight training

Some sources saythat the SU-35 can pull over 11Gs. What's the truth in that?

Okay, we're talkin' about the Su-35. IT PROBABLY CAN. The main concern is, would the pilot be able to handle? NO. Most pilots can only handle 9Gs, much less 11. And Russian pilots get very little flight time, and so you'd think their endurance in sustained high G maneuevers wouldn't be that great to begin with.

Forum: F-16 Design & Construction

F-16s ability to sustain 9gs as compared to modern fighters?